My Favourite Films: It Follows

In this new series of pieces, I want to tell you about some of my favourite films and why I love them, hopefully with the aim of convincing you to give them a try if you haven’t already; first up is It Follows

It Follows is a supernatural physiological horror film directed by David Robert Marshall. The plot revolves around a curse that is being passed around through sex. When a person is infected with it an unknown entity will slowly follow them around wherever they go, getting closer and closer, this entity can take the form of anyone, someone you know and trust, or a stranger, but its goal remains the same when it catches up to you it will kill you and then move on to the next person down the line. We see this play out from the point of view of our protagonist Jay (Maika Monroe), who becomes infected with the curse and then has to do battle with the entity.

The reason why this film is so good is the inherent tension in the premise, a pretty much unstoppable creature is coming for you slowly, it never sleeps, never takes a break it is always getting closer and closer, it’s a terrifying idea to ponder. It Follows really dives into this sense of dread as well as we see Jay slowly losing her mind more and more as her battle becomes more and more futile. This film also asks some really riveting moral questions as well, posing is it better to just pass it on to someone else because then at least it will leave you alone until it kills the person you spread it to.

Another feather in It Follows cap is its beautifully done and implemented synth soundtrack, it has just enough 80’s esque charm to feel familiar, whilst also enough haunting emptiness to perfectly underpin the tone of the film as the non-diegetic music works perfectly as a mirror to the on-screen characters emotions.

One of the main reasons I love this film so much is because it relies on creating a tense atmosphere and a looming sense of dread to generate scares, rather than having a jump scares ever few minutes. I personally believe that It Follows approach to horror works better than something that features a lot of jump scares for the simple fact that jump scares are easy to spot and become predictable after a bit, whereas It Follows had me feeling uneasy throughout.

Written by Luke

Mile 22: Run As Far As You Can It Won’t Make A Difference

Mile 22 is a espionage action thriller directed by Peter Berg. The plot follows a team of special operatives as they race around the clock to try and find the location of missing packages of caesium. It then turns out that one man Li Noor (Iko Uwais), has the locations on a storage drive that is slowly destroying itself, Li is prepared to trade the drive in order to escape the country, as he says it contains secrets that could bring down the government; what follows is the special forces team lead by James Silva (Mark Wahlberg), trying to get Li out of the country.

I had very low expectations of this going in, truth be told I put it on because I just wanted to watch a dumb action movie, I could turn my brain off to and enjoy regardless of its quality. Not only did Mile 22 live up to my expectation of dumb fun, but it was also much better than I thought it was going to be. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t must see cinema, it is dumb and none of it really makes sense, but in terms of an action movie, this might be one of the best I have seen in a while.

The action choreography is great, but as soon as Iko Uwais name appeared in the credits I knew that was going to be true, Uwais is on top form as ever and did a great job of the fight sequences, Lauren Cohen who play’s Alice in the film also had a great fight scene towards the end of the film that I thought was particularly well done. The editing during fight sequences is jumping around all over the place, which can be off putting for some as you don’t really get a good look at anything, personally I didn’t mind the style of editing I thought it added to the overall kinetic feel of the action.

Finally, I want to talk about the twist. All the way through the film we see that the American coms have been tapped by the Russians and that they are listening in, but it is not revealed why until right at the end. Suffice it to say the twist at the end genuinely surprised me, I didn’t see it coming. It would be nice to get a follow-up to this film so we could see what happens next, but we will have to wait on that.

Overall, more than just dumb fun Mile 22 packs some great action scenes and a great twist ending that help to elevate it over standard genre fare.

Pros.

The twist.

The fight scenes.

Iko Uwais.

Cons.

None of it makes sense.

The editing may be jarring for some people.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Us: An Exercise In Failing To Live Up To Expectations.

Us is a horror film directed by Jordan Peele. The plot follows Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), who, as a girl, had a run in with a doppelganger version of herself in a Santa Cruz house of mirrors. Little did she know that everyone has a double, these doubles are called the Tethered and they live in underground tunnels everywhere, all across the USA, maybe even the world; for years they have been planning one thing, their revenge, this film chronicles them getting it.

