Snatched: Straight Up Racist

Snatched is a comedy film directed by Jonathan Levine. The plot sees Emily (Amy Schumer) and her mother Linda (Goldie Hawn), go on holiday to Ecuador, and because Hollywood is racist and the idea of the South American kidnapping is such an easy stereotype, they get kidnapped and have to escape.

So yeah before I get into this I want to state clearly that I find this film offensive, Schumer’s character uses the word “gay” as an insult and seems to be generally homophobic throughout. As well as this most of the local people are shown as little more than stereotypes.

This film is an object failure to me. Last time I checked a comedy film is supposed to be funny and this is the furthest thing from it. The jokes consist of the same ones that you have heard from Schumer time and again over the course of her career, most of which she has probably stolen from other people. The humour in this film can easily be defined as irritating.

The plot is as uninspired as you would expect, as I have said it furthers harmful stereotypes and misconceptions and just can’t shake the feeling that it is needless.

Overall, this is offensively bad and might be one of the worst films I have seen this year, stay well clear of it.

Pros.

None

Cons.

It is homophobic and racist

It is unfunny

It is lazy

The characters are stereotypes

This is a poorly done copy of something you have already seen one hundred times before

0/5

Reviewed by Luke

Game Over, Man: Getting Your Dick Out For A Cheap Laugh

Game Over, Man! Is a comedy film directed by Kyle Newacheck. The plot follows three hotel house keepers who get caught up in a hostage situation, they must find a way to save the day and get an investor for their videogame.

So this stars the Workaholic guys, Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Blake Anderson, and this film is basically like a feature length episode of that show; though they are in no official way related. The sad truth, however, would be if this was an episode of that show it would be one of the weaker ones.

The humour is nothing new and feels played out right from the start. You have jokes about one character being in the closet and not releasing that his friends know he is gay, which feel about 10 years out of date and other jokes where one of the characters just gets his dick out for some reason; this feels especially desperate.

The characters themselves and those around them are also paper thin and have nothing to make them feel like actually people and not just poorly written clichés.

Overall, this dumb, lazy and unfunny. Despite not being related it tarnishes the reputation of the Workaholic boys and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for a while after.

Pros.

It is only on for an hour and a half

It is watchable

Cons.

It is lazy, the characters aren’t more than clichés

The jokes feel outdated and worse desperate

It is painfully unfunny

It feels like an hour and a half of your life that you are not getting back

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Jexi: A Man Has Sex With A Phone, Need I Say More

Jexi is a comedy film directed by Jon Lucas and Scoot Moore. The plot sees loser Phil (Adam Devine), get a new phone that seems intent of making his life better. A bond forms between Phil and his new phone called Jexi (Rose Byrne), and the two have to navigate the difficulties of modern life together, and then Phil gets a girlfriend and all hell breaks loose.

So, high art this film is not, but damn is it funny. I had heard nothing but bad things going in so I was expecting the worst and was genuinely shocked when I was laughing almost from the get, if you view this film as a so bad it is good kind of film then you will enjoy it more for sure.

The writing is poor, but the film encourages you to not think about it and just watch a man have sex with his phone, try and get that image out of your head, part of the fun is the ridiculousness. The comedy works surprisingly well, and Byrne and Devine bounce off each other really well and have a great back and forth. Byrne especially is great; her mean girl style of humour really seems to be working in her favour.

Overall yes this film is trash, but it is also a hell of a lot of fun. I was laughing near constantly for an hour and a half; my one critique would be that the romantic stuff doesn’t work and feels deeply cringey.

Pros.

It is hilarious

Rose Byrne steals the show

Byrne and Devine have a great back and forth

It is bizarre

Cons.

Sometimes it is cringey and awkward

The writing is poor

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Sucker Punch: Rape As A Plot Device

Sucker Punch is an action adventure film directed by Zack Snyder. The plot follows young woman Babydoll (Emily Browning), who finds herself accused of a crime she didn’t commit by her abusive stepfather. She is committed to an institution and escapes into a world of fantasy, where she fights Nazis and does various other stuff.

I will hand it to Snyder this was ambitious. The imagination on display, however sick and twisted it might be, is staggering. Sadly it doesn’t save this from being a disturbing mess of a film.

The various fantasises that Babydoll and co go to feel oddly random, there is not much rhyme or reason as to why these are their fantasises, which comes across as poor set up stemming from bad writing.

Secondly, this film is a teen action adventure so why is there a constant, and I mean from the off, rape threat throughout? This isn’t an interpretation this is what the film uses to drive its narrative, there are several scenes where it is implied without question and a few more where it is conveyed in a more subtle way. I am not going to lie to you this is deeply off putting and feels exploitative, it is hard to finish.

I feel like in Snyder’s head this was going to be a big empowering female epic, but it goes right the other way and feels creepy and icky to watch.

The only pro I will give it is that Oscar Issac is more menacing in this than I think he has ever been before; he gives one hell of a performance.

Pros

Oscar Issac

The imagination

Cons.

Using rape as a plot device

It feels exploitative

It makes no sense

It is depressing in the extreme

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Postman Pat The Movie: Do The Kids Love Simon Cowell?

Postman Pat The Movie is an animated family film directed by Mike Disa. The plot sees everyone’s favourite postman enter a singing competition to win his wife a trip to Italy.

So, I haven’t watched the show since I was about 3 years old, but the other night I was looking through Prime and I found this; the nostalgia hooked me I sat and watched the whole hour and a half.

First off, the animation is hellish. I can’t decide whether it looks to real or too cartoony, but it looks cheap whichever verdict is reached. I don’t remember the show looking like this when I watched it.

The performances are solid enough, the cast is a whose who of British actors and familiar voices. Stephen Mangan does a good job as Pat; he has the right amount of wholesomeness for the family demographic whilst also having a few good jokes for the adults watching.

This is the second kids film this year that I have watched that has a Simon Cowell type character, this one couldn’t seem to get him so Robin Atkin Downes plays the part of Simon Cowbell, but it is basically the same character. Did I miss the memo? Do kids really like Simon Cowell or something I don’t get it. It is an alarming trend, please let me know if you know.

Overall, a very passable watch, very much a one and done sort of film.

Pros.

Mangan

Familiar voices

A few jokes for the adults

Cons.

The animation is awful

Do kids really like Simon Cowell?

It is very average

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Mother: A Lot Of Pretentious Allegory

Mother is a horror thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky. The plot tells the story of a couple whose happy tranquil retreat is ruined by the arrival of unexpected, unwanted guests.

So this one is going to be a controversial for sure, even now years after it has come it is still polarising people, you either love it or you hate it. I find myself torn.

There is a lot of debate as to whether this is even a horror film, but I think it is. I also think the later in the film sequences where all hell breaks loose, which are arguably the horror scenes are strong and work well. The scenes when the followers descend to the house and fight to get a glimpse of the new baby are downright menacing and claustrophobic.

On the flip side, I hate the narrative of this film in so many ways. Firstly it has no story or plot just random events and allegory, it is one of those films where the director wants you to put it together yourself; in other words an excuse for poor writing. Moreover, the clear Bible reading (that everything that happens in the film is reflective of the Bible and the events therein), are so incredibly obvious that it basically beats you in the face with it. Yet in has to be pretentious and act like that is not true and that it has multiple meanings.

Jennifer Lawrence does an admirable job and I will applaud her for steeping outside of her comfort zone.

Overall, divisive to the core you will have strong feelings about it, for me I thought the narrative was weak and obvious, but the practical execution and the acting was spot on.

Pros

The acting

The ending

Some genuinely quite tense scenes

Cons.

The stupidly pretentious narrative

Having no form of story

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Monsters University: The Tamest College Ever

Monsters University is an animated family film directed by Dan Scanlon. The plot follows Mike (Billy Crystal), and Sully (John Goodman), in their university (or college), years serving as a prequel to Monsters Inc.

This film is needless, there is no way of getting around that: it did not need to be made. However, despite this it adds a few nice character arc wrinkles to the beloved duo that are worth talking about. It shows how when Sully and Mike met they were adversarial, Sully coasted by on his father’s name and didn’t bother to try and Mike is trying very hard to be something that he is not. It is interesting to see their motivations and behaviour here and then to rewatch the first film, it gives it some new flavour.

The trademark Pixar heart is present, in a much-reduced capacity from the original film though. You do empathises with Mike as you can see how hard he wants to be a scarier despite not being scary, it is heart breaking and the big emotional moment at the end of the film when he finally gets to step over the line onto the factory floor is a cheer worthy moment and feels earned.

Overall, this film is needless there is no getting around that, but it adds to the motivations and characterization of various people from the first film adding a new context which is nice and crucially beneficial.

Pros.

The character work

The Pixar heart

Adds rewatch value to the original

Cons.

It is needless

It has pacing issues and often feels like it is filling time

Life After Beth: Whats Love Without A Bit Of Cannibalism?

Life After Beth is a horror comedy romance film directed by Jeff Baena. The plot follows Zach (Dane DeHaan), a young man who has just lost his girlfriend Beth (Aubrey Plaza), however, before Zach can spiral into grief he is reunited with his girlfriend: something is different, however. Beth is now a zombie.

So for many years this has been amongst my favourite romantic comedies, it is so wholesome and has so much to say. When first reunited Zach is so glad to have his girlfriend back, but as time goes on he starts to see it as more of a curse, it begs the question would you want more time with your dead loved one if they weren’t really the same person you knew anymore and were instead something darker.

Plaza is perfectly cast and Baena seems to know how to get the best out of her as the duo would team up years later for The Little Hours, she is great in that too. She is tragically hilarious and her and Zach are a cute horror couple. DeHaan is doing his usually brooding routine, but it fits the film, so it works.

Overall, the definition of a hidden gem, not many people know about this delight of a film if you’re one of them right your wrong. It also has a truly comedic awkward cameo from Anna Kendrick, what is not to like. Check it out!

Pros.

The romance

The horror elements and implied zombie apocalypse

The awkward comedy

The commentary

Cons.

It has a very pacing issues and some sections are weaker than others

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

300: A Scottish Greek

300 is a historical action film directed by Zack Snyder, based on the Frank Miller comic series of the same name. The film retells the story of the Spartans last stand at the battle of Thermopylae, when 300 (the real numbers vary), Spartan soldiers held out against an overwhelming horde of Persian invaders: fighting to the last man to give the rest of Greece time to prepare.

This film is epic, I know that a cringey word, but there is no other way to describe it. I remember watching it a lot as a youth and watching it again now I am still in awe of how cool it is. The scope, the scale everything about it is intense.

Say what you like about Zack Snyder, but no one, and I mean no one, does sweaty, slow motion, ultra-violence quite like him, each one of the battle scenes is a sight to behold. The gore, which is in abundance of course, feels well used. It makes a point, but never crosses the line to where it feels gratuitous or done for shock value.

Gerard Butler plays a surprisingly Scottish version of King Leonidas, the legendary Spartan king; clearly he is borrowing from the Sean Connery school of acting. Though I joke, Butler is a man of very specific acting talents and he seems almost crafted for his role. He plays Leonidas with a regal air that is carefully covering a personality of sheer unrelenting brutality.

Overall, this film highlights the best of Butler and Snyder showing off both of their talents, creating a truly engrossing experience.

Pros.

Gerard Butler

Zack Snyder

The scope and feel of it

The battle scenes

It is captivating

Cons.

It is not historically accurate

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hercules: Does James Woods Age Well?

Hercules is an animated film directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The plot is a retelling of the Greek Myth of Hercules, though it combines a lot of different stories together, so it is not beat for beat. We see a young Hercules (Tate Donovan), be ripped from his parent’s arms and raised as a mortal. After he finds out about his supernatural heritage he sets out to become the biggest hero in the world and regain his place amongst the Gods.

I remember watching this in school as a treat on the final day of term, I remember enjoying it. My how times change.

So I have a laundry list, to borrow the phrase, of problems with this film. Firstly narratively it is a mess. There is two defined acts and then a third one that just feels like a bunch of stuff cobbled together, the result of this is a film that has a sizeable amount of the bloat.

The gospel soundtrack is one of the better aspects about the film, it adds an extra element that is hard to describe and enhances it completely. However, a lot of the normal songs ,(mainly the ones sung by Hercules himself), lack any charm or catchiness, this creates a noticeable dip in the soundtrack. Furthermore, the voice actor for Hercules doesn’t give the role any passion or character, Hercules feels like the blandest most stereotypical hero, in his own film and that is the fatal flaw.

The supporting cast are also a mixed on the one hand you have James Wood and Danny DeVito, both of whom are excellent, on the other hands you have the rest who are again so bland and devoid of personality that they just fade into the background.

Overall, this film showed me that rose-tinted glasses are a real thing, it is very meh and feels both too busy and also empty at the same time, it is perplexing.

Pros.

The gospel soundtrack

Woods and DeVito

Cons.

Hercules is boring and bland

It tries to hard to cover everything

The non-gospel songs are bad

The supporting cast are a very mixed bag

2/5

Reviewed by Luke