Vampires Vs. The Bronx: The Conspiracy Theorists Were Right, Gentrification Is The Work Of Vampires

Vampires Vs. The Bronx is a comedy horror film directed by Oz Rodriguez. The plot sees a group of gentrified vampires try to buy up and take over the Bronx, killing residents as they go, it is down to a group of young kids to defeat the hordes of the undead.

This film was one of the best horror comedy films I have seen in a while, it did both in spades. The jokes made me laugh, or at the very least smile, and the chills were quite effective when used; the bodega scene speaks for itself.

I enjoyed the gentrified twist of Vampires and I think that it worked well as a more meta comment on societal change and keeping one’s identity. I liked the Vivian (Sarah Gadon) twist, I thought though it was quite obvious, I was glad that they developed her character rather than just have her as a plucky helper character for the main group. I also enjoyed it when Vivian became the evil vampire general, I thought Gadon played the character well with just the right amount of menace.

I also thought it was an inspired choice to go a bit more old school and out there with the vampire characters, like at one-point Vivian is flying after the boys, I just think it adds extra whimsey to the film and is a nice difference addition.

Overall, a fun film that is far deeper than it might first seem. Very much worth a watch.

Pros.

The vampires, and going old school

The comedy and the horror

Developing Vivian

The surprisingly emotional turn with Tony (Joel ‘The Kid Mero’ Martinez)

Cons.

Slightly familiar

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hail Caesar: In Hollywood Commies Lurk Around Every Corner

Hail Caesar! Is a comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The plot follows a fixer in the Golden Age of Hollywood as he fights to keep everything running smoothly at a movie studio, this involves finding the star of the studio’s big sand and sandals epic who has gone missing.

This might be one of Josh Brolin’s finest performances to date. Brolin play’s the fixer, as you might have guessed, and he plays the part with such gusto and relish that you can’t help but be transfixed by him for the entirety of the movie. I believe no other actor could have done as much with the part as Brolin.

Obviously this film is a love letter, and some what of a scolding critique on the Golden Age of Hollywood as well as it’s contemporary incarnation. While that can sometimes feel a bit smug and cliquey, I believe the love here, and I love the version of the Golden Age this film portrays. I easily got lost in the world and would like to see more content set therein.

The supporting cast all have their moments to shine which I enjoyed, even though most are only relegated to glorified cameos they still leave a mark, which I find impressive. Channing Tatum is especially good in this regard and his musical number might be one of the best I have ever seen.

Overall, a fun ride for those who love the Golden Age with enough interesting goings on to entertain those who might not be so enamoured.

Pros.

Josh Brolin

Channing Tatum

The world

The cameos

Cons.

If you aren’t hugely into the time period or film history you might not like it

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Everybody Wants Some: The Life And Times Of 30 Year Old College Freshmen

Everybody Wants Some is a teen comedy film directed by Richard Linklater. The plot follows a group of fresh and returning college baseball players on their first days of the new college year.

This feels very similar to Dazed and Confused which makes sense as this is a spiritual sequel of sorts, and while that film was great this one does just feel like more of the same, which is or isn’t a bad thing depending on your viewpoint. Personally, I was looking to see some growth and evolution that this film didn’t end up providing me with.

On an acting front, the film is a mixed bag. Lead character Jake (Blake Jenner), feels like a wet blanket, he doesn’t have much personality and what he does have he has through osmosis with the other characters, who are much better developed and are much more interesting.

For proof of my point look at Wyatt Russel’s Willoughby, we see him go from a stoner to a fraud over the course of the film, it is a sudden change admittedly, but it results in his character having an arc. Whereas Jake starts and ends on pretty much the same note.

I did enjoy the romance between Jake and Beverly (Zoey Deutch), I thought that was touching and sweet, however I again would have liked to see more of it, and or it developed further.

A pro I will give this film, is it is a star making turn for Glen Powell he is terrific as Finn and basically steals the entire film.

Overall, it is more of the same which personally I find underwhelming. However, it does showcase some great upcoming talent, so worth a watch on that basis.

Pros.

Glen Powell

The romance

The jokes were funny, if a little repetitive

Cons.

There is nothing new here

It lacked depth and a lot of the characters were deeply underdeveloped.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Faith Based: Lance Reddick Is GOD

Faith Based is a comedy film directed by Vincent Masciale. The plot follows two slacker friends Luke (Luke Barnett) and Tanner (Tanner Thomason), who decide to make a Christian movie after they hear that they can make a lot of money if they pull it off. Cynically and rather naively the friends think that it will be easy to make a crappy faith-based movie, quickly the learn how wrong they are.

I am loving this trend of Lance Reddick just appearing in random small budget comedy and horror films. He always makes them much better and brings much need gravitas; the man is a treasure. He plays Luke’s adoptive father, who never really believed in this son always viewing him as the screw up. The scenes him and Barnett share are easily the best in the film, there is a sweetness and a tenderness to their relationship that is really quite touching.

I enjoyed this film quite a bit, I liked the satirical edge to it. It never felt mean spirited in its jokes about faith-based films, but it also felt spot on with its commentary hitting all the right spots. The jokes worked for me and often made me laugh, but remember humour is subjective.

Overall, a delightful comedy film that brings a smile to your face and touches your heart.

Pros.

Spot on commentary

It is funny

It doesn’t feel mean spirited

Lance Reddick

Cons.

The leads don’t bring much

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Personal History Of David Copperfield: A Modern Take On A Classic Tale

The Personal History Of David Copperfield is a comedy drama film directed by Armando Iannucci, based on the novel David Copperfield written by Charles Dickens. The plot follows the life of David Copperfield (Dev Patel), we see his struggles, his triumphs and the events that define him.

I enjoyed the clearly satirised tone of this film; it doesn’t take itself too seriously which is nice as it allows the film to not get too bogged down. It walks a difficult tightrope as it tries to stay true to the source novel while also reinventing it, that sounds like a very difficult task, but this film does manage it.

I also enjoyed the quirky cast of characters on display here, they each feel so vibrant in their own personality which I liked. I thought all actors involved gave strong performances, from the veterans to the relative newcomers, even though most did not get a lot of screen time they still manage to remain memorable.

My issues with this film come from the dryness of it. I didn’t find the films sense of humour funny; it has a very specific sense of humour that will not be to the taste of a lot. Also the film does have quite a bit of drag that is quite noticeable in the second and third acts that really weigh the film down to the point of you losing any kind of interest.

Overall, a quirky daring film that quickly wears out its welcome

Pros.

The quirkiness

Strong Performances

Keeping true to the novel whilst also innovating on it

Cons.

The humour didn’t work for me

Pacing issues galore

Dev Patel left me cold

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hubie Halloween: Sick In The Street

Hubie Halloween is a comedy horror film directed by Steven Brill. The plot follows local Halloween safety expert Hubie (Adam Sandler), as he get wrapped up in a string of disappearances and strange goings on, is his plucky spirit and Swiss army thermos enough to save the day?

So, yes this is an Adam Sandler film were he is doing an accent? A lisp? It is not quite clear. I say that because those sort of Sandler films are nearly universally bad, Sandy Wexler, The Water Boy, Little Nickie, the only good one in my opinion is You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, so the moment I heard that voice I was worried. Though I have to say this is not bad.

Hubie is constantly mocked and belittled by those around him, and he is clearly supposed to be dumb. However, unlike something like the exploitative Sandy Wexler the film is not mocking Hubie for being the way he is or asking us the audience to laugh at him. Quite the contrary the film shows that because Hubie is such a pure soul he is the only one fit to save the day, it has a nice message that everyone can have their day, and actually feels positive.

The comedy is hit or miss for me, there are a few jokes that made me laugh. I enjoyed Steve Buscemi and though he had a small role he was easily the best part of the film. However, a lot of the more base jokes did nothing for me. Watching Hubie be sick in the street did nothing for me, is that supposed to be funny?

Overall, this is generally inoffensive and is enjoyable enough for one viewing. I am pleased to see the reverse course on mocking people who are dumb or different, and hope to see Sandler continue in that manner.

Pros.

Steve Buscemi

It has a nice message

One or two good jokes

Cons.

The sick, scat and dick jokes did nothing for me

This is low rent even by Sandler standards

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Little: Proud To Be Generic

Little is a fantasy comedy film directed by Tina Gordon. The plot sees mean boss Jordan (Regina Hall), get turned into a kid again to teach her some kind of lesson. As a result of this Jordan has to go back to school and face her demons once again, gaining some life lessons in the process.

So, if that feels familiar to you, it is because it is. There have been so many films that have either had this premise or some slight variant on it, and frankly it is getting tiring. I won’t even get into the plot hole of why or how she is turned into a kid, because the film doesn’t care about that, but I will say the lesson’s this film preaches are the most obvious, lazy, samey ones that a million other films have promoted better in the past.

That is the crux of the issue with this film, it is not trying to be ‘good’, or even original it is just trying to repackage the same old same old and claim that is new. All of the characters feel like cliches, and the level of development they get is so minuscule that it might be none. The film wastes most of its cast and has some only be on screen briefly for the purpose of an ill time gag and then just abandons them.

Regina Hall is mildly funny whenever she is onscreen, but this film reduces her to short bursts at the start and end, clearly they couldn’t afford her rate.

Overall, this is only watchable as easy mindless dross if there really isn’t anything else on. It is nothing new and it seems almost proud of that.

Pros.

It is watchable

Hall

Cons.

It is proud of being a retread

It is not funny

The child actor is bad

The premise is incredibly generic

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Delivery Man: Don’t Trust The Banks, Sperm Banks

Delivery Man is a comedy drama film directed by Ken Scott based on 2011 Canadian film Starbuck. The plot follows David (Vince Vaughn), a meat delivery driver whose life is going nowhere fast, that is until one day he finds out he is the father to over 500 kids as a result of an incompetent sperm bank. He then has to decide whether he wants to be part of his kid’s life or not.

So, the biggest complaint I have seen levied against this film is that it is too sentimental. Now that is a non-issue for me because I like mushy films, but I have to say after seeing it that it is no mushier or more sentimental than most other feel good comedies.

Personally, I found this film to be quite touching. I enjoyed seeing Vaughn play a soft kinder role, rather than his usual jerk guy kind of persona. I thought he had a few good scenes here where he was able to flex his dramatic chops and he was quite good in them. I have often said that Vaughn is a deeply underrated dramatic actor.

The comedy of the film also worked for me. I thought that Chris Pratt was the star on this front, his weary life beaten dad character worked nicely against a more optimistic Vaughn. There were several jokes that made me laugh out loud and I was often smiling; both of which are good signs.

Overall, I found this to be quite a pleasant watch both Pratt and Vaughn were good, and the film made me laugh, would recommend if you’re looking for an easy watch.

Pros.

Vaughn playing a slightly different type of characters

Vaughn’s few dramatic moments, that he nails

The jokes and Chris Pratt

The feel-good wholesome message

Cons.

Outside of Vaughn and Pratt the film wastes most of its cast

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

West Is West: Cultural Identity

West Is West is a British comedy drama film directed by Andy DeEmmoney. The plot follows up on the events of East Is East several years later with Sajid (Aqib Khan), now fully grown and in a full-on rebellion against his and his father’s culture. So in an effort to straighten out his final son George (Om Puri), takes Sajid to Pakistan with him, to try and get his son to embrace the culture and become what he wants him to be.

So, normally I am adamantly opposed to belated sequels I find them to be needless and serve no purpose beyond exploiting a vaguely known IP for some quick cash. That, I am happy to report is not the case here. This film feels like a genuine follow up to the first film that furthers the characters and the arcs set up, allowing us to see these characters more clearly.

I found this film to be quite touching at times. I liked that it explored George’s two identities, showing how both can’t exist and that he is basically a man of two lives or two worlds. I thought George having to confront the family that he has left for thirty years made for a genuinely brilliant emotional scene that worked on multiple levels. Puri of course shines in the role.

I think this film does really interesting things with the idea of cultural identity. Suggesting that it might not be a fixed concept, more so an adaptable ideal.

Overall, a very worthy follow up that carries the first one on nicely

Pros.

The focus on George

Showing George’s first wife and the emotion of their scenes together

A legacy sequel that justifies it existence

A beautiful concept and message

Cons.

A large amount of George’s family from the first film do not return for this.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bottle Rocket: Anderson Before He Became His Quirky Self

Bottle-Rocket is a comedy crime film directed by Wes Anderson. The plot follows a trio of Texan friends who try to pull of a series of crimes to disastrous all-around results.

I find Wes Anderson films are at their best when they full embrace the kitsch eccentric Anderson aesthetic, and this one doesn’t do that. It is by far the most straight lace of all of Anderson’s filmography thus far. I found it to be a little rough around the edges, though I did find that added to the charm as the film progressed.

The Wilson Brothers were on top form here and I found them both to be quite compelling, I thought the interplay their characters had added nicely to the film and created a believable bond. Of the two I would say that Luke outperformed Owen, as Owen’s character is a little overdone, he is played up to a ridiculous extreme.

I thought the side stuff and world building elements were used well, and clearly set a pace for what we come to see of Anderson in the future. I enjoyed the romance between Luke Wilson’s character and Lumi Cavazos’ Inez, I found it to be a good emotional core for the film as well as his character. The two had believable chemistry and you want to see them end up together.

Overall, it is a rough start, but still a film that shows a lot of promise

Pros.

The Wilson Brothers

The world and the dialogue

The romance

Cons.

Lacking the Anderson eccentric

Owen Wilson’s character is a little overplayed

3/5

Reviewed by Luke