The Tax Collector: One To Clutch Your Pearls At

The Tax Collector is an action thriller film directed by David Ayer. The plot follows local crime duo David (Bobby Soto), and Creeper (Shia LaBeouf), who collect money from all the little gangs and pass it on to those higher up. One day a rival from the past arrives and threatens the duos way of life, rather than surrender they go to war.

This film is painfully unpleasant, to the point where I actually almost turned it off several times; watching it depressed me too much. I am no stranger to gore, being a big horror fan, but I don’t need to see a man getting nails hammered into his legs whilst also having his face stomped on, call me old fashioned, but it seems a tad excessive. I understand what Ayer was trying to do, making it as realistic as possible, but he didn’t stop to think just how off-putting that might be. The film is unrelentingly grim.

The acting is strong and is probably the high point of the film, Soto is good and carries the film well even if he is upstaged at times by the other performers. LaBeouf is like a man possessed here, he fully sinks into the role in a way that is almost scary, he is terrific. Sadly his role is only quite small. There is also a nice cameo from Jimmy Smits at the end of film that sets up a potential sequel.

Overall, a strong action film that has a lot of good tension and keen stakes, the issue is the violence is a little too graphic and feels done for nothing more than shock value disguised as accuracy.

Pros.

Soto

LaBeouf

Smits’ cameo

The tension and the final showdown

Cons.

The violence is off-putting

3.5/5

An American Pickle: How Our Ancestors Would View Us

An American Pickle is a comedy drama film directed by Brandon Trost. The plot sees a Herschel (Seth Rogen), fall into a pickle briner and be trapped there for a few hundred years, he awakens in a different time, our present, and tries to see what has become of his family.

I don’t know if this film is supposed to be a comedy film, yes it has a wacky premise and yes it stars Seth Rogen in a double role, but at the same time it seems to have a lot of subtle subtext about identity and family that it seems far more concerned about rather than focusing on being funny. It didn’t make the laugh once, but it did make me think and feel, so in a way it is a triumph.

Seth Rogen has made a name for himself as a comedic actor, but here he brings much more to the table. Rogen plays Herschel as a man out of time, obviously, as someone who is trying to adapt to the world around him and find a reason to carry on, hence why bonding with his only living family member Ben (also Rogen), is so important to him. Ben on the other hand is a loner who can’t seem to deal with emotion or process the grief in his life, he has lost any form of his identity, but with the help of Herschel learns to regain it.

Overall, if you’re looking for the usual Rogen comedy film you won’t enjoy this, if you’re looking for something a bit deeper and more nuanced than this is for you. Be warned it can be quite depressing at times.

Pros.

Rogen as a dramatic actor

Rogen plays both roles well and crucially differently

It has a good heart

Cons.

It is not funny

It can be depressing at times

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Spies In Disguise: Slenderman’s Super Spy Cousin

Spies In Disguise is an animated family adventure film directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane. The plot sees super spy Lance (Will Smith), be accused of going rouge, in the process of clearing his name he is turned into a pigeon by child genius Walter (Tom Holland), and the two team up to save the world.

Before I get into this review I just want to talk about the character models. There is something seriously wrong with the proportions of these characters, to a point where Lance looks related to the Slender Man and Jack Skellington. I am of course talking about the legs of these characters; they are way too long for their bodies and other proportions it is distracting. The opening scene where we see Lance do spy stuff and beat up the Yakuza is the best example of how bad the character design looks; the legs are off.

The premise is fairly cliched and nothing you haven’t seen from a kid’s movie before, the theme is embracing your weirdness and realising that others who aren’t the same as you are okay too. I found this film to be quite enjoyable for the most part it had me laughing a few times, it hit the right emotional notes and the film knew just how to use Will Smith’s signature type of charisma. This film would be nothing without Smith.

I enjoyed the weirdness of this film and the pigeon stuff and would like to see more films embracing strange premises like this in the future.

Overall, Smith and his charisma made this film. Ben Mendelsohn is also strong as the film’s villain, who has many great moments to shine. My only complaint would be about the off-putting character design and the predicatable plot, but neither of these are deal breakers.

Pros.

Smith

Mendelsohn

All the pigeon stuff

Cons.

The legs

The predicatable plot

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Omen: A Cursed Film Through And Through

The Omen is a horror film directed by Richard Donner. The plot sees US ambassador to the UK Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck), become worried that there is something wrong with his young adopted son. Little does he know.

So this is a horror classic, I remember watching this when I was little and the scene when the nanny says, “this is for you Damien”, and then hangs herself has stayed with me all these years later, it scared me then and it scared me now.

The reason why this film works so well is because it builds the horror and the scares slowly over the course of the film, things become more demonic as they go on and then reach a fever pitch at the end. Moreover the scares come from the atmosphere and the premise itself rather than from cheap jump scares, which is something that plagues modern horror films.

Scenes like Damien’s first trip to the church work so well as they are very ordinary type events but then gradually become increasingly sinister. Harvey Stephens the child actor who plays infant Anti-Christ Damien is also doing a lot to make this film good, he can play both sweet and innocent and also chilling very well all at the same time. It is one of the few cases were a child actor actually helped to make a film better.

Overall, a classic for a reason, you can see how this film has inspired a lot of what has come after it. What’s more there are several scenes that stand the test of time and are still in 2020 just as scary as they were when this film first came out, a hopeful reminder of what horror can be.

Pros.

Stephens

Slowly building its world and its threats

Genuinely frightening

Well executed

Several iconic scenes

Cons.

Maybe a little familiar in modern times

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Deathstroke, Knights And Dragons: The Real Dark Knight Of The DC Universe

Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons is an animated film set within the DC animated universe. The plot tells the story of Slade Wilson (Michael Chiklis), the world’s best mercenary who is targeted by the villainous organisation HIVE. They take Slade’s son hostage and he has to get him back.

This was a very cool unexpected release, the animation style of this is pitch perfect. I loved the very obvious anime influence and the way the character looked and moved, I thought quite a few of the action scenes were beautifully done and looked very impressive.

I enjoyed the dive into Slade and who he is, with a focus on his family and the effect his work has on them. It was nice seeing him in more of an antihero role rather than as a villain as he normally appears, I think the character has a lot of potential and I would like to see his character get the live action treatment in the DCEU.

My only issue with the film is that the narrative repeats itself, it does this as Slade’s son is taken twice and he has to save him twice within the same film. I understand why it’s done to show his character growth and how he changed his approach the second time around, but I personally thought it would have worked better if the two hostage scenes had happened across two separate films.

Overall, this is one of the best DC Animated films I have seen in a long time, it is cool and badass, and just fun to watch.

Pros.

Showing Slade’s heroic side

The action scenes

The anime influence

The ending, teasing more to come.

Cons.

The narrative repetition

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Call: How Far Halle Berry Has Fallen

The Call is a psychological thriller film directed by Brad Anderson. The plot follows 911 operator Jordan (Halle Berry), as she tries to save a girl who has been taken prisoner by a deranged serial killer.

This is one of the tamest thrillers I have seen in a long time, it could probably be a 12. It is the opposite of menacing, and everything is incredibly predicatable. There is no element of danger because right from the off you know how it is going to end; in the final minutes of the film there is a chance for a surprising character twist, but the film just ignores it.

You have to feel bad for Berry, she went from big meaningful films and blockbuster to this, you can tell she is going through emotions and even though she is trying she is never quite convincing. Her role could have been played by anyone, there was nothing she herself brough to the role.

The same could be said of the generic villain. The only chance a film like this has to flourish is if it has a worthy memorable villain; what would The Silence Of The Lamb be without Anthony Hopkins and Buffalo Bill. This film gives us one of the blandest weakest villains maybe ever in a thriller movie and he is forgotten about in under ten seconds.

Overall, an incredibly bland forgettable film that serves to do nothing other than make me feel sorry for Berry having to be involved.

Pros.

The first ten minutes are mildly interesting

Cons.

It is boring

It is predictable

Berry isn’t convincing

It feels generic

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days: The Problematic Nature Of Romantic Comedies

How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days is a romantic comedy film directed by Donald Petrie. The plot sees two people begin bets, Andie (Kate Hudson), is trying to prove that by being needy and overly clingy she can lose a guy in ten days. Whereas Ben (Matthew McConaughey), is trying to prove that he can make a girl fall in love with him in ten days, both have varying degrees of success and then eventually end up together.

I take umbrage with the premise of this film, both of these people are shady and play games with the others emotions, they shouldn’t be together at the end of the film; in real life they wouldn’t be. Rom-Coms really seem to have toxic messages.

There is some cheese ball appeal to the film and both the leads are charming and seem to be having fun. That said the issues with this film don’t stem from the performances, it is the writing that is at fault. So not only is the premise of the film troubling, there are also all the hallmark clichés that have gone to make the genre somewhat of a laughingstock.

Overall, this film is poorly written, not just that the premise also promotes unhealthy ideas and forces clichés and stereotypes on us.

Pros.

Hudson and McConaughey

Cons.

It is clichéd

Everyone is a stereotype

The premise is troublesome

The fun is very limited

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Chef: The Definition Of Food Porn

Chef is a comedy drama film directed by Jon Favreau. The plot sees world renowned chef Carl Casper get into some hot water when his argument with a local food critic blows up online. Faced with needing to start again he opens a food truck with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony), and he teaches him how to cook and they bond.

This is a touching film in a lot of different ways, I enjoyed the father son dynamic of it and how real and genuine it felt. The writing of was spot on and the relationship between these two felt right for the situation. I enjoyed seeing them bond, it brought tears to my eyes on a few occasions I thought it was beautiful done.

The story itself was not hugely complex, but it was very enjoyable; it is hard to go wrong with an underdog story. There is no real conflict, but then again there doesn’t need to be, seeing his once great chef, get to start again and rediscover his passion is already quite the emotional journey.

The side characters were amusing and made me laugh, I especially enjoyed the reunion with Favreau Iron Man co-star Robert Downey Jr. However, ultimately this is a father son film and that is where it shines the best.

A touching tribute to fathers and sons everywhere, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, but more than anything it will make you hungry.

Pros.

The father son relationship

The heart

The comedy

Well done side characters

Great Marvel reunions

Cons.

Nonapparent

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Safety Not Guaranteed: Never Assume Time Travelers Are Crazy

Safety Not Guaranteed is a comedy drama romance film directed by Colin Trevorrow. The plot follows three reporters as they interview a man (Mark Duplass) who say he is producing a means to travel back in time. One of the reporters Darius (Aubrey Plaza), is send in undercover with wannbe time traveller Kenneth (Duplass), only to end up falling in love with him and finding out that he does in fact have a means of getting back to the past.

I enjoyed this film quite a bit, I think that it works on two layers. Firstly it works as a great science fiction film, the time travel stuff is fascinating, and I like how they don’t reveal it one way or the other until the end of the film. Secondly it works as a great rom com as well the relationships feel very genuine and believable, Duplass and Plaza have great on-screen chemistry.

The film has a great heart and a few good laugh out loud monuments. My personal favourite character was probably Jeff (Jake Johnson), because I loved what they did with a character who is basically a jerk to everyone around him showing his tragic motivation, he is fundamentally lonely. Normally I am against subplots about side characters, but in this case it worked. Also I am a huge New Girl fan.

Overall, a very strong indie darling with a great heart and some mind-bending science fiction.

Pros.

The heart

The humour

The chemistry between the leads

The ending reveal

Jake Johnson

Cons.

It starts a little slow.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Brittany Runs A Marathon: Everything I Feel Pretty Does Wrong

Brittany Runs A Marathon is a comedy drama film directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo. The plot follows Brittany (Jillian Bell), a young women whose life has got out of control. She finds it hard to leave the house, she hates the way she looks, she is surrounded by bad friends, and her body is failing her, medically. Just when things seem their bleakest Brittiany decides to go for a run, she then dedicates herself to training for a marathon and things start to change.

I thought this was just going to be a dumb comedy film, but boy was I wrong. This is far more of a commentary on body positivity and being okay with yourself, this film hits some very dark very personal areas and handles the subject matter beautifully.

So yeah this film isn’t funny, as a comedy film it fails, but as a nuanced drama film with an eye on body image, self esteem and learning to love yourself this film is simply a triumph. Bell takes us on a journey with this character and we feel her pain, we want to see her win, and the moment we see her hurt her leg and not be able to race, the first time, we feel as devastated as she does. This film makes me want to see Bell cast her more dramatic roles as I think she has a real talent.

Overall, this film is what I Feel Pretty should have been, its body positivity message is something that everyone can get behind and honestly it is kind of inspiring. I highly recommend.

Pros.

The message

The well rounded, fleshed out, real character

Bell’s performance

The heart

Cons.

It is not a comedy in any way

4/5

Reviewed by Luke