Tag: Vera Farmiga

Hawkeye

Post author By Mark
Post date December 23, 2021

If you were to ask most people who their favourite Avenger was, chances are not many would choose the bow and arrow wielding Hawkeye. His new Disney+ show aims to change all that; a Christmas-set thrill ride that focuses on the archer outside of his Avenging duties, beaten up and bruised as he takes on the training of a new recruit. Like a lot of these Disney+ shows it doesn’t quite stick the landing, but with everything else it gets right – charming chemistry between the leads, Christmas atmosphere and incredibly fun action scenes – Hawkeye doesn’t miss, one of the finest things Marvel has produced in recent memory.

In New York for a pre-Christmas bonding trip with his recently returned from the Blip kids, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) relearns that he is never truly off the clock when his Ronin suit – a costume from his earlier days as a cold-blooded mercenary – is unveiled at a local black market auction. Fearful that his identity will be uncovered by associates of the criminals he put a stop to and his family put in danger, Clint sets out to locate the suit, which just so happens to have been taken by Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) – a young archer who idolises Hawkeye and has unknowingly made herself a target for all those who hold a grudge against the Ronin. The pair must team up in order to clear both their names, in the process tangling with tracksuit garbed mafia goons, Kate’s sword-wielding soon-to-be stepfather Jack (Tony Dalton) and Maya (Alaqua Cox), a young deaf woman with a particularly personal score to settle with the Ronin.

Setting Hawkeye as Marvel’s big Christmas show proves to be a stroke of genius; the Christmas carol filled soundtrack and snow-covered New York City creating such an overwhelming energy of fun that is impossible not to be swept up in. Christmas also acts as a powerful motivator for Clint, giving the show a constant undercurrent of tension as we fret over whether he will make it back in time for his first family Christmas in 5 years. The stakes are admittedly low in terms of the MCU of it all; the world won’t end if he doesn’t make it home for Christmas but to Clint, not disappointing his family is everything, and after all he has been through you can’t help but root for him, creating some genuine audience investment in a character who had largely been written of as the joke Avenger.

Those personal stakes also make the action feel that much more intense and meaningful, the desperate struggles of a hurt man just looking to survive each bout if it means he is one step closer to his family. The hand-to-hand combat is choreographed impressively well, impactful and brutal in ways that make you fear for Clint, whilst also managing to be surprisingly funny, with the series taking full advantage of Clint’s tired and frustrated “seen it all before” attitude. Where the audience starts to adopt that same attitude is in the finale; a typically massive, explosion filled affair that, while gripping thanks to our investment in the characters, can’t help but feel a little over-the-top and nonsensical. The entire show has been this somewhat grounded look at these two characters who have been put through the ringer, reeling from every scrape and bruise and suddenly they are taking hundreds of hits and shrugging them off. A visually epic series of scenes sure, but one that doesn’t quite gel with the tone previously established.

Where the show truly shines is in the chemistry between Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld, an endlessly endearing relationship that plays off the grizzled mentor/overly-excited student trope to terrific effect. If Hawkeye is a superhero coming to the end of a long, hard career of crime-fighting then Kate Bishop is one at the very cusp of her own, all wide-eyed, chattering excitement at learning the tricks of the trade. Kate feels like such a desperately needed shot of energy that it is hard to imagine how the MCU ever survived without her, Steinfeld constantly firing on all cylinders with an endless supply of smart-ass jokes and an obsession with trick arrows that makes for some truly wonderful pay-offs. Steinfeld’s character isn’t only one of unbridled optimism and she is deeply affecting in those quieter moments when Kate’s entire world is turned upside down, her perception of what her life has been and what it will be going forward completely shifting and forcing her to adapt.

Alaqua Cox’s Maya is a step in the right direction towards on-screen representation but there’s a sense that there is more to her and the show is holding back, saving vital character development for her future spin-off show. While that show might be great, Maya’s appearance here can’t help but feel slightly undercooked, an unnecessary detour from Kate and Clint’s main investigation that adds some depth to his exploits as the Ronin and makes for some great action moments but ultimately peters off with a whimper, her finale appearance feeling obligated to push the character’s profile rather than necessary to the plot. Other character appearances, which we’ll leave unspoiled, add a lot to the show by way of emotional depth and sheer fun factor, and one in particular will have long-time fans cheering from their living rooms; a Christmas present that hopefully will only continue to grow from here.

It’s safe to say that not many people were clamouring for a deep-dive into what Clint Barton does on his off-days from Avenging, but Hawkeye earns its Christmas status as one of the biggest treats of the year; a heartwarming and electric adventure through New York City that gives Jeremy Renner the material he truly deserves and introduces audiences to what will no doubt be a fan-favourite character going forward in Kate Bishop. The small scale and focus on the burgeoning mentor/student relationship make for a refreshingly personal take on the MCU, one that moves beyond its formulaic ending to become one of, if not the best Marvel show so far. He might just be a guy with a bow and arrow, but Hawkeye certainly doesn’t miss here.

Hawkeye stars Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Vera Farmiga, Alaqua Cox, Tony Dalton, Fra Fee & Linda Cardellini – Streaming on Disney+ now.

9/10

Tags Alaqua Cox, Bert & Bertie, Fra Fee, Hailee Steinfeld, Hawkeye, Jeremy Renner, Kevin Feige, Linda Cardellini, Marvel, Rhys Thomas, Tony Dalton, Vera Farmiga

Movie Reviews

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

Post author By Mark
Post date June 15, 2021

The Conjuring series may very well be the best horror franchise chugging along today. Sure it has had its misfires, with The Nun and The Curse of la Llorona, but for everyone of those (which are still admittedly better than half the big studio garbage pumped out today) you get a true horror classic like Annabelle: Creation or the first two Conjuring films. It’s safe to say the franchise would not exist if it weren’t for one James Wan, the best working horror director today. His rising star may have prevented him from helming the third instalment in the mainline series –The Devil Made Me Do It – but that hasn’t stopped Warner Bros from surging ahead anyway, with la Llorona director Michael Chaves stepping into the directing shoes.

How does he do? Pretty damn well if you ask me. The Devil Made Me Do it never fully recovers from Wan’s absence, but Chaves wisely moves the story into new territory, centering on real-life demonologists Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) as they not only battle unholy forces again but the judicial system, in a frantic race to find crucial evidence that will spare a possessed young man from a murder charge. It’s a story that is, perhaps to what some will consider its detriment, less focused on scares and more so on the relationship between Ed and Lorraine. This is Wilson and Farmiga’s fourth time playing these roles and they get better every time, with such a natural chemistry and believable love for each other that it is just impossible not to root for them against evil. By throwing new, very human hurdles at the Warrens (Ed is in constant fear of suffering a heart attack following an incident) Chaves plays on our fear of losing one or both of these characters to terrific effect. It isn’t so much scary as it is unbelievably tense at times, and you fully believe that the couple could perish at any minute despite their headlining status.

Where the story falters is in its characterisation of the supporting cast. In the previous two Conjuring films the Warrens were used almost as a device to stitch together a broken family, revealing their bond and endearing themselves to the audience as they help some truly damaged people. Here however, the victim in question, Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor) just isn’t given enough screen-time or things to do to ever truly make you care. Once he arrives in prison following the demon-driven murder of his housemate, that is pretty much it for his character, who acts more as a visual ticking clock to remind you of the stakes for the Warrens rather than his own fully fleshed out character. There are attempts made to flesh out Arne through his devoted girlfriend Debbie (Sarah Catherine Hook), with Hook giving a fine dramatic performance, suitably distraught at her boyfriends predicament but nothing we haven’t seen before from the franchise. By not having the Warren’s thoroughly interact with Arne and learn about him the whole affair becomes a bit deflated. We only really care because we have a pre-existing care for the Warrens and no half-baked attempts to assert Ed’s confidence in Arne’s innocence because he caught a look in his eyes is enough to fully bring the audience on board.

Then there are the scares, which by most people’s assessment will make or break the film. Nothing here is as iconic or instantly impactful as the Nun’s arrival in The Conjuring 2 or the game of hide and clap in the original, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some incredibly well shot and paced scares. The highlight is undoubtedly an all-too brief water-bed scene, which puts child actor Julian Hillard’s skills on full display. It’s a slow burn of a scare, but when it hits it hits like a shot-gun blast to the face. Everything else… not so much. It’s a hard thing to dance around without spoiling things but sufficed to say Chaves places so much focus on the mystery of the demon and its origins – replacing the simple terror of a demon unleashing hell of the previous films with something more manipulated- that the premise just inherently some of the fear factor. What we’re left with are a series of pretty stock-standard jump scares that, whilst predictable, are still done better than 90% of the horror competition out there, with Chaves always achieving the desired jolt through slick and measured camera movements, demonstrating far more control over the scares than on la Llorona.

The Devil Made Me Do It marks a continuation of the shift in tone set by Annabelle Comes Home to less conventional horror storytelling, this time in the form of a demonic-leaning murder-mystery. The lack of James Wan’s flair with the camera is sorely felt at times but Chaves does a commendable job stepping into his shoes; furthering the bond between the Warrens and ensuring the audience has a fun time while he does it, even if the scares don’t quite measure up to the franchise’s best. We may never hit the nightmare inducing heights of those first 2 films again (unless Wan makes a miraculous return) but if this is the direction that the Conjuring universe is heading in going forward, then the future is anything but boring.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It stars Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hillard, Eugenie Bondurant & John Noble – In cinemas now and streaming on HBO Max in the US.

Tags Eugenie Bondurant, John Noble, Julian Hillard, Michael Chaves, New Line Cinema, Patrick Wilson, Ruairi O'Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, The Conjuring, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Vera Farmiga, Warner Bros

Movie Reviews

Annabelle Comes Home

Post author By Mark
Post date July 3, 2019

Annabelle Comes Home is an interestingly placed film in the Conjuring universe. It serves as a convergence of the Conjuring film series and the Annabelle spin-off films – the Avengers of this shared universe, if you will. On paper the premise sounds dynamite: Annabelle the evil doll joining forces with all the other cursed nasties in the Warren’s (the demonologists from The Conjuring) artefact room to wreak havoc. However what we’re ultimately presented with is a hodge-podge of random scares and disjointed, half-baked premises that ultimately don’t go anywhere. It’s not the worst film in the Conjuring universe so far, but it’s certainly not up to the standard of the main series films or 2017’s excellent Annabelle: Creation.

The spin-off opts for a more contained story than the mainline Conjuring films, isolating the action almost entirely to the Warren’s house. When Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Famiga) Warren go away for a weekend they leave their daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace) in the care of babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and her uninvited friend Daniela (Katie Sarife). Daniela has recently lost her father, and enters the Warren’s artefact room in an attempt to contact the spirit of the deceased patriarch, unwittingly unlocking Annabelle and the evil spirit within. From here we have ourselves a movie as Annabelle proceeds to take control of every haunted item within the room, turning this laid-back weekend into a fight for survival as the three girls are haunted by a variety of demonic entities.

The films in the Conjuring universe up to this point have largely stuck to a serious tone, foregoing jokes in favour of intense scares and creepy narratives that always keep you on your toes waiting for the next big scare. Annabelle Comes Home breaks from tradition here by playing with a fun, haunted house atmosphere. It is a different tone, choosing to focus on the craziness of multiple monsters and demons stalking and toying with their victims in an enclosed space rather than the mental terrorism inflicted by the demons in the other Conjuring films. With this lighter tone comes a greater focus on comedy, with an entire subplot dedicated to a potential love interest for Mary Ellen, which varies between reasonably funny and downright awful. The character of Bob (Michael Cimino), also known as “Bob’s got balls”, handles the brunt of this humour and the movie, quite frankly, thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. There’s only so many times you can make the same joke about a timid, harmless guy who is surprisingly useful during a demon attack and the character quickly becomes grating. His awkward encounters with Mary Ellen are irritating rather than endearing and the running “Bob’s got balls” joke is overused without ever actually being funny. It’s a self-referential wink to Bob’s arc and his later relevance to the plot which comes across as the writers thinking it’s more clever than it really is.

This leads in to another major problem with the film: pacing. The only way to describe the first 45 minutes is glacial with barely a scare to be found within it. It’s all an excruciatingly long setup for the events to come, introducing us to these three main characters and showing us the layout of the house. Whilst overly long, the film does a good job making sure we know the entire layout of the house, which will soon become a prison for the characters. I always knew where everyone was in relation to the other humans and monsters, which makes it far spookier when parts of the house change as the demons start to emerge. Speaking of monsters, there are plenty to choose from here, all controlled by the demonic entity that inhabits Annabelle, and that is really the biggest issue with Annabelle Comes Home. There’s no development given to these other demons, therefore no reason to be scared of them other than their looks or because they’ve arrived as part of a loud jump scare. The most we get is character’s reading portions of case files on a few of the more prominent creatures, however it doesn’t mean much when the histories being described sound more interesting than the film you’re watching. The Conjuring 2 is a perfect example of well developed scares: we spend time with the family being haunted and come to understand their dynamic and they way they are being haunted. This attachment to the characters means we actually care and empathise when the scares start and what scares our characters scares us too. Here, the characters just aren’t developed or likeable enough and make some downright stupid decisions.

The horror genre isn’t exactly known for its acting talent with the rare exception here and there. In the mainline Conjuring films, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga were exceptions, giving well rounded, believable performances as real life demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. There was much hype surrounding their return for the third Annabelle film but if you were one of those people excited to see them kicking ghost butt, you might want to temper your expectations. The film is laser focused on their daughter, using the elder Warrens as a framing device to tease the horror she is about to face. McKenna Grace is the star here, at just 13 years old, she carries the film, giving a performance that is incredibly mature for her age, as a child living with intense bullying due to her parents occupation who also happens to have her mother’s gift of seeing undead spirits. She’s the most capable of the three girls at handling the situation unfolding, which can be a little unsettling considering if in the same situation most people would sit down and simultaneously cry and wet themselves. Madison Iseman’s character Mary Ellen is just about as boring and stereotypical as you can get when it comes to Final Girls. She doesn’t have a whole lot to do other than console Judie and Daniela and scream, and she does what she can but the role is ultimately just bland with some truly awful dialogue at times. Her chemistry with Michael Cimino, who plays Bob, is non-existent and seems like something of an afterthought to give the character some kind of subplot. The final member of the trio is Katie Sarife’s character Daniela, who has the most complete arc of all the characters, which stems from her guilt over the death of her father. Whilst she can be extremely annoying at times and her decisions often don’t make any sense, there’s a vulnerability to her character and her motivations are innocent, even if she causes one hell of a night.

Annabelle Comes Home is ultimately a disappointment and sits in the middle of the pack of Conjuring universe films. An interesting premise is wasted on weakly written characters and scares that ultimately feel bland and unwarranted. The lack of development of any of the key monsters renders them useless when it comes to frightening audiences other than the occasional jump scare. The Conjuring and Annabelle franchises have been better than this – here’s hoping they can regain their quality.

Annabelle Comes Home stars McKenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino, Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga – In cinemas now.

Tags Annabelle, Annabelle Comes Home, Conjuring, Madison Iseman, McKenna Grace, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga

Movie Reviews

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Post author By Mark
Post date June 3, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the long awaited sequel to 2014’s Godzilla, certainly sends a message to those who complained the last film was lacking in monster mayhem. The film is the polar opposite of its predecessor in this sense – delivering mountains of creature carnage to the screen and introducing several famous monsters from the expansive Godzilla history to boot. The action is nothing short of amazing; epic in scope with flawless visual effects and excellent camera direction giving you a front seat to these enormous battles for supremacy over our planet. Where the sequel falls apart, however, is in its ridiculous, unnecessarily convoluted story which attempts to juggle far too many characters and plot-lines at once for the audience to really care about any one in particular. Whilst this aspect of the film is disappointing for sure, the human story is not what most viewers come to these movies for, and the spectacle of the monsters is more than enough to keep most audiences satisfied.

Let’s get right into that story which, similarly to the 2014 film, centres around a family. The Russell family suffered a tremendous loss during Godzilla’s first foray onto land in San Francisco and in the 5 years following have drifted apart. Mother Emma (Vera Farmiga) has pledged herself to studying these incredibly large creatures, known as Titans – who have begun turning up in a variety of locations around the globe – for the now not-so-secret monster research group Monarch, with daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) in tow. Meanwhile Mark (Kyle Chandler), the Russell patriarch, has been struggling to cope with the events of San Fransisco and has isolated himself in quiet mountain territory as he recovers from a battle with alcoholism. When Emma and Madison’s latest encounter with a Titan is interrupted by a group of eco-terrorists, led by mercenary Jonah Alan (Charles Dance), Mark must unite with Emma’s Monarch co-workers (Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Thomas Middleditch) to locate his daughter, ex-wife and her latest creation: a device capable of communicating with the Titans. This becomes a race against time before it falls into the wrong hands and the Titans are unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. This is a lot to unpack; with numerous characters and plot-lines in play and we haven’t even got into how Godzilla factors into all of this.

It’s clear that director Mike Dougherty has a deep appreciation and attachment to the Godzilla franchise and that the story here is a homage of sorts to the crazy narratives of those films. Whilst that works in the context of a cheesy Saturday afternoon monster movie where men in rubber suits walk around knocking each other into cardboard buildings, the world that was established in Gareth Edwards film is very much a centred, real-world take on what would happen if these creatures showed up in our world. Those old films found it necessary to have these wacky human-centric plots to break up the action and to deal with budget constraints, and it works with the tone that was set. In this more grounded take on the Godzilla universe, that tone just doesn’t work and whilst I appreciate what Dougherty was trying to do – which will probably appeal to many long-time fans of the franchise – I would have preferred to see the series carry the tone across from the 2014 film, or at the very least reign in some of the more over-the-top aspects of the story.

What works best in King of the Monsters is, as the name suggests, the monsters. Godzilla is as fearsome as he was in the last film and the writers (Dougherty, Zach Shields and Max Borenstein) are clearly having a ball exploring the background and inner workings of the giant lizard. Their respect and reverence towards Godzilla comes across in the story, where he is touted as the protector of humanity, as well as through the relationship with Ken Watanabe’s character Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. Serizawa clearly worships Godzilla as he’s studied him for years and there is such a strong connection here that is clearly symbolic of the writers’ – and to a larger degree, Godzilla fans’ – connection to the franchise as a whole. Added to the mix this time around are classic Godzilla staples Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan to punch up the monster roster as well as to provide some more big battles and variety in the fights. It’s something I was particularly grateful for after seeing Godzilla fight a few times, as I was craving something different from these confrontations and it certainly delivered, taking action to the skies with Ghidorah and Rodan, and involving the human military forces in a surprisingly effective way. The film does a good job of not simply having human characters sitting around witnessing the carnage but taking matters into their own hands. It makes a difference as these separate stories do not confine the separate camera angles like the first film did, which was almost always from the point of view of a ground-level character. Here we get stunning wide angle shots of the action not tied down to a human character and the film features some truly gorgeous imagery as a result.

Inside of this ridiculous story are a veritable smorgasboard of some of the best actors working in the business today, and while not every performance is a home-run, the actors are all trying their best with the narrative they have been given. At the top end of this spectrum are returning mainstays Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins, both of whom give terrific performances as Monarch scientists who have now risen to the top of the food chain in this new world order as the authority on Titans. Watanabe shares some genuinely emotional scenes with Godzilla and he is definitely the beating heart of the film, a representative of the audience’s attachment to these creatures and films. Newcomers Millie Bobby Brown and Thomas Middleditch also deliver the goods, both having come off major television shows in Stranger Things and Silicon Valley respectively. Brown is clearly having a ball playing the tough-as-nails kid who has grown up around these monsters and has a deep emotional connection with them. Whilst her particular narrative takes a few left turns here and there logically, Brown’s commitment to the role never wavers and she lights up the screen. Middleditch, having led a sit-com for several years, is understandably assigned a majority of the humour in the film, which he pulls off seemingly effortlessly as a scientist who appears to have almost no knowledge of basic human interactions. He also gets a chance to show some real emotional depth and he handles it remarkably well, showing that he is more than just a comedian and I hope more roles go his way that utilise this skillset.

This is where the acting takes a turn however, with the performances of Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler in particular. Farmiga, who is normally excellent, seems as though she doesn’t know what kind of movie she’s in – playing the role of a scientist obsessed with not allowing another San Francisco incident to occur. There isn’t much emotion that comes through in her performance and I was never quite sure what her motivations really were, which was not helped by the downright stupid and illogical decisions her character makes. On the other hand, Kyle Chandler’s character was so one-note and bland that I was just annoyed whenever he would appear on-screen, again making some supremely stupid character choices that contradict the development we have just seen his character go through. It’s unfortunate that the film has actors of such a high calibre and can’t do anything interesting with them and I couldn’t help but think that by losing some of the seemingly endless characters and really focusing on a core cast the film could have come up with a tighter story with some solid, meaningful character development.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a different beast to its predecessor. One that tries to continue the story set up by Gareth Edwards film as well as a celebration of the franchise’s fifty plus year history. Whilst it doesn’t all hit the way it is intended to – with a murky, illogical story and some awful characters – when the giant beasts converge on the screen to fight you cannot look away. It is a testament to these characters and their legacy, as well as the incredible work of the visual effects team, that after all this time there’s something so pure and enticing about giant monsters fighting amongst humanity and the society we hold so dear, destroying everything in their path.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Thomas Middleditch & O’Shea Jackson Jr. – In cinemas now.

Tags Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Ken Watanabe, King of the Monsters, Kyle Chandler, Mike Dougherty, Millie Bobby Brown, Sally Hawkins, Vera Farmiga