The expectations for this film after Peele’s seminal breakout hit with Get Out were sky high, how was he going to top it? Well in my opinion, he didn’t. Whilst Peele’s earlier film had some cerebral elements to it, it was still a very straightforward narrative, by that I mean when the film ended you knew what had happened. However, Us likes to smell its own farts, the whole film seems to be up to your interoperation and the themes seem to be more important than the story itself, there are numerous scenes and plot holes, such as why the Tethered don’t always copy what their surface dwelling doubles do even though it is established early on that they do, which ruin the great concept the more you think about it.

For me the biggest issue with this film is it’s ending. There is a twist reveal that who we thought was Adelaide has actually been the evil Tethered version of the character all along, which is a good twist, but then the film just kind of ends. The way the film ends with the Tethered all linking up and joining hands across America, leaves more questions than answers and it doesn’t feel nicely wrapped up, like Get Out did, which to me makes the writing seem weaker.

I have to talk about Nyong’o’s performance which was fantastic. Was it Oscar nomination worthy, no it wasn’t. However, what Nyong’o did was create two characters that felt entirely different, but also similar enough that they could be switched over and we would believe it. Moreover, she also brought a great physicality to the role, the final fight scene between her and Red, (Or who we believe to be Red), was excellent and really well done.

Overall, this film fails to live up to expectations as it leaves us going what? Rather than feeling satisfied. I still think however, this is a good film and Nyong’o is great in it, just that the challenge of having to follow Get Out proved too much for it.

Pros.

Good premise.

Scares.

Nyong’o

Cons.

Far to up its own arse.

Unsatisfying.

Fails to live up to expectations.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bad Boys For Life: Is It Time To Retire?

Bad Boys For Life is an action comedy film directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. The plot returns us once again to the lives of Miami cops Mike (Will Smith), and Marcus ( Martin Lawrence), who are now on the cusp of retirement, with the two men disagreeing about whether they should or not. However, when a figure from Mike’s past comes back to haunt and hunt him, the Boys have to be Bad one last time.

This film knows what it is, it isn’t trying to be clever it is just dumb popcorn fun, think Fast and The Furious but with less of a focus on cars. The life blood of this film is the chemistry and banter between Smith and Lawrence and I am pleased to report that this chemistry is just as strong as ever, you buy them as two cops who have been partners for years and are more like brothers than friends at this point.

Moreover, the boy’s interactions with Ammo, the new policing group that does things differently to the Boys, is fantastic and had me laughing multiple times in the cinema. I think Alexander Ludwig of Vikings fame is the standout of this younger cast and the joke of him being a big burly guy who prefers to stay in the van never stops being funny. Also, some of the meta jokes in this film are also brilliant, an example of one of these is having Michael Bay announcing things at Marcus’s daughter’s wedding, which made me laugh as he was the director of the other two films.

The action in this film is pretty good the choreography is done well, however, when I was watching I often thought I don’t think Will Smith should do these type of roles anymore as I just don’t believe him as an action star anymore, he is past it and it shows in this film.

I thought the storyline of it being Mike’s son that was trying to kill him, was incredibly obvious from the beginning and is a little too similar to Smith’s other recent film Gemini Man.

Overall, I think that for a belated sequel this is probably as good as you could hope for, there are some laughs, it treats the characters with respect, it is an enjoyable turn your brain off sort of film, however it is still far from perfect and the issues that plague the film are fundamental, so aren’t easily changed. See it if you have nothing better to do!

Pros.

Smith and Lawrence’s chemistry.

The Boy’s interactions with Ammo.

Alexander Ludwig.

The meta jokes.

Cons.

The Boys are pasted their prime and it shows.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Narcos Mexico (Season 2): Once Upon A Time In Mexico.

Narcos Mexico (Season 2) is a crime TV series which focuses on the war on drugs. More specifically how it all started, the rise of the Mexican Cartels and the fall of of Miguel Gallardo (Diego Luna), the fallout from the kidnapping of Kiki Camarena and the US response to capture those involved.

Well done! That is what I would say if I could talk to the creative team behind this season, not only have they laid to rest all my fears about this show from the first season, but they managed to create a genuinely tense throughout excellent to watch crime show. Each episode the stakes get raised higher and higher as the DEA and the Cartel, go to further extreme lengths to get what they want. My one complaint with this side of things is that I would have liked to see them to a little further with things sink further into extremes, though I suppose they are hamstrung by real life history.

The performances are top notch here as well, I had issues with Michael Pena’s performance last season, I think his character is incredibly dull and as a result you don’t really care when he dies. However, season 2 remedies this by giving us Walt (Scoot McNairy), a morally complex character who is far more engaging and interesting than last season’s protagonist ever was.

The best thing this season does in my opinion is set up the war to come. One of my issues with season one is that it felt drawn out, season 2 however, feel just long enough: it shows us Gallardo’s last year on top and then teases us with the coming war between Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels. Anyone who keeps up to date on the war on drugs/ or watches Netflix’s El Chapo series will know of the madness to come and the ending monologue of this season ties it all together nicely, “the animals are out of their cage now”.

Overall, a huge step-up in my opinion, a thrill ride through which is helped greatly by a new and better lead and the promise of something big to come. This should definitely be your next Netflix binge.

Pros.

Scoot McNairy.

Diego Luna.

Perfect pacing.

Thrilling throughout.

The tease of wars to come.

Cons.

None.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Mandy: Hype Builds To A Letdown

Mandy is a horror thriller film directed by Panos Cosmatos. The plot follows Red (Nicolas Cage), a man who watches his girlfriend be murdered by a satanic cult, he then hunts down the cult members to extract revenge. This film is noted the as the film that started Nicolas Cage’s comeback and the film that ended his series of straight to DVD crap.

As someone who is a huge fan of Mr Cage I have been meaning to watch this film for a while, everyone I have heard talk about it seems to think it is some sort of transcendent experience, but I have to say I was deeply disappointed and utterly unsatisfied with it. I really feel like this is one of those sorts of films where it is down to personal taste, very much like Marmite some will love it others will hate it.

For me I disliked the fact that a lot of the film feels dragged out, we have a lot of scenes where no one does or says anything important and we just sit and listen to the techno synth soundtrack and I found that these scenes made this film boring to the point of being unwatchable. There were also a lot of scene where it is hard to make out quite what is going on, this isn’t helped by the fact that the film seems to be adverse to dialogue of any kind so there is little exposition to let you know what is happening.

As someone said to me recently this is the sort of film that is 100% better if you are not sober. It is so abstract and artsy that it borders the line of pretension, Mandy seems to think it is a much more intelligent film that it actually is; it is really not all that deep and the main reason people like it is because it is a horror film with Nicolas Cage being his usual menacing and manic self, not because it is a good film.

Overall, I think the concept is good and it is always a treat to see Cage on screen, but this film is unwatchable at times, it is so boring and dull and the abstract nature of a lot of the film only adds to this, making it infinity worse. Even as a diehard Nicolas Cage fan I didn’t like this!

Pros.

Good concept.

Nicolas Cage.

Cons.

It’s boring.

It thinks it is deeper than it actually is.

It is hard to finish.

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Art Of Self Defense: Metal Maketh Man

The Art Of Self Defense is a black comedy thriller film directed by Riley Stearns. The plot follows Casey (Jessie Eisenberg), a ‘weak man’ who is constantly abused and victimised by people around him, one day Casey gets jumped and beaten to within an inch of his life and decides he needs to make a change. He then joins a karate class to try and become a ‘proper man’, the type of person who has always scared him, the class then takes over his life. Slowly he realises that his mentor Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), organised the beating that put him in the hospital and that the class is far darker than he ever realised.

I think this film is a tour-de-force in almost every aspect. The humour of the film had me laughing out loud constantly, it very much appealed to my pitch-dark sense of humour. The final joke of Casey shooting Sensei in the head and then pretending to have used a masterful finger technique to defeat him so all the students respect him is inspired.

What’s more I found the film’s conversation about masculinity to be fascinating, the idea of what makes a man a ‘real man’ is not only interesting, but also an important conversation to have. The film portrays the idea of toxic masculinity in a very clever and funny yet also very real way which is a testament to the writing. Moreover, the idea that if you listen to metal music and have a German Shepard it makes you more of a man really cracked me up.

My one issue with this film is that Imogen Poots’ character is criminally underused. Her character was one of sensei’s first students and has been involved in his dark crimes for a long time, she is pushed to the side by Sensei because of the fact she is a woman and is a frequent suffer of his abuse. She is the one who tells Casey about the evils that Sensei does after hours and is left in charge of the dojo at the end. Her character is important, but I thought she could have had more to do.

