Pixels: Gamers Save The World

Pixels is a science fiction comedy film directed by Chris Columbus. The plot sees three men who were pro gamers when they were kids go up against aliens from outer space, that have taken the form of classic 80s videogames. These men must rise to the occasion and save the world one boss battle at a time; this one is for all the gamers out there.

Adam Sandler gets a bad rap, yes, a lot of his films are lazy and has humour only a child could enjoy, but Chris Columbus was directing this so how could it be bad? I am pleased to tell you that it isn’t bad, despite what you might have read about it, it is in fact quite entertaining and enjoyable.

I think this film is very similar to Ready Player One in a lot of ways, both try and play on nostalgia from the past, specifically 80’s nostalgia and both have CGI representations of characters that were popular during that period. However, where I feel Pixels has the leg up on Spielberg’s film is that it actually has a heart. You can tell the people who made this film grew up playing these games, the love is there as well as the know-how.

The comedy I found surprisingly funny, not just one or two laughs, but consistent laughter throughout. I think though some people might think it is cringe I thought it was a laugh riot, Michelle Monaghan especially shined. Monaghan had all the best jokes and some of the best moments too; her on screen chemistry with Sandler was also quite strong, I think they should work together again for sure.

Overall, the reason why I loved this film so much was the joy, the kind od joy that comes from really liking something. As I have said it is clear to see that the people making this film loved these games, the attention to detail is fantastic. Every aspect of this film is perfect right down to the soundtrack which has a lot of great hits. A must watch, even if it does star Adam Sandler.

Pros.

Sandler is hilarious.

The film cares deeply.

Michelle Monaghan is fantastic.

It is fun to watch.

If you’re a gamer you will like it even more.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Book Club: Shades Of Grey

Book Club is a romantic comedy film directed by Bill Holderman. The plot sees a group of women (played by Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen), read the Fifty Shades Of Grey novel and the book impacts each woman’s life, more accurately their love lives; what follows is an exploration into happiness and satisfaction in later life.

This feels like a knockoff Sex and The City, a less smart, less shocking, less risky version of it. I will admit I didn’t have high hopes when I put the film on, I was expecting it to just be a mindless easy ride, but instead I found it infuriating.

My issue with this film is how it address senior agency. Diane Keaton’s character is told how to live by her daughters, they tell her who she can and can’t date and tell her to move across the country and worst of all Keaton’s character listens. This kind of neurotic toxicity wouldn’t be that bad if the film actually portrayed her daughter as antagonists, but it doesn’t, it treats their behaviour as normal. Also there is a little bit of sexism in this as well as the narrative the daughter use to justify her moving is, that she won’t be able to cope since her husband, the girl’s father, has died; again another toxic message.

The humour made me laugh a few times especially the stuff with Steenburgen’s character and her husband. However, for the most part I found the humour to be quite flat and lame. Now I can’t be too critical of this as humour is subjective and just because it didn’t find it a laugh and minute doesn’t mean you won’t. For me it really felt like they were trying to draw on the same type of comedy as Sex In The City, but was afraid to commit to the bite.
Overall, I found this film to be irritating, it was good for a few sporadic laughs, but as the film went on my enjoyment with it lessened and lessened.

Pros.

A few good laughs.

Cons.

I don’t like the messages of the film.

The characters feel too passive.

The humour lacks any wit or bite.

It is instantly forgettable.

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Greed: A Rare Misstep

Greed is a comedy drama film directed by Michael Winterbottom. The plot details the rise to power of self-made billionaire Sir Richard McCreadie (Steve Coogan). Part of the film highlights the set-up for his 60^th birthday bash, which is the main event of the film, with flashbacks showing moments from his life to paint a picture about the sort of person he is.

I was very excited to watch this film; I have been looking forward to it for a while. The cast is a who’s who of British comedic talent, aside from Coogan you have David Mitchell (Peep Show), Asa Butterfield (Sex Education), and Sarah Solemani (Him and Her); a stacked cast. With all this the stage was set for a great British comedy, however it was not followed up; it all feel apart.

The cast apart from Coogan is wasted, not a single one of them has anything interesting or meaningful to do other than tell the story. A lot of them are comedic actors/ comedians and they weren’t even funny. What makes this worse is that Coogan himself isn’t that good either, now normally I think the sun shines out of the man, but this is for sure a misstep. His character has no warmth, no personality, nothing. What he is, is a stand in for any number of big business CEO’s that this film goes out of its way to target.

That dear reader is the cardinal sin of this film, it preaches to you rather than entertains you. This whole film is an hour and a half on the evils of capitalism, I am not going to get into the topic too much, believe me I have no love for these cold corporate CEO’s, but I also don’t want to watch a film that reads as a list of base level talking points about how we all need to be better and stop people like this. This film feels whiney, all the way through, that is the best way I can describe it.

Overall, if you want a lecture on the evils of capitalism you might like it, if you want anything else like a fun film maybe look elsewhere.

Pros.

Coogan is doing his best.

The ridiculous ending.

Cons.

The preaching.

The lack of any kind of subtly.

Wasting talented comedians.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ideal Home: Raising A Child

Ideal Home is a comedy drama film directed by Andrew Fleming. The plot sees Hollywood power couple Erasmus (Steve Coogan), and Paul (Paul Rudd), take in Erasmus’s estranged grandson Angel/ Bill (Jack Gore), when his father goes to prison. The couple go from clueless and careless, to deeply caring and devoted parents over the course of the film, with their very relationship being tested along the way.

I have had this film in my Netflix queue for some time. Now that I have watched it, I realise I was actually sleeping on quite a sweet, well intentioned, thoughtful comedy film. I originally decided to watch this because I was looking for an easy-going film and my love for Coogan tipped it in favour of this. I have to say though Coogan just plays a slightly different but for all intents and purposes the same version of his Alan Partridge character, he manages to be emotionally impactful.

His character and Rudd’s have a strangely large amount of on-screen romantic tension, both are incredibly convincing and the scene when Erasmus jumps in front of Pauls can to stop him from leaving will make you feel something, it is powerful. I think both men give terrific performances, Rudd again plays the character he always plays, not that there is anything wrong with that here as him playing himself seemed to fit the film.

The humour of the film worked for me and made me laugh several times, however I found that the hidden gem of this film was actually its heart. This is a surprisingly emotional film that seems to know just which chord to pull to make you feel something, it pulls on your heartstrings often and to great effect.

Overall, I thought this film was surprisingly good, both men give deeply heartfelt performances and the humour is spot on; definitely a hidden gem.

Pros.

The humour.

The relationship between the two men.

The character development.

Coogan and Rudd.

Cons.

A little to melodramatic at time, but mostly it perfectly nails the tone.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

What We Do In The Shadows: Raising A Glass To Steve

What We Do In The Shadows is a horror comedy mockumentary film directed by Taika Waititi and Jeamaine Clement. The plot follows a New Zealand based group of vampires as they allows a film crew to follow them around for a few months, we get to see what goes on in the day to day of these vampires and see the wider Wellington supernatural community.

This film might be Waititi best. As far as comedy horror films goes this film is amazing. It manages to play off Vampire legends/mythology so well whilst also introducing its own mythology that only serves to deepen these vampires as characters. The comedy is also pitch perfect managing to be hilariously absurd and wonderfully weird.

Clement’s character of Valdislav is easily the best, being effortlessly cool and funny. The joke of having ‘The Beast’ turn out to be an ex-girlfriend of his is funny and it really serves to humanise the character as we see just how hung up on her he is. The other character are also amusing and charming, but none more so than Clement. Though Rhys Derby as the leader of a group of Werewolves is a close second, his and Clement’s chemistry is fantastic even though they’re only on screen for a very small amount of time together.

I love the world the film sets up, a world where zombies, witches, werewolves and other supernatural creatures exist, it is fascinating. To that end I also thought the character were really well fleshed out over the course of the film and by the end we had a good idea of what sort of vampires they were, a perfect example of characterisation done well.

Overall, a terrific horror comedy, definitely one of the best.

Pros.

The characters.

Clement.

Derby.

The world.

The humour.

Cons.

The TV show is just slightly better.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ps. Check out the fantastic TV show it is one of the best things on right now!

The Witches: Be Careful What You Eat

The Witches is a family comedy film directed by Nicolas Roeg. The plot follows a young recently orphaned boy Luke (Jasen Fisher), and his grandmother (Mai Zetterling), as they become wrapped up in a Witches plot to turn all the children in the UK into rats. The film is based on the Roald Dahl children’s book of the same name.

This film terrified me as a kid, so did the book for that matter. The way this film sets up witches with the mythology it creates is incredibly well done, the witches of this film are both terrifying and also hilarious. You can tell the creators of the Muppets were involved with this as the creature design is both distinctive and memorable. You will not see anything else like when the grand high witch (Anjelica Huston) takes off her face for the first time.

I think as far as family films go this film has some genuinely scary moments, maybe it is the crazy late 80’s early 90’s drug fuelled feel of it all, but the first time a kid gets turned into a rat will scare any child and maybe even some adults, for sure.

I think there is a lot to enjoy about this film, it is good fun, and quite a great whimsical adventure. If you enjoy fantasy, then you will definitely enjoy this. It is also a really great adaptation of Roald Dahl’s seminal book, so if like me that book has a special place in your heart then you will really enjoy this film.

I feel like as far as Roald Dahl based films go this is incredibly underrated and is often overlook in favour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but this is actually a better film. Check it out!

Pros.

Great monster design.

Genuinely scary.

The best Roald Dahl film.

The madness of it all.

A feel-good adventure.

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Rushmore: Anderson’s Best?

Rushmore is a coming of age comedy film directed by Wes Anderson. The plot sees young student Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzman), be expelled from his private school and have to begin again at a local public school. The film details his life and struggles and the friends and enemies he makes along the way.

As I have said in my previous reviews, I have recently become a Wes Anderson convert and I have to say of all of this films that I have seen so far this is by far my favourite. The comedy was pitch perfect for me and made me laugh a lot. I also thought the emotional stakes were really well done, they are nuanced and mature and the characters are rich and deep.

Jason Schwartzman is magnificent in this film. This character is just a kid that wants to have a better life no matter the cost, yes, he does some bad things along the way, such as the way he pursues his teacher, but fundamentally he is still a good character that you root for. The emotions that Schwartzman puts out are more than convincing they’re transcendent; it is easily a career best for him.

Bill Murray plays Max’s elderly friend Herman. Murray plays the same character he always plays, the cynical middle-aged guy that you root for. He is really sympathetic in this and you really want his character to be happy, his friendship with Max is one of the most feel good, wholesome things I have ever seen. I really enjoy the thoughtful nature of Murray’s character in this as he comes across as more of a real person rather than a movie star.

Overall, I think his is a must-see film! This is by far Wes Anderson’s best film and is as funny and it is touching.

Pros.

The friendship.

The characters.

It’s approach to life.

The humour.

The pranks.

Cons.

The icky relationship between Max and his teacher.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Victoria & Abdul: Friendship Transcends Borders

Victoria And Abdul is a biographical historical drama film directed by Stephen Frears. The film revolves around the friendship between Queen Victoria (Judy Dench), and her servant turned friend Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a friendship that pushed boundaries and set the social world of 19^th century London ablaze.

With historical biopic films there is always a danger of how characters are represented, they can go either way, but this one airs of the fluffier side for sure; especially when it comes to Dench’s Queen Victoria. I feel like because audiences like Dench we can’t see her Victoria do even one slightly bad or less progressive thing, as the real Queen would have done for sure.

The ending is heart wrenching, The Queen dies, which is the first blow, and then Abdul get stripped of everything. Normally, I don’t like sad endings, but with a film like this you need to stick to the truth and in this case, I thought the ending was poignant and meaningful. It will make you cry a little bit.

I think it is nice to see a film like this that covers a relationship that isn’t often talked about during a time period that is often covered. It is nice to see this because it reminds you of the diverse nature of our Isles, people from all over the world have a hand in where we are now.

I am glad they included the blow back to their friendship in the film, so we can see how far we have come now as a society and where we need to improve still. It is importantly for films like this to keep being made and spreading a positive message.

Overall, this is a nice feel good film for the most part, the ending is brutal, but that is what was needed as you can’t change history.

Pros.

Feel good for the most part.

It is not afraid to get dark.

It covers a mostly forgotten part of history.

Cons.

It is a bit too long.

Dench is phoning it in.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou: Exploring The Ocean Blue

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is a quirky comedy film directed by Wes Anderson. The plot sees famous ocean explorer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), set out on an expedition to kill the shark that killed his friend many years ago; hoping to regain the fame and importance he once had. His ‘maybe’ son Ned (Owen Wilson), accompanies him on his journey and the two men try to bond, to little avail.

I had recently become a convert to the Wes Anderson crowd so I went into this with high expectations and it was a fine film, maybe even good, but it was not up to my expectations; nor did it meet the standards set by The Darjeeling Limited.

I once again enjoyed the Wes Anderson sense of quirkiness; I enjoyed the wider mythology of the world and when the film took time to explain the backstory between the characters. I thought the story was fascinating; in my humble opinion there are not enough films about deep sea exploration.

I also enjoyed the cast, again it wasn’t as good as The Darjeeling Limited, but I thought Bill Murray and Owen Wilson do a great job. Both of them play the same characters that they always play but are so charming and likable that their lack of variety isn’t off-putting. The supporting cast are also superb especially Willem Dafoe as Klaus, one of the members of Zissou’s inner circle, who steals every scene he is in.

My overall issue with the film is that it feels too indulgent, too unsupervised, there are a few scenes in it that go on for far too long and really feel like they could have been shortened. Also the humour doesn’t really work for me at all. I feel like with a tighter edit and more focus this could have been perfect.

Pros.

Bill Murray and Owen Wilson

The backstory/ lore

The Andersoness of it all.

Cons.

It is too long.

The humour doesn’t work.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wet Hot American Summer: A Wet Blanket?

Wet Hot American Summer is a comedy film directed by David Wain. The plot follows the events at Camp Firewood over the course of a summer. The film serves to spoof a lot of the camp-based sex comedies, it does this by knowingly being very over the top and pointing out the absurdity of it all; as you such you have things like talking cans.

I am not going to lie, I watched the Netflix made follow ups to this film before I saw the film itself, I loved them and so I went into this with very high expectations. Sadly, this is one of the few times that a Netflix revival/continuation is actually better than the film itself.

I get what this film was trying to do, I just didn’t find it funny. Maybe that’s because my sense of humour doesn’t line up with the humour of the early 2000’s and instead finds more kinship with the humour of the more recent Netflix series. I think the only character that made me laugh was the talking can and that is because H. John Benjamin can do no wrong.

I think as far as spoofs go this is well done, it parodies the sillier and more ridiculous nature of some of it’s contemporaries in a smart way that feels spot on. A lot of the characters and hijinks in this film will remind you of things from other camp-based sex comedies that you have seen, like American Pie Band Camp, by design of course.

Overall, I think this is a well-done spoof film, but an unfunny comedy film, so it is a mixed bag and it depends what you’re watching it for. I truly believe, heresy as it might be, that the Netflix follow-up series are far better and crucially funnier.

Pros.

A well-done spoof.

Interesting characters.