Slumdog Millionaire: Love Finds A Way

Slumdog Millionaire is a drama romance film directed by Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan, it is based on the book Q & A. The plot follows Jamal (Dev Patel) and his brother Salim (Madhur Mittal), throughout their lives. Starting off with them as young orphans on the streets and showing them grow into men.

This film is a gut-punch. A lot of sad thing happen across its runtime that might be a lot for some people, the scene when the kid gets his eyes scooped out is particularly hard to watch, but it makes sense as it is reflective of life. The struggles we see our characters go through only makes us the audience root for them more, which is rewarded in the third act when Jamal wins twenty million rupees.

The central romance between Jamal and Latika (Freida Pinto), is one for the ages. We almost see them get together so many times, but it always seems as though a romance for the two is just out of reach. Jamal, however, never gives up as he keeps trying and trying until eventually a world exists where they can be together; if that doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, I don’t know what will.

Overall, this is a triumph for Danny Boyle in so many ways he manages to create a film that makes you feel a wide array of emotions very deeply all while being completely engaged by a tight, well written story. Also we get a lovely dance number at the end. What more could you ask for!

Pros.

The love story.

The performances from the main three actors.

It is tight and compelling.

You care about the characters.

The dance scene at the end.

Cons.

None.

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.

Pocahontas: The Colours Of The Wind

Pocahontas is an animated musical romance film directed by Eric Goldberg and Mike Gabriel; it is loosely based on the American folk tale of Pocahontas. The plot sees John Smith (Mel Gibson), lead an expedition to the New World (present day North America), where he meet a native girl called Pocahontas (Irene Bedard). The two falls in love, but their worlds soon clash, testing loyalties and friendships.

I think of all of Disney’s Animated offerings this is the one with the most soul and personality, it is so brimming with interesting Native American inspired design choices. I feel like more films about Native Americans are a must, albeit we should probably give creative control to someone of this ethnicity. The depiction of the Natives in this isn’t offensive, though the cliché of the noble savage haunts this film.

I loved the hand drawn animation of this film and thought every scene looked beautiful. I think Pocahontas surrounded by creatures is a very Snow-White inspired kind of thing, but I thought these scenes were especially pretty.

I also thought the songs were great and added a lot to the movie. I think the main song is beautiful and haunting and stays with you after the film ends, I also think all of the songs are incredibly catchy.

Moreover I applaud this film for having the balls to end the film in a sad way, I think it is a gutsy move that pays off. In addition to that the message of Pocahontas staying with her people and not abandoning them and giving up everything about her personality is a good thing that other Disney animated films could learn something from; Little Mermaid.

Overall, I admire this film’s sense of identity, I enjoy the historical period and I think the ending and the songs really benefit the film. My only issues with it are the reliance on worn out stereotypes and the fact that she doesn’t have a talking animal sidekick; these characters are normally my favourite in Disney films.

Pros.

The defined sense of personality.

The songs.

The setting.

The ballsy end.

Cons.

The noble savage is a tired worn out trope, stop it.

4/5

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

Book Club: Shades Of Grey

Book Club is a romantic comedy film directed by Bill Holderman. The plot sees a group of women (played by Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen), read the Fifty Shades Of Grey novel and the book impacts each woman’s life, more accurately their love lives; what follows is an exploration into happiness and satisfaction in later life.

This feels like a knockoff Sex and The City, a less smart, less shocking, less risky version of it. I will admit I didn’t have high hopes when I put the film on, I was expecting it to just be a mindless easy ride, but instead I found it infuriating.

My issue with this film is how it address senior agency. Diane Keaton’s character is told how to live by her daughters, they tell her who she can and can’t date and tell her to move across the country and worst of all Keaton’s character listens. This kind of neurotic toxicity wouldn’t be that bad if the film actually portrayed her daughter as antagonists, but it doesn’t, it treats their behaviour as normal. Also there is a little bit of sexism in this as well as the narrative the daughter use to justify her moving is, that she won’t be able to cope since her husband, the girl’s father, has died; again another toxic message.

The humour made me laugh a few times especially the stuff with Steenburgen’s character and her husband. However, for the most part I found the humour to be quite flat and lame. Now I can’t be too critical of this as humour is subjective and just because it didn’t find it a laugh and minute doesn’t mean you won’t. For me it really felt like they were trying to draw on the same type of comedy as Sex In The City, but was afraid to commit to the bite.
Overall, I found this film to be irritating, it was good for a few sporadic laughs, but as the film went on my enjoyment with it lessened and lessened.

Pros.

A few good laughs.

Cons.

I don’t like the messages of the film.

The characters feel too passive.

The humour lacks any wit or bite.

It is instantly forgettable.

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ideal Home: Raising A Child

Ideal Home is a comedy drama film directed by Andrew Fleming. The plot sees Hollywood power couple Erasmus (Steve Coogan), and Paul (Paul Rudd), take in Erasmus’s estranged grandson Angel/ Bill (Jack Gore), when his father goes to prison. The couple go from clueless and careless, to deeply caring and devoted parents over the course of the film, with their very relationship being tested along the way.

I have had this film in my Netflix queue for some time. Now that I have watched it, I realise I was actually sleeping on quite a sweet, well intentioned, thoughtful comedy film. I originally decided to watch this because I was looking for an easy-going film and my love for Coogan tipped it in favour of this. I have to say though Coogan just plays a slightly different but for all intents and purposes the same version of his Alan Partridge character, he manages to be emotionally impactful.

His character and Rudd’s have a strangely large amount of on-screen romantic tension, both are incredibly convincing and the scene when Erasmus jumps in front of Pauls can to stop him from leaving will make you feel something, it is powerful. I think both men give terrific performances, Rudd again plays the character he always plays, not that there is anything wrong with that here as him playing himself seemed to fit the film.

The humour of the film worked for me and made me laugh several times, however I found that the hidden gem of this film was actually its heart. This is a surprisingly emotional film that seems to know just which chord to pull to make you feel something, it pulls on your heartstrings often and to great effect.

Overall, I thought this film was surprisingly good, both men give deeply heartfelt performances and the humour is spot on; definitely a hidden gem.

Pros.

The humour.

The relationship between the two men.

The character development.

Coogan and Rudd.

Cons.

A little to melodramatic at time, but mostly it perfectly nails the tone.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Adventureland:Summer Love

Adventureland is a coming of age comedy drama film directed by Greg Mottola. The plot sees two young fairground workers James (Jessie Eisenberg), and Em (Kristen Stewart, fall in love over one crazy dysfunctional summer.

The chemistry Eisenberg and Stewart have is something else, though Eisenberg has great chemistry with other on-screen ladies like Imogen Poots, nothing compares to him and Stewart. They feel so on the same page, so similar, it’s weird; if they became a couple in real life it would feel like the most natural thing in the world. As a result the romance in this film feels very genuine and believable, which is the most important thing about a rom-com.

The characters in this film also feel very real, they are not just simple caricatures, they’re layered and deep. Though they do bad things from time to time they’re still likable because these mistakes they make are the same mistakes everyone makes; incredibly relatable.

The major downside of this film however is how poorly paced and slow it is. I had never realised this until I watched it again recently but, this film feels a lot longer than an hour and a half, everything in it feels drawn out to the point of boredom. There are big sections of this film that feel dull, however, just as you’re about to turn it off something interesting happens.

Overall, this is a touching sweet film about a very realistic romance which for the most part works, but it is so poorly paced that it makes you want to turn it off and give up many times. I genuinely don’t think there is enough here to be a feature length film, I think this could have worked a lot better as a short film. Crucially it is a mixed bag.

Pros.

The chemistry between Eisenberg and Stewart.

The believable romance.

The supporting characters.

Cons.

It is poorly paced.

It becomes boring after a point.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Crimson Peak: Mystery, Murder And Misunderstanding

Crimson Peak is a gothic romance film directed by Guillermo del Toro. The plot follows Edith (Mia Wasikowska), a young woman who moves with her new husband Thomas (Tom Hiddleston), into his ancestral home know to some as Crimson Peak, due to the red ore turning the snow red in the winter. However, since she was a girl Edith has been told to beware Crimson Peak, mainly from the ghost of her dead mother, unsurprisingly once she moves into the house things to start to take a turn towards the ghostly and the demonic.

Whoever was in charge of the marketing campaign for this film should have been fired; if not, fire them now, clearly, they can’t do their job. This film was marketed in its trailers and supporting material as a horror film, it is not. Despite having ghosts appear and a few other horror elements, this film has nothing else in common with the horror genre and to say otherwise in an insult to both and to del Toro himself.

This film is beautiful to look at, every scene is chocked full of vibrant colour and gothic charm, this much like the rest of del Toro’s filmography is very pleasing on the eye. The people in charge of set design and costumes deserve a huge round of applause.

This film is very much unlike any other as it defies genre. It is a romance, but not in a traditional sense; hell this film makes the romance in del Toro’s The Shape Of Water look almost conventional. It truly is a gothic film however; you will see what I mean if you watch it.

The story is top notch, full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up until the end. The creatures/ ghost design is also on top form; if there is one thing you can expect to see in a del Toro film it is Doug Jones as any number of monsters, each one looking better than the last and all looking marvellous. The performances are strong especially from the women. Wasikowska is great in the lead role, it would be nice to see her in more films, and Jessica Chastain is superb as Lucile Thomas’s sister. I won’t go into specifics about their performances as it might spoil some of the reveals.

Overall, I think this is one of del Toro’s strongest films that was woefully mis-marketed and sold as something it was not. Hopefully after you have read this review and understand what it really is you will check it out and really love it, as I did.

Pros.

The look of the film.

The gothic beauty of the story.

The performances.

The creature design and Doug Jones.

Cons.

It is slightly too long, and the beginning feels a little indulgent.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Adventures In Babysitting: One Hell Of A Bad Night

Adventures In Babysitting is a comedy adventure film directed Chris Columbus. The plot sees babysitter Chris (Elisabeth Shue), looking after three kids, however her night soon takes a turn for the extreme when she takes said kids to the city to pick up her friend. From there a series of things go wrong and things go from bad to worse; leading to a comedic misadventure.

Some much of this film rests on the performance given by Shue, if she was bad it would turn out like the god-awful Disney Channel remake, however her performance is in my opinion one of the best of the decade. Shue manages to do kind and compassionate well, you can tell her character cares about the kids, she also manages to be a lot of fun and give you a sense that she is enjoying every single second of being on screen. An example of this would be the blues singing scene, which is a masterpiece in and off itself, plus Shue is actually quite a good singer.

Fun is the word I would use to describe this film, a lot of films are funny or charming, but only a few are fun. This film almost seems like an expertly crafted series of skits that are each great and then stitched together to form one hell of a film. This can be seen with the often-hilarious pop culture themed homages, by favourite was The Warriors esque scene on the train.

Another thing I will give this film credit for is that the child actors are actually tolerable in this film. Normally when a film has child actors, hell even teens, they are annoying, they don’t perform well, they’re distracting, and you can understand why Hollywood gets 30-year olds to pretend to be teens in films. However, Brad (Keith Coogan), Daryl (Antony Rapp) and especially Sara (Maia Brewton), are not only good, but crucially loveable, you warm to them over the course of the film and by the end, you realise that you have enjoyed the time you have spent with these characters.

My one critique of the film would be that some of the humour feels dated and a little out of touch with our modern sensibilities, however on the sliding scale of 80’s offensiveness this film is pretty mild, so that shouldn’t put you off!

Overall, an 80’s classic for a good reason, effortlessly charming and watchable and a guaranteed good time for all!

Pros.

It is fun.

The homages and references.

Elisabeth Shue.

The child stars are actually tolerable.

Cons.

Some of the humour has aged poorly.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke