The Princess Switch, Switched Again: Wait What? I’m Confused

The Princess Switch: Switched Again is a Christmas set romantic comedy, drama film directed by Mike Rohl, serving as a follow up to the previous Princess Switch film, as well as taking place in the wider Netflix MPCA shared universe. The plot this time around see Princess Margaret (Vanessa Hudgens), go into crisis as she is soon to be sworn in as the new Queen of Montenaro. Never fear a switch with her double will save the day.

This film becomes incredibly confusing, as we now have three Vanessa Hudgens’ character that at points in the film all look identical; it borders on high concept filmmaking trying to keep track of them all in your head, let alone remember each’s storyline and arc.

The plot for the most part is trash, it is a cliché wrapped up in a trope; there is nothing new or innovative. However, surely you already knew that. I will thank the screen writer for not making this plot as predictable as I thought it was going to be, my first assumptions for where it was going where proven wrong and dare I say it I was somewhat surprised with where it went.

The film is really made by the delightfully over the top performance of Vanessa Hudgens who serves as a likeable lead and is different enough in all her characters for it to never end up feeling samey.

I also enjoyed the Rose McIver cameo from A Christmas Prince, it is nice to see the shared universe grow, it was a nice touch.

Overall, still fun, but a weak sequel by far.

Pros.

Vanessa Hudgens

All of the Hudgens characters feel separate and unique

The wider MPCA Netflix shared universe

Cons.

It is overly confusing

The plot is garbage

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Operation Christmas Drop: Army Porn

Operation Christmas Drop is a romantic comedy Christmas film directed by Martin Wood. The plot sees congressional aid Erica (Kat Graham), travel to a US Army base in Guam to decide whether keeping it open is cost effective. Whilst there she falls in love with handsome, saintly, soldier Andrew (Alexander Ludwig). The two then help to give all the native islanders a great Christmas.

The biggest issue with this film is how into the army it is. I am by no means knocking the armed forces in America or anywhere in the world, but at the same time you don’t want to watch a film that sucks up to them for too long either, to a point this is basically an enlisting advert.

The romance is sweet, not to a sickening point, but it is also nothing special. You have seen this love story before, a lot of times before and believe me it hasn’t gotten any fresher. The odd thing about this film is how conservative it is with the romance, opting to not even have the characters really kiss. I get it is trying to be family friendly but come on.

Overall, this is passably watchable, no Knight Before Christmas or a Christmas Prince, but still worth your time if you have nothing better on.

Pros.

It is watchable

It is fairly upbeat

Cons.

The romance is predictable and familiar

It feels like an army recruitment ad

It is too safe and family friendly

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

6 Underground: Bay’s Explosions Have Lost Their Boom

6 Underground is an action film directed by Michael Bay. The plot sees a team of highly skilled covert operatives try and overthrow the brutal dictator of a far away country.

So, at this point I am starting to see a lot of similarities with Netflix’s action movies, they aren’t all exactly the same, but they have a very distinct feel to them that makes them all kind of blend together. The issue with this almost formula is that it gets repetitive and feels done before, this film definitely suffered from that.

Bay is not really known for character or dialogue, so I won’t go on about how standard if a little subpar it is here, but he does waste the comedic talents of Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds does have a few jokes here and there that mostly fall flat because the film takes itself far too seriously. That raises another issue, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously all the time just some of the time, sometimes the film will be silly and Reynolds will play it straight and then the film will be serious and Reynolds will be silly, it is a strange off kilter kind of thing that leads to a very jarring experience.

The explosions and action that I would expect from a Bay film are here, but again they feel run off the mill, I feel like I have seen better elsewhere he needs to up his game.

Overall, a very by the numbers kind of film that doesn’t do much of note beyond being incredibly tonally inconsistent.
Pros.

The action is serviceable

It has a few cool moments

Cons.

The comedy doesn’t work

Ryan Reynolds isn’t funny here

The tonal mismatch

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Triple Frontier: Money As A Motivator

Triple Frontier is an action film directed by J.C Chandor. The plot sees a group of former soldiers who are hard up for cash, head down to Brazil where they plan to rob and kill a local drug lord that one of their member has spent years tracking.

Netflix’s action films are a mixed bag, with more bad than good, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this. The thing I liked most was the classic rock soundtrack, right from the off when I heard it I knew what I was in for and I think it was a great accompaniment.

The performances are all faultless, Oscar Issac, Ben Affleck and Charlie Hunnam all do a great job and are convincing soldiers. Affleck is probably the weakest of the main trio, as there are moments where he looks like he is just there to get paid, however when it gets to the more emotional moments he shines. There is a scene when they’re trying to escape by helicopter, but the cash is going to weigh down the chopper, so they need to ditch and Ben Affleck’s character won’t give up even a single dollar, the emotion in this scene made me stand up and take notice.

The action was all fairly standard there was nothing that blew me away or really impressed me hugely.

Overall, a surprisingly strong action film with great performances from its trio of leads.

Pros.

The soundtrack

The leads

Ben Affleck’s helicopter scene

The tension

Cons.

The action itself was very by the numbers

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Eurovison Song Contest, The Story Of Fire Saga: Embarrassing

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga is a parody spoof comedy film directed by David Dobkin. The plot sees Icelandic duo Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams), dream of winning Eurovision despite being considered a joke by many.

I want to open this review by saying that as a kid I was a huge Will Ferrell fan, I enjoyed at lot of his 2000’s work and one or two of his post 2010 roles, but I have to say this film coupled with Downhill is a damming indictment on his career. It seems as though he has given up trying to make anything good and is now content to make trash and honestly it is becoming embarrassing for him.

He is too old to be playing the man child character now and this film shows it, his characters relationship with Sigrit feels icky and the whole film has that tone. Ferrell’s character seems old enough to be her father and when they finally kissed at the end it made my skin crawl a bit.

What’s more the Ferrell style of comedy that worked about ten years ago no longer does. Watching a middle age man fall over and shout at things isn’t funny, the what would be called comedy, I guess, is about as juvenile as you would expect, it makes Adam Sandler’s films look like beacons of refinement.

Overall this film is just bad don’t watch it. For me personally, it is sad to see an actor that I once loved sink this low. He needs to hang it up, or try a different type of role.

Pros.

The songs are mildly catchy

Cons.

It feels icky

Ferrell is too old for the role

The humour is mindless and childish

The heart fails to connect

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Da 5 Bloods: Never Forget

Da 5 Bloods is a war epic directed by Spike Lee. The plot sees a group of Vietnam Veterans return to the country to find some gold they stashed away years earlier, as well as to find the body of their lost comrade and bring him home.

Before I get into it all I just want to say this is an incredibly powerful film on multiple different levels, especially in the current climate. Some of the points raised in the film hit very close to home and will affect you. I recommend taking some time at the end of the film to just sit and think about it, there is a lot to unpack.

The main foursome is made up of Paul (Delroy Lindo), Eddie (Norm Lewis), Otis (Clarke Peters), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr). Each man gives a stellar performance and the chemistry between the four goes past believable to enthralling. You can genuinely see them all being old army buddies.

I think Paul is the most layered and interesting character of the group as he is a broken man. He highlights the effects of war that stay with a person long after the fighting has ended; he sees visons of his dead best friend and squad leader that haunt him. Also the dynamic between him and his son David (Jonathan Majors), is very nuanced and well developed.

This comes very close to being a perfect film, however there is one thing that drags it back: the fourth wall breaking. There are a couple of scenes towards the end of the film where Paul talks directly to the camera and recites a monologue to us the audience, the issue with these scenes is that they break the flow of the film. They take us out of the action and feel oddly jarring.

Overall, a masterpiece with only a few slight faults. A must watch.

Pros.

The themes.

The characters.

The bonds.

The impact.

Cons.

Addressing the audience.

4.5./5

Reviewed by Luke

The Lovebirds: Sometimes You Need A Sex Cult

The Lovebirds is a romantic comedy directed by Michael Showalter. The plot sees Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae) as a couple that is on the brink, be forced into a crime caper that leads them to be framed for a murder they didn’t commit. The two must set aside their relationship troubles and prove their innocence.

I put this on because I was looking for a light-hearted rom-com and I think Nanjiani can be funny; I was right on both fronts.

Unlike the other Netflix rom-com I recently watched Love, Wedding, Repeat the leads in this film actually have good on-screen chemistry. Rae and Nanjiani play off each other well and are believable as a couple that has a few issues, but deep down still care about each other.

I think as far as the story goes it is very cliché and predicatable, but then again it always was going to be. The crime elements (proving their innocence), plays out exactly how you think it would, there are a very good laughs and interesting gags thrown in along the way, so it still manages to keep you entertained. The same can be said for the more traditional rom com elements.

Overall, if you’re looking for the same things, I was with it then you will be entertained, if you’re looking for something that will push you and the genre forward then look for something else. I think for what it is it is fine and entertaining enough; would I want a sequel? No I wouldn’t.

Pros.

Rae and Nanjiani.

The humour.

The gags and situations.

Cons.

It is very predictable.

It is the same thing you have seen before.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke.

Love, Wedding, Repeat: Time To Move On

Love, Wedding, Repeat is a romantic comedy film directed by Dean Craig. The plot sees two almost lovers forced back together at a wedding, but will they be able to seize their moment this time around? Will there by some timey whimey shenanigans? Will none of it make sense? That’s a yes to all three.

So first off the bat, I really don’t like this film’s approach to relationships, I think it is tonally bio-polar; one minute the film will be saying how bad they are and then the next it will be saying they’re what gives life meaning. Get it straight, pick one or the other and stick with it.

Secondly the romantic leads in this film Jack (Sam Claflin) and Dina (Olivia Munn), have no on-screen chemistry together at all. None, not a drop. Whenever they interact together it feels cold and impersonal and then when they kiss at the end it seems awkward and forced, unwanted by both parties.

Thirdly, midway through the film someone dies, and the film resets itself, I am not going to go into the time bending too much because it was confusing and even after watching it, I don’t understand it. Clearly, someone over at Netflix HQ was like “we need a gimmick, you there, write one in”. No thought was given to it.

Finally, the side characters are awful just awful. This works in two senses, they’re awful people who do bad things and you actively root against and also, they’re awfully written at best they’re a collection of mean spirted clichés.

Overall, this film proves that just about anything can be green lit at Netflix and that is why they will continue to put out junk like this. Stay far away from this movie!

Pros.

I’m struggling to come up with something.

Cons.

The leads have no chemistry.

The time stuff feels gimmicky and forced in.

The side characters are awful.

It is not a joy to watch.

It feels too long.

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Wrong Missy: Spade Steals Sandler’s Romantic Comedies

The Wrong Missy is a romantic comedy film directed by Tyler Spindel. The plot follows Tim (David Spade), a man who goes on a corporate retreat with a girl who he thinks is the one. However, the girl who shows up is not the girl he thought he invited; the mismatched romance begins.

This film is by no means great it is a low-rent rom com it lives up to the incredibly low standards set by Happy Madison (Otherwise known as The Adam Sandler company), but it is by no means bad either. There are a few laughs to be had, depending on your sense of humour, the romance feels quite real and earned and there is a whole lot worse out there.

This is by all means Lauren Lapkus’ film, she plays Missy the off the wall type to Spade’s straight man how the film is was always going to come down to her. I have to say for a character that could very easily have been annoying and obnoxious she is surprisingly charming and endearing over the course of the film. Her brand of zany comedy plays much better off Spade then say if it were him and Sandler.

All of the usual suspects turn up in cameo roles, the best would probably be Rob Schneider who plays a shark diving instructor who is a bit of a card as you can imagine. Schneider sticks to his usual routine and actually manages to get some laughs. It is not just Sandler’s pals that turn up in this oh no, this goes a step further and gives his wife a role as the antagonist; nepotism at its finest.

Overall, this is pretty inoffensive, the romance is sweet and there are a few good jokes. Will it be the best film you ever see no, but there is a lot worse out there!

Pros.

Spade and Lapkus

The romance.

A few good laughs.

Cons.

It is very forgettable.

It is nothing you haven’t seen before.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wine Country: You’re Going To Need The Bottle For This

Wine Country is a comedy drama film directed by Amy Poehler. The plot sees a group of old friends/ work buddies meet up for one of their 50^th birthdays. They try and have a nice weekend away but realise that they have become disconnected from one another and must air and work past their grievances to try and save their friendship.

Maybe this film just isn’t for me, I am not it’s targeted demographic; middle age women. The lessons and messages of the film that cover things like ageing gracefully and accepting your place in the world didn’t connect with me. Personally, I think this film thinks it is far deeper than it actually is, this film adds nothing new to the conversation; a lot of what it has to say is trite and played out, sometimes feeling more than a little out of touch.

The saving grace of this film for me is Jason Schwartzman. He is the only character that made me smile in this supposed comedy film; by shear virtue of his weirdness. Schwartzman feels like a breath of fresh air here and all of his scenes pop. The same could be said of Tina Fey, she is rarely featured but when she is it is usually one of the films better scenes.

As for the film’s lead Poehler she is just playing the same character she always plays, the one she has been playing for the last 20 years, the only difference is that it is staring to get stale and painfully unfunny.

That crucially was my issue with this film overall, it wasn’t funny. This is supposed to be a comedy film and yet I didn’t laugh once, if anything it depressed me and reminded me of my own mortality; I ask is that what you want out of a comedy film?

Pros.

Jason Schwartzman.

Tina Fey.

Cons.

Amy Poehler.

It is not funny.

It is depressing.

2/5

Reviewed By Luke