Northern Soul: Keep On Dancing

Northern Soul is a drama music film directed by Elaine Constantine. The plot focuses on the underground northern soul movement in Britain in the 1970’s. Two friends John (Elliot James Langridge) and Matt (Josh Whitehouse), try to make it in the scene and become the most successful DJs in the north. What follows is a journey that tests their minds, friendships and of course their souls.

This film is an interesting watch, it sheds light on a time period and a type of music that is often not looked upon, it teaches you a lot of things you most likely wouldn’t have known otherwise.

The film itself can be hard to watch at times because even when things are going well there is a underlying sense of dread that something is just about to go bad, I suppose this is reflective of life, this film seems to want to be as realistic as possible; no happy endings here.

The most life affirming thing about this film is the friendship the two men share, even when everything goes wrong and all looks lost, the two men carry on and become friends again and it reminds you of the power of friendship. The final scene of the film when the two men walk off to go, and hangout is almost impossible not to make you smile.

The performances for the most part are great, in a heart-breaking sense. This film is just that heart breaking, in many different ways, however, there are moments of comedy that underscore it stopping it from being totally upsetting. Great comedic actors like Steve Coogan and Ricky Thomlinson are in this film, but sadly they only have very small parts.

Overall, this is a heart-breaking look into the Northern Soul scene of the 1970’s, as well as a sad look into the lives of Northerners.

Pros.

It is interesting.

It covers a time period that is rarely done in films.

The performance are great and that includes the cameos.

Cons.

It is a bummer.

It is hard to watch at times.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Aeronauts: Life In The Outer-Atmosphere

Aeronauts is a biographical adventure film directed by Tom Harper. The plot follows a pilot Amelia (Felicity Jones), and a scientist, James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne), who try and go higher in the air than anyone has ever done before, in doing this they hope to prove that the Earth’s atmosphere and layers and that the weather can be predicted.

Even thought this film isn’t a horror film it scared me more than a lot of horror films I have seen recently. The reason for this is because I have a huge fear of heights and every time, they were hanging off the balloon, with just a bit of rope stopping them from falling to their deaths, it gave me sweaty palms and a keen sense of anxiety.

Both of the leads do a good job, Jones is the better of the two, her sub-plot about her husband who died is well done and all of the flashbacks feel relevant. Redmayne is serviceable and doesn’t really do much to impress, the only scene that made me feel something is when he talks to his father who has dementia; it is sweet and well done.

This film actively made me scared to got in a hot air balloon, as it seems like dangerous business, so if it was going for a thriller angel it did that well. I think it had a palpable sense of dread throughout, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time; I actively wanted both characters to survive until they made it back and that is a testament to the film.

Overall, I think this film is a great one-time watch, it is thrilling and more than a little bit informative, there are sense that will have you sweaty and wincing; especially if like me you have a fear of heights. However, it is not something that I would watch again as it doesn’t have any re-watchability.

Pros.

The thrills.

The sub-plot about Amelia’s dead husband.

The scene between James and his dad.

Cons.

It is forgettable.

None of the performances blow you away.

3/5.

Reviewed by Luke

Emma: Jane Austen In 2020

Emma. Is a comedy drama film directed by Autumn De Wilde, based on the book of the same name by Jane Austen. The plot follows Emma (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young woman who by her own admission is “handsome, clever and rich”, as she messes with the lives and romances of those around her; whilst also going on a journey of self-discovery, learning things about herself and love.

Austen period dramas aren’t really something that appeal to me greatly, but this one I thought looked promising. From the trailers I was hoping it might turn out to be something like The Favourite a period drama that had an edgy twist and something new to say about the genre; I was badly wrong. This film is by all means just a modern retelling of the same old story, just with a fresh coat of paint and a quirkier sense of humour.

Said quirky sense of humour was for me incredibly hit or miss, some of the jokes in the film had me smiling and chuckling whereas other fell flat; truth be told I found myself laughing quite a few times at things that upon later reflection I’m pretty sure weren’t meant to be funny.

Without that more modern sense of humour, you are just left we a Jane Austen adaptation, which is fine if that is your thing, you will probably love this, but for me I thought it was boring and dull; this is only made worse by the fact that the film goes on for what feels like an eternity, dragging further and further out.

On a more positive note I think Anya Taylor Joy was delightful and did really well in the role, her performance brought something new to the standard leading woman in these kinds of films. Likewise, Bill Nighy as Mr Woodhouse had some great comedic moments and was the standout of any scene, he was in.

Overall, I think I greatly misjudged the tone of this film from the trailers, had I known that it was just yet another modern adaptation of Jane Austen then I probably wouldn’t have gone to see it. Taylor-Joy and Nighy do their best and there are a few laughs to be had throughout, but unless you’re really into Austen I would probably stay well clear of this one.

Pros.

The jokes that do land.

Anya Taylor-Joy is fantastic.

Cons.

It is boring.

It is too long.

The humour doesn’t always land.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Vikings Season 6 Part 1: Ragnarok

Vikings season 6 is a historical drama series created by Michael Hirst. As with many other seasons of this show it is split into 2 parts, so this review will just be of the first half of the season. The plot for this part of the series revolves around Bjorn’s (Alexander Ludwig), reign over Kattegat as well as Ivar’s (Alex Hogh Anderson), adventures in Rus and his plans to retake his homeland.

Most seasons of Vikings follow the same pattern: the first part of the season will end on a sad note and then the second half will see the characters set it right and fix the sadness. That formula is very true here, the ending of this first half is beyond depressing, Bjorn dies, the Vikings are defeated, and the Rus take Scandinavia, this coupled with them killing off Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), earlier in the season, makes for a bleak start to season 6.

However, that said I admire them for their choices this season. I think killing off main characters like Lagertha and Bjorn is an inspired choice, it keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen in the second half of the season, as well as pushes other characters to the front of the narrative; who is the series going to focus on now that Bjorn is dead?

My main issue with this season is that it feels long and drawn out. Clearly these episodes are building towards the invasion by the Rus, but we don’t actually get to see this until half an hour into the final episode. This means we have 9 episodes of build up and there is something interesting stuff in them like the King’s Moot, and Lagertha defending her village, but everything else just feels like padding; it gets really stretched out.

What’s more when you finally get the big battle scene at the end, it is underwhelming. Compared to other battle scenes on the show before this one is a let-down, it keeps cutting between shots of Bjorn and Ivar having a conversation and shots of Bjorn staring out angrily to sea, which really take you out of the tense adrenaline fueled atmosphere of the battle sequence.

Overall, this first half of the season suffers from some pacing issues and the tenth episode battle is a little anticlimactic, but mostly I will commend this half of the series from some incredibly bold story decisions and for giving beloved characters a fitting end.

Pros.

Killing of characters.

Nice endings for beloved characters.

Sets up for a great second half.

Cons.

Pacing issues.

Anti-Climatic battles.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Current State Of Doctor Who: Please Someone Put It Out Of It’s Misery!

*Bonus Content

Doctor Who is a British institution it has been so far decades, but what I want to talk about today is how the series has been since it’s 2005 revival, the steady decline. I have watched Doctor Who since I was a kid, I loved Eccleston and Tennant’s Eras, I stuck around during the Smith years, I skipped Capaldi and I came back for Whittaker.

For me what makes Who Who is off world adventures, unique and memorable aliens, and story lines and characters you care about, these I would stay are the staples of good Doctor Who that feature in most iterations of the show. However, New Who seems to have an identity crisis it is so hellbent on being new and different that it is hemorrhaging viewers like it’s going out of style.

Remember what I said a few lines up about what makes good Who? Well let’s look at some of the recent episodes of Doctor Who and see if they stack up. Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor seems to have a fear of going off world as most of the episodes of these newer series are set on Earth, that shouldn’t be a bad thing in and of itself as there are plenty of cool things they could do with it, but oh my they don’t.

Then you have memorable aliens, New Who seems to like to have most of it’s villains be humans, so it can make overt and blatant political points, but to it’s credit when they do have new alien villains they do work well such as in the Nicola Tessla episode. Although something that New Who seems to do, most likely to play on audiences’ nostalgia is bring back classic monsters and I’m sorry but it is just cheap. You can’t have your cake and eat it; they want so badly to be new and fresh and yet they still play up the nostalgia to get people to stick out the new series. What’s more when they do bring these classic monsters back, they ruin them, here’s looking at you Dalek New Year’s Special.

Finally we have characters and storylines that you care about, now I have no issue with Whittaker’s portrayal for the most part, I think she can shine when the writing is good, but the issue here is that it very rarely is and this leads to the new Doctor having a sycophantic personality. Moreover, the companions are fine, but there are too many of them, this stops anyone of them from getting meaningful development outside of tropes and clichés. In terms of storylines, we might have one good storyline such as ‘Fugitive of the Jadoon’, followed by a never-ending wave of trash like ‘Praxeus’. The writing is horrific and often far too on the nose, yes before you say it I know Doctor Who has always been a political show, but it was done in a subtle way, now it has become a weekly lecture about the evils of humanity and how we are terrible and for me that just isn’t fun.

So across my criteria current year Doctor Who is a failure.

I hope the BBC end this before the ratings drop much lower, current Who is already an embarrassment of what it used to be, but surely it can’t get any worse.

I will be back to do a review of the new season when it ends!

Luke

Dolemite Is My Name: Eddie Murphy’s Masterpiece

Dolemite Is My Name is an autobiographical comedy film directed by Craig Brewer. The film stars Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore, real-life comedian and the filmmaker responsible for Dolemite in 1975. This film charts Rudy’s rise to fame and shows the trials and tribulations he went through with both his comedy career as well as his filmmaking.

This is a wonderful, wonderful film. I didn’t realise how much I had missed seeing Eddie Murphy on screen until I saw this film. This is a triumph for him as well as the rest of the cast easily being one of my favourite films of last year. Murphy plays Rudy with such a sense of plucky optimism that he perfectly captures the underdog spirit. Right the way through the film you are cheering for Rudy and you want to see him do great things, he is instantly likeable and relatable and that is this film’s greatest strength. Given to a lesser actor, the character might not have had these charming qualities which would have lessened the overall emotion of the film.

An example of what I am talking about is during the film’s third act as the crew are driving to the Dolomite premiere, they read some negative reviews of their film, this is quite a down note, but Murphy’s Rudy turns around and makes it positive. Later on, when Rudy realises that people will have to wait for hours to watch his film, he decides to entertain them while they wait, rather than see his own film, it is touching. This film has such a good-natured soul to it, and I believe that is all down to Murphy and his remarkably positive energy.

The supporting cast is also incredibly talented, and they all give good performances. Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg, Tituss Burgess, Wesley Snipes and more are in this film and though a lot of them only have bit parts they all deliver memorable and important performances. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is the female lead of the film, Lady Reed, she gives a particularly moving performance as someone who conquers their inner demons and comes out on top, she overcomes her shyness and does great things and I for one found that inspiring. She also has great on-screen chemistry will Murphy which is a treat to see.

Overall, this is an incredibly strong, incredibly sweet film that needs to be seen. This is more than a comeback for Murphy this is proof of his talent both as a dramatic and comedic actor; he was robbed of a nomination for Best-Actor which I believe he deserved. This is a must-watch!

Pros.

Eddie Murphy.

An Uplifting Story.

A Great Supporting Cast.

A Good Nature.

A Near Perfect Ending.

Cons.

None.

5/5

Reviewed By Luke

1917: Tick Tock

‘1917’ is an epic war film directed by Sam Mendes. The plot revolves around 2 British soldiers who go on a desperate mission to call off a British attack on the German line, after it is revealed to be a trap, set during WW1.

In many ways this film reminded me of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’. Despite being about different wars and different locations ‘1917’ had that same level of tension as well as being underpinned by a keen sense of futility, as it seems almost impossible the 2 soldiers will make it there in time to stop the advance.

‘1917’ shows the horrors of war and really plays them up to great effect, we see this when Schofield (George MacKay), meets Lauri (Claire Duburcq), a woman who is living in a bombed-out hovel with a baby that is not hers. The thing that makes this scene so tense is that if the baby doesn’t get milk it will die, fortunately Schofield has some, but it makes you think if he hadn’t come along that Baby would have died and there is nothing Lauri could have done about it.

Another ballsy thing this film does that I think makes it worthy of praise is the decision to kill off one of its main characters early and with very little warning. The 2 soldiers who venture out are Schofield and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), but Blake just gets killed seemingly out of nowhere very early into the film. There is a bit in the film where both men are running through a collapsing German trench but emerge okay, at this point it seems as though ‘1917’ will flirt with the idea of these men dying, but it won’t actually go there. Then mere moments later a German Plane crashes and the pilot stabs Blake while Schofield has his back turned. It is that quick. There is no fanfare when Blake dies, no him soldiering on for a few more scenes, or a heroic self-sacrifice; he just dies very quickly in Schofield’s arms- this sets the tone for the film.

My one complaint about this film, the thing that stops me giving it a perfect score, is the fact that it wastes some of its larger cast. Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch are all in this film, but their parts are so small it makes you wonder why they were even cast at all. I think it would have been better if these actors were either given more to do, a la Tom Hardy in ‘Dunkirk’, or if they were played by unknown actors as seeing these big names pop-up for what feels like glorified cameos feels distracting.

Overall, a fantastic war film that doesn’t pull any punches, it is clear to see why this is up for Best Picture at the Oscars. Mostly Marvelous.

Pros.

Great Leads.

Ballsy Shocking Decisions In Storytelling.

A Sense Of Dread And Futility.

An Ever-Present Ticking Clock.

Cons.

Wastes Some Of It’s Bigger Stars.

4/5

Reviewed By Luke

The Favourite: Gaining The Queen’s Favor

‘The Favourite’ is a period black comedy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It revolves around two cousins Sarah (Rachel Weisz), and Abigail (Emma Stone), who are both vying to be the court favourite of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), there is no extreme these cousins/ rivals will not go to in their quest to oust the other.

This is a pitch-black comedy film and it knows it, if you have that sort of comedy sensibilities then you will think that this film is hilarious. Both Weisz and Stone are hilarious proving that they both have great comedy chops. The film takes how bleak and depressing life was in this period and makes a joke out of it at every turn. Everything in this film is played up to an almost manic degree, an example of this would be the two rival factions that run the government that both want the Queen’s attention. One of these factions is lead by Harley (Nicholas Hoult), who is a delightfully over the top hammy sub-antagonist.

There are some moments in this film where the comedy ends and there are some moments that really tug on the heartstrings, an example of this would be when Queen Anne tells Abigail about all the children she has lost. This shows how ‘The Favourite’ can shoot on both fronts and do well, both in comedy as well as in drama. A lot of this drama is done to perfection by Colman, but more on here later.

My one issue with this film is that the ending isn’t very strong. The ending is quite introspective and almost trippy in a way which doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the film, but this didn’t really affect my overall enjoyment of the film.

Finally, I just want to say about the phenomenal job that Olivia Colman does, this is after all the film that won her an Oscar. Colman plays Anne as a broken soul, a person that has lost a lot and just wants to be loved, she has almost has a childlike innocence to her performance that makes it so tragic.

Overall, this film is a masterclass in dark comedy and if you like things like ‘The Death Of Stalin’ or ‘The Thick Of It’ you will find something to like here, the film is let down by it’s ending, but is fantastic in every other respect.

Pros.

Genuinely Funny.

Also Has Great Emotional Stakes.

Weisz And Stone Are Both Fantastic.

So Is Colman.

Cons.

The Ending Is Disappointing.

3.5/5

Reviewed By Luke

The Nightingale: The Heart Of Darkness

‘The Nightingale’ is a period drama film directed by Jennifer Kent, her second film after the critically acclaimed ‘The Babadook’. The plot of the film revolves around Irish convict Clare (Aisling Franciosi), who suffers a horrific tragedy that result in her losing everything, the events that follow show her as she treks across the Tasmania bush in search of the men that wronged her; So she can enact a brutal act of retribution upon them.

Before I get into this review, I just want to say this is a grueling film to watch, deeply uncomfortable and unpleasant at times, but that seems to be by design. There are disturbing acts of violence and sexual violence depicted in this film that set up Claire’s character motivation and show the horrific place that the Tasmanian Bush was at this point in time.

If that doesn’t put you off there is a lot to appreciate about this film. Firstly, is the attention to detail payed in the setting and how the events of the story play out, the 1825 Van Diemen’s Land that Kent brings to life is unlike anything I had previously seen. The world this film presents is harsh and incredibly unforgiving and it makes you aware of horrors of history that you might not have been aware of.

The performances are excellent as well. Franciosi is a marvel to behold the emotions that her character conveys are both striking and affecting. She is entirely believable as a woman who has lost everything and is now a ghost of the person she was before, driven only by revenge. Furthermore, the gradual friendship she forms with Aboriginal tracker Billy (Baykail Ganambarr), she sweet and brings a bit of levity to an otherwise deeply oppressive, depressing film.

Ganambarr is excellent especially when you consider that this is this first feature film performance. His character of Billy not only brings some humour to the film, but also provides a door into the Aboriginal world which we don’t often see represented in cinema. Billy does at times outshine Claire, but both are fantastic.

Sam Claflin is also in this film he plays the sadistic antagonist Hawkins. Claflin is quickly making a name for himself as a skilled actor especially for playing villains, he plays a loathsome bastard better than anyone else. He completely loses himself in the role and delivers yet another magnificent performance.

Overall, this film can be hard to watch at times, you will feel the urge to turn it off, but if you can stick with it there is something special here. ‘The Nightingale’ is far more of a nuanced take on the Rape-Revenge subgenre and has a lot to say and has some great performances to back it up.

Pros.

Powerful.

Excellent Performances.

A Great Follow Up.

Bringing Attention To Issues.

Cons.

Very Very Very Hard To Watch At Times.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Lighthouse: Descend Into Madness

‘The Lighthouse’ is a psychological horror film: the plot follows two lighthouse keepers Ephraim (Robert Pattinson), and Thomas (Willem Dafoe), who become stranded on an island and slowly begin to question reality and descend into madness.

‘The Lighthouse’ is a hard film to review, I’ve seen it a few times now, and I still don’t understand what is going on. To some, this will add to the joy of the film others will say that is pretentious and up its own arse; I personally would live by the rule if you liked the ‘VVitch’ you will like this. Personally, for me, the ‘VVitch’ is in my top 3 films, and I like Eggers style I like how there are multiple layers to his work that you can sit and think about after the credits roll. I think he is very novel in his approach to not only horror but, cinema as a whole as well.

That said, while I think this film is strong, I don’t think it is as strong as the ‘VVitch’. Eggers first film to me was the perfect storm then right cast, the right setting and the occult and witches are always a great mix. However, this time around something is missing that I can’t quite put my finger on.

It certainly isn’t the setting as I found the bleak deserted island to be haunting which made for a very oppressive atmosphere. I don’t think this film is scary, at least not in the traditional sense, but it is unsettling and creepy throughout; which I enjoyed. A lot of the answers that you can draw from some of the films moments certainly suggest a lot of scary things. Also, what is more, frightening than the idea of madness slowly creeping into your mind?

It isn’t the performances either as both leading men give it their all. Pattinson plays the quiet loner type well and, can also be suitably threatening when the time calls for it. However, his manic performance is upstaged in near every way by Willem Dafoe. Dafoe’s Thomas is a man obsessed with the light, what he sees in the light is never revealed, as such his crazed performance is both captivating, but also somewhat endearing. It is strange as the film devolves into both men being antagonist towards the other and then trying to kill each other, the only one I was rooting for was Dafoe.

The horror themes explored is where I find myself preferring the ‘VVitch’, I think. This film explores the ideas of obsession, isolation and Sea Legends, so things like Mermaids. While I think these are good, they can’t seem to top the ending of Eggers debut film with the devil appearing to tempt Thomasin.

Overall this isn’t the sort of horror film that will have mass appeal if you liked Eggers other work you will like this. A very hard film to score indeed.

Pros.
The Novel Approach.
The Acting.
The Atmosphere.
The Creep Factor.

Cons.
It Can’t Best The ‘VVitch’.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke