Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A Circus In Pandemonium

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

There is a mole somewhere in British intelligence and a veteran intelligence officer is brought out of retirement to find out who it is.

This film is basically a who’s who of older British leading men they are all there and are all excellent. I thought it was nice to see Colin Firth and Mark Strong share the screen together, several years before they would do so superbly in the first Kingsman film, they have great chemistry. I think Gary Oldman ends up stealing the show with this performance, though it is a very close race as there is a lot of talent on display here.

I found the mystery to be engaging and surprisingly well structured, it kept me guessing right up until the end, I did not figure it out. I thought the reveal we got was satisfying in the end, though I thought the tease we got throughout the film of who could it be, With each agent looking guilty at different times was equally as enjoyable.

I found the film to be paced well for the most part with the mystery being enough to keep me engaged throughout, with the reveals and revelations being spread out enough for each section of the film to feel like it matters. The one thing I would say is that there are a few dialogue scenes in the midsection of the film that do run a bit long in terms of keeping you, or at least me, interested, they could have done with being shortened.

Overall, a strong British spy mystery film.

Pros.

The acting

The mystery

The pacing

Oldman steals the show

Cons.

A few slow dialogue scenes

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The Sparks Brothers: Committed To The Music

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A look at the career so far of the Sparks Brothers, known more widely as the rock duo Sparks.

This documentary made me aware of and listen to Sparks for the first time so in that regard it is a huge success. I found the documentary to be different to the standard life of x musician fare that often clogs up the genre and thought that this was a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed the more out there and experimental visuals that this film employs to relay its history to us, it made everything pop just that bit more and become more memorable.

I thought the documentary did a very thorough job of covering the lives and careers of the Brothers Mael and its attention to detail really helps to paint a picture for us the audience, helping us to better understand the brothers both as artists and as people. I also enjoyed the various famous faces giving their own stories about how the brothers have impacted them in separate ways. It is clear to see that a personal attachment has been made.

The strongest part of this film is by far its soundtrack. Even if like me you start this film not knowing who or what Sparks is, by the end you will be dancing along. I found myself being given an auditory crash course on all things Sparks as I learnt about the life and times of its members, it was a very effective conversion; like I said earlier, I have since been listening to them fairly often since watching.

My one criticism, and it is fairly large, is that this film is on for far too long. Though I enjoyed the presentation and the soundtrack and the story itself I feel it could have been condensed down. What we are presented with is simply too long, and though I was still enjoying the music by the end my mind was elsewhere.

Overall, a good music documentary that manages to separate itself from the pack, though it could have done with being shorter.

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Transformers The Last Knight: Everyone You Have Learnt About In History Class Was In Fact A Transformer

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Transformers meets King Arthur Legend Of The Sword.

What is this film? To me this film feels like about three or maybe even four separate film pitches crammed into one film, because why not. There is no reason at all that this film is on for over two and a half hours it does not have the story for it, and it is beyond indulgent. A tip for time conservative readers, start the film from about forty five minutes in, you wouldn’t miss much, and you will easily be able to work out what is going on- which is nonsense bang bang.

However, that is not to say this film is all bad. For reasons I don’t fully understand or want to think much about, I actually found parts of this enjoyable to watch. It helps if you take this film as a joke, view it as a comedy or a parody and it becomes much easier to watch. I found the idea of Transformers throughout time to be interesting and I would like to see more of that. Moreover, when the film finally allows us to spend some time with Optimus Prime, when he is not evil, he hits the emotional heart strings and the nostalgia just right.

Mark Wahlberg is fine. However, the real star of the show is Laura Haddock. Haddock has been excellent for some time now however she is yet to make it big in Hollywood, yes, she was in this and Guardians, but in this she is second fiddle to Wahlberg and in the latter she is in the film for all of five minutes. Cast her more because she is excellent is my point, watch Da Vinci’s Demons. She does scene steal a lot and has quite a few funny and memorable lines. My one criticism is that the camera does like to ogle her and she is dressed for parts of the film in a way to appeal to Michael Bay’s core audience, teen boys, and I wish this wasn’t the case. The character is actually quite well written and funny, it is a shame the film objectifies her, but this is a Bay film so what did you or I expect?

Overall, not as bad as you have heard but certainly not good either. My main take away from this film is that I would like to see an actually good King Arthur film, preferably with Laura Haddock in a large role.

Pros.

Haddock

Optimus Prime, when he is good

The ending/ the dumb silliness of it all

Cons.

It is way too bloated

It is icky towards Haddock

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Jungle Cruise: The New Pirates Of The Caribbean?

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Based on the Disney Park ride, Jungle Cruise sees an adventure, Emily Blunt, and her well-meaning brother, Jack Whitehall set off into the heart of the jungle to find a mythical treasure.

If I had to describe this film in a few words it would be dumb fun. Really it is neither hugely good, nor hugely bad, it is just dumb watchable entertainment that passes a few hours.

Certainly this film is trying to be the next Pirates of The Caribbean, you can feel it throughout, and though the film has similar vibes to POTC it lacks the compelling edge. The story for the most part is very throwaway action fare; a group of people head out looking for a mythical treasure and get into high jinks along the way- nothing new.

However, the cast do manage to elevate it somewhat. Rather surprisingly Dwayne Johnson is not on top form here and though he is passable enough in the lead role, he is increasingly out done at nearly every turn by Blunt. Blunt really is the star of this film and her presence helps it immensely. Originally, when I heard that Jack Whitehall had been cast in this I was expecting a disaster, as though he is hilarious he is not a proven actor by any means, however, this film entirely convinced me that he can hold his weight with the big guys and made me feel a lot more confident about his Clifford film.

I won’t go into the villain issue here but suffice it to say it is bad. There are two villains, one of which is entirely needless, and the other is Jessie Plemons who looks like he is having fun, but the film doesn’t know what to do with him.

Overall, a fine film to watch once.

Pros.

Blunt

Whitehall

The world

Cons.

Johnson is off form

The villains

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Limbo: The Struggle To Start Over

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Limbo tells the offbeat story of a refugee’s experience in rural Scotland.

I think this film needs to be seen. It should be mandatory viewing for just about everyone, as it shows the horrors that refugees have to go through once they arrive in the country: everything from the uncertainty of their asylum status to visits from the police to be deported back to the country they fled. It is heart-breaking and moving.

However, I don’t want this review to make the film sound too dower and serious, there are also a number of light hearted moments that provide some much needed respite and allow us to feel a sense of hope for proceedings again. I thought the ending of finally having Omar, Amir El-Masry, play his oud again was a wonderful choice as it highlights this enduring sense of optimism that maybe everything can be okay.

I think this film is incredibly timely and will open your eyes to something you may perhaps have never thought about before. I think it’s message is needed, now more than ever.

The performances across the board were all terrific with every single member of the cast having their own time to shine and individual moments that really help to make each character standout and be memorable.

Overall, I can’t recommend this film enough and though it might not always be the easiest of watches it is very needed.

Pros.

The message

The performances

The ending

The powerful emotion

Cons.

It is bleak at times, truly bleak

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Halloween 4: Michael The Cult Icon

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Michael Myers is back, and this time he is after his infant niece.

This was a mixed bag. I think you can definitely feel the absence of Carpenter in a lot of ways, and the film plays as trying to recapture or even imitate both the man himself and the first Halloween which he directed. I understand trying to return to the series roots after the third film underperformed, but making this film feel so heavily ‘inspired’ by Carpenter’s style ends up making it feel like a pale imitation.

That said I do think this film has some promise. I thought the more supernatural take on Myers, with him being evil incarnate was interesting and I am curious to see where they will take it. Moreover, I enjoyed the return of Donald Pleasant’s Dr Loomis, I think Pleasant brings an air of class to the film and really helps to bring the acting up to a believable degree.

I thought the film struggled to find new things for Michael Myers to do, yes he gets a few new kills but nothing to truly make this film feel any different from any of the others. Nightmare On Elm Street had massively different kills and wild lore things happening between instalments, even Friday The 13 at least had Jason in different costumes. Furthermore, I am not quite sure how I feel about the end twist of having Jamie continue on the ‘family business’. Though it was a shocking reveal, I question whether it was just a desperate attempt to keep the franchise fresh.

Overall, there is still some good stuff here, but it is a shadow of its former self.

Pros.

The theme is still great

The supernatural take on Myers

The return of Dr Loomis

Cons.

Nothing new

Carpenter’s absence is noticeable

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Zola: The Twitter Film

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Based on the infamous twitter thread, Zola tells the story of a road trip gone wrong, highlighting how easy it is for people to end up in dangerous situations.

I had no expectations for this film going in, I didn’t really keep up with the thread when it was viral, though I was aware of the story itself.

I found the film to be on the better side of average but nothing to write home about.

On the positive side I thought the film managed to perfectly nail the tension and produced several scenes that were captivating as they feel so unexpected and threatening. You could feel the danger these women would have been in, and honesty it is both terrifying and heart-breaking.

Moreover, Colman Domingo was magnificent as X, the pimp who runs the girls through the later stages of the story. Why the character works so well and why Domingo’s performance is so good is because it is unpredictable, one minute he is cool calm and collect and the next he is knocking someone through a wall, the character works as they are seemingly very spontaneous and that is reflected in the performance. Furthermore, the character represents the moral ambiguity of our tale as we don’t know who to trust or believe, none of these characters are morally good and each do good and bad things throughout the film complicating them further.

Switching gears, what didn’t work for me at all was the dialogue. I understand that the way the main two characters speak is based on the real life tweets, you even get the tweet sound here and there, but I would have preferred it if they could have written it as actual dialogue for the film rather than just inserting tweets. Not only is it hard to understand but it quickly becomes annoying and grating as you watch.

Overall, it has its moments, but the dialogue really brings it down.

Pros

Solid tension

An interesting premise

Domingo

Cons.

The dialogue

The performances from everyone other than Domingo

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Jolt: Missing A Spark

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Kate Beckinsale’s Lindy is a woman with an explosive temper and a keen set of skills. As she re-enters society after years kept hidden away she falls in love, then her new beau is killed. You know what happens next.

Never has an actor needed to reinvent themselves more than Kate Beckinsale. Beckinsale has been on the forefront of the action genre for longer than I have been alive, but if her recent output is anything to go by the spark is gone.

As you might imagine from the premise Jolt is a very by the numbers film, it is passable action, but it is neither good nor bad just deeply average. What this film has going against it is a deeply generic plot that has been done so many times over the years in films and tv shows that you can’t help but role your eyes when you see it done yet again here.

Moreover, the cast aren’t bringing anything to the roles to make them or the film memorable. Yes, Beckinsale is a capable enough lead, but her character is forgotten the moment the film is turned off, and Jai Courtney………. Has no one told the makers of this film that Jai Courtney had his moment and blew it? The moment I saw him show up I immediately knew the film was going to be bad. If ever there was an omen to suggest a film is going to be bad, it is the casting of Courtney.

Again the action is fine, but it is nothing new.

Overall, you have seen this film before.

Pros.

It is passable

Everything is fine

Cons.

It is generic and played out

Courtney

The pacing

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Halloween 2: You Just Can’t Kill Michael Myers

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Michael Myers can’t be killed and now he is back at it, tracking Laurie Strode down to her hospital room with a mind to finish what he started.

Though not as good as the original, as few horror sequels are, there is still some electricity here. The moment we are treated to John Carpenter’s wonderful score we are send straight back into that world, as goosepimples are returned to our arms.

I really enjoy the slow dread and paranoia that comes from these early Halloween films, as we see just how frightened of Michael Myers all the characters are, and we get to see that grow as they begin to realise the supernatural qualities he has and how he cant be killed- at least not for very long.

There is a beautiful simplicity to Halloween that other slasher just cant beat. At the end of the day the premise is simple the killer is coming to claim his victims, and no matter what changes or happens that will always be true.

Furthermore this film not only proves without a doubt that Jamie Lee Curtis is not only the heart and soul of the Halloween franchise, as if there was any doubt of that, but also that she is the definitive Scream Queen. Curtis brings so much to the role of Laurie here as we begin to see the trauma coursing through her character as she is not quite in battle hardened mode yet, but she still gives Michael one hell of an opponent.

Overall, a strong sequel that sets the bedrock for the franchise.

Pros.

The slow dread

Michael

Laurie

The theme song/ wider score

Cons.

It is not quite as tight as the original film in terms of pacing

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Old: Live Your Life In An Afternoon

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of people find themselves on a mysterious beach where they age rapidly and seem incapable of leaving.

Other reviews of this film have been very mixed, and mine will only add to that.

The premise for this film is very interesting the concept of rapidly aging is fairly unique from a cinema standpoint and it does hold up throughout the film. The film does a lot of interesting things with aging its characters, we see many deaths and a birth, though the less said about that the better.

However, where things fall apart for me is with the big twist. As with every Shyamalan film there is a twist here, however I think it ends up disrupting and ultimately ruining the film. I won’t spoil what it is here, but I will say this, it is underwhelming and what you want to be happening isn’t….. It is far more mundane and generic than that. My issue with the ending of this film is that it is overly simplistic, it is too neat. The film ends with a surprising amount of it’s questions answered with little left to think about, what’s more the aging beach is seemingly forgotten about and no answers for it are given. In short it both gives you too many answers and too few.

The performances across the board are good, if sometimes a little eclectic and eccentric. I think that Rufus Sewell is by far the standout of the film as his characters slow descent into mental illness is both saddening and terrifying, and he does manage to feel quite threatening towards the end of the film. I also thought that Alex Wolff was strong as the families young child stuck in the body of a twenty year old, he brings a lot to the character.

Overall, a fascinating hook is pulled off course by a weak twist/ ending.
Pros.

The premise

The questions

The performance

The tension

Cons.

The ending

The twist

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