Under The Silver Lake: Paranoia Incarnate

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

David Robert Mitchell is quickly becoming one of my favourite directors, It Follows is in my top 5 films of all time and though, like I you may have heard mixed things about Under The Silver Lake it is almost as good- that is a very high compliment indeed.

I found the bizarre and often sinister world of this film to be akin to a confused nightmare, but one that is also pleasant to experience. I thought the world of this film is so vast and so well set up that it is in desperate need of a sequel. I thought it was very clever to leave a lot of the mysteries open ended, as to give them an ending and tie them off would almost be a disservice, this way the idea of what could be will endure in the viewers minds.

Moreover, Andrew Garfield is quickly becoming one of my favourite performers he is so versatile and plays strange and odd characters better than anyone else, with the exception of Nicolas Cage.

Overall, though you may have heard mixed things this film is very much worth checking out.

Pros.

The world

The ending

Garfield

The deeper meanings

Cons.

It does have bloat and could do with being shorter

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Profile: Never Trust Someone Who Takes Selfies With Kittens

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

After watching the trailer for this film a while back I have been quietly excited for it, after now watching it I can say that was entirely founded- this film is superb.

The idea of a journalist pretending to be a radicalised teen online to try and secure and connection and series of interviews with an ISIS recruiter is a terrifying premise, made more so because this film is based on true events. However, the film builds on that premise perfectly and delivers one of the tensest thrillers of the year.

The performances are very well done, and you truly believe the fall from pretend radicalisation to real romantic involvement. You believe it so much it becomes a little frightening. It becomes clear why so many young women are brainwashed into leaving their country for a life that often turns out to be sexual slavery.

The ending is perhaps the best part as it magnificently raises the stakes and ramps everything up to max.

Overall, this film deserves all the attention it is getting as not only does it draw light to a frightening trend happening online which is largely going ignored by big social media companies, it also provides us with a thrilling viewing experience.

Pros.

The tension

The ending

The acting

The message

Cons.

Slightly bloated around the second act

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A Quiet Place 2: Much Like The Walking Dead This Post Apocalypse Feels Repetitive

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

There was a lot of hype and excitement going into this film for me, many had said it was the film that was going to save cinemas, or that it was an experience unlike any other. As such I went in with high expectations hoping for the perfect sequel I had been promised, and honestly I was left disappointed.

If I had to describe this film to someone in a sentence I would say, ‘more of the same’, really there is nothing new here it is the same gimmick from the first film just done again. This time around they do explore the world a bit more, or at least that small part of it, and we get new situations that result in noise and monsters; the issue is these situations feel very similar to what we have already seen.

From a story perspective this film does not really push the needle for me, the big ending of this film feels like an afterthought of the first films ending and the whole journey there feels anticlimactic. A lot of things are shown and not explained, for no reason other than padding out the plot.

Finally, and on a positive note, I did enjoy the newcomer of Cillian Murphy I thought he fulfilled the surrogate father role rather well, and his was easily the most interesting arc across the film; I only wish we had more time with him.

Overall, this is nothing new if you liked the first film you will like this. I would not say this is the film to rush out and see in cinemas if you haven’t already been back as honestly I don’t think seeing it in that format, as opposed to watching it at home, adds all that much.

Pros.

Murphy

Blunt

Giving the kids more to do

Cons.

The padding

The ending is a retread

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Wrath Of Man: Leave Your Lights On For Jason Statham

5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Recently I have been suck in somewhat of a purgatory when it comes to finding good films to watch, try as I like I keep ending up watching average films, or films that are good but also deeply flawed. However, just when I was starting to lose faith, I watched this.

For most of his filmography I have been a big Guy Richie fan, and this film was yet another hit for me. Jason Statham I am more mixed on, sometimes he can be good, other times he is woefully miscast here however he is great.

There is just something that works about this film, there are no glaring issues with it, and it had a smile on my face from start to finish. I thought the pacing was tight, there were no dips in interest or engagement, the action was strong with the shootout at the depot being a particular highlight and the tension was well maintained over the course of the film.

Moreover, I surprisingly also found this film to be very funny- deliberately. Yes, when I put this film on I did not think it would have lighter moments it seemed a very dark tale, but the tone does balance this, and allows for a few one-liners that help the film to stay enjoyable and not get too dark; and these lines are also quite funny.

Overall, it is nice to see Statham and Ritchie back on form, this film clearly illustrates the best of both men and makes for one of the more entertaining watches of the year so far.

Pros.

The action

The tension

The jokes

The cast

Statham

Cons.

None

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Captain Phillips: A Continuation Of Tom Hank’s Love Affair With The Sea

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

There was no need for this film to be over two hours, none, it feels indulgent.

However, that is not the only issue, another thing that bothered me was how action man like the lead was. We are led to believe that this character was a calm, level headed, all American hero, but I for one find it hard to believe. There is something about this film that just doesn’t ring true to me, with it likely not being as historically accurate as it claims.

Hanks plays Hanks which is a good or bad thing depending on how you feel about him as an actor. The character is the virtuous hero and doesn’t get any more character development than that. I would have preferred it if we had also had more of Phillip’s family time spent away from the ship so we can get the measure of him as a human, rather than a national figurehead.

I thought the action scenes, if they can be called that maybe survival scenes would be better, were well shot and felt suitably tense. The end sequence when Phillips is separated from his crew and things don’t look good had me on the edge of my seat, sadly this was after an hour of lulling me to sleep; so it was less effective.

Overall, you have seen this before.

Pros.

The suspense

The ending

Cons.

The pacing is brutal

Phillips doesn’t feel like a person but rather a patriotic metaphor

It drags

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Things Heard And Seen: If The Sky Is Orange Don’t Get On Your Boat

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I had high hopes for this film from the Netflix preview, sadly it did not live up to them at all. The biggest issue with this film is that it is a cliché wrapped in a stereotype, there is nothing new or innovative about it. You have seen this film before time and time again and can guess what is going to happen before it happens as it is so formulaic.

Firstly I will say my only pro for the film, it is not out and out bad, it is watchable if you don’t mind being bored. However, that is where the pros end. The acting across the board is very average, deeply so, not one of the actors gives anything even barely resembling a good performance: the only one that could be argued for being on the better side, F. Murray Abraham, is side-lined and then killed off- as this film can’t allow anything other than average.

Moreover the horror/thriller aspects of this film are also incredibly weak, the supernatural aspect feels half baked, and the human horror feels done before, and done better at that. I was so unfazed by the spectacles on display in this film that I almost immediately forget about it after I finished watching it.

Overall, this is yet another film to add to Netflix’s ever growing catalogue of beige.

Pros.

F. Murray Abraham is trying his best

It is watchable

Cons.

It is dull, repetitive, and has been done better before

Most of the actors clearly aren’t trying

The ending is insanely predictable

The supernatural stuff goes nowhere and is poorly explained

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London Has Fallen: The Only Person Who Can Save Britain Is An American, Apparently

London Has Fallen

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I wanted a trashy action film and by god this film delivered. Now I am not saying this film is good by any means, it is dumb, and more than a little racist, but as a film to turn your mind off to you could do worse.

The main issue with this film is its rather obvious xenophobia, the film seems to have a distain for anyone who is not American, even showing the British people who help the lead as being subservient as no one can be as good as an American soldier. Moreover, there are a good few lines in here that are straight up racist which makes this film a little uncomfortable to watch.

Butler is serviceable enough in the lead, but his accent keeps slipping and it is annoying and jarring: one minute he will have an American accent next it will be back to his native Scottish- pick one and stick with it, it worked for Connery.

I thought this film was fun in a dumb, turn your brain off and watch people explode sort of way. I was entertained and I thought the films action scenes were well done feeling very real.

Overall, mindless entertainment lacking anything more, with racist moments and accent slips that make finishing the film hard.

Pros.

The action

The dumb spectacle

Cons.

Butler’s accent

The racism

The ending

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For Those Who Want Me Dead: Theron Would Have Been A Better Lead. AKA I’m Worried About The Eternals Now

For Those Who Wish Me Dead

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I am a big fan of Taylor Sheridan- he is one of the best screen writers of our age and is up there with Sorkin. As such when I heard of this film I was intrigued and wanted to watch it, and now that I have, though it is good, I found it to be disappointing. I found the film itself to be fairly breezy action fun, but the ending was slightly anti-climactic: especially the parts of the final fight involving Angelina Jolie’s main character.

For the most part Jolie’s character does very little beyond be there and run occasionally, a lot of the things happen around her and she has little involvement in actually progressing the narrative at all; besides killing the final bad guy at the end. Jolie who used to be an action hero is surprisingly passive here also, and honestly doesn’t seem like she is trying.

Aside from Jolie the rest of the cast come together nicely with Aiden Gillen almost certainly being the standout. The action for the most part is intense and well-choreographed, with some nice gore in the later stages.

Personally I think this film would have been better had the lead actually had something to do, beyond being sad about something in her past and vaguely bonding with a child.

Overall, good but still a slip for Sheridan.

Pros.

Gillen

The action

The vistas and the cinematography

Cons.

The passive lead

Jolie

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The Oak Room: You Will Believe, And Probably Guess What Happens In The Oak Room

The Oak Room

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Haven’t we been here before? Though I enjoyed this film’s gothic, small town appeal I think it could have done with some fresh ideas. How many times have we had the return to one’s place of birth to settle an old debt storyline? Come on now, move on.

The performances are mostly good across the board, there are a few moments where the actors slip up and you can see through their performances which takes you out of the film, but for the most part this isn’t a thing, and the performances are strong across the piece.

I think the best thing about this film is it’s sense of style, the horror of the small town is always nice to explore there is something personable and relatable in it and it speaks true regardless of period, story or characters. Moreover, there is a clear gothic inspiration here that also definitely helps boost the film from a stylistic perspective.

Overall, a stylistically interesting film, but one that suffers from being more of the same.

Pros.

The gothic influence

The horrors of the small town

The ending

Cons.

It is overly familiar

There are several moments when actors slip up and it breaks the immersion

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The Woman In The Window: Close The Curtains

The Woman In The Window

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Netflix original films really can’t seem to catch a break. For the most part originals fall into the beige category and are quickly forgotten about, with even once in a while a film coming out that is either really good or really bad, but for the most part the film’s turn out average; this is the issue of having a machine/algorithm making your decisions for you.

This film is definitely more of the same generic content the service is littered with, it shares a lot of the issues that plague other Netflix originals and it sadly wastes what it could have been.

Amy Adams and Wyatt Russel are the shining stars of the piece, their performances are the ones that stayed with me, for the right reasons, and the ones that were convincing. Sadly a lot of the other big name performers here such as Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman are wasted in a big way, and just feel around for the sake of it; don’t even get me started on Anthony Mackie.

Whilst watching this film with my girlfriend we both had different interpretations of what was wrong with the film as a whole, she thought the film was deeply predictable and guessed the twist early on. I however, thought the opposite true and thought the film was so convoluted, trying ridiculously hard to prove its own intelligence, that it became illegible about halfway through.

The one thing we could agree on however, was that this film was depressing. Oh boy, get a happy film lined up for after this, or hug your pet, this film is the opposite of the sort of thing you want to be watching in lockdown, and will make you sad by the time it ends.

Overall, Netflix needs to realise that not all their films are deep, thoughtful looks into the human condition and that some of them are just pretentious.

Pros.

Adams

Russell

Cons.

It is depressing

It is convoluted

It wastes most of the cast.

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