Dolemite Is My Name: Eddie Murphy’s Masterpiece

Dolemite Is My Name is an autobiographical comedy film directed by Craig Brewer. The film stars Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore, real-life comedian and the filmmaker responsible for Dolemite in 1975. This film charts Rudy’s rise to fame and shows the trials and tribulations he went through with both his comedy career as well as his filmmaking.

This is a wonderful, wonderful film. I didn’t realise how much I had missed seeing Eddie Murphy on screen until I saw this film. This is a triumph for him as well as the rest of the cast easily being one of my favourite films of last year. Murphy plays Rudy with such a sense of plucky optimism that he perfectly captures the underdog spirit. Right the way through the film you are cheering for Rudy and you want to see him do great things, he is instantly likeable and relatable and that is this film’s greatest strength. Given to a lesser actor, the character might not have had these charming qualities which would have lessened the overall emotion of the film.

An example of what I am talking about is during the film’s third act as the crew are driving to the Dolomite premiere, they read some negative reviews of their film, this is quite a down note, but Murphy’s Rudy turns around and makes it positive. Later on, when Rudy realises that people will have to wait for hours to watch his film, he decides to entertain them while they wait, rather than see his own film, it is touching. This film has such a good-natured soul to it, and I believe that is all down to Murphy and his remarkably positive energy.

The supporting cast is also incredibly talented, and they all give good performances. Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg, Tituss Burgess, Wesley Snipes and more are in this film and though a lot of them only have bit parts they all deliver memorable and important performances. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is the female lead of the film, Lady Reed, she gives a particularly moving performance as someone who conquers their inner demons and comes out on top, she overcomes her shyness and does great things and I for one found that inspiring. She also has great on-screen chemistry will Murphy which is a treat to see.

Overall, this is an incredibly strong, incredibly sweet film that needs to be seen. This is more than a comeback for Murphy this is proof of his talent both as a dramatic and comedic actor; he was robbed of a nomination for Best-Actor which I believe he deserved. This is a must-watch!

Pros.

Eddie Murphy.

An Uplifting Story.

A Great Supporting Cast.

A Good Nature.

A Near Perfect Ending.

Cons.

None.

5/5

Reviewed By Luke

The Witcher: A New Fantasy King Rises

The Witcher is a fantasy drama series based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. The plot of the series revolves around Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a Witcher, a mutant who hunts monsters. Over the course of the series we see Geralt try to escape destiny and his responsibility towards Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan), a child whose fate is tied to Geralt’s through the law of surprise. The series builds to these two characters meeting.

I have to say before I get into this review, I am a huge Witcher fan, I love the games and the books. So, I had been eagerly awaiting this series for quite some time. This series does play homage to both of these, that have come before, taking elements from both. I would say it probably leans more towards the books in terms of faithfulness.

When I first saw him on screen, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about Cavill as Geralt, but he did grow on me overtime. I think Cavill did a good job as the character and I can’t wait to see where he takes the character in the next season. I think he especially did a good job with the voice; he sounds just like the voice actor from the game; if you close your eyes and listen you will see what I mean.

The breakout star of the series for me is Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, who did a great job. Yennefer is the love of Geralt’s life, and their relationship is a huge part of the series. I think the writing of her character was quite weak in the first few episodes, but when she becomes a full-fledged Mage in about episode 2 or 3, she becomes far more engaging.

The world of this show is fantastic it is deep and rich, it is easily one of the best fantasy worlds ever brought to the small screen. The story is told in 3 separate sequences that all take place outside of one another. Geralt has one, Ciri has one and Yennefer has one, they all come together in episode 6, but before that it can be a bit confusing to figure out what is happening and when; on second watch it all makes a lot more sense.

Overall, this is one of Netflix’s best new shows and can easily fill the void left behind by things like Game Of Thrones. If you’re a fan of the games or the books or just fantasy in general, you will love this series and it is definitely one to watch!

Ps. The fight sequences are a thing of beauty.

Pros.

A Solid Lead.

A Rich Developed World.

Multi Layered Characters.

A Loving Homage.

Anya Chalotra Is The Breakout Star.

Cons.

The Out Of Sequence Story Telling Can Be Confusing.

4.5/5

Reviewed By Luke

Fist Fight: I Would Rather Take A Beating Than Watch This

Fist Fight is a comedy film directed by Richie Keen. The plot follows Andy (Charlie Day), an English teacher who on the last day of term gets one of his colleagues fired. As such the teacher who was fired, Ron (Ice Cube), challenges Andy to a fight after school. Andy knows the fight won’t turn out well for him, so he does a series of things to try and stop it from happening, but he is ultimately unsuccessful, and the fight happens anyway. The two then become friends and learn a little something from one another.

Boring, boring, boring and done before.

This film feels like it was made in the early 2000s, it feels dated. All the jokes, if you can call them that, don’t make you laugh, but rather starch your head as you wonder which executive got fired for making this film; as someone should have been. This is one of the most painfully unfunny comedies I have watched in my entire life, not a single joke lands, there is not even a small chuckle to be had; essentially this is a comedy film that is not fun to watch.

I understand that when watching a film, one has to suspend their disbelief, but in the real-world Ron would never have been hired, as he has clear anger problems and is a menace to the children. Andy getting him fired is arguably the right thing to do, but instead, it is positioned in the film’s narrative as though Andy did a bad thing that he needs to atone for. Ice Cube’s character is a straight-up villain, that the film tries to make you root for, he is through and through a bad person. This then makes the end of the film worse when the two men are friends and Andy is more like Ron, so now Andy is becoming more of a bad person.

What’s more and I must have said this 1000 times Ice Cube can’t act, he plays the same character over and over again and I for one am starting to get sick of it.

Just a brief aside before I conclude, what is with Christina Hendrick appearing in all of these terrible comedy films? I understand that maybe the post-Mad Men world hasn’t been kind, but she is capable of so much more than this.

Overall, this is a lazy, deeply unfunny film that has a bad message.  A horrible film.

Pros.

Charlie Day Is Okay.

Cons.

This Is A Major Step Down For Christina Hendricks.

Ice Cube Can’t Act.

It Is Painfully Unfunny.

It Has Some Very Nasty Messages.

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Special Correspondents: A Crime Against Humanity

Special Correspondents is a satirical comedy film about a journalist (Eric Bana), and his sound guy (Rickey Gervais, who also directs the film), who are supposed to be covering a foreign war, but end up losing their tickets. As such they decide to pretend that they have gone and fake all their coverage from a room above a restaurant.

This film doesn’t know the meaning of subtly. It is the most garish, in your face, forcing itself down your throat film I have ever seen. The characters are all caricatures and are played up to a ridiculous degree. It is clear from the beginning that Eleanor (Vera Farmiga), doesn’t love her husband Ian (Gervais), as she sleeps with Frank (Bana), this would have been enough to set her up as a bad character and one we as the audience are not supposed to like. But No!

The film then does one better and has her trying to profit off her husband’s disappearance and refuse to pay his ransom, which would obviously come out in public but never mind. At this point, the film takes all the subtly and nuance that it could have had and sets it on fire. They make Eleanor almost like a cartoon villain.

The two main guys are themselves just stereotypes Bana is the gruff tough action hero type and Gervais is basically playing a slightly nerdier version of his character from The Office, neither one of them is developed any more than that, the characters actually have no arcs at all. What’s more the one singular good thing about this film is Kelly Macdonald’s Claire. Macdonald is the only person in this whole waste of time movie that seems like she is trying to give a good performance, but she is hamstrung by the fact that she is given little more to do than being seen worrying for the two leads. She has a little B plot that goes nowhere, but essentially, she is just a love interest for Gervais’s character, which is again the most obvious thing in the world.

This film is so bad that you sign off midway through it, you don’t care what happens to any of the characters because the film can’t make you care about them. The confrontation between Ian and his wife that you had hoped would happen since the beginning of the film is handled in the weakest possible way, feeling like one final slap in the face from the film. I have seen some bad films in my time but, this is a special kind of bad. Please stick to in front of the camera stuff Ricky.

Ps. America Ferrera you deserve better than this stinker of a film.

Pros.

Kelly Macdonald.

An Interesting Concept That It Then Wastes.

Cons.

The Characters Have No Arcs.

The Ending Is A Slap To The Face.

It Is The Most Aggressively Average Film You Will See All Year.

1.5/5

Reviewed By Luke

Parasite: A Chain Of Trust Must Never Be Broken

Parasite is a South Korean dark comedy thriller film directed by Bong Joon-Ho. The film revolves around a poor family (The Kim Family), that one by one infiltrate the services of a rich family (The Park Family), to live the high life as well as to benefit financially. The Kim family uses fake documents to pose as well-trained professionals as well as a series of underhanded tactics, which grow in seriousness across the film.

This film is a dark comedy done right. The tone perfectly straddles the line between comedy and tragedy as all good dark comedies should do. There were moments of hilarity such as when Park Dong-ik (Lee Sun-kyun) and Yeon-gyo (Cho Yeo-jeong) are engaging in some sexy role play, which to them involves them being poor and dealing drugs, all the while the actual poor members of the Kim family are all hidden under the table. This scene amused me, but also made me think, it furthers the theme of a class divide which is pivotal to this film.  It paints the Kim family and the Park family as drastic opposites, almost different species.

The idea of this class divide is best shown in one of the film’s final scenes when Kim Ke-jeong (Park So-dam), gets stabbed by the crazy guy from the basement, more on that later, and no one seems to care. She has been a good friend to the Park family, or at least she appeared that way, but when the time came they didn’t give her a second thought; yes an argument could be made that they were preoccupied with saving their own son, but they could have still done something.

There are parts of this film where it veers into strange and crazy ideas, these are the best bits. As the film escalates it gets more and more manic, the world becomes unstable, with some films especially films that are supposed to be realistic like this one, venturing into this kind of territory can be disastrous, but in Parasites case it works really well; it thrives in the chaos.

Overall, this is a very entertaining film it had great moments of tension and comedy and it even managed to make me think. The ending even had a tear in my eye. A beautiful film.

Pros.

A Perfect Dark Comedy.

Great Performances.

A Superb Ending.

Embracing The Crazy.

Cons.

Maybe A Little Too Long.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Murder Mystery: Sandler Is On The Case

‘Murder Mystery’ is a comedy mystery film directed by Kyle Newacheck. The plot follows married couple Nick (Adam Sandler), and Audrey (Jennifer Aniston), who’s holiday is interrupted when they get tangled up in a murder aboard a yacht; they soon get framed for the crimes and then they have to clear their names as well as find out who the real killer is.

I had heard that Adam Sandler’s Netflix comedies were the worst of the worst, lazy, boring and unfunny and I have to say this film disproved that to me to some extent. To elaborate on that point more what I mean is from a narrative standpoint the end twist where it looked like Nick and Audrey were wrong about who the killer is, was good, I wasn’t expecting. However, they then immediately undercut it by being like ‘oh wait yeah it was her’, which I felt was a misstep.

A lot can be said for Sandler’s Netflix fare, but at least it knows what it is. ‘Murder Mystery’ is a good, easy entertainment, you can turn your brain off for an hour and 40 minutes and sit back and have a few laughs, some intentional, some not. The plot is laughably goofy, but then that was always how it was going to be, no one ever thought this film would take itself seriously.

Sandler’s character arc is that he has been lying to his wife about being a detective for a long time and this is then revealed and the two have to work it out, this is not a new or fresh storyline, but it does work to some effect and makes Sandler a likeable, redeemable character. Sandler is definitely more toned down in this film and as such is more tolerable. What’s more it is nice to see him back on screen with Aniston, the two have great chemistry and play off each other with ease.

Luke Evans, Gemma Arterton, Terence Stamp and more are in this film and they are all serviceable, whilst also being incredibly forgettable and devoid of anything even remotely resembling a personality. If I had to guess they were all here for the paycheck.

Overall, Sandler was bearable in this, it was a far cry from something like ‘Grown Ups 2’ he worked well alongside Aniston and the film overall is good if you want something to turn your brain off to.

On the better side of average for sure.

Pros.

Aniston and Sandler.

Dumb Fun.

Sandler Is Always Watchable.

Cons.

The Wider Cast Are Easily Replaceable.

Nothing Fresh Or Original.

2.5/5

Reviewed By Luke

1917: Tick Tock

‘1917’ is an epic war film directed by Sam Mendes. The plot revolves around 2 British soldiers who go on a desperate mission to call off a British attack on the German line, after it is revealed to be a trap, set during WW1.

In many ways this film reminded me of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’. Despite being about different wars and different locations ‘1917’ had that same level of tension as well as being underpinned by a keen sense of futility, as it seems almost impossible the 2 soldiers will make it there in time to stop the advance.

‘1917’ shows the horrors of war and really plays them up to great effect, we see this when Schofield (George MacKay), meets Lauri (Claire Duburcq), a woman who is living in a bombed-out hovel with a baby that is not hers. The thing that makes this scene so tense is that if the baby doesn’t get milk it will die, fortunately Schofield has some, but it makes you think if  he hadn’t come along that Baby would have died and there is nothing Lauri could have done about it.

Another ballsy thing this film does that I think makes it worthy of praise is the decision to kill off one of its main characters early and with very little warning. The 2 soldiers who venture out are Schofield and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), but Blake just gets killed seemingly out of nowhere very early into the film. There is a bit in the film where both men are running through a collapsing German trench but emerge okay, at this point it seems as though ‘1917’ will flirt with the idea of these men dying, but it won’t actually go there. Then mere moments later a German Plane crashes and the pilot stabs Blake while Schofield has his back turned. It is that quick. There is no fanfare when Blake dies, no him soldiering on for a few more scenes, or a heroic self-sacrifice; he just dies very quickly in Schofield’s arms- this sets the tone for the film.

My one complaint about this film, the thing that stops me giving it a perfect score, is the fact that it wastes some of its larger cast. Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch are all in this film, but their parts are so small it makes you wonder why they were even cast at all. I think it would have been better if these actors were either given more to do, a la Tom Hardy in ‘Dunkirk’, or if they were played by unknown actors as seeing these big names pop-up for what feels like glorified cameos feels distracting.

Overall, a fantastic war film that doesn’t pull any punches, it is clear to see why this is up for Best Picture at the Oscars. Mostly Marvelous.

Pros.

Great Leads.

Ballsy Shocking Decisions In Storytelling.

A Sense Of Dread And Futility.

An Ever-Present Ticking Clock.

Cons.

Wastes Some Of It’s Bigger Stars.

4/5

Reviewed By Luke

East Is East: Life Is What You Make It

‘East Is East’ is a British comedy-drama directed by Damien O’Donnell. The plot revolves around a mixed ethnicity family with a Pakistani Father, George (Om Puri), and an English Mother Ella (Linda Bassett). The film explores ideas around identity and heritage, as George thinks his kids have become too English and have lost their culture, while his kids despise him for his strict, antiquated ways. The film is based on the play of the same name written by Ayub Khan-Dim, who also writes this film.

Over the years, I have seen this film many times, and the more you watch it the more layers you see are visible in it. Because on the surface it is mainly a comedy film with a few dramatic scenes thrown in, but if you look a bit deeper you see it is about a generation of kids that want to make their own identity, want to go down their own path; they don’t want to be told by their dad how to be, they just want to be themselves.

The kids all give great performances that have range, there is Tariq (Jimi Mistry), who is rebellious and wants to be in charge of his own destiny and then there is Maneer (Emil Marwa), who is everything his father would want him to be obedient. This film likes complexity, it likes to show how all the characters want freedom, they want to be able to shape their own destiny, but they are all going about it in their own way. The situation is affecting them all differently

Furthermore, this film has some really uncomfortable scenes, namely when George beats Maneer and then his wife. These scenes sharply contrast the comedy that we have so far been laughing along with and show a whole other side to the dynamic of the film that is deeply unpleasant to see. These scenes do have something to say and are not just put in for shock value, the abusive behavior feels natural for George’s characters, who as we already know is the sort of person who would completely disown one of his kids.

Overall, this is a staple of British Cinema for me and I think it has a lot to say about life and identity and it does it all well, with a healthy dose of laughter and a few scenes to hammer home the more serious points; both of these elements are in perfect harmony with each other. If you have already seen this then it is a must watch.

Pros.

Representation.

Characters You Care About.

Not Afraid To Get Real.

Charming And Funny.

Great Performances From Everyone.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed By Luke

 

Adult World: A Sex Shop Of Love

‘Adult World’ is a comedy drama film directed by Scott Coffey. The plot follows Amy (Emma Roberts), an aspiring poet who is waiting on her big break. After she gets kicked out of her parents’ house, she is forced to take up a job at a sex shop which she eventually grows to love over time, despite not being happy to work there in the beginning. She also becomes some what of a protegee to famous American poet Rat Billings (John Cusack), who she has idolised since she was young.

This film deals with themes of growing up and accepting your place in the world. Throughout the film Amy is stressed as she feels she is not making enough of her golden years and that if she is not a published poet by the time, she turns 22 it is all over for her. However, at the end of the film Amy realises that it is okay to not be where she wants to be, and that life can be surprising. Indeed, if there is a message to this film it is that failure is okay, it has a comfortability to it.

The on-screen chemistry between Amy and her co worker Alex (Evan Peters), is palpable. Any scene the two shares together is fantastic, and captivating and it makes sense that this film was the beginning on their real-life relationship. Both, actors I believe are criminally underrated and both do a great job with what they are given here.

My one issue with this film is that John Cusack’s tired angry mentor character feels cliched and done before. He gives a good enough performance don’t get me wrong, but I do believe that he lets down the scenes between him and Emma Robert’s character which is a real shame as he is capable of much better.

Overall, this film has beautiful message of expanding your mind and being tolerant towards others which is something I think we all need to be reminded off every now and again. It is a shame that John Cusack is past his prime, but at least Roberts and Peters are fantastic and make this a film worth watching. There is a beauty to this film that needs to be seen.

Pros.

Roberts And Peters’ Great Chemistry.

It Is Unique.

It Has A Beautiful Message.

It Leaves You With Something To Think About.

Cons.

John Cusack Is Phoning It In.

3/5

Reviewed By Luke

Velvet Buzzsaw: An Exercise In Pretension

‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ is a satirical supernatural horror film written and directed by Dan Gilroy. The plot of the film revolves around a collection of painting that is both captivating and deadly; there is something alive within the paintings that either kills people or makes them kill themselves. The film also serves to lambast and spoof the art world.

Before I get into this review, I want to say that ‘Nightcrawler’ Gilroy’s other work with Jake Gyllenhaal is a masterpiece, being able to really show off its dark sensibilities and mustering a fantastic performance from Gyllenhaal. There is something about ‘Nightcrawler’ that makes it alarming every time you see it, even though by that point you know how it ends.

The same can’t be said for ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’. My main issue with this film is how up its own arse it is, it seems to think it is the best film that you will see all year; which it isn’t. The satirical elements of the film fail so much so, that I wasn’t even aware it was supposed to be that way until I sat down to research this review. The only thing that might clue you into the fact that this is supposed to be satirical is the fact that all the characters are deeply unlikeable; though I thought that was just bad writing.

Rene Russo and Gyllenhaal try their best and give good performances, which serve as a saving grace for this film, but only barely. The rest of the cast are terrible, Toni Collette’s performance has zero energy and feels like she is trying to give a bad performance for whatever reason. Zawe Ashton has one facial expression for the whole film and to call her wooden would be generous and ‘Stranger Things’ own Natalia Dyer feels like she is only in the film on Netflix’s behest to try and get more people to be like, “oh she was in Stranger Things I should probably rewatch that”.

The horror concepts of this film are interesting and there are a few good scares peppered throughout. However, they just aren’t enough, this film is 20 per cent inspired horror and then 80 per cent lost up its own arse as to how good it is; which is a terrible shame as I was excited to watch a film from the writer-director behind Nightcrawler and his strange, but always excellent muse Jake Gyllenhaal.

Overall this is an exercise in pretension that falls flat whilst also being incredibly hollow.

Pros.

Jake Gyllenhaal Is Always Fantastic.

Some Good Horror Moments.

An Interesting Concept.

Cons.

The Terrible Cast.

The Smug Sense Of Self This Film Has.

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke