Swallow: Prepare To Wince

Swallow is a horror thriller film directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis. The plot sees often pushed to the side wife Hunter (Haley Bennet), start to eat inedible objects as a coping mechanism for her failing marriage and her fears about giving birth to a child. The horror comes from the very real situational drama/ tension and Hunter’s descent into mental illness.

This film will make you wince, watching a pregnant woman eating a nail is an uncomfortable sight and it only gets worse from there. I think calling this film a horror film might be a misclassification, which might be reductive to the film overall. I certainly understand how people could view it as a horror film, but it fits far better as a drama thriller.

This film has a very similar vibe to The Invisible Man from earlier this year, it deals with very similar themes. Hunters relationship with her husband starts off bad and ends up hellish. The real ‘horror’ of the film as I said would be the way Hunter’s husband and his family treat her; cycles of abuse and escape are both key themes to this film.

I think though this film certainly is original, I have never seen anything like it before, there isn’t enough plot to really justify the runtime. I often pick apart films because of pacing issues and I do this because I think an overly long film is terrible and turns me off. All the best films are tight, every second counts, you can’t look away, however that is not something I can say for this film. This film could have done with a tighter edit, it had some pacing issues, but they weren’t terrible.

Overall, it is a deeply unique quirky film, that I think is wrongly classified as a horror, though there certainly are many horrifying parts of it this is far more of a drama; if slow burn is your thing, I would say it is a must watch.

Pros.

Haley Bennet is good.

The themes.

The uniqueness.

It makes you wince.

Cons.

It could have been tighter, and some bits made me lose interest a bit.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wine Country: You’re Going To Need The Bottle For This

Wine Country is a comedy drama film directed by Amy Poehler. The plot sees a group of old friends/ work buddies meet up for one of their 50^th birthdays. They try and have a nice weekend away but realise that they have become disconnected from one another and must air and work past their grievances to try and save their friendship.

Maybe this film just isn’t for me, I am not it’s targeted demographic; middle age women. The lessons and messages of the film that cover things like ageing gracefully and accepting your place in the world didn’t connect with me. Personally, I think this film thinks it is far deeper than it actually is, this film adds nothing new to the conversation; a lot of what it has to say is trite and played out, sometimes feeling more than a little out of touch.

The saving grace of this film for me is Jason Schwartzman. He is the only character that made me smile in this supposed comedy film; by shear virtue of his weirdness. Schwartzman feels like a breath of fresh air here and all of his scenes pop. The same could be said of Tina Fey, she is rarely featured but when she is it is usually one of the films better scenes.

As for the film’s lead Poehler she is just playing the same character she always plays, the one she has been playing for the last 20 years, the only difference is that it is staring to get stale and painfully unfunny.

That crucially was my issue with this film overall, it wasn’t funny. This is supposed to be a comedy film and yet I didn’t laugh once, if anything it depressed me and reminded me of my own mortality; I ask is that what you want out of a comedy film?

Pros.

Jason Schwartzman.

Tina Fey.

Cons.

Amy Poehler.

It is not funny.

It is depressing.

2/5

Reviewed By Luke

f r e d: Dancing Through The Pain

f_r_e_d is a drama film directed by Alexander Jeremy. The film highlights the grieving process and shows the different ways in which people grieve after the death of a loved one.

This one hit home for me, I have recently in these last few months suffered a death in the family. So, the idea of having to get on with your life without someone you care about being in it is something I am all too familiar with. I think this film is an emotional triumph. It perfectly captures grief and loss in a way you can relate to.

My favourite moments in this film are when it gets abstract. There are sequences that just come out of nowhere, there is one very early on that is almost like a musical interlude of a man dancing, it is surprising and shocking, and it throws you off guard. I think these segments work perfectly as a reflection of the unpredictable nature of death; one minute you’re here the next you aren’t.

Of course this film has fantastic emotional stakes as well. Susie Kimnell goes through all the stages of grief in this film and nails them all, I completely bought that she was in mourning every second she was on screen; she was terrific, a breath of fresh air.

Overall, this is one struck a chord with me it reminded me of the emotions I felt, it made me laugh, it made me cry, but more than anything else it made me grateful. I highly recommend you check this film out!

Pros.

The performances.

The emotion.

Capturing the randomness of death.

It spoke to me.

It will speak to you.

Cons.

None.

5/5

Ps. Bring a tissue.

Bronson: Fighting All Day Long

Bronson is a crime biopic film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The film recreates the real-life of Britain’s most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson (played here by Tom Hardy), showing his early life, his stint as a bear knuckle boxer and of course all the time he has spent in prison over the years.

This is a Refn film to its core, anyone who has ever seen one of his other films such as Drive, or The Neon Demon will know what I mean. There are many tense scenes in this film shot in striking red lighting to the backdrop of a techno soundtrack. If that sounds familiar it should do, these are the things that make a film a Nicolas Winding Refn film.

Refn, I find to be an acquired taste, you either love this work, or you don’t. Personally, I think he is one of the best directors working today and I think this film proves why. Rather than just have another bog-standard gangster biopic, this film pushes the envelope, it pushes it so far it falls off the metaphorical table and truly revels in its insanity.

Tom Hardy is giving it his unhinged all in the lead role, we both care for him, but also see that he is an incredibly dangerous, unstable person. He straddles the line of audience perception and acceptance masterfully well and has enough manic energy to keep you glued to the screen until the end of the 90 minutes. Hardy manages to capture such a wide variety of emotions with his performance, it truly highlights how he is one of the best actors currently working.

Overall, never before have I seen a crime biopic that is dipping in as much crazy, off the wall, wacky personality as this. Truly a sight to see. It easily places amongst the best of Refn’s work and would be a good start point to new fans of his directorial style.

Pros.

Tom Hardy is magnificent.

The manic unpredictable energy.

The score.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s distinct sense of style.

Hardy’s monologues.

5/5

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

A History Of Violence: How Well Do You Know The People Around You?

A History Of Violence is a drama thriller film directed by David Cronenberg. The story begins when two hitmen decide to rob the restaurant of former mob moss Tom Stall/ Joey Cusack (Viggo Mortensen), who has spent the last few decades pretending to be someone else. After Stall deftly kills both the hitmen it starts off a chain of events that bring both of his lives to the brink; proving that one can never escape their history.

I have been meaning to watch this film for some time and now I have, I am pleased to say it is terrific. The violence in this film feels so real and visceral that you can’t hope but stand up and take notice. It feels really well done and brutal, in many ways it reminds me of something like John Wick or The Raid; it never stopped being shocking.

Mortensen plays both sides of his character with flair, he is charming and paternal when he is playing Stall; embodying small town charisma. He also plays Cusack with an unpredictable, threatening menace that will send chills down your spine, you never know when he is going to snap into a violent rage. The real merit of Mortensen’s performance is the fact that he manages to bring both of these fantastic separate performances together into one whole character.

I think there is a real sense of tension to this film, as the two personalities become more and more out of control and Stall/ Cusack’s relationship with his family becomes more and more rocky. The scene between Tom and his wife on the stairs has aged poorly, but it show everything I am talking about, it is uncomfortable and hard to watch.

Overall, I think this is one of Cronenberg and Mortensen’s best films and is a must watch.

Pros.

The performance of duality.

Viggo Mortensen.

The tension.

The violence.

Cons.

That scene between Tom and his Wife on the stairs has a few issues.

4.5/5

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

The Silence Of The Lambs: A Nice Cut Of Meat

The Silence Of The Lambs is a thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme. The plot follows young FBI recruit Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), as she attempts to track down the newly infamous serial killer Buffalo Bill and save a senator’s daughter. During the course of her investigation she turns to deranged cannibal phycologist Hannibal Lecture (Anthony Hopkins), for advice and help and the two then go on a twisted journey into madness and the evil that lives within.

This is a cinematic classic, for good reason, however until recently I had never seen this film before, so I decided that I would fix that mistake and it turns out this film is as excellent as everyone says it is. It is an acting masterclass and it is one of the best thriller films I have ever seen before in my life.

Firstly, the performances are great, Hopkins is of course the best and manages to give genuine chills every time he is onscreen being a truly menacing presence. However Foster is also an incredibly compelling lead and one that you want to see win. Also Ted Levine is terrific as sick, twisted, skinner Buffalo Bill he is convincing but also strangely sympathetic in his gender struggle.

The best thing about this film is the tension that courses throughout it. From the minute the investigation begins you can’t look away, you need to see it through, you want the answers as much as Foster’s character does. What’s more, the conversations between Lecture and Clarice are also incredibly well done and manage to be effortlessly dramatic and intense despite never becoming more than just a conversation.

There is no flab on this film’s run time, every second is vital and used to the fullest; that is the best compliment I can give this film. A true classic.

Pros.

The tension.

The acting.

The characters.

The mystery.

You can’t look away.

Cons.

None.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke