Colour Out Of Space: Nicolas Cage And H.P Lovecraft, Terror And Mania

Colour Out Of Space is a horror film directed by Richard Stanley. It is an adaption of the H.P Lovecraft story of the same name and marks the start of a Lovecraft trilogy that Stanley wants to direct. The plot follows a family of farmers whose life starts to take a sinister turn when a meteor crashes in their front garden; said meteor and the things that come out of it interfere with time and space and create monstrosities.

This film is everything you would expect from a Lovecraft horror film, monsters from a hellish other plane, grotesque mutated humans that make your skin crawl and a deep and unrelenting sense of existential dread and terror. Straight from the beginning when we are introduced to Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur), we see the mystical elements that make up this story and the wider Lovecraft universe.

Adding to this sense of madness Nicholas Cage plays Nathan, Lavinia’s father, he is just a humble farmer and family man. As the film progress we see Nathan become more and more insane as his life slowly falls apart and he is forced to kill his Alpacas and his Wife and Son. Cage as we all know is fantastic when it comes to playing manic characters, he has great energy and is able to flip out on a dime. Cage’s performance in this film is just as insane as we would expect; his casting was a touch of genius.

The ending of this film is also great as it ends with this sense of calm, but also heavily implied ideas of post-apocalypse. It has a looming sense of hopelessness that I find perfectly embodies the Lovecraftian spirit.

My only issue with the film is that they could have spent more time showing us the other plane that would have been really cool, the little taster we get is great, but I would like more. Furthermore, the wider Gardner family outside of the two I have already mentioned are all fairly one note and feel paper thin; I would have liked them to have more to do.

Overall, this is a perfect Lovecraftian horror film, it has everything you would want it and boasts a fantastic Nicolas cage performance, it is slightly let down by some of the less developed characters, but it is a hell of a start to a trilogy. Overall, if you like Lovecraft, Nicolas Cage or just horror in general then this is a must see!

Pros.

A near perfect Lovecraft adaption.

A great ending.

Nicolas Cage.

The unrelenting horror.

Cons.

Slightly underdeveloped in parts.

4.5/5

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

Mary Poppins Returns: Everyone’s Favourite Nanny Comes Back!

‘Mary Poppins Returns’ is a musical comedy fantasy film it serves as a belated sequel to the 1964 film. The plot this time around sees everyone’s favourite nanny return to teach the next generation of Banks children, how to have fun. The characters of original Banks children are in this film though they’re not played by the same actors.

I have never counted myself as a Mary Poppins fan, I know that it is a very popular film, but it never appealed to me personally. Now that I’ve said that, let’s get into the review.

I think this film has been rather unfairly written off, many people had very high expectations when the sequel was announced, and I believe no matter how good this film was, it would never live up.

I think this film has a lot of charm and all of it, and I mean all of it, comes from Emily Blunt. Blunt plays the new iteration of Mary Poppins and seems to be loving every minute, she has charm and class to spare and lives up to, if not eclipsis, Julie Andrews from the original film. Not only that, but Blunt can also hold her own when it comes to singing, she is fantastic in every song she is in; especially the lamplighter themed one in the second act.

I think on the whole the songs in this film are good, they’re catchy and memorable, without becoming annoying. Though this isn’t true of the film’s first musical number ‘(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky’ which is the worst song in the entire film as it feels like it goes on and on and won’t end; this opens the film on a bad note.

The plot of the film is fine, the Bank’s have to find some shares in the bank so, their house doesn’t get taken away from them. It is serviceable if a little uninspired. It completely wastes the talents of Colin Firth, who is the film’s villain as he is incredibly boring and one-note. The one good thing Firth’s villain does is allow for us to see Dick Van Dyke return, which admittedly is a crowd-pleasing moment.

Overall this film lives only because of how good Emily Blunt is in the role, it has nothing else going for it, in many ways it seems like money was the only thing that made Mary Poppins Return.

Ps. Don’t even get me started on Meryl Steep as Topsy, for another time.

Pros.
Most Of The Music.
Emily Blunt.
Dick Van Dyke’s Return.

Cons.
The Opening Song.
The Plot Of The Film.
Wasting Colin Firth.

3/5

Reviewed By Luke.

The House With A Clock In The Walls: Eli Roth’s Child Friendly Feature

‘The House With A Clock In Its Walls’ is a dark fantasy, horror, comedy film, based on a series of children’s book. The plot follows Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), a recent orphan who moves to live with his uncle Jonathan (Jack Black), when he arrives he realises there is more to his uncle then he ever knew; namely that he is a Warlock. The events that follow are Jonathan and his neighbor Florence (Cate Blanchett), fighting the evil Warlock, that use to be Jonathan’s magic partner and mentor.

This film marks a first for the director Eli Roth this film is Roth’s first film that isn’t out and out a horror film; Roth’s trademark gore is nowhere to been seen here. The strangest thing about this film is that it works quite well, Roth doing children’s dark fantasy seems to be the perfect match; this film feels very Del Toro esque which is the highest compliment I can give.

The horror elements are quite strong here, for a kids film, the gothic sensibilities this film wears on its sleeve are used to wonderful effect. It feels very much in the same vein as Black’s other children’s horror series ‘Goosebumps’, but better. The villain of the film Issac Izard (Kyle Maclachlan), brings with him a genuine sense of menace and threat. His dastardly plot is to turn back time and erase the human race; which is weirdly wonderful.

The central trio of heroes are all mostly great, the weak link is Vaccaro, but that is to be expected. I won’t go on about it too much as it is low hanging fruit to go after a child actor for being the weak part of the film, but he brings very little to the film no charm no charisma nothing.

Blanchett is terrific as Florence, a mater witch who has lost her magical ability as a result of losing her family. The transformation she goes through, which results in her becoming a part of the family is very sweet and affecting. Black also plays the caring uncle, very well he gives it just the right amount of warmth and humour, which makes him the star of the show. Black is also the main person on the comedy front and, he does a great job all of his jokes land well, which make for some great chuckle-inducing moments.

Overall this film is a great turn for Eli Roth as he proved he can do more than just ‘torture porn’, it could also be a great start for a potential franchise of child-friendly gothic horror films; hopefully Black and Blanchett return if they do a sequel.

Pros.
Black.
Blanchett.
The Gothic Horror Elements.
A Surprising Turn For Roth.

Cons.
The Plot Is Daft And Riddled With Plot Holes.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Babysitter: What Goes On After You Go To Bed.

‘The Babysitter’ is a teen horror-comedy film the plot follows Cole, (Judah Lewis), as he stays up to see what his Babysitter Bee, (Samara Weaving), gets up to when he goes to bed; what he finds out chills him to the bone. Bee and her friends are devil worshipers and, they are using Cole for his blood. Cole and Bee then enter into a showdown to the death that only one of them can walk away from.

For those of you who read my reviews and, follow me on social media, you know that I find Samara Weaving incredibly annoying; it’s her scream. However, this film does something I didn’t think was possible it made me like her, she was charming and, funny and easily the highlight of the film; throughout the film, you think she is going to turn back to the side of the light, but no she is evil through and, through.

The showdowns between Cole and, his perusers are all excellent they are very reminiscent of, ‘Home Alone’ all of Cole’s weapons are improvised and the deaths are spectacularly gory. They manage to capture the tension of the situation while also remaining comic. The comedy in this film is quite good, it will bring a smile to your face and, warm you, towards the characters.

This film is very stylised think Zack Synder or, Edgar Wright, but turn it up to 100; every chance to have a graphic or, do a cinematography trick is taken. The issue with this is that a lot of the time it takes you out of the film, there was a sequence where the camera was moving around, but also supposed to be doing a POV shot and, the effect is incredibly jarring. There is nothing wrong with a film having style, but if anything this film is overly stylised.

Another thing about this film is that it is completely predictable, but that is okay as this film knows what it is, a pulpy horror B movie homage, and it plays to that. Viewing this film through the lens of it being a homage to horror B movies, makes it a much better film than it actually is. As I don’t think it is a horror B movie homage deliberately.

Overall ‘The Babysitter’ feels like something out of a bygone age, it is over stylised and, it seems to be doing all this to overcompensate for the fact that it isn’t very original. However, it is a nice piece of horror movie junk food and, Samara Weaving is excellent.

Pros.
It’s Good Horror Junk Food.
The Genre Diehards Might Find Something To Like.
Samara Weaving is excellent.

Cons.
It Feels Very Dated.
Overly Stylised.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Grinch Is Coming For Your Presents

‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ is a Christmas fantasy comedy-drama film based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name. The plot of the film follows The Grinch, a character who has removed himself from the town of Whoville and, now lives in a lair up in the mountains. The Grinch hates the town’s people for laughing at him years ago and, the townspeople fear The Grinch because he is not like them. This mutual ill will comes to a head and, The Grinch plans to steal all the presents from the people of Whoville to teach them a lesson; effectively stealing Christmas from them.

Now before we get into the review in earnest, I want to say that I have never liked anything related to Dr. Seuss I find the need to have nearly everything rhyme off-putting, I feel likewise about the strange character designs. As such I never grew up with these stories, so before I watched this, I was unaware of who The Grinch was; yes I understood what he was in passing from pop culture, but I had never seen his film before.

The issues that I had mentioned before with the character designs and the need to constantly be rhyming are in full effect in this film, which lessens my enjoyment with it, but I have to say a near-perfect performance by the one and, only Jim Carrey wins me over.
Carrey plays the titular Grinch and, he is going full Carrey, by that I mean he is giving this his everything, all of his manic energy and, it really pays dividends.

The film works as a Christmas film in that it has a nice positive message of not judging other people and, that everyone can have a chance of redemption no matter how wicked; this film did make me feel the Christmas spirit. Not only does it works as a Christmas film but, also as a comedy film as it is quite funny at times, the musical number being an example of this, it should generate a chuckle or two.

My one issue with the film is the same issue I have with a lot of others, excluding The Grinch himself the rest of the characters aren’t developed at all, even Cindy Lou, (Taylor Momsen), who is a leading character isn’t given much to do except drive The Grinch’s character development along.

Overall, despite my own personal feelings on Dr Seuss, I can see why so many people love this film, Carrey is fantastic and, it is genuinely sweet and funny at times; it even managed to win round a Seuss hater like me.

Pros.
Carrey
The Spirit Of Christmas

Cons.
The Annoying Rhyming
The Weird Character designs.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

A Christmas Prince, The Royal Baby: A Scroll, A Curse And, Two Families

‘A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby’ is a Christmas romantic comedy as well as the third instalment in the franchise and, as you can guess centres around the birth of now, Queen Amber, (Rose Mciver) and King Richard, (Ben Lamb) first child. The plot this time around seems to go in the complete opposite direction to the last entry, serious and lacking in whimsy, being once again over the top and, ridiculous much like the first film; hell not to spoil anything but, ghosts and a curse play a part in the plot this time around.

I think this third instalment is a return to form for the franchise, going back to its trashy over the top roots, and I think the film as a whole benefits from this; there are not multiple subplots that are all boring and, trying to take away from the main narrative in one way or, another, everything is relatively straight forward this time around.

*There is one subplot about Melissa, (Tahirah Sharif), Amber’s best friend who has been a background character, thankfully, for most of the series thus far, questioning her relationship with Simon, (Theo Devaney), Richards’ cousin. Simon has quietly become my favourite character in the series over time, but he works well in small doses both the first and second film seemed to understand that but, this film gives both he and Melissa far too much screen time. I have never cared for Ambers’ friends in these films they’re forgettable and, throwaway so to see Melissa get a subplot of her own made me groan. All of these scenes drag on and, on and feel like the film trying to buy itself time; what makes it worse is the acting and, the plotline itself could and, have been done better in a soap opera.

I think the film greatly benefits from suddenly remembering what it is, a trashy, made for TV movie people might watch when they’re drunk. By throwing any sense of seriousness or, sense out of the window it allows the film to be what it once was again, fun. The idea that if they don’t find the missing scroll by midnight Richard and, Ambers’ baby might be cursed is wonderfully silly and, daft. I appreciate and, applaud this film for not taking itself too seriously, as that was my issue with the second film.

Overall I think this should be the last entry in the ‘A Christmas Prince’ franchise as I don’t see where they can take it from here. This film is a high note for the series being just as good as the first film and, being made that much better by embracing the wackiness and, not taking itself too seriously; definitely good drunk viewing.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Fred Claus: A Tale Of Two Brothers

‘Fred Claus’ is a fantasy comedy-adventure film about the older Brother of Santa Claus Fred, (Vince Vaughn), naturally, as someone who grew up in the shadow of an older sibling could tell you this lead to Fred having a strained relationship with his brother as well as the season he represents. Then one day after a series of bad events for Fred, he is forced to go to the North Pole to see his brother; and in a twist, no one could see coming save Christmas.

Now I want to get this out of the way here; this film does feature Kevin Spacey, he is not featured prominently, but he does appear mainly to act as a villain of sorts. His involvement does tarnish the enjoyability of this film; it has to be said.

That said on to more happy topics, the performances of Fred and Nicholas AKA Santa Claus, (Paul Giamatti), are both very good. Giamatti’s Nicholas gives off the sense that he wants to make everyone in the world happy but, he doesn’t realise when this want actually makes other people unhappy, this social blindness in a sense, really helps to humanise Santa Claus, who is by most accounts an all-round perfect being.

What’s More, Fred comes across as an annoying dick but, he is supposed to be, and as the film goes on and, you get to see more and more inside this head; you realise that he is a deeply sad individual, he is someone who has realised very early on that they are never going to measure up and, because of this has stopped trying to. The more we see Fred grow as a person, the more we as an audience care about him.

Another feather in this film’s cap is how well it captures and, depicts the relationship between brothers. They fight, they even hate each other at times, but deep down no matter what they love each other and, are always going to be there for one another. This is reflected extremely well at the moment when the two brothers make up and, Fred takes up the mantle of Santa Claus for the night and, the brothers share a scene, the emotion is spot on.

My one big issue with ‘Fred Claus’ other than the one mentioned before is that it wastes it supporting cast, said cast has talented actors like Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks and, Kathy Bates amongst its ranks but, it gives them precious little to do other than drive a few subplots; which to me feels like a waste.

Overall all this film has heart, it captures the familial feeling between brothers very well and, what is more, important than family on Christmas? The wasted cast let this film down a ways but, it is still worth a watch.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Golden Compass: The Bear, The Witch And The Compass

‘The Golden Compass’ is a fantasy adventure film based on the best selling ‘His Dark Materials’ series of novels; with this film serving as a loose adaption of the first book. The plot follows Lyra Belacqua, (Dakota Blue Richards), a young girl living in a parallel universe to our own, in her universe children are born with their souls on the outside of their bodies, said souls take the form of an animal these are called daemons. This world is ruled over by a tyrannical group called the Magisterium, who seeks to oppose any free thought and, instead force their will on the people. When children start going missing Lyra ventures to the far north to try and, find out what is going on and, rescue the missing children.

I think that this film is criminally underrated with it being a fantastic fantasy film. The thing that hurt this film upon release was the fact that it decided to not lean into the anti-religious message of the books and, this upset some fans. However, if you can look past that this is a marvellous film; the plot and, the world is rich with lore, with every scene leaving you wanting to know more, but not revealing much- teasing you.

The performances are great as well Nicole Kidman is a fantastic Mrs Coulter having just enough warmth to allow you to let down your guard, while also having just enough malice to be always threatening, this is her and, Richards film. Richards for a firs time outing is a very likeable lead she is very easy to root for and easily relatable.

Daniel Craig, James Bond himself is also in this film as the heroic Lord Asriel Lyra’s Uncle, Craig makes the most of the few short scenes he has and, does leave an impression however, his character does feel as though he could have been fleshed out a bit more. Likewise Craig’s ‘Casino Royale co-star Eva Green portrays the Witch Queen Serafina Pekkala and, much like with Craig does a good job with not much to work with; she is easily the most interesting character in the whole film and, the one you want to learn more about.

To conclude this is a fantastic fantasy film it sets up a world which seems rife for exploring, but sadly it wasn’t meant to be as the film never became a franchise, ‘His Dark Materials’ has recently been adapted into a TV series. However, despite having some good moments the series can never live up to the film. ‘The Golden Compass’ truly was something special it could have been the next ‘Lord Of The Rings’, but alas we will never know.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Shrek Forever After: My Kind Of Fairytale

‘Shrek Forever After’ is an animated comedy film serving as both a concluding chapter in the Shrek franchise as well as a sequel to ‘Shrek 3’. The plot revolves around everyone’s favourite angry green ogre Shrek, (Mike Myers), who after the events of ‘Shrek 3’ has become a family man however, there is a part of him that yearns to be the feared ogre he once was again. Rumpelstiltskin, (Walt Dohrn), the villain this time around, tricks Shrek into signing a contract that would allow him to return to his glory days but, at a terrible cost.

The Shrek franchise is legendary not just for its films but, for its effect on the animated movie industry, the first Shrek film ripped up the rule book on fairy tale stories and, wrote something entirely new that took pop culture by storm. ‘Shrek’ and ‘Shrek 2’ were masterpieces in their own right they captured the idea of wanting to be someone else, but over time learning to love yourself as you are so so well this is what made a lot of people like them. Then ‘Shrek 3’ came out and, though I liked it personally a lot of people didn’t, a lot of people though the franchise should have ended after 2, so it could have gone out on a highnote; not being milked for all it was worth.

To those people, I say, “you want to check out ‘Shrek 4”, not only isn’t it a cynical corporate sellout, it arguably has the most soul of any of the films in the series. The plot of this film highlights how we all grow and, change as people as we get older, no doubt a nod to the audience that has grown up watching these films. As well as this ‘Forever After’ see the most character development for Shrek himself since the second film, Shrek realise the value of family and, what his life is without it; the choice to have true loves kiss not work the first time around is genius as it put Shrek in a real sense of danger, as well as uncharted territory narratively.

Also, this film finally gives Fiona, (Cameron Diaz), something to do, the other films had flirted with this idea in the past but, had mostly sidelined her character. It is nice to see her leading the resistance against Rumpelstiltskin as it finally gives her a purpose as a character beyond being a wife and mother and, occasional sidekick to Shrek.

‘Shrek Forever After’ lets the series go out on a high note, it has heart and, a much-needed message. A lot of people tuned out after ‘Shrek 3’ and, didn’t give this a chance but, that is a real tragedy, as this is a great instalment in the series and, one of the best-animated films of all time. I can’t wait for Shrek 5.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke