Bad Words: Swearing At Kids

Bad Words is a dark comedy film directed by Jason Bateman. The plot sees adult man Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman), enter into a children’s spelling competition much to the annoyance of all involved.

Before watching this film I read some of the reviews for it that called it things like ‘offensive’ and ‘in bad taste’ and I have to say after watching it these people just seem to be very fragile, and easily upset to think that this was bad or offensive.

The (apparently offending), humour is just standard dark comedy affair, Guy is the traditional arsehole protagonist that you are not meant to root for at the start of the film; usually the sort of role Vince Vaughn would play. Very much in keeping with that architype, as the film progresses the character reconsiders their behaviour or starts to show some nicer personality traits, thereby making them likeable and someone with whom the audience can begin to root for; this is fairly standard character development for a dark comedy film, and it is beat for beat present in the film. There is no deviation or fresh take on this formula, so don’t go in expecting the unexpected, you can work out the ending in the first 5 minutes.

The comedy I found to be hit and miss, Bateman’s character only had a few genuine laugh out loud jokes, but often made me smile. However, not all of Bateman’s jokes land and a few are painfully unfunny, the same can also be said for when anyone other than Bateman tries to be funny: it never works. However, comedy is subjective so you might feel differently.

Bateman and Kathryn Hahn (who plays Guy’s press correspondent/ girlfriend) have a good back and forth and you can feel the chemistry there which makes for pleasant, almost comforting viewing.

Overall, a slightly better than average dark comedy.

Pros.

Bateman

The jokes (for the most part)

Bateman and Hahn’s chemistry

Cons.

Some of the jokes really didn’t work

The other characters, outside of Bateman and Hahn were often annoying

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

May The Devil Take You: Never Look Behind Hospital Medical Curtains

May The Devil Take You is an Indonesian horror film directed by Timo Tjahjanto. The plot follows Alfie (Chelsea Islan), a young woman who learns that her father made a deal with a demon to attain wealth and now must deal with her fathers end of the bargain, namely said demon wanting her and her sibling’s souls.

This is a very striking film. I have watched a lot of horror films over the years and never yet have I seen one quite like this. Whether it how the film chooses to show The Devil, or the communing ritual at the start of the film, there are multiple scenes that push the horror genre in a new direction and inject it with fresh blood.

I enjoyed the physicality of the performances of those who were possessed, as more than one person was over the course of the film. I thought seeing these demons jumping about the room, or running up walls was truly a sight to behold it was both terrifying, but also visually impressive from a filmmaking stand point.

The film had a lot of good scares both in terms of jump scares, which this film actually manages to pull off well, and scares from its atmosphere: both of these are incredibly effective. In terms of similar scares I would compare this to the TV series Marianne.

Overall, this is a very well-done horror film that is brimming with new ideas and strongly thought out scares.

Pros

The scares

The physicality

The visuals

The performances

Cons.

The ending is a slightly weak, and off the mark

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Sweeny: No One Needs To See Ray Winstone Like This

The Sweeny is a crime film directed by Nick Love, the film acts as a reinvention of the classic 70s series made for a new generation. Veteran inspector Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) is brought into a world of pain after he becomes caught up in a series of crimes that cost him his job and his new love.

I did not like this film. Sometimes crime films are bleak and gritty, but this film takes it to a whole new level, everything is unpleasant and there is not an inch of joy to be found anywhere throughout.

None of the characters are in any way likable, with Winstone in particular being extremely vile and in an era of police violence under a new intensity the idea to make a violent officer a lead is beyond comprehending. You do not root for the lead characters at all, really you are left thinking at the end of the film it would probably be better if they were shut down.

The actual plot of the film is very generic and has been done better before. I could guess right from the off where the plot was going, and it did not surprise me in anyway. This is nothing you have not seen before.

Overall, this is a deeply off-putting film for several reasons.

Pros.

It is watchable

Cons.

Winstone

The insensitivity

It is incredibly predictable

The characters are loathsome

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Wind: Sleep With A Shotgun In Your Hand, Just To Be Safe

The Wind is a western, horror film directed by Emma Tammi. The plot centres around a frontier couple who begin to experience increasingly alarming supernatural happenings, with Lizzy (Caitlin Gerard) believing it to be the workings of a demon.

The Witch is probably my favourite horror film and is my second favourite film generally; Lost Boys is my favourite film and would be my favourite horror film though I don’t really view it as one. So, when I read that this film was basically a western version of The Witch, I was intrigued and put it on to see if it could live up to the high standard set, and I am pleased to say dear reader it more than did.

In the beginning the time hopping narrative didn’t make a lot of sense and I was lost, but as the film goes on it all wraps together nicely. The issue is that though we might be seeing a flashback, or a flash forward the film does not announce it as such, which can be a bit jarring.

The demonography of the American Frontier is fascinating, and I am surprised other films haven’t explored it more deeply before. I thought the film benefited from creating a very isolating atmosphere, that worked perfectly with the threat of the film and the idea of constantly being under siege. The larger scares towards the end of the film when we actually get to see the demons, in their human vessels, is incredibly menacing and actually managed to unsettle me; not an easy task as I have become quite desensitised over the years of watching horror films.

Overall, I think this is a superb horror film that more than deserves its comparison to Egger’s masterpiece. A must watch!

Pros.

The scares

The atmosphere

The demonology of the American Frontier

Gerard

Cons.

The timeline is a little confusing

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Untouchables: Never Get Between Sean Connery And An Italian Person

The Untouchables is a crime epic directed by Brian De Palma. The plot focuses on the early life of Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner), as he fights to bring down organised crime in Chicago and stop the notorious Al Capone (Robert DeNiro).

I enjoyed this film quite a lot, it was very fun to watch. I enjoyed the mentor role of Sean Connery’s character and thought that he had great chemistry with the rest of the cast. I do, however, think because Connery’s performance was so good he might have outshone Costner’s lead just a little bit, which no doubt would be infuriating for Costner. Costner’s Ness for the most part was your typical straight lace man of the law, gone bad by the end, type. Costner brought nothing to the role that could not have been done by another actor, he was fairly interchangeable.

I thought there were a lot of strong moments and sequences that were both tense and thrilling: I think the death of Connery’s character is one and I think the courthouse roof scene is another. However, despite these great scenes the film does suffer from pacing issues and struggles to maintain this sense of tension throughout. My main complaint in this regard is that scenes often play out for much longer than they should, thereby becoming bloated.

DeNiro’s Capone is fine, he is a very hateable character which is what the film was probably going for, however, he is nothing more than a hateable low life there is no nuance there or further look into his character he is simply an antagonist and nothing more.

Overall, pacing issues aside this is a fun ride with a great performance from Connery. The rest of the cast let the film down to a degree and stop it from achieving true heights, but it is still good.
Pros.

Connery

The thrills

The action

Cons.

Costner

DeNiro

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Black Water, Abyss: Rooting For The Crocodiles

Black Water, Abyss is an Australian thriller film directed by Andrew Traucki. The plot sees a group of adventure seekers/ divers become trapped in a uncharted underground cave filled with vicious crocodiles.

Why do I keep coming back to the shark attack, crocodile attack, creature feature sub-genre? There is nothing left of interest in this sub-genre at all. Sometimes these sort of films can be good for a bit of low engagement, mindless viewing, but I found that was too much of an ask for this film.

Though this film is on for under 2 hours it feels much, much longer. I don’t know how you can make man vs crocodile boring, but this film finds a way. Honestly by the midpoint of the film I was completely checked out and bored; if I was not reviewing the film I would have turned it off.

The characters are exactly what you would expect, if you have seen any film like this before. It is the same collection of cliches and stereotypes that leave absolutely no impression on you at all, even as they are eaten by the crocodile.

The kills themselves are fine, probably the highlight of the film, but even then they are just average.

Overall, give this one a hard pass unless you need something to both infuriate you and send you to sleep.

Pros.

The kills are okay

Cons.

The characters are generic

The kills have no real impact as you don’t care about the characters

It is not scary or thrilling

It is tedious and hard to get through

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Cleansing Hour: The Hottest Live Stream In Town

The Cleansing Hour is a horror film directed by Damien LeVeck. The plot focuses on a live stream exorcist Father Max (Ryan Guzman), who pretends to fight the forces of evil and rid the world of demonic forces. However, one night, on a stream, rather unexpectedly it all becomes far too real and Father Max comes face to face with the Devil himself.
This was an unexpected treat. I recently joined back up with Shudder to watch Anything For Jackson, and as I have it for a month I thought I would check out some of their other newer offerings as I already had the service earlier in the year. As such I stumbled across this film, I went in with low expectations of vapid teen focused fare and walked away genuinely surprised by one of the best twist endings I have ever seen in a horror film. The ending I am still thinking about now, well over a week after I watched the film.

I enjoyed how the demon fed of the secrets and lies, this resulted in slow drip-fed character development and an exploration of the character’s world and inner motivations. This made me care about the characters and made me invested in their story and survival. Likewise, I thought Guzman was a strong lead, the wayward priest who has fallen to the dark side but who still longs for a more noble cause is a role he plays well; in this he adds new emotional depths to the standard character architype and adds his own spin.

Overall, this is a horror gem that you can’t let pass you buy.

Pros.

The ending

The twist

Guzman

The character development

A novel new approach that felt, at least to me, very original

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Let Them All Talk: Be Nice To Your Friends

Let Them All Talk is a drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The plot follows a writer (Meryl Streep), as she, her nephew (Lucas Hedges) and her two old friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest) go on a cruise together to collect an overseas award.

I think this is a very charming film, it is not huge and over the top, but rather small, compacted, and intimate. It is very much a character study of all involved as well as a reflection on life and those that feature therein.

I think the performances of all involved were strong. Soderbergh does always prove to know how to get the best out of his cast and this is no exception. Gemma Chan, who plays the main character’s literary agent is particularly strong, I will admit I fell for her romance with Hedges character I enjoyed their scenes together and wanted to see them end the film together.

My one critique of this film is that it is poorly paced, t

. Though obviously a slow film there are moments in this which I believe are created with the explicit purpose of slowing the film down further, which it does not need. There is a reveal towards the end of the film, which is very significant however, due to the way the film structures itself there is not enough time to properly unpack the new development before the credit’s role; it strikes me that this film either needed to be longer or more tightly edited.

Overall, this is a slow watch and at times painfully so, it wont be for all, but if you are prepared for the time investment then there is a lot of charm to be found here within the quite character drama.

Pros.

The performances

The intimate feel

Soderbergh’s director (for the most part)

Cons.

The ending feels rushed

The pacing is off

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Home Alone 2: The Highlight Of A President’s Career, Even If He Did Bully His Way Into It

Home Alone 2, Lost In New York is a family Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus. The plot once again sees Kevin (Macauley Culkin), become separated from his parents at Christmas, however this time rather than just being home alone, he is in an entirely different state.

I have long believed out of the Home Alone films that this is the best (though I do also have a soft spot for the 3^rd film as well). The reasons for this are multiple, I think that this film took everything the first film did right and improved on It. An example of this is Kevin’s unlikely friends in the first film he befriends the old man on his street that everyone is afraid of (for no good reason), and here he befriends a woman who covers herself in pigeons. The idea is the same and both friendship arcs do have solid emotion behind them, but the emotional impact is greater here, at least it was for me.

Furthermore, the trap sequence is also improved upon from the first film, with that films final showdown sequence almost looking simplistic when compared to this one. If the traps were you favourite part of the first film you will not be disappointed here.

The one negative of this film comes in how it sets itself up. Kevin is once again seen to be bratty and wishing his family gone, this undoes the entirety of his character’s arc from the first film. The film is self-referential with this and comments on it, but that does not excuse poor writing it just makes it feel lazier.

Another issue I have with the sequel is that the feel good, overly sentimental Christmas message is turned up to 100 and does become a bit too sickly sweet in part; looking at you turtle doves.

Overall, a superior sequel that though an improvement is let down by a few cheap tricks and a lot of bad writing.

Pros.

The improved friendship storyline and its pay off

The improved trap sequence

Tim Curry is always a delight

It is a lot of fun

Cons.

A bit too overly sentimental at times

Reusing the same set up and undercutting the first film

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Christmas Chronicles 2: Sending A Child Out To Do A Dangerous Mission Incredibly Under-prepared, I Am Sensing A Theme

The Christmas Chronicle 2 is a Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus. The plot sees a disaffected rebel elf Belsnickle (Julian Dennison), use Kate (Darby Camp), the girl from the first film, to lure Santa Claus (Kurt Russell), into a trap so that he can steal the Star of Bethlehem and start his own workshop in the South Pole.

I think in many ways this is a stronger film that the first. I think by switching the focus from Santa Claus in our world to us in his it ups the magic and the intrigue and gives the filmmakers a rich world to play in. To that end, I enjoyed this film’s version of the North pole and though the deeper dive into Elf culture was interesting, and something I would like to see more off.

Dennison made for a likeable villain, he was never really a threat and it was always clear he was going to become good in the end. For some this might make him a weak villain, personally I don’t think these films need villains, so I didn’t mind; what bothered me was how predictable Belsnickle turning good was.

Camp is still incredibly annoying; her character is a brat through and through and this makes it hard to care about her. The brother character from the first film is mostly ignored in this, I guess he was busy filming other stuff for Netflix. We are introduced to Kate’s stepbrother Jack (Jahzir Bruno), who makes for a much more likeable protagonist, he even has a nice little emotional arc as well.

Overall, this film benefits from fresh blood and new ideas, it tries to replicate a few things from the first film that fall flat and Kate as a lead character lets the film down, but it is still a flawed gem.

Pros.

Tyrese

Jack is a fun new character

Exploring Santa’s world and his relationship with Belsnickle

Kurt Russell

Cons.

The film tries to mimic the first by having another musical number, however here it does not work

Kate is a terrible lead and is irritating throughout

4/5

Reviewed by Luke