Bad Santa 2: Santa Is Back In Town

‘Bad Santa 2′ is a Christmas black comedy, crime film. The plot this time around follows on from that of the first film, after an undetermined amount of time, Willie, (Billy Bob Thornton), is back at the end of his rope, quite literally, and the thing that saves him is getting a call from his old friend Marcus, (Tony Cox), offering him a chance to make 2 million dollars. The job this time around sees the pair stealing from a charity, what’s more seasonally wholesome than that, which is run by Diane, (Christina Hendricks) and her Husband Regent, (Ryan Hansen). The pair are also joined on this job by Willie’s mother Sunny, (Kathy Bates), who has a strained, to say the least relationship with her son.

This film isn’t as good as the first film, don’t get me wrong I still like it, but like many other needless belated sequels this film doesn’t ever really justify its existence, Moreover, though the new characters provide for some good laughs, Hendricks’ especially, they water the film down to a degree; spreading it too thin.

The carrying over relationships from the first film are expanded upon here, Willie and Marcus are still warring brothers this time around both being there for one another and, also prepared to double-cross the other at every turn. Marcus gets his own subplot this time around about him trying to sleep with security guard Gina, (Jenny Zigrino), which makes for interesting viewing and, a few good humorous scenes. Also, Thurman, (Brett Kelly), returns he is now grown up and, seemingly unable to live his own life; literally moving halfway across the country to find Willie and, then proceeding to live at a homeless shelter because Willie won’t put him up. The ending of this film gives us a nice happy resolution for the pair as Willie basically adopts him and, finally sees Thurman as family; which is sweet.

In terms of the newer characters, not a whole lot is done with them, Kathy Bates is mostly wasted, she gives a little bit of colour to Willie’s earlier life and, then in a twist everyone saw coming ends up being the real villain of the film. Hendricks, on the other hand, is charming and, funny as a wife in a loveless marriage who starts sleeping with Willie on the side, if they did a third film which it looks like they won’t, but if they did it would be nice to see her return.

Overall this film is still the same charming, black-hearted, Christmas comedy film that the first one was, but maybe to a lesser degree. The newer characters seem short-changed but, the returning characters get satisfying resolutions.

Pros.
Hendricks.
Tieing Up The Character Arcs From The First Film.
Still Hilarious.
Still Has A Strong Heart.

Cons.
The Newer Characters Are Mostly Short Changed.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ghostbusters: Who You Gonna Call?

Ghostbusters is a fantasy comedy film by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murry, Dan Aykroyd and, Harold Ramis as a group of scientists who not only believe in ghosts but, want to catch them. They form the Ghostbusters.

The 1984 Ghostbusters film will always be very important to me; it was a film that I had on a lot when I was a kid and, it and its sequel were among the films that got me into the medium in the first place. There is such a loveable B movie charm to this film that makes it hard not to become enamoured with it. It is very like its contemporary Gremlins in that regard.

The original Ghostbusters has to be regarded as an icon of cinema as a whole as well as for the horror genre and, what would become the nostalgic 80’s genre. A lot of this praise comes as a result of the fact that this is a film that is firing on all cylinders, the acting, the effects, the tight script; all of it leads to a hell of a film.

The leading trio are all fantastic and, all have a very specific role to play, Bill Murray, of course, steals the show a bit from Aykroyd and, Ramis but, this is to be expected as Murray is front and centre the whole film. Murray is on top form here being effortlessly charming and, witty, his rivalry with Walter Peck, (William Atherton) is wonderful as Peck is a villain you love to hate and, the film always has Murray’s Venkman get the last laugh, usually with an excellent quip, which is hilarious to watch. Sigourney Weaver is also superb in this film as Dana Barrett doing a lot with very little and, making for a very memorable character; her whole performance after becoming possessed by Zuul is exactly what you would want out of a cheesy 80’s horror-comedy.

The ghosts themselves posses a duality being both fun and, loveable, here’s looking at you Slimmer, but also menacing. The Library Ghost and Zuul and, his heralds are all quite scary and, do give off a very palpable sense of dread when they are around. This tonal tightrope walk between silly and, scary is something this film does very well and, is something you don’t see much anymore as most films either go one way or, the other; even with modern horror comedies a lot of the time.

Overall this is a timeless classic good for all times of the year and, a must-watch. The sequel ‘Ghostbuster 2’ is also very good but, I never thought this film needed to become a franchise and, I think the apathy towards recent sequels proves that; I’m hoping Afterlife proves me wrong.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Layer Cake: James Bond Use To Deal Drugs

‘Layer Cake’ is a British Crime film, focusing on the exploits of London based criminal XXXX, (Daniel Craig), as he tries to leave the drug business. This is the first film directed by Matthew Vaughn, of Kingman fame, and serves as one of Daniel Craig’s breakout roles.

The plot of the film is nothing new, drug dealer wants to retire, but then finds out he is too valuable to the boss; so said boss is decidedly not in favour of letting him go. The subplots of the film revolve around XXXX trying to stop a Serbian hitman from killing him and, his colleagues after a drug deal goes bad and, XXXX trying to find a girl who has gone missing. The culmination of all of these plots coming together make for an incredibly interesting watch, gripping through and, through. However, at times the plot does become a little messy, I think one of the subplots could have been dropped and, the film would still be incredibly engaging.

The style that has made Vaughn so famous is on full display in this his debut film, the editing and, cinematography of the film feel very Guy Ritchie esque, but lovingly like a homage to a contemporary rather than a blatant copy. Also to my joy, this film steers well away from a lot of the pacing and, plot issues that plague some of Ritchie’s work, especially in something like Revolver.

Another thing that makes this film so good is it’s leading man Craig is charming and charismatic throughout, he carries this film. There are moments in this film that are reminiscent of his later role as Bond, literally shot for shot the same; you can see where the Bond filmmakers looked to when they were casting. Outside of this year’s Knives Out this might be Craig’s finest performance to date, this is definitely a star-making turn for him.

‘Layer Cake’ is one of the best, and to an extent one of the last, big-budget, British gangster films, the genre that gave birth to such films as Lockstock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and The Business to name but a few. It is true to say that they don’t make films like this anymore, they’re very off their time, the late 90s early 2000s and, it is a shame that we don’t get these sort of films anymore. However, more recent films like Legend have carried on this tradition to a lesser degree, and are still excellent, speaking of Tom Hardy he is also in this film, albeit briefly.

Overall this is a superb film, a must-watch, and proof that Vaughn and, Craig are incredibly talented; I can’t recommend this film enough.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hobbs and Shaw

hobbs-and-shaw-poster Hobbs and Shaw is the latest film in the Fast and the Furious universe, and the first film to not be a numbered entry in the series; instead being a spinoff. The film revolves around the characters of Luke Hobbs, (Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson), first introduced in Fast 5 and Deckard Shaw, (Jason Statham), first introduced in Fast and the Furious 7, as they try and stop the outbreak of a deadly, world-ending virus. This film capitalises on the ridiculous over the topness of the last few Fast films; it is not tied down by seriousness or reality, portraying a world of glorious dumb spectacle- worth the ticket price alone. Best shown in a third act car chase where Hobbs uses his sheer strength to keep a helicopter tethered to a truck only to pull said helicopter to the ground mere moments later in a fiery explosion of testosterone. This film is dumb popcorn fun to the fullest extent, it does not require you to think even for a moment, and in many ways that is the best thing about it, the escapism, however, it becomes a problem if your mind does find itself questioning the plot because then it all falls apart utterly. Personally, I found myself more in the former than the latter. What truly is the unexpected highlight of the film is the delightfully, surprising cameos that are peppered in throughout, with both Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart giving memorable, funny performances; which do deliver. Whats more the female members of the cast are given far more to do than in previous Fast entries, with Hattie Shaw, (Vanessa Kirby), Deckard’s younger sister, being the standout character in the film. Her characters struggle, which I’m not going to get into for spoiler reasons, drives the film and is very compelling.
Moreover, she has some of the best fight scenes in the whole movie with an early fight between her and Hobbs being particularly good. Kirby has a very believable physicality, so her character’s abilities are all very convincing and impressive. Sadly the same praises can’t be aimed at Eiza Gonzalez’s Madam M who until I wrote this I had no idea what her name was, she is that underdeveloped, really just being included for the gaze of juvenile men and teenage boys, but maybe future installments in this spinoff series will prove me wrong.
The dynamic between Hobbs and Shaw is everything you would want it to be, with the barbs traded back and forth between the two being consistently funny and entertaining. The ending of the film sets up this side of the Fast universe with it teasing a big bad for the upcoming movies; several post-credits scenes further highlight this. The bad guy for this film is Brixton, (Idris Elba) a former MI6 officer who jumped ship and has a past with Shaw. Brixton is by far the worst part of this film, with his character being entirely forgettable and his motivations being a mystery to everyone, maybe even him. Elba is equally as forgettable with the role easily playable by many other actors with no real difference in quality. Overall, this film is excellent for what it is a dumb fun popcorn movie; it knows what it is and has fun with it; which is infectious. Despite some of the weak characters weighing the film down slightly, Hobbs and Shaw still manages to not only step out from the shadow of The Fast and The Furious but also become better than it; seeding the groundwork for what could be one of the best action-comedy series of recent memory. A must-see for the escapism alone.
4/5
Luke

New Masters of Horror: Ari Aster

Horror cinema has been around for decades, and with each era, there are horror pioneers who strive to both find new things to add to the genre as well as find a way to terrifies the masses. In the past, there have been such names as Toby Hooper, Wes Craven, and John Carpenter, but for the modern horror fans, there are a collection of new faces to keep an eye on; this series will focus on them, starting with today’s subject Ari Aster. Aster has made a name for himself these last two years with his films Hereditary and Midsommar, both of which have been well received by both the horror community and general critics. However, before he made either of these films he directed a series of surreal horror esque short films, these captured the raw talent of Aster as well as foreshadowed themes that would play out across his film catalog; or at least his works thus far. Said topics are what make Aster such an intriguing director, he deals with the idea of loss in both of his feature film offerings, in Hereditary it focuses on how a family would deal with that and in Midsommar it focuses on how a couple, but more of an individual, would deal with it. Aster approaches the issues and ideas about the loss of a close family member in an incredibly thoughtful and personal way, which thereby makes the film more relatable and its characters more real; to us the audience.
Furthermore, Aster’s films are known to have a frantic, (for lack of a better word), third act, with Hereditary, seeing the coven finally realised on screen, and Midsommar having the conclusion of the summer festival. Leading some to level the criticism that Aster’s films are slow even to the point of being boring and then have everything happen in the final 20 minutes; this is ludicrous. The reason that complaint is invalid is that Aster has proven himself to be, like many of the other coming entries in this series, a director who delights in foreshadowing and hinting at things to come, letting people talk about and guess at his work, rather than making it obvious. Which I believe makes his horror films all the more enjoyable as they lend themselves to rewatches and debates, making you think about them long after the credits roll. To this end, Aster focuses a lot of the run time of his films to setting an atmosphere and tone, usually sowing in glimpses of things that will turn out to be important later, this I believe is fundamentally important. The best horror films priorities tension and an oppressive atmosphere over the need to shove in cheap jump scares. Aster’s films lack jump scares, for the most part, almost presenting themselves as horror art films that are above a mere jump scare, and this is why I believe people mistakenly say these films are boring; because people have become accustomed to jump scares over the last few years as the market has become overly saturated with them. Aster’s film are in many ways a return to horror films of old before the jump scare craze of current times, and I think that’s what makes his movies so special and unique, creative shooting, the dollhouse transitions in Hereditary, hammer home this idea of classic horror, with a new twist. While some may claim pretentiousness, I say this man and his creative vision have produced two of the best horror films of the last decade, and he is more than deserving of being a Master of Horror.

American Animals

American Animals follows a group of dissatisfied young men as they plan out and execute an art heist– inspired at least in part by actual events. Featuring Evan Peters, (Warren), Barry Keoghan, (Spencer), Blake Jenner, (Chas) and Jared Abrahamson, (Eric), respectively, however, Peters is the standout star.
Peters has already proven time and again that he is amongst the best young actors in Hollywood– this is a testament to that. Peters is incredibly believable as Warren, a young man who wants his life to be more than it is, a man who is willing to go to great lengths for adventure and excitement; no matter the cost. Though throughout the film we witness Warren and the other characters become villains to an extent, but you can’t help but root for them.
The writing for the film is phenomenal, with scenes that stress both the humour and the tension of the film; a lesser film wouldn’t have been able to balance these elements. The emotional stakes are very well implemented if a little overdone at times, with them showing you the emotional cost not only of the victims but the criminals themselves.
More to the film’s praise the stylised editing works to strong effect, being not too dissimilar to something you would expect to see in an Edgar Wright film. What’s more the editing as a tool to show the differences in perspective between the people recounting the story is very interesting.
To conclude, what sets American Animals apart from other crime, heist films is it’s attention to character relationships and focus on the emotional impact actions have on the characters. Knowing nods to other genre greats like Reservoir Dogs make this an incredibly enjoyable ride. The blend of tension and comedy featured, maybe the films strongest pro. Very worthy of your time.
4/5
Reviewed by Luke

Hotel Artemis

Hotel Artemis focuses on the exploits and clientele of an exclusive criminal hospital. The story centres around one night at the hotel, focusing on multiple characters such as bank robber Sherman, (Sterling K Brown), assassin Nice, (Sofia Boutella), as well as the Nurse, (Jodie Foster); all set to the backdrop of a dystopian riot. The script written by Drew Pearce, (who also directs), is fantastic giving each character enough screen-time to make you care about them, without becoming too focused on any one character. All these beautifully interwoven subplots work to great effect helping to flesh out the world of the film, as well as the characters within it. An example of this is the Nurse subplot, which could have been a needless diversion, but instead becomes the context by which the rest of the film is derived. Furthermore, the performances here are also superb, especially Charlie Day, who upon first hearing of his casting I thought, (incorrectly,) was just going to be the comic relief. The action sequences are all exquisite, with the final hallway fight choreography being especially noteworthy; being helped greatly by the tremendous physicality that Boutella brings to the role. My only complaint is that Jeff Goldblum, (The Wolf King), is used very sparingly, in many ways he is used as little more than a plot device. However, this complaint is lessened by the fact he gives a phenomenal performance, having some of the best lines and the right amount of menace. This film could have just been little more than an expanded version of the Continental from John Wick. However, it is instead a strong and very original action film, with just the right amount of humour and heart. I would highly recommend Hotel Artemis and I hope to hear more from it in the future.
4/5
Reviewed by Luke