Overall, this is a fantastic film it is funny, smart and has a lot to say about men in this day and age. Definitely a must watch if you haven’t already seen it!

Pros.

Casey and Sensei’s relationship.

The idea of what makes a man a man.

The humour.

The ending.

Cons.

Poots could have more to do.

4.5/5

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 Stranger: One Little Lie

The Stranger is a British mystery thriller series released on Netflix based on the novel by Harlan Coben. The plot follows a group of people who are all approached by a stranger (Hannah John-Kamen), who tells them a secret, either to expose a lie or for blackmail purposes. From there the lives of these towns people descend into a mixture of chaos and a search for answers.

This series is one of the most underrated new releases on Netflix, it is both an excellent drama series and an excellent mystery series. The reason for this is because there are so many levels to the mystery just when you think you understand it another layer gets added, it keeps you guessing right up until the final 5 minutes. Moreover, there is a moral ambiguity to this series that adds to the overall story, the characters have good and bad qualities, Detective Katz (Paul Kaye), is an objectively bad person he kills a woman in cold blood, but when he finds out that his wife has been poisoning their daughter you feel for him.

There is a wide cast of characters, but very much to my surprise they all feel well done, developed and interesting. Richard Armitage’s Adam is the main character and his search to find his missing wife is the central plot line, but all the other characters are given a moment to shine and have great sub-plots of their own. Particularly Hannah John-Kamen’s Stranger, she is easily the most intriguing character in the series and when her identity is finally revealed it is genuinely surprising and a great twist.

My issues with this series are only very small, firstly I didn’t like that the stranger just left again at the end, when it turned out that Adam was her brother, I was hoping she would become a part of his family, but sadly she didn’t. My other issue is that there is a lot of stuff going on at the same time, which can be hard to keep track of at times, but it is handled very well and never becomes confusing so I can’t complain.

Overall, this is a great thriller/crime series to binge on Netflix the next time you’re looking for something, it has endless amounts of tension and suspense and a great mystery that keep you guessing right up until the end. A surprisingly solid show!

Pros.

Hannah John-Kamen.

Richard Armitage.

Paul Kaye.

Great mystery.

Hard to take your eyes off.

Cons.

The ending could have been better.

4.5/5

The Mandalorian: A New Hope For Star Wars

The Mandalorian is a space western TV show set in the Star Wars universe created by Jon Favreau. The series follows a Mandalorian known as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), who is a bounty hunter and mercenary for hire, one day Din is hired to bring a package to the last remnant of the Empire, but once he learns what the cargo is, a baby, he changes his mind and the rest of the series is Din trying to protect the baby.

First off, my feelings towards Star Wars especially newer Star Wars have been well documented, For the most part I don’t care for it; sure, Rogue One and Solo were okay, but the main instalment films weren’t for me. On the TV side of things, I loved Star Wars The Clone Wars, but I could never get into Rebels, so it was a mixed bag for me. So, I went into this show with relatively low expectations and I am pleased to say I was actually blown away.

This series has real heart and you do end up caring a lot about the characters. The relationship between Mando and the character that the internet has dubbed ‘Baby Yoda’ is not only adorable, but also heart-warming. It is so nice to see it develop over the course of the series. Not only that but this series actually has supporting characters that are not only impactful on the overall story but are also well written. Said characters come in the form of a Resistance shock trooper named Cara Dune (Gina Carano), and a droid called IG-11 (Taika Waititi). Cara starts off as a minor character who grows into a huge part of the team by the end, she is kickass and easily has some of the best action moments on the show, but she also has great chemistry with Mando which I would like to see explored more down the line. IG-11 starts off the series as a villain who is intent on killing ‘Baby Yoda’, but then gets reprogrammed to be a good guy. To that, the moment when IG-11 sacrifices himself so the heroes can get away had me feeling emotions I hadn’t felt since T2.

Overall, despite the poor quality of modern Star Wars there is something special about this show, maybe it is because they have given us characters that you can actually care about, or maybe it’s because it is just so damn cool it’s hard to say, one thing I will say is I can’t wait for season 2 in October.

Pros.

Great characters/dynamics.

Baby Yoda.

Great stakes both in terms of action and emotions.

A fantastic ending.

It made me excited for season 2.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke