Category: Movie Reviews

Uncharted

Post author By Mark
Post date February 25, 2022

An adaptation of Sony’s über popular Uncharted video-game franchise has been in the works since 2008. Since then we’ve had 4 main instalments, several spin-offs and a decade for original Nathan Drake actor Mark Wahlberg to completely age out of the role and step into the shoes of Drake’s mentor Sully. That’s a lot of pressure to throw on a film and expectations were understandably low as the film limped towards release after even more COVID-induced delays. I’m happy to report that Uncharted is a surprisingly fun, boisterous adventure that more often than not does right by its source material. Shoddy writing and some comically underwritten characters may dampen the experience, and it is hard to ignore the film’s obvious borrowings from other (better) action franchises, but if you can put those negatives out of your mind then you’ll likely wind up having a lot of fun with Drake and Sully.

Having been separated from his brother Sam (Rudy Pankow) as a child, Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) lives in his shadow, getting by as a bartender and pickpocket and yearning for the day his brother will finally reappear. When an apparent friend of Sam’s, Victor Sully (Wahlberg), offers Drake the chance to reunite with his brother if he helps him locate the fabled treasure of Ferdinand Magellan – a childhood dream of Sam and Nathan’s – Drake jumps at the chance, signing up for a mission to steal a relic believed to hold the secret to the location of the treasure. The pair soon learn, however, that they are not the only ones after Magellan’s treasure, with the ruthless and wealthy Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) and former friend of Sully’s Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali) hot on their heels.

The success of the Uncharted games came from their clever reworking of the tropes of adventure classics like Indiana Jones into globe-trotting epics that allowed the player to step into the hero’s shoes and control the outcome. By turning the series back to a cinematic medium, you inevitably lose that interactivity, leaving what amounts to a hodgepodge of different action films from Indy to National Treasure and Pirates of the Caribbean. That might sound unoriginal – and it is – but the combination is surprisingly effective. It isn’t often that we get a modern treasure hunting blockbuster and despite some clichéd over-the-top set-pieces (others are genuinely brilliant), Uncharted scratches that itch, doing none of those franchises better than them but together forming something strangely unique and enjoyable in its simplicity – just turn your brain off and enjoy.

A lot of the enjoyment from the film admittedly stems from Tom Holland. Coming off the back of Spider-Man: No Way Home – one of the biggest films in history – it is no surprise that Holland can carry a film of this scale with ease, portraying a slightly less intelligent but no less cocky and charming version of Drake than his video-game counterpart. It’s impossible to form the same kind of connection to Holland’s character from one film as opposed to spending 20 plus hours in a game with the character but the clever tweaks to the film’s story – borrowing pieces from different games rather than a straight adaptation of any one in particular – and seeing the beginnings of the bickering banter between Drake and Sully form sets the film apart from the games and carves out a niche for this interpretation of Nathan Drake.

For his part Mark Wahlberg is simply himself, bringing none of the mannerisms of the Sully from the games and relying on his usual endearingly combative schtick that was so successful in films like The Other Guys and Daddy’s Home. The chemistry with Holland is there at times, particularly when the duo first meet, but there is certainly room for improvement in the inevitable sequel in so far as defining the relationship between the pair. Antonio Banderas is woefully underused as a villain, rattling off his vaguely menacing lines in a vaguely menacing voice in the few scenes he is given, while Sophia Ali’s constantly shifting accent is a painful distraction from her constantly shifting allegiances as mistrusting fellow treasure hunter Chloe.

Uncharted isn’t the saving grace for video-game adaptations nor is it the new pinnacle of the action-adventure genre but it is effective in its judicial borrowing from all of the best action-adventure films, forming something familiar but always entertaining. Holland is surprisingly great as Nathan Drake, making the role his own rather than moulding himself to fit the character from the games and brings his usual charisma and physicality to every scene. The rest of the cast might not be able to keep up with him and the action becomes big blockbuster noise at times but, considering what could have been, there’s a lot more treasure in Uncharted than the map to it would have you believe.

Uncharted stars Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Steven Waddington, Rudy Pankow, Tiernan Jones & Antonio Banderas – In cinemas now.

7/10

Tags Antonio Banderas, Mark Wahlberg, Ruben Fleischer, Rudy Pankow, Sophia Ali, Steven Waddington, Tati Gabrielle, Tom Holland, Uncharted

Movie Reviews

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

Post author By Mark
Post date February 23, 2022

No sequel since 1974 – with the exception of the 2003 remake – has quite managed to evoke that same visceral feeling of total discomfort and unsettling grossness as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The latest attempt at recapturing the magic hails from Netflix and part of the creative team behind the excellent Evil Dead remake. Sounds promising? Not so. The 2022 reincarnation of Texas Chainsaw is another hollow sequel – this time following in the same legacy-sequel vein of 2018’s Halloween – filled with half-baked social commentary, godawful characters and only the faintest hint of an actual story. Some inventive kills and unintentionally hilarious moments provide something to latch onto, but by and large this is yet another carnage-filled swing and a miss.

When a group of friends – Dante (Jacob Latimore), girlfriend Ruth (Nell Hudson), creative partner Melody (Sarah Yarkin) and her sister Lila (Elsie Fisher) – move to the rural Texan town of Harlow in hopes of creating a gentrified, hipster-filled neighbourhood, they find themselves in trouble when their presence disturbs local orphanage owner Ginny (Alice Krige), causing a heart attack. With a busload of potential investors due in town at any moment, the group scramble to contain the situation and make the town presentable, with one small hitch: the hulking presence of Ginny’s adopted son, colloquially known as Leatherface (Mark Burnham). When news of Leatherface’s return is heard by ranger Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré) – sole survivor of the original 1974 massacre – she heads straight into the belly of the beast for a showdown almost 50 years in the making.

It’s not a surprise that Texas Chainsaw Massacre is this bad. None of the recent sequels (2003 remake withstanding) have been the least bit successful in balancing an emotionally impactful story with the gore fans expect. But here’s the thing: Texas Chainsaw films don’t need an emotionally impactful story. The original masterpiece was never built around the complex relationships between its five innocent college student victims or the intricacies of Leatherface’s psyche. This was a crazy family terrorising a group of kids for the sheer deranged pleasure of it. By loading this latest film with such annoying characters – constant mouth-pieces spouting weak social commentary – it fails to build even the slightest connection with the audience, wasting a huge chunk of the runtime in the process. We’re talking about gun-control, gentrification and millennial cancel-culture and all of it completely falls by the wayside once characters come face to face with a roaring chainsaw.

Lila’s entire character revolves around her survivor mentality, having lived through a traumatic school-shooting, with several scenes highlighting her aversion to guns and the wounds she carries as a result of this tragedy. Just when you start to think we might have something of a rounded character on our hands she picks up an assault rifle without hesitation and unloads it into Leatherface. Now that might be a logical reaction to seeing multiple people dismembered before your eyes but why waste the time setting this character up in the way she is if it is never paid off. Similarly the cancel-culture references seem to be in there solely for a few very cheap jokes that completely fall flat. Who is all this for? Certainly not fans who want to see chainsaw goodness.

Once the killing starts the film’s pacing evens out but none of these scenes are particularly noteworthy for the franchise apart from the absolute hilarity of seeing Leatherface launch himself out of water like a scene from Free Willy or hurl a hammer at someone so hard they fly away like a football through the posts. The man is pushing 70 at this point and we’re expected to believe he can carve up a busload of people without dislocating a hip? Give me a break. A few inspired shots – a corn-field surprise is a terrifying and iconic image – and some decent jump scares help things out but can’t do much to alleviate the disappointment at Sally’s return. In what is clearly a pale imitation of Laurie Strode’s return in Halloween, Sally has a bone to pick with Leatherface, but if you haven’t seen the original film prepare to be confused.

We know that Sally has beef with Leatherface from one half-assed scene of her stroking a photograph of her friends and loading a shotgun as she listens to a police scanner. Cut to five minutes before the film ends when she finally arrives without so much as an introduction – even the characters in the movie are confused as to why she is even here – and that’s about it for our “legacy heroine”. It’s completely baffling as to why the filmmakers even bothered to include the character if they had this little use for her, playing a card that could have been far better utilised as the focus of a character-study deconstructing the trauma’s effect on her life. Sally joins a growing list of this franchise’s paper-thin characters; hell, even the guy who threatens to cancel Leatherface has more firepower up his sleeve.

If you like mindless, gory horror films without much substance then Texas Chainsaw Massacre might be for you, just be prepared to endure some painfully trite social commentary on the way to it. If you’re coming to this looking for that elusive sequel worthy of Tobe Hooper’s original then look elsewhere, say to (you guessed it) the 2003 remake? It might finally be time for Leatherface to put down his trusty chainsaw, haven’t we all suffered enough?

Texas Chainsaw Massacre stars Elsie Fisher, Sarah Yarkin, Jacob Latimore, Mark Burnham, Moe Dunford, Nell Hudson, Jessica Allain & Olwen Fouéré – Streaming on Netflix now.

3/10

Tags David Blue Garcia, Elsie Fisher, Fede Alvarez, Jacob Latimore, Leatherface, Mark Burnham, Moe Dunford, Nell Hudson, Netflix, Olwen Fouere, Sarah Yarkin, Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Movie Reviews

Death on the Nile

Post author By Mark
Post date February 21, 2022

20th Century Studios, 2022

For a while there it seemed as if Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie adaptation Death on the Nile, the follow-up to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, had died before Hercule Poirot could solve the case, with long COVID-induced delays and the much-discussed Armie Hammer incident clouding any chance of the film’s release. Years later the film has finally hit screens and was worth the wait. Branagh’s second attempt at bringing Christie’s work to the big screen oozes confidence, deftly handling a bigger budget and location to thrilling effect; a worthy adaptation that will find even the most seasoned Christie fans completely enraptured with this timeless case of murder.

On an idyllic vacation through Egypt following his successful cracking of the Orient Express case, detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) finds himself once again embroiled in the problems of the wealthy after running into old friend Bouc (Tom Bateman) and becoming swept up in the wedding party of heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) and her new husband Simon Doyle (Hammer). All seems well as the couple decide to take their wedding party on a cruise down the Nile in an attempt to avoid Simon’s deranged ex Jacqueline (Emma Mackey) but soon enough things descend into anarchy when a body is found, leaving Poirot to use his expert detective skills to solve the case before the killer amongst them can strike again.

20th Century Studios, 2022

Branagh’s first outing as Poirot was a surprisingly humorous and charming effort, and having established the character and all his unusual quirks Branagh now feels comfortable deconstructing the mythical detective. There’s some serious emotional weight given to his backstory – as well as a bittersweet little origin story for his infamous moustache – that further compounds the baggage Poirot carries with him, hiding under the idiosyncrasies and pomposity as the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest detective” (suck it Batman). That makes the moments when characterss like Letitia Wright’s prickly Rosalie challenge Poirot all the more intriguing, hitting nerves that force Poirot to re-evaluate his actions and how he views himself in order to crack the case.

In fact Branagh does such a good job here establishing the character that it frankly serves as a better introduction than Orient Express, honing in on Poirot and taking the time to have him go toe to toe against a range of personalities and experiences where the the previous film rushed you through its many twists and turns. Even that film’s big moral-compass challenging conclusion would be better served if Nile had come before, re-contextualizing the impact of that big twist after following Poirot through all this emotional growth.

20th Century Studios, 2022

With all that growth comes a more methodical pacing, which some may find too slow compared to its predecessor. Nevertheless it does feel as if Poirot is taking his time to drink in these people, sizing them up as intellectual opponents even before any foul-play arises. Branagh gives you enough time to spend with each key player – Russel Brand’s jilted former lover of Linnet, Rose Leslie’s jealous maid and Sophie Okonedo’s blues singer amongst them – establishing each as a viable murderer and keeping you guessing through a series of clever red-herrings and deliberate staging to ensure no one is ever completely in the clear. All the big name stars are clearly relishing their chance to ham it up as these distinctive, volatile personalities floating down the Nile – butting heads about financial status and legal troubles – in a way that feels far more natural than the unreasonably and instantly hostile interactions between passengers on the Orient Express.

Death on the Nile is a giant leap forward for Branagh’s interpretation of Agatha Christie’s famously moustachioed detective; a better paced, better acted murder mystery that keeps you guessing and smiling on the way to its riveting, surprisingly emotional conclusion. Branagh is Poirot through and through at this point and isn’t afraid to poke holes in his otherwise infallible image, making for some insightful developments that push beyond the usual trappings of the genre. With an unfortunately low opening weekend at the box office, here’s hoping there are more deaths for Poirot to investigate going forward rather than this being the death of the franchise.

20th Century Studios, 2022

Death on the Nile stars Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Tom Bateman, Letitia Wright, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Susannah Fielding, Ali Fazal & Russell Brand – In cinemas now.

8/10

Tags Annette Bening, Armie Hammer, Dawn French, Death on the Nile, Emma Mackey, Gal Gadot, Jennifer Saunders, Kenneth Branagh, Letitia Wright, Rose Leslie, Russell Brand, Tom Bateman

Movie Reviews

The Fallout

Post author By Mark
Post date February 16, 2022

It’s never easy for anyone to navigate the complex emotional spectrum following any traumatic incident, much less a child. That’s the crux of The Fallout, Megan Park’s stunning directorial debut that tenderly handles one teenage girl’s struggle to continue navigating the goings-on of ordinary life after surviving a devastatingly life-altering school-shooting. Built on a rich, deeply affecting performance from Jenna Ortega, this is in turns one of the most uplifting and poignant filmic examinations of grief in some time; made all the more gut-wrenching by its inciting event’s relevance in today’s world.

Vada (Ortega) is your average American high-schooler who spends her time hanging out with friend Nick (Will Ropp), watching endless streams of YouTube videos and bickering with sister Amelia (Lumi Pollack) – until what should be a normal day at school becomes a life changing event following a devastating school shooting. Extremely shaken, Vada finds comfort in a friendship with the previously impenetrably cool Mia Reed (Maddie Ziegler), after huddling together for survival in the bathroom while the shooting unfolded. It’s clear that the girls are both unsure of how to proceed with life as usual and take comfort in navigating this uncharted territory together, experimenting with drugs, alcohol and sex in an attempt to distract themselves from the crushing fear they feel and perhaps move beyond the event.

Where other films like last year’s emotional wreck-fest Mass tackled the subject of school shootings through a more mature, parental lens, The Fallout is unique in that it places the focus squarely on the children and the survivor’s guilt experienced by those lucky enough to make it through such a traumatic event. Park doesn’t rely on length monologues or big speeches to convey the complex emotions and horrifying realities, favouring a clear visual language like Vada filling a box with funeral programs over time – a powerful image that says far more than dialogue could convey.

The film is also unique in the messaging it presents in regards to these tragedies. Vada drifts through life – never truly present unless with Mia, Nick immediately jumps into protesting for systemic change, Mia turns to alcohol to see her through the darker moments, Amelia pretends nothing has happened in an attempt to pick up with her sister where they left off, and even Vada’s parents seem unsure how to handle themselves around their daughter. Park posits that there is in fact no right way to deal with this experience; all these reactions are unique and completely valid responses that allow the individual to disconnect from the fear and trauma they feel. Vada’s approach may isolate her from her friendship with Nick, but rather than Park shifting Nick to an antagonistic role, we understand that his response simply differs from Vada and that neither is more right or wrong than the other.

Jenna Ortega continues to prove herself as one of the best upcoming actresses of her generation, with a captivating performance that completely embroils you into Vada’s emotional journey. It is soul-crushing to see this confident, care-free young girl’s world turned completely upside down; becoming a shell of her former self as she searches for understanding and space to process her emotions, but equally as heart-warming to witness the small moments of joy creep back into her life through the tiniest smile on her face. Even in the moments where you may not like or agree with Vada’s actions, Ortega always sells it as a completely natural and reasonable response to the situation that has befallen her. It is impossible for us to know exactly what she is feeling short of going through the event ourselves and Ortega brilliant performance portrays the closest possible approximation; with one overwhelmingly powerful facial expression in the final scene delivering a powerful message alongside the terrible realisation that all this hard work and growth could be reversed in an instant.

The Fallout isn’t always an easy watch, but it is a deeply moving and captivating look at one girl’s journey through a situation that should never happen to anyone. Jenna Ortega gives one of the best performances of the year as the grief-stricken Vada struggling to understand her emotions and Megan Park complements it with smart, empathetic writing that never seeks to explain how Vada should feel or suggest she should have gotten over it. Everyone’s experience with trauma is different and The Fallout is one of the most understanding, investing pieces of art to tackle the subject in some time.

The Fallout stars Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, Lumi Pollack, Niles Fitch, Will Ropp, John Ortiz, Julie Bowen & Shailene Woodley – Streaming on HBO Max in the US and Binge in Australia now.

9/10

Tags Jenna Ortega, John Ortiz, Julie Bowen, Lumi Pollack, Maddie Ziegler, Megan Park, Niles Fitch, Shailene Woodley, The Fallout, Will Ropp

Movie Reviews

Jackass Forever

Post author By Mark
Post date February 6, 2022

It might have been easy to simply wave Jackass Forever away as a hollow attempt to recapture the gross-out magic of the original film and television series. After all, we’ve seen a myriad of lifeless sequels pop up in recent times, sometimes decades after the last instalment and Johnny Knoxville and pals have to be past their prime as far as attempting these ridiculously dangerous stunts go, right? Well I’m happy to report that when it comes to Jackass Forever, neither of those things are true; a rollercoaster of a comedy that masterfully alternates between hilariously juvenile pranks and terrifying stunts that will have you wincing and squirming in your seat. If you aren’t on board with the series’ premise at this point, Forever is unlikely to convert you, but for fans of the series this feels like hanging with old friends again… and watching them do some crazy shit.

The biggest question about this fourth film comes in the form of the main cast: can their bodies still handle the punishment 20 years after the original film? The short answer is yes, but with a few tweaks to the formula. All of the old favourites return – Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Ehren McGhehey – with the exceptions of Ryan Dunn (who unfortunately passed away) and Bam Margera – whose struggles with addiction and very public disputes with the production have seen him essentially scrubbed from the movie apart from the odd scene or two. Whilst Steve-O and Ehren always seem down to subject themselves to whatever crazy punishment Knoxville and director Jeff Tremaine have cooked up, you do begin to sense some trepidation from other cast members – they’re pushing 50, who could blame them?

Fortunately that’s where the new cast members step in. One of Forever’s strongest weapons comes in the form of these new (lovingly said) idiots – Poopsie, Eric Manaka, Davon Wilson and Rachel Wolfson among them – who are more than game to try their hands at the kind of antics that the older crew idolised for them in the early 2000’s. You can clearly tell how much the franchise means to these newbies (a lot of whom even sport Jackass tattoos) and their energy is infectious, alleviating some of the dread you can feel when a particularly nasty situation is introduced. Tasers are licked, scorpion stings are inflicted and almost everyone vomits at one point but it’s always done with a smile; the older cast visibly relieved that they don’t have to participate in the stupidity. There’s no disdain or hazing from that original generation though and no obvious divide, making it seem as if the group of friends has simply expanded.

At its core, a Jackass film is a very different comedic experience. There’s (largely) no pre-written dialogue or scripted moments to be found, with the audience placing a great amount of trust in these hooligans messing around and seeing what sticks. That tension, the constant feeling that you don’t know what is next or how they could possibly top the last segment, is what keeps you howling with laughter or cringing away from the screen in horror. Each moment hits so incredibly hard because of the improvisation of it all. The accurately named “Cup Test” – a series of increasingly painful tests of the humble sports cup – could go horrifically wrong at any moment, creating this strange sensation of both wanting and not wanting to see it all unfold. It’s impossible not to have some reaction to seeing a man’s scrotum caught and stretched under a pogo stick, and whether you like it or not, the film always succeeds in drawing that visceral response from the audience.

That’s the foundation of Jackass and Forever is never without it, a continuation made by people who still clearly love doing these things rather than a reluctant rehash for money. It seems doubtful that we’ll get another film where the original cast does as much as they do here but the new blood brought into the fold are more than capable of taking the franchise far into this future. For a series built around the most depraved and dangerous stunts that a group of buddies can think of, Jackass proves it has a legacy most franchises can’t compete with and few would have the balls to try and replicate.

Jackass Forever stars Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Preston Lacy, Sean “Poopies” McInerney, Jasper Dolphin, Zach Holmes, Rachel Wolfson, Eric Manaka and Compston “Darkshark” Wilson – In cinemas now.

9/10

Tags Chris Pontius, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Jackass Forever, Jason Acuña, Jeff Tremaine, Johnny Knoxville, Preston Lacy, Rachel Wolfson, Spike Jonze, Steve-O

Movie Reviews

House of Gucci

Post author By Mark
Post date January 27, 2022

Giving Ridley Scott the keys to the Gucci story – a wild tale of family, betrayal and murder – should have made for one of the most arresting crime capers of the veteran director’s career. After all this is the man who gave us Gladiator, American Gangster and just this year The Last Duel. The result therefore is as baffling as it is frustrating; House of Gucci may just be Scott’s most bizarre film to date – a tonally jarring mishmash of humour and intense drama that does neither particularly successfully thanks to some truly horrendous performances and a painfully slow pace that somehow manages to also feel as if it is rushing through its dense narrative.

When working class Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) runs into heir to the Gucci fashion fortune Maurizio (Adam Driver), she senses that her fortunes are about to change, latching onto the man who is intent on becoming a lawyer and leaving his family’s business behind. When Maurizio introduces his new girlfriend to his hotheaded father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons), he senses Patrizia’s less than honourable intentions, cutting his son off from the fortune and ceasing all contact as Maurizio assumes a less glamorous, but fulfilling life with his new bride.

But when Maurizio’s boisterous uncle Aldo (a fantastic Al Pacino) learns of his brother and nephew’s estrangement he makes it his mission to bring Maurizio and Patrizia back into the fold, offering him a lucrative job at Gucci and indoctrinating Patrizia into a life of luxury she could only have dreamt of. As Patrizia’s manipulation of Maurizio into taking the reigns of Gucci becomes more and more damaging to the rest of the family, including Aldo’s dimwitted son Paolo (Jared Leto), she is forced to consider desperate measures to stop the monster she helped create.

What immediately stands out about House of Gucci is the Italian accents. Everyone in the film attempts them, largely to godawful results outside of Al Pacino, and it is the first sign that something is not quite right. By and large it doesn’t stop the genuinely good performances of Adam Driver or Jeremy Irons from shining through but in Jared Leto’s case it turns what seems to be Scott making a serious attempt at telling this story in dramatic fashion into a farcical mess. Swathed in prosthetics and make-up, Leto completely loses himself in the character of Paolo. Unfortunately that character plays as more of a Mario Brother than a convincing human being, with Leto’s offensively stereotypical Italian accent taking the character to levels of parody the rest of the film is not prepared to follow. Every time his dimwitted, fat-suit laden character appears on-screen you can guarantee that the scene will devolve into unintentional hilarity, often at the expense of genuinely compelling dialogue or a pivotal beat, forgotten in the wake of Leto’s ridiculousness.

The film’s overall forgetfulness is also compounded by the strange pacing decisions Scott makes in his telling of Maurizio and Patrizia’s story. The introduction to these characters feels incredibly rushed, with them meeting and together within the opening fifteen minutes. We never get a reasonable amount of time to establish the characters or reason why we should care about them other than their functions within the story; Gaga as the manipulative temptress seeking status and Driver the unwitting cog in her plan, forced to betray his family for power and getting swept up in the allure of that power himself.

Once this dynamic is established Scott meanders through the inner workings of Patrizia’s long con, which mostly involves displays of exorbitant wealth and the obvious journey through Gucci’s fashionable history. Sure we get the impression that these characters are slowly transforming through their experiences, but once again Scott rushes the sudden switch Driver undergoes into monstrous business owner and Gaga’s sudden departure from that world, culminating in a finale that should be a lot more impactful than it is, with Scott keeping the audience at an arms length from his characters at all times; never allowing us to form any meaningful connection to them.

Much has been made of Gaga’s performance but she only narrowly escapes the same issues as Leto, her accent constantly wavering between an exaggerated Italian and Russian as she hams it up every chance she gets. Whenever a scene skews particularly dramatic or “awards-worthy” Gaga goes berserk, rarely giving anyone else in the scene a chance to go back and forth as she commands the room, regardless of the context of the conversation. It’s a distracting method of acting that undermines these important scenes, where Gaga could have benefitted from a “less is more” approach she almost always pivots the other way, regardless of how that affects the scene. For someone who schemed and plotted from the shadows as Patrizia Reggiano did, there never seems to be much quiet intensity in Gaga’s performance, replaced by a need to shine and exaggerate even the most imperceptible traits.

House of Gucci is a strange anomaly in Ridley Scott’s filmography; a concept that on paper looks suited to his particular talent for complex, intense storytelling but which in practicality devolves into a messy, haphazardly paced jumble of poor accents and jarring tonal shifts. It almost feels like Scott on autopilot; a perfunctory telling of a story that could have been a gripping, steadily intensifying examination of a family on the way to a breakdown. Instead we’re left with a film that will at best gain a cult following for Jared Leto’s hilariously bad performance and at worst fade from collective consciousness.

House of Gucci stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Jack Huston & Salma Hayek – In cinemas now.

4/10

Tags Adam Driver, Al Pacino, House of Gucci, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Lady Gaga, Ridley Scott, Salma Hayek

Movie Reviews

Scream (2022)

Post author By Mark
Post date January 17, 2022

For all of its commentary on the genre and self-deprecating humour about its place within it, the Scream franchise is undoubtedly one of the titans of horror; a consistently entertaining whodunnit slasher series that has always managed to keep its finger on the pulse thanks to clever writing and fantastic direction from horror icon Wes Craven. Now, six years after Craven’s unfortunate passing, the task of continuing the franchise falls to the directing team of Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (the team behind 2019’s expectation subverting Ready or Not) and for the most part their reboot/sequel continues Craven’s legacy in fine form; a well-paced mystery with plenty of inventive kills, pop-culture commentary and red herrings to keep you guessing. It may lose itself at times in the need to hit franchise beats and the return of franchise mainstays Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox aren’t exactly necessary, but Scream is nevertheless a damn fine addition to the franchise and an entertaining revitalisation for this decade.

When her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega) is brutally attacked by a killer in a Ghostface outfit, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) is forced to return to the town of Woodsboro to be by her side, with boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid) along for the ride. As the bodycount increases Sam learns that the killings could be connected to her secretive history, prompting her to enlist the aid of survivor Dewey Riley (Arquette) in order to track down the killer and stop his rampage through Tara’s group of friends. As Dewey and Sam’s investigation inevitably crosses paths with the killer and the list of suspects begins to thin, they must call upon original Ghostface survivor Sydney Prescott (Campbell) and Dewey’s now ex-wife Gale Weathers (Cox) to help them once and for all put the killer down and leave their legacy of violence in the past.

The strength of a Scream film falls down to the commentary it makes on the current state of the horror genre and, in this case, the entertainment industry as a whole; firmly setting its sights on the toxic fandoms that have arisen alongside the concept of the “requel” – essentially reboots of franchises that include legacy characters to appease long-time fans (think Star Wars: The Force Awakens or 2018’s Halloween). It’s a smart pivot away from the now somewhat dated “webcasting” and internet-age angle of 2011’s fourth instalment, with less to say about the methods and forms in which movies and television are delivered to the audience and more about the possessiveness of fans which is unfortunately often radicalised and turned violent.

Sharply written, even if it doesn’t present any actual solutions to solving the problems of these clusters of toxic fandoms, the biggest issue with the commentary is that there isn’t more of it. Sure you have your usual movie nerd character (played in an overly snarky fashion here by Jasmin Savoy Brown) spouting film theory and summarising the latest genre trends in a typically condescending way, but it doesn’t feel particularly potent; the digs at these requels particularly weak when you consider the audience is watching one play out in front of them. The hallmark of those films – the returning characters – feel out of place here, with the holy trinity of Craven’s opus largely back for fan service rather than any essential plot reason. Sure Arquette’s Dewey gets something to do, genuinely essential to the plot for a brief period, but Cox and Campbell are wholly unnecessary, their presence welcome because of our attachment to the characters as fans more than anything else.

New face of the franchise Melissa Barrera gives a somewhat stilted performance as Sam, rarely registering anything other than a direct stab as noteworthy but thankfully the supporting cast around her imbue life into the proceedings, particularly Jenna Ortega and Jack Quaid. Ortega gives a lively, incredibly sympathetic performance as Tara, a young girl whose world has been turned upside down by violent attacks and familial revelations, forcing her to shut herself off from those around her in an attempt to protect herself. Quaid dials the quirky, nerdy schtick he so perfected in The Boys up to eleven; a charming if somewhat dim third wheel to the sisters who you can’t help but love for his loyalty. And even if they aren’t completely necessary to the plot, it’s a welcome sight to see Campbell, Cox and Arquette back in character, never slouching in their ever-evolving performances as three friends who have dealt with their traumatic pasts in vastly different ways.

For the first film in the franchise not to be directed by the sadly departed Craven, Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin do a great job matching the intensity of his earlier films, crafting a whodunnit that steadily increases in tension before culminating in a gleefully unhinged finale. Scenes feel obligated as part of a Scream film at times, the sideways glances and sinister expressions required to make the audience believe everyone is a suspect are often the only characterisation given to member’s of Tara’s friend group. As such, it robs the kills of a lot of their impact, with no emotional bond tying you to the victims, and you can’t help but wonder how differently the film may have panned out had the time been spent expanding these characters’ roles rather than the returning players. That’s not to say the film lacks an immense sense of fun, with the pacing of the moment-to-moment action always keeping the audience on their toes as a character heads towards their often brutally violent end.

With the fifth instalment of Scream, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin prove that there is still plenty of gas left in the franchise’s tank to adapt and skewer the ever-evolving sensibilities of movie fans and pop-culture at large in 2022. The familiar meta commentary and gory kills make for an experience that feels both true to Craven’s vision but also one unafraid to surge forward and try new things within the framework of Scream, for better or for worse. If the franchise does move forward then it can safely do so without Campbell, Cox and Arquette; a whole new generation ready to answer that killer question: what’s your favourite scary movie?

Scream stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Tara Ortega, Jack Quaid, Dylan Minnette, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sonia Ammar, Mikey Madison, Mason Gooding, Kyle Gallner, Heather Matarazzo & Marley Shelton – In cinemas now.

8/10

Tags Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Dylan Minnette, Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jenna Ortega, Marley Shelton, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Melissa Barrera, Neve Campbell, Scream, Scream 5, Sonia Ammar, Tyler Gillett

Movie Reviews

King Richard

Post author By Mark
Post date January 2, 2022

It might seem strange for the film adaptation of the story of two of tennis’ biggest stars to not actually focus on the athletes themselves, but King Richard – the story of Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena – is all the richer for it; an examination of the quirky, controversial figure that forged two of the sporting world’s greatest athletes. Anchored by an Oscar-worthy performance from Will Smith, King Richard might not break from sports biopic tradition but tells its somewhat predictable story with so much heart and emotional warmth that it is impossible not to root for the sisters and their family as they tackle a sporting system that feared the change these two titans of tennis brought about.

As a struggling family from Compton, California, the Williams’ are a far cry from the usual privileged, wealthy crowd that populate the states gorgeously manicured tennis clubs, yet that doesn’t stop father Richard (Smith) from campaigning tirelessly to secure a coach for daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton). Having established a plan for both his daughters to achieve superstardom before they were even born, Richard and wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis) train the girls day in and day out at a local Compton court, constantly harangued by local thugs and gangsters.

But when Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), coach to tennis legend Pete Sampras, agrees to take Venus on as a student, the family’s fortunes begin to change and her star begins to rise as she dominates the junior circuit. When the family make a defining move to Florida to train both girls under Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal), Richard is put at odds against Macci, his restrictive and singular vision for their success conflicting with the tried and tested methods to achieve tennis fame. But as the girls begin to gradually change the tennis landscape, all of his doubters are finally forced to consider the genius that is Richard’s plan.

You could argue that telling the story of Venus and Serena’s plethora of success would be a predictable, almost one-sided affair, and screenwriter Zach Baylin wisely shifts the story to find adversity in their upbringing; how being African-American affected how they were treated by opposition and how the family was only able to escape the harsh, uncomfortable realities of Compton through sheer determination and perseverance. Indeed that’s the admittedly clichéd message at the centre of the story here but Baylin uses the character study of Richard in an intriguing way to show how his plan and adherence to it often conflicted with his family’s wants and needs; creating a complex, flawed character who struggles to see beyond his own vision, regardless of how this impacts his family and the relationships he forms.

Smith is simply phenomenal as Richard, the best he has been in years as he completely loses himself in the Williams patriarch, a feat you could argue on its own isn’t easy for someone with as recognisable and distinct a public persona as Smith. His devotion to his family and seeing them succeed is born out of a troubled past tainted by racism and poverty, an almost rage-like compulsion that will not be derailed by anyone. This works the best when Richard invariably butts heads with someone questioning his methods, whether that be a local thug, police officer or tennis coach; a quiet fury creeping into his voice and a quiver in his lip as he teeters on the edge of a full meltdown. His tough love approach to his family makes for some incredibly impactful moments of genuine connection between him and his daughters; tear-jerker moments that manipulate the audience to beautiful effect.

Relative newcomers Sidney and Singleton prove that they have tremendous skill, particularly Sidney, who imbues Venus with a fierce confidence and an infectious playfulness at the sheer joy of being able to finally play the game against challenging opponents. Arguably the (ever so slightly) less successful of the two sisters, it is somewhat refreshing that the film places majority of its focus on Venus, who is initially selected to receive coaching and play in professional matches whilst Serena patiently waits in the wings, learning the same skills through recorded footage of Venus’ training sessions.

If Sidney is pent-up energy and excitement finally released then Singleton is the quiet, fierce competitiveness of Serena waiting to burst forth and obliterate the competition, with the young actress giving a nuanced look at Serena’s self-reflection and mild resentment towards being left out whilst her sister takes centre stage. Jon Bernthal, one of the best character actors working today, continues that streak here as the quirky, exasperated coach Rick Macci; a nasally, overly confident man who truly believes in the girls’ talent and pushes back at their father in order to see that potential fulfilled.

Like one of the Williams’ sisters fearsome serves, King Richard is an extremely effective crowd-pleaser featuring one of the best performances of the year from Will Smith. What it lacks in changes to the traditional sports biopic formula it makes up for in sheer heart, culminating in a fist-pumping, tear-inducing finale that beautifully ties together its message of staying strong in the face of adversity. Some might look at Richard Williams methods and disagree with the harshness of them, but a combined 30 grand slam wins later, you can’t argue with the results.

King Richard stars Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Daniele Lawson, Layla Crawford & Jon Bernthal – In Australian cinemas January 13th and streaming in the US on HBO Max now.

9/10

Tags Aunjanue Ellis, Demi Singleton, Jon Bernthal, King Richard, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Saniyya Sidney, Tony Goldwyn, Will Smith

Movie Reviews

Don’t Look Up

Post author By Mark
Post date December 30, 2021

Adam McKay’s transition from raunchy Will Ferrell-starring comedies of the mid 2000’s to political, hot-button issue skewering satire continues with Don’t Look Up, a star studded affair that deals with humanity’s inability to fully engage with scientific fact in the face of a deadly crisis. It isn’t a particularly subtle look at the current climate issue, beating you over the head with messaging at every chance without offering much by the way of actual solutions, but McKay does succeed in creating an uncomfortably accurate depiction of inaction within our society. While that may sound like a depressing watch, the performances keep you locked in and the comedy, while not as consistent as you would think, flows fast enough that there is almost always a laugh to be had, even if the situation itself is anything but funny.

After making a startling discovery that a comet is heading towards Earth, the impact of which will cause the extinction of life as we know it, Professor Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), graduate student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan) set out on a desperate mission to make those in charge aware of the impending doom. Their quest quickly becomes a comedy of errors as, after being laughed out of the White House by Trump-adjacent President Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her son/chief-of-staff Jason (Jonah Hill), Mindy and Kate attempt to appeal to the American public through the entertainment industry. When Mindy starts to let his newfound fame go to his head, abandoning Kate in the process, he is left to to pick up the pieces of his shattered life as the government launch a desperate mission to put a stop the comet, as long as it means they profit.

In a world where Hollywood pandering has become, in some instances, worse than ever (did we all collectively forget last year’s godawful viral “Imagine” cover?) Don’t Look Up’s message rings a little hollow. While there’s no doubt that McKay means well and obviously cares very much about the issue he is espousing, it’s hard to shake the knowledge that this is a 75 million dollar film. Couldn’t that money have been better spent actually contributing towards climate research and tangible results rather than hoping a 2 hour film would convince people to switch from plastic to reusable water bottles? McKay employs a haphazard editing style at times – splicing in images of people huddled together or nature in its element – to further highlight how widespread the issue really is, but apart from being mildly nauseating with its speed, it never hits the way it is intended; bludgeoning us with the message instead of building it naturally around the characters.

Whatever your political leanings about climate change it’s hard to argue with how accurately McKay has managed to portray society’s collective tendency to reject harsh truths, seeking out the comfort of falsified media and happy, throwaway news items to distract us from reality. Tantamount to this are DiCaprio and Lawrence’s characters and the pair do an excellent job conveying the exasperation of their science being completely swept aside despite the very real and pertinent warning it carries. Kate is far less diplomatic in her approach to delivering this message, favouring a blunt approach and making for some hilariously awkward moments when placed in front of a camera and forced to play nice on morning television. Mindy is the opposite, a quiet man prone to extreme panic attacks which DiCaprio hams up to great effect, a nervous wreck of shivering anxiety and nervous ticks that explodes into some harsh, often gut-bustlingly funny rants.

The finest performances, however, come from two supporting players. Jonah Hill is the best he has been since The Wolf of Wall Street, clearly relishing playing the snarky son of the president who has only got his position through sheer negligence. His smarmy, under his breath delivery is anything but hilarious, with a eulogy for the myriad of physical items that will be lost if the world ends a particular stand-out. Then there is Mark Rylance as Peter Isherwell, an amalgamation of tech giants ranging from Jeff Bezos to Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. It’s a ridiculously over-the-top performance, from the nasally, carefully measured cadence Rylance employs to the artificially white smile he flashes despite his “genius” ideas blowing up in his face at every turn. But in a film with a cast this stacked there are bound to be a few weak links, and perhaps the weakest is Ariana Grande – playing a painfully exaggerated pop-star – whose big fundraiser performance scene stops the film dead in its tracks; a bizarre detour that robs the momentum going into the big finale and one that only feels present to showcase Grande’s voice, regardless of its relevance to the plot.

It’s hard to imagine a film with as good a cast as Don’t Look Up just being fine, but alas, Adam McKay’s latest film places too much emphasis on hammering the audience with its message that it forgets to embrace the over-the-top hilarity that the situation and these actors present. DiCaprio and Lawrence anchor the film in the way you would expect from actors of their calibre, but it is Jonah Hill and Mark Rylance that steal the show, offering brief glimpses at what the film should be had it fully embraced the zaniness it only dabbles in. A perfectly watchable experience while you are in it, Don’t Look Up never provides too many reasons for anyone to ever look up at it on the screen again. We get the point Mr. McKay, but what’s Ricky Bobby doing these days?

Don’t Look Up stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Mark Rylance, Jonah Hill, Rob Morgan, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Melanie Lynskey, Himesh Patel, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans & Meryl Streep – Streaming on Netflix now.

6.5/10

Tags Adam McKay, Ariana Grande, Cate Blanchett, Don't Look Up, Himesh Patel, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Kid Cudi, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Rylance, Meryl Streep, Michael Chiklis, Netflix, Rob Morgan, Ron Perlman, Scott Mescudi, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Perry

Movie Reviews

The Matrix Resurrections

Post author By Mark
Post date December 27, 2021

Sequels to long dormant franchises are all the rage these days, but if there was one franchise that was expansive and confusing enough to truly warrant the sequel/reboot treatment it was The Matrix. Well that time is now, with one half of original directing team Lana Wachowski returning to the reality-questioning world of Neo and Trinity with a lot to say about the current landscape of entertainment and how audiences approach it. Whilst that extremely heavy-handed commentary doesn’t work as well as Wachowski thinks, the story that is told is a refreshingly straightforward affair for a franchise that became so bogged down in overly complex world-building. It isn’t a return to the form of that original film but Resurrections is a fun enough, if forgettable trip back into the Matrix.

Now living as the celebrated game designer behind “The Matrix” – a trilogy of video games that adapt the original trilogy of movies – Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is in a creative rut, forced by management to revisit his seminal franchise to produce “The Matrix 4”. A test run of code for the game opens up Thomas’ world to Bugs (Jessica Henwick) and a program that soon reveals himself to be a reincarnation of Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) questions the reality of Thomas’ situation. When Thomas starts to notice similarities between Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss) – a woman he sees at a local coffee shop – and the Trinity character from his game, the world around him begins to unravel, ultimately leading to Morpheus and Bugs once again extracting Thomas from the Matrix into the real world, where the legend of Neo looms large. Once again at war with the machines and a smarter, more deadly version of the Matrix, Neo sets out on a desperate attempt to rescue Trinity from captivity, knowing that only together will they be able to end the war once and for all.

Wachowski clearly has an agenda when it comes to Resurrections, taking aim at the surge of sequels, reboots and spin-offs that took the entertainment industry by storm since her original trilogy was at its height in 2003. To call this commentary on the nose would be an understatement, with the story going extremely meta in name checking Warner Bros as wanting this very sequel as a result of corporate greed. The rare few times where this works is when the film embraces humour in a way the franchise never previously did, with an amusing montage poking fun at every hot-take and analysis piece written about The Matrix. Mostly though, the film takes any chance it can to skewer the trend, even going so far as to having a returning character spit on the very idea of a “sequel franchise spin-off”. Does that character even need to be in the film? Not at all, but that in itself just another layer of ridicule and scorn that Wachowski constantly assaults the viewer with.

Where it loses the viewer is in the incoherence of its message, with Wachowski heavily borrowing elements from these hated reboot/sequels; copying action beats from her earlier films and even going so far as to include a cute, infinitely marketable fist-bumping robot. Is it all just one big joke on the viewer? Much like the world of the Matrix it’s impossible to tell at times, which gives the whole film a rather cold, empty feeling. Is this a genuine attempt to return to a beloved franchise and should we actually care about anything going on or is this just a spoof on what audiences have become accustomed to from blockbuster filmmaking? The very concept of the previous trilogy as nothing more than a blip in the larger narrative, reduced to a simple video-game by the newly developed Matrix, devalues the audience investment to a degree – why should we get excited about what very well could be a new series of films if they can simply be wiped away in the future, fans be damned? Sure you could argue Marvel movies commit a similar sin, cheapening deaths by reviving characters but it seems hard to be believe that Wachowski has such an issue with this that she bastardised her beloved franchise to present what amounts to one big rant about the state of film.

The first half of the film is where this commentary reigns supreme but thankfully this levels out once Neo is removed from the Matrix once again. What makes it so easy to push that cynicism aside and simply enjoy the ride is Keanu Reeves, who plays the unassuming Neo so endearingly earnestly that it is impossible not to root for this everyman once again thrown in way over his head. New franchise recruits Jessica Henwick and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are fantastic, fully committing to the characters and world in a way that makes them feel like they have been apart of the franchise since the beginning. On an action level is where Resurrections is at its most disappointing, eschewing the visceral close combat and inventive stylings of earlier instalments in favour of the quick-cut nonsense of modern action films; failing to properly showcase the impressive fight choreography Reeves is more than capable of. It only serves to further muddy Wachowski’s point, turning her once-revolutionary action franchise into just one of the many poorly shot action films that exist today, devoid of any truly standout set-pieces that were once the franchises bread and butter.

The Matrix: Resurrections ultimately ends up like the other sequels, taking one step forward towards furthering the franchises and the bevy of interesting ideas behind it, before taking two back by cluttering an already confusing world; this time with a meta commentary so muddled that it is impossible to tell what beats are meant in earnest and which are poking fun at the state of modern film. Keanu Reeves remains this series’ strongest element, once again giving an enrapturing performance as Neo which is only strengthened by a solid supporting cast. When the film is pared back to its roots of inventive sci-fi action is when it is at its best, a solid enough ride that will leave you with a smile on your face at the fact that yes, after all these years, Keanu Reeves still knows kung-fu.

The Matrix: Resurrections stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jada Pinkett Smith, Christina Ricci & Neil Patrick Harris – In cinemas now and streaming on HBO Max in the US.

6/10

Tags Carrie-Anne Moss, Christina Ricci, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Keanu Reeves, Lana Wachowski, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, The Matrix, The Matrix Resurrections, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II