King Richard: The Beginning Of A Smithissance

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The previously untold story of Richard Williams, played by Will Smith, the father and coach of two of tennis’s biggest stars.

To me at least, Smith has been treading water for years, I can’t remember the last time I watched a Will Smith film and thought wow, it is a real shame as in the nineties and early noughties he really was putting out good quality content, but in recent years it has dropped off. However this can be viewed as a return to form in a big way for Smith.

I think this film could be the start of a renaissance for Smith, similar to the sort of late in the game career revitalisation that Matthew McConaughey had, and still to an extent continues to enjoy. Smith is terrific here, he plays the man to whom family is the most important thing, a man who will suffer and bleed for those he loves, and he does it with such gusto that it is hard to look away from. Quite frankly you can see the amount of effort and passion that Smith is putting into the role throughout the film and it really makes for something special.

I would say the greatest hinderance of this film is its length. There is something really quite special here but the film almost loses that amongst the bloat of it’s runtime and that really is a problem.

Overall, proof that Will Smith is nowhere near done.

Pros.

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Zeroes And Ones: What Happens When One Successful Film Goes To Your Head

1.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Honestly the plot was fairly indecipherable, so I will just say a commentary on covid, the war on terror and the relationship between brothers?

I really enjoyed The King Of New York however everything else that Abel Ferrara has done since has left me cold, this is no exception.

So the big and obvious issue here is after watching it I have no idea what this film is supposed to be about, that is a pretty big red flag. It seems like scenes are just randomly stitched together with a throwaway artsy scene crammed in-between for good measure, all leading to nowhere of course. Trying to follow the narrative of this film will simply leave you with a headache. To me it seems like Ferrara is just trading on the goodwill he has from earlier projects to make films like this which most likely won’t jive with a lot of those watching it.

The best thing about this film is the performance from Ethan Hawke who is really going for it. Hawke plays two brothers; both are quite different so Hawke has to deliver two distinct performances which he does with gusto. Hawke, much like Dafoe in Ferrara’s other recent work is the saving grace.

Overall, this film is a confused mess that clearly thinks of itself as far better than it actually is.

Pros.

Hawke

A few interesting visuals

Cons.

There is no narrative

It feels pretentious

Pacing issues galore

It is not as insightful as it again thinks it is and is instead dull

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Easy A: Who Cares Who Sleeps With Who

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Olive, played by Emma Stone, becomes the subject of vicious rumours about her character after she lies and tells her friend that she lost her virginity.

I think at times this film plays like a horror movie, the monster: the prudish, judgemental young Christian- the proto Karen if you will. Truly not only does this film have you caring for Olive but it also has you hating on nearly everyone she is in class with and their stupid pearl clutching morality. I think this film expertly comments on the way teen girls are treated when they try and talk about sex and highlights how we as a society are failing them.

There are a lot of very generic teen film elements on display here, and no having the film call these out doesn’t mean they are somehow good or not their it just shows that the writers think they can excuse themselves from it. I found a number of moments quite groan worthy throughout the film and it is all very predictable.

That said, despite the rather obvious nature of the plot Emma Stone manages to elevate the film into being more than the sum of its parts, with her bringing every ounce of Charisma she has to the role and making her Olive easily the highlight of the film. We do end up feeling attached to Olive and want to see her be happy, and I think the film delivers on that and has the appropriate emotional impact as a result: again thanks in large part to Stone.

Overall, a fun film that whilst predictable has a good message.

Pros.

The message

Stone

The ending

Cons.

It is very predictable

Calling out cliched writing doesn’t fix the issue

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The Princess Switch 3: Vanessa Hudgens Is A TALENT

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Vanessa Hudgens is back switching places with people who look exactly like her again, this time it is because an expensive Christ ornament is stolen.

I unironically like these films, yes I know many think they are trashy and they certainly won’t win any awards for their plot or their characters any time soon, but there is just something so happy and fun about them that I will watch them every year as soon as they come out.

Hudgens does a good job of playing three separate characters and giving each their own moments and character traits so they can feel different and important narratively. I think this film is a little Fiona heavy, she was the character introduced in the last film and is the bad cousin, however I am not complaining really as Fiona is probably the most fun out of the three. It is clear that Hudgens is having a lot of fun here and it is very infectious.

The silliness of the plot and the surely known cheapness only serves to make the film more endearing and likeable as you can’t help but laugh at how dumb it all is. Certainly this isn’t one that you need to pay attention to and can just space out whilst watching, but again that not a bad thing here.

Overall, the film is a lot of fun and if like me you enjoyed the previous Switches then you will most likely like this one too.

Pros.

Hudgens

The dumb fun

The feel good ending

How needlessly over the top it is

Cons.

Hudgens other two characters, who aren’t Fiona, could have done with a bit more

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Deadcon: Influencers Finally Having To Face Their Fans

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of influencers head to a convention where they are met by an evil spirit.

My oh my this film was poor on so many fronts it is hard to know where to begin with it. Firstly, unlike something like Big Foot Famous that I reviewed recently that used this idea of influencer culture in a meaningful way, this film relegated it to a gimmick at best. All of the usual cliches were there, most of which are born out of an out of touch fear of the young people and their ways on the part of aging executives.

Secondly, I understand that this film is going for the B movie esque approach and not trying to take itself too seriously but that backfires into massive tonal inconsistencies. With some moments feeling too silly and others feeling too dower, and this imbalance is something the film never recovers from.

Thirdly, the plot is incredibly contrived and has been done much better in the past. I feel like I have already seen this film several times over before, with this iteration of it almost feeling like a spoof film.

Overall, the best thing I can say about this film is that it is short. It is so riddled with problems that it is doomed from the start.

Pros.

It is short

Cons.

It feels played out

The horror doesn’t land

The tone is deeply inconsistent

The influencer characters are awful

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The Souvenir: The World’s Most Depressing Film

1.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A young woman, played by Honor Swinton Byrne, falls in love with an older man, played by Tom Burke, however there romance is a bad one and things quickly descend.

My, my if you are looking to become depressed then look no further than this film. It is one of the bleakest, grimmest films I have ever seen. Honestly by the time the credits began to role I felt depressed. I understand the film might be reflective of the real life horrors that inspired it, but that doesn’t mean audiences want to see it. I can not imagine anyone choosing to watch this film and then finishing it, if it weren’t for the purposes of this review I would not have.

I only put this film on because I enjoy Richard Ayoade, but he was barely in it. Truly he was the white whale of this film, I kept at it and kept at it hoping for more time with him but sadly we only got a brief hello.

The emotions of the film rung true and I suppose that is the only thing I can really compliment the film on. Everything felt very genuine and I didn’t doubt the sincerity of the script or those delivering it.

Overall, manically depressing.

Pros.

The emotional feels genuine

Richard Ayoade for the brief moments we get with him

Cons.

It is bleak

You will leave it feel depressed

Pacing issues

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Pottersville: Furies Taking Over Small Town America, Who Can You Trust

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A drunk man, played by Michael Shannon, accidentally convinces his townsfolk of the existence of Bigfoot after a drunken stumble through the woods.

There wasn’t very much to this film. In truth it was nothing I hadn’t seen done better before, with almost everything being deeply played out and predictable. There was not a single moment in this film that took me by surprise.

However, that is not always a bad thing and sometimes there is a comfort in a familiar narrative where you know everything that is going to happen and to an extent that is true here. This film is watchable and none of the characters are particularly offensive in any way allowing you to playfully switch off whilst watching this as it requires nothing from you.

I liked Ian McShane’s drunk old hunter character I thought he was easily the funniest character of the piece and the only one I cared about. Though I did also like seeing Ron Pearlman in a role where he was having a laugh at his own expense and wasn’t taking himself too seriously.

To me the ending was a bit sickly sweet and I didn’t care for that at all if anything I found it to be very false and feel forced.

Overall, a deeply average film but one that is fine to watch if you have nothing better to do.

Pros.

Ian McShane

Ron Pearlman

The tease of a real Big Foot at the end

Cons.

There are no surprises

It is deeply generic

It isn’t funny

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Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight 2: Who Wanted A Mutant Romance Arc

1.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After the summer camp massacre the Polish police force goes in to investigate only to become terrorised by a new mutant.

There was no need for this sequel. I enjoyed the first film to a point it did not set the world on fire and had a fair number of issues but it had its moments, this on the other hand runs out of steam after about an hour and then you are just left with its rather obvious efforts to kill time.

Continuing on the theme of things no one asked for this film diverts attention away from the big battle of the third act by having a mutant romance and sex scene. Now who thought this was a good idea? To have the cops basically defeated within the second act was a terrible decision, it then left a huge gap that needed to be filled in the film’s run time and this is what they did with it for reasons known only to those that made this film. Not only does this romance arc drag on but it amounts to nothing. Making matters worse it runs out of time before it can give us the showdown between the special forces and the mutants the whole film has been teasing out, instead just showing the special forces capturing them. To say it is anticlimactic is an understatement.

Hopefully this series is dead and there won’t be a third film.

Overall, whoever decided to include the mutant romance single handily derailed this film.

Pros.

The opening is neat

The first act has promise

Cons.

The battle scene is over too quickly and at the wrong part of the film

The terrible romance plot

An underwhelming ending

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10 Things I Hate About You: Getting Paid To Date, The Solution To An Aging Population

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A modern remix of Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew.

Honestly upon watching this for the first time I don’t see what so many people like about it, it just seems like a fairly generic teen movie about the perils of dating and the horrors of high school. Couple this with a wealth of outdated views and yes, I didn’t see what the big deal was about.

I thought the film had some heart, not all the time, but in parts it did come through sweetly. I found myself enjoying the relationship between Julia Stiles’ character and Heath Ledger’s, those were the only characters that I found myself rooting for and if anything this film just served to remind me how much I miss Ledger. Both Ledger and Stiles do their best to elevate the source material, and give this film some kind of personality outside of Shakespeare. However, the over-reliance on cliches and thoroughly predictable dramas drag this film back down again.

Overall, I didn’t see the appeal of this one it reminded me of just another teenage high school movie. Yes, it had heart in some places but it also had multitudes of cliches and more than its fair share of iffy moments. A mixed bag.

Pros.

Hedger

A few sweet moments

Cons.

The Shakespearian dialogue really felt out of place

It had pacing issues

It felt deeply generic

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Bergman Island: A Marriage Falling Apart, The Same Story We Have Seen So Many Times Before

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A filmmaking couple, played by Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth, head out on a romantic getaway to the part of Sweden famous for housing Ingmar Bergman, however once they arrive there the lines between fact and fiction begin to blur and their relationship is tested.

I like Ingmar Bergman as much as the next film fan but this film really, really likes him. I will just state right now if you don’t know who Bergman then don’t watch this film as there are so many things you will miss. The odious grovelling at the feet of the famous director does get a little much, I understand what the film was going for but it badly loses it way.

Moreover, this film is a slog to get through. Partially because it is pretentious art house fare that is only enjoyable to a very small minority, and partially because it goes on and on and never seems to end. I think there is not enough story here to justify the length of the film and that it may have worked better as a short.

The leads are fine, which as most people know doesn’t mean anything positive. Neither Roth or Krieps are given anything to work with and as such only ever deliver deeply standard performances which squander their talent. The marriage falling apart storyline is nothing we haven’t seen hundreds of times before and goes exactly where you think it will.

Overall, pretentious, long winded, but trying an interesting concept with Bergman.

Pros.

I like Bergman

It has a few interesting moments early on

Cons.

It is far too art house

It is pretentious

It is hard to finish

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