My Salinger Year: White Privilege Is Alive And Well

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Everything about this film screams pretentious. The very idea of a struggling writer trying to make their way in New York City whilst also being given a fabulous job opportunity that they don’t value and continue to seek out more to satiate their own ego is a cliché- and sadly it makes up the entire plot of this film.

The problems of our lead, who just wants to write but can’t seem to get anywhere, not only very pedestrian but they also feel hollow. The whole film reeks of the sort of privilege that comes around when you don’t have to worry about the day to day problems and can instead just focus all your time into complaining about not having your dream life- unrelatable.

The reason this film gets the score given, is because of Sigourney Weaver: make no mistake without Weaver I would have given this film less. Whenever Weaver is on screen the film momentarily comes alive, and you are reminded of how great she is and how you miss her not being in more things; what it would be to go back to the mid to late Eighties to Weaver’s peak.

Overall, if this film can’t see how the average viewer would struggle to relate to it, then it is even more pretentious then I thought.

Pros.

Weaver

Cons.

The rest of the cast

The clear privilege

It is a cliché

It is boring and uninspired

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Four Good Days: A Frank And Uncompromising Look At Addiction

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This is a harrowing film, but one that I think is an important watch: the film does not shy away from showing you the horrors of addiction and the impact it has not just on yourself, but those around you. As I was watching this film I often found myself being moved to emotion by the events on screen whether that was sadness, joy or frustration- crucially it made me feel.

I think both Glenn Close and Mila Kunis are terrific here, with the latter really showcasing her skills as a dramatic actor. I think the bond between these two characters feels so real that you easily believe they are mother and daughter. Furthermore, you can see the scars and hurt in their relationship and how despite both doing things they regret, they also to be there for and support each other.

This film is obviously a very bleak watch, yet one that I found inspiring. Though the struggles and issues raised in the film are deeply upsetting, I found the ending of the film helped to not send you into a pit of despair: whilst also managing to show that addiction is a struggle you fight for your whole life even after you get clean.

Overall, a very strong and effecting dramatic piece.

Pros.

Kunis

The ending

The bond/ emotions

Cons.

A few light pacing issues.

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Cruella: When Is This Film Set Does Anyone Know ? PS. That Is Not The Seventies

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Disney’s live action remakes will never get any love from me: they are an effort in baiting nostalgia and milking the past to make up for modern day creative failings- worse yet it seems to be working for them. Anyway, I went into this film with low expectations, the trailers didn’t inspire hope, however, after watching it I find myself mixed.

The biggest pro I can give this film is for Emma Stone’s performance. Stone manages to lose herself in the role, and truly become the character. I liked the fact that they didn’t go out of their way to make her sympathetic or even likeable most of the time, with that helping her feel more villainous and more like the character we would later come to know.

However, that is where the pros for the film grind to a halt. My biggest issue with this film was its style. From a design perspective this film is schizophrenic never really being able to decide what tone or even era it was going for- it is jarringly off putting.

Moreover, the plot and story of the film are laughably far fetch, with the film giving up on trying to explain itself midway through, thus creating so many plot holes that you begin to lose count.

Finally, there are plenty of characters in this narrative that serve no purpose and are redundant. Case in point Cruella’s childhood friend/reporter, who’s whole character arc is that she follows Cruella around and takes pictures; she has no character beyond that, nor does she have a need to be in this film at all.

Overall, not worth the price of admission wait until it is free on Disney +

Pros.

Emma Stone

Mark Strong

Cons.

The odd tone

The inconsistencies

The era/ and the fact the film can’t decide when it wants to be set

The logic

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Brightburn: Evil Superman’s Origin Story

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film is basically what if Superman was evil, it knows this and it does it perfectly. I find this film often miscategorised some say it is a horror film, it is not, rather it is an action film with horror sequences thrown in; or perhaps an action horror if you like.

I enjoyed how they built the evil over the course of the film, the child doesn’t start vaporising people from the get-go, we see him go on some what of a rushed character journey towards evil; with his mum foolishly thinking he can be tempted back the other way. I thought once this film got to the part where he was fully evil and fully using his powers to annihilate people it really started to shine.

However, my favourite moment of this film comes at the end. After the final battle we are treated to a post credits scene, as what is a superhero film without one these days, during which we see the fact that there is in fact an entire evil Justice League of other characters, which simply begs for a sequel- hopefully this film gets one.

Furthermore, Elizabeth Banks really shines in this film: she is by far the standout performance. I liked how we saw her character breakdown more and more over the course of the film as she started to realise that the boy she has raised from infancy was in fact evil, it was a fascinating transition and one Banks sold well on the acting front.

Overall, a very strong film that deserves a sequel.

Pros.

Banks

The ending

The post credits scene

The alien unleashed

Cons.

A slow first act

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Friends Reunion: A Desperate Attempt To Save HBO Max

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

It is a sad state of affairs when a show has to tarnish what would otherwise be a rather solid reputation, for a desperate attempt at regaining relevancy and propping up a hard hit streaming service- yet here we are. The writing was on the wall, for this being nothing more than a blatant, vain attempt to milk nostalgia to get a few more sign ups for HBO Max, the second they announced the guest stars.

Said guest stars mostly have nothing to do with the show, a few of them are old faces coming back: they are pleasing. The rest, however, are whoever a group of clearly aging studio executives think ‘the youths’ like- insert BTS. To me I found this grating, and as I was actually looking forward to this reunion I found it to be disappointing as well.

Moreover, and perhaps worst of all, this flips into somewhat of a quasi-interview/audience interaction thing midway through, and who do they get to host it? Why every writers least favourite person James Corden. I understand the Americans have yet to find out what an insufferable person Corden is, so they have to put him in everything, but it is just frustrating.

Despite my negativity thus far, there are still some nice moments and interesting behind the scenes titbits thrown in, and that is why this show does not get a lower score.

Overall, I think it is sad that the creatives and the actors would allow their show, the thing that made a lot of them famous, to be brought back as a means to hollowly push a struggling streaming service and further the constant attention of those deemed trendy by fifty year old white men in boardrooms and focus groups.

Pros.

A few funny moments

The behind the scenes stuff is fascinating

Cons.

James Corden

The celebrity guest stars

The asides to ‘regular people’ talking about how much Friends means to them

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The Last Black Man In San Franciso: Squatter’s Rights

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I had heard a lot about The Last Black Man In San Francisco from the festival circuit several years ago, but for one reason or another I never watched it; anyway recently I bought it on DVD and corrected that mistake.

I am very mixed on this film. I did not like the style or a lot of its more arty moments: personally I thought they cut away a bit too much from the real human heart and struggle of the film. By the end of the film the style and the artsy cutaways had almost become a barrier between you and the characters.

I think both the leads were simply terrific, with perhaps Johnathan Majors just stealing the top spot. I thought they both created these very deep and layered characters who were fun to explore and get to know over the course of the film’s runtime. Moreover, I thought the emotional journey they went on during the film was nothing short of beautiful and I would have liked further character exploration.

The ending left me cold. I understand why it happened from a storytelling point of view, but I feel like the execution of the scene could have been done better thereby giving it more of an impact on the viewer.

Overall, great performances struggle against tone and pace and eventually cancel each other out.

Pros

The acting

The emotion

Cons.

The style and the artsy elements

The ending

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The Father: Olivia Colman Deserved Her Second Oscar

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I applaud the inventiveness of this film, what could easily have been a very linear experience is turned on its head. Personally, I thought the choice to show everything from Anthony, played by Anthony Hopkin’s, point of view was sheer genius; as the character suffers from Alzheimer’s the events of the film are out of order, muddled and actors switch out as the character can’t remember what they look like anymore- it is brilliant.

I thought Hopkin’s gave one of his best performances to date, running the gambit from charming to mean and unlikeable and then heart breakingly vulnerable- all within an hour and a half. Would I say it is Oscar worthy? No, in a regular year, Yes with what he was up against, it was a very good performance.

The same praise can be heaped on Olivia Colman who plays Anthony’s struggling daughter who has to take him in and help him out whilst he is in-between carers. Colman is stellar and her constant state of near tears but still maintaining a smile speaks to everyone who has ever found themselves in a similar situation; in my opinion hers was the better of the two performances and she should have won the Oscar.

The one slight negative, and this was always going to be the case you knew going in, is that this film is manically depressing, though not as much as you might expect, so be prepared with something happy to watch to follow this film up with.

Overall, a gem and one of the best films of last year.

Pros.

Colman

Hopkins

The point of view focus

The emotional wringer

Cons.

It is deeply depressing

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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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Real Rob: Netflix Is Just Giving Money Away These Days, Stop Giving The Sand-Pack Money

0.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

So you might know Rob Schneider as one of Adam Sandler’s lesser entourage members, or as a vocal anti-vax figure. Regardless he was given his own Netflix series and rather unsurprisingly it is bad.

I won’t get into all the ways it is troubling, the vague racism, the rather overt sexism and slut shaming, the ableist comments- the list is long and dripping in bad taste. However, I will say that the character or version of himself that Schneider is playing is deeply unlikable, and only serves to lose him any potential fans the series would have won him. There are moments in this series when it genuinely seems like Schneider actively wants people not to like him.

The jokes don’t land, and as this is a comedy series that is a pretty big issue. Not only do they not land they rely on the same old, used and often incorrect cliches and stereotypes that mare the Sand-Pack’s work.

The one bright spot of the series is Schneider’s wife Patricia who actually manages to be funny a few times over the series run, which for this series is nothing short of a miracle. Patricia easily manages to out-do her husband at nearly every opportunity, but sadly the show side-lines her either using her as the butt of the joke or as something to ogle.

Overall, Netflix needs to be more choosey in who they give a series to.

Pros.

Patricia Schneider

Cons.

Rob Schneider

The jokes don’t land

It feels lazy, and is overly reliant on his Hollywood friends and outdated cliches

A lot of the episodes go nowhere and send you to sleep

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Space Force: The War For The Moon Has Already Begun

Written by Luke Barnes

3/5

There is definitely shades of The Office here: American not British.

I think if anything this show is a testament to the likeability and the warmth of Steve Carell, the other characters in this show are quite underdeveloped, yet luckily the entire focus is on Carell and he sells it and makes the series as good as it is.

The major issue with this series is that it will/has age horribly. There are a lot of references to then current American politics, which feel dated and stilted even now, and it has only been a year. Also a perhaps more importantly I didn’t find this series funny, charming yes, but funny no: most of the jokes didn’t land for me.

Though the characters were underdeveloped, I still ended up caring for them by the end of the series and am excited to see where next season takes them.

As far as the series ideas go, I think the premise has a lot of potential and the actual execution is also quite strong, I enjoyed the one-ups Manship between the US and Chinese Space Forces and thought it was well built during the series.

Overall, though the characters are a little thin you still end up caring about them, with a strong lead performance and an interesting idea that helps this series to get at least part of the way to the moon.

Pros.

Carell

You end up caring about the characters

The US Vs China storyline

Cons.

Dated references

The jokes don’t land