Minari: The American Dream

Minari is a drama film directed by Lee Issac Chung. The plot follows the life of a South Korean/ American family as they try and achieve their own version of the American dream. The film explores themes of family, and legacy and what it means to be a success.

This is a beautiful film on many levels and deserves all the awards, not just Best Foreign Film or some other token: looking at you Golden Globes, sort your racism out.

There is something about this film, something that is hard to put into words. You spend half the film afraid that something bad is going to happen, there is this sinister sense of foreboding that hangs over the film, but it often leads to subversion. The bad things that do happen are not what you are expecting them to be, and as a result surprise you and that surprise cause you to revaluate how you see things and what you view as important.

All the performances are excellent here, Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri are deserving of all the awards buzz they are getting, both of their performances carry a lot of emotional weight and resonance.

However, the performance I would most like to focus on as I think he often gets ignored, both in this film and others, is that of Will Patton. Patton plays a kind hearted neighbour who helps out the Yi family, and who the rest of the town thinks is odd. Patton fully sinks into this character and brings to the front a truly rounded character that is not defined by any one thing, and who does not overshine anyone, but who does impress while he is on screen. Patton truly makes the most out of his supporting role.

Finally, I would like to draw attention to relationship between David (Alan Kim) and Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung). It is not often we get films that reflect on the grandmother, grandson relationship as this one does, but it is much appreciated. Personally I thought this was the sweetest part of the film, watching the relationship bloom between the two of them over the course of the film (as David as never met her prior to the events of the film), it brought a tear to my eye.

Overall, one of the best films I have seen in a long time. Wholesome, lovely and truly special.

Pros.

The grandmother/grandson focus

Analysing the American dream

Yeun and Ye-ri

Patton

The emotional impact

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Framing Britney Spears: Justin Timberlake Is A Bad Dude

Framing Britney Spears is a documentary film directed by Samantha Stark. The film explores the ideas around the #freeBritneyMovement and the fact that despite being only 39, Britney Spears has been under a conservatorship since 2008, with her father managing her estate and finances: this film aims to understand why that is.

This will make you angry, there is no other response you can have. It highlights flaws within the American legal system that are rife for abuse, it shows how the public’s obsession with celebrities can lead to destroying said celebrities life, and finally it show us just how sleazy Justin Timberlake is; in case you didn’t already know.

I think in terms of professionalism this is a solid documentary, as they speak to knowledgeable people on the matter and stick to the facts. Unlike other recent documentaries such as Netflix’s one about Elisa Lam, this documentary only gives a limited amount of time to online sleuths and activists, which makes for a more believable watch as you are not being bombarded with conspiracy theories.

I think the documentary is very needed, it deals with issues surrounding how women are treated in our society and the additional spot lights they are placed under, it is a very saddening watch especially when considering the impacts of self-reflection on how we the viewer see celebrities, though it does end with a message of hope, which personally I needed.

Overall, a well-done documentary.

Pros

Limiting the amount of online sleuths featured in the documentary

Using knowledgeable sources that had close ties to Spears

Causing inward reflection on celebrity

Pointing out holes in the legal system

Cons.

It is too short.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Dog Day Afternoon: The Most Unlucky Bank Robber Ever

Written By Luke Barnes

Dog Day Afternoon is a crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. The plot follows a failed bank robbery carried out by Sunny Wortzik (Al Pacino), and the following hostage crisis. The film is based on the real-life experiences of John Wojtowicz.

This film is regarded by many as a classic, and in some ways I can see that.

I think the performance from Pacino is sublime, he makes what could have easily just been a tired bank robber bad guy role, or generic antihero, feel layered and human. Pacino’s Sunny is not just likeable, he morphs into more than that almost becoming a Robin Hood figure. When the tale reaches its inevitable end, you feel sad as you wanted him to succeed, and both of those emotions are a result of Pacino’s near perfect performance.

Moreover, this film does a lot for transgender representation, decades ahead of the curve. Though some might not like it when I bring up social political ideas in my reviews of old films, I will anyway. I think the trans representation here deserves praise, as it treats the character with dignity and agency, rather than turning them into a cliché or a punchline.

My issue with this film though that stops it from getting full marks is that the film does have some noticeable pacing issues. There are sections inside the bank that drag on, and it is a shame as these scenes for the most part provide terrific character work, but there are moments when you are left wishing something would happen, or that the film would cut back to what is going on outside.

Moreover, before I made a comparison to Robin Hood with this film and I don’t view that entirely as a positive. The idea of Robin Hood works, but as the narrative follows this approach it becomes overly simplistic to a degree, the misguided but doing it for the right reasons bank robber and the evil police feel a little on the nose, and obvious and the film could have benefited from focusing more on the grey neutral ground, within and also binding the two characters.

Overall, a reverting heist film with a surprisingly good about of representation.

Pros

Pacino

The characters are all handled well and with care

The transgender romance and the larger representation

The ending

Cons.

A few pacing issues

Occasionally too simplistic in its writing

4/5

Monster Hunter: We Need Cat Chefs And We Need Them Now

Monster Hunter is a science fiction action film directed by Paul W.S Anderson, loosely based on the Monster Hunter series of video games. The plot sees a group of soldiers be transported to a world unlike our own, with the major difference being cat people and giant monsters.

So before we get into this review I just want to say I have not really played A Monster Hunter game before so I can’t say how faithful this film is or isn’t to the games. I can say that some of the elements that I have heard people talk about seem to bleed over.

Paul W.S Anderson gets a lot of very unnecessary hate as a director, I really don’t get it, with the exception of Pompeii, and the final Resident Evil film I have enjoyed everything he has done, and this is no different. Very much like Zack Snyder or Michael Bay, Anderson’s focus is on the visuals rather than the plot and as long as you understand that going in and check your expectations you are usually in for an entertaining time.

I think the best part of this film is the action scenes, both in terms of fighting the giant monsters (that actually look pretty good), and also in terms of the hand to hand fight scenes: in particularly I think the fight scene between Mila Jovovich’s Artemis and Tony Jaa’s Hunter is truly well done and the action feels very connective and visceral; I tip my hat to the choreographer.

Overall, an entertaining time with some nice visuals and fight choreography, is it going to be the best film you have ever seen? No. Though there are worse ways to spend an hour and forty-five minutes.

Pros.

Mila Jovovich

The fight scenes

Faithful to certain elements of the games

Cons.

A little bland at times

The story is very meh

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Fun Moms Dinner: The Fun Part Is Dead On Arrival

Reviewed by Luke Barnes

Fun Moms Dinner is a comedy film directed by Alethea Jones; the plot sees a group of pre-school mums go on a night out together that quickly gets out of hand.

You have seen this film before, let’s get that out of the way now- there is nothing new or fresh with this film at all. It feels like a retread of a lot of the jokes and ideas from the Bad Moms films, though those films were better in almost every way.

I am not saying this film is bad, not quite, it is watchable but not much more than that. Adam Scott shines as an out of his depth dad and has some nice scenes that are very cutesy. Out of the four titular mums, none really shine. If I was forced to pick one to single out for praise it would probably be Toni Collette who even still is not at her best here.

This feels very much like a for the paycheck kind of film.

The humour, rather unsurprisingly didn’t work for me, again comedy is subjective, but personally I didn’t find a single joke funny, at best the ‘jokes’ are unfunny and at worst they are incredibly cringey and just awful

Overall, a very middling film, watchable, but not funny

Pros

Adam Scott

It is watchable

Cons.

It feels like it was done for the money by a lot of the cast

It is not funny

The jokes are bad cringe

1/5

Football Factory: Hooligans In The UK

Football Factory is a British sports drama film directed by Nick Love. The plot examines the rise in football hooliganism, examining the lives of those who live to fight. We follow Tommy Johnson (Danny Dyer), one such hooligan as he gets caught up in a feud between two sects of fans and is forced to revaluate his life.

I don’t know if I have mentioned this in my reviews before, but I am a huge Danny Dyer fan and have been for a while: Dog House, The Business, Severance, Human Traffic all classic Dyer fare, and this fits in amongst that pantheon, though it doesn’t have as much charm as some of the others and is definitely rougher around the edges.

It is kind of crazy how badly this film wants to be Trainspotting, there are multiple moments in this film that feel almost shot for shot the same, with slight tweaks to avoid being called out. The difference of course is one is a British classic and the other is a blatant rip-off; I’ll let you figure out which is which.

Danny Dyer has his usual laddish charm and is okay here, though this does feel very safe for him. I would dare say that Dyer is upstaged by Neil Maskell, who plays his on-screen best friend and who also has some of the best scenes in the film, managing to inject a bit more soul into the film than Dyer seems capable off.

There are several moments in this film that are clearly supposed to be funny or sad, but in both cases the film struggles to achieve either. The first death doesn’t feel hugely impactful as we don’t really know the character, and the final death doesn’t bare weight as the film has done little to make us care about the character. The humour is far weaker, and the film tries less hard at this aim; those who the film is based on might find it funny, but anyone outside of that small group would probably be hard pushed to find a laugh here.

Overall, it is passable Dyer content, no The Business, in fact don’t watch this film at and just check out The Business it is a much better.

Pros.

Dyer and his roughish ways

Neil Maskell is trying

Cons.

The characters aren’t likeable and that limits the films emotional impact

The humour doesn’t work

It drags in parts

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Sacrifice: The Truth About The American Tourist

Sacrifice is a horror film directed by Andy Collier and Toor Mian. The plot sees Issac (Ludovic Hughes), and his pregnant girlfriend Emma (Sophie Stevens), venture to a remote Norwegian island to collect an inheritance after Issacs’s Mum dies. However, once they get there they start to realise that there is something sinister afoot.

I will give this film props for two things. Firstly, it perfectly captures everything wrong with the American tourist, assuming everyone who is not from the USA doesn’t speak English and then talking slower and louder to them, whilst also thinking that non-American customs are freaky and are something to be feared. It is funny to see an American film tell it like it is, in some cases, rather than try and pretend they aren’t like that.

The second thing I will commend this film for is Barbara Crampton. She is the standout performer here, though that isn’t hard, and completely excels as the town sheriff/ cult leader. She has moments of threat and menace and also moments when you warm to her slightly.

However, other than Crampton and honesty, this film has little else going for it and is bad. The film is painfully dull, and a lot of the runtime is devoted to just watching the main couple argue, and it goes on and on. When we aren’t being subjected to needlessly petty domestic squabbles, we are treated to a forced elder gods Lovecraft rip off storyline that feels like it comes out of nowhere and then ends abruptly.

Overall, don’t waste your time, let me waste my time for you. This film is poor, the same exact idea has been done before and has been done far, far better.

Pros.

The truth about the American tourist

Barbara Crampton

Cons.

It is dull

It is just a couple arguing for most of the runtime

The elder gods/ monster stuff just comes out of nowhere and is no way developed

It is not scary in anyway

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Noah: Riding The Wave

Noah is an epic biblical drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky. The plot serves as a retelling of the Bible story of Noah, but this time there are Earth Elementals and Noah (Russell Crowe), is kind of a dick.

This was a pleasant surprise, when I put this on I was expecting it to be a stuffy bible epic; Aronofsky’s name being attached was the only thing that got me to check it out. However, it is actually the furtherst thing from a stuffy bible film and goes out of its way to deviate itself from previous versions of the Noah story.

I enjoyed the harsh world of this film, the crime, the clans, the random miracles and what can only be described as magic. Honestly I would love to see a prequel centring around Anthony Hopkins Methuselah and his fire sword and the wars he fought to protect then Angles/ Elementals.

I think the performances were all strong, though some were stronger than others. Russell Crowe, the previously mentioned Hopkins, and Ray Winstone were all top tier, and each had multiple moments to standout. The rest of the cast were fine, but they were out-shined.

I also enjoyed the horror elements in this film, I think that the visions of water and fire and the one where Noah sees that demon are all very well shot, and although they are compact they leave quite an impact and actually feel scary and tense.

Overall, one of the best Bible epics I have ever seen by virtue of it really not being one.

Pros.

Deviating from all other Noah Stories

Hopkins, Crowe and Winstone

The horror

The family tension on the ark

Cons.

It is a bit too long; it could have been better paced

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Intern: Recasting Mary Poppins As Robert De Niro

The Intern is a buddy comedy film directed by Nancy Myers. The film sees widower Ben (Robert De Niro), decide to take up an internship for an online retailor after growing bored with his retirement. The rather obvious joke being, he’s an old man intern.

Believe me, I am thinking the same thing as you, I went into this one with incredibly low expectations; to be blunt I just wanted something mindless that I could passively watch whilst doing other things. However, this film soon captured my attention and was genuinely, surprisingly good.

I enjoyed how basically this film takes the idea of Mary Poppins and is like you know what I’d rather see that role played by Robert De Niro, and by God it works. This film is basically Nanny McPhee or Mary Poppins, De Niro’s character fixes the lives of everyone around him, sometimes in laughably implausible ways, whilst also being a font for sagely wisdom.

This film actually made me laugh out loud quite a few times, I really needed it so it was much appreciated, as I often say comedy is subjective so what worked for me might not work for you, but the sheer wholesome appeal of this film is tough to rival. De Niro and Anne Hathaway (who plays the co-lead), are both excellent and bounce off each other with fantastic vigour and chemistry.

Overall, a surprisingly great film.

Pros.

The jokes

The wholesomeness

De Niro

Hathaway

The idea of replacing Mary Poppins with an old man

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Death Trip: Why Can’t We All Just Love Our Neighbor

Death Trip is a horror film directed by James Watts. The plot sees a group of friends go and stay at their parents cottage, whilst staying there they start to learn troubling secrets about the neighbours, and after a while one of the number is found mutilated. The friends now find themselves trapped in a hostile environment.

The mystery of what is going on here, which I won’t ruin as this is fairly new, is one of the best I have seen in years: it really had me going, I thought I figured out what was going on early into the film, but boy was I wrong.

I found this film quite scary, which is surprising considering that the home invasion/ evil neighbours sub-genre has been done to death several times over at this point. I ended up liking and becoming attached to the characters, so when they faced annihilation it felt all the more weighty and made me very tense. The threat is very real and present throughout, even in scenes that seem happy and light there is always a little bit there.

My one issue with this film, only a slight one, is that there are a few pacing issues mainly in the beginning of the film that make it a bit of a slog, luckily the film picks up after the first twenty minutes, so it isn’t that bad.

Overall, an interesting take on the sub-genre.

Pros.

The story doesn’t go where you are expecting it to

The characters are feel real and relatable

A palpable sense of threat

Doing interesting things with the genre

Cons.

Pacing issues mainly in the first twenty minutes.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke