Book Club – Film #40

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Dave On Film

Bestseller or bargain bin?

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This evening was a preview screening of the new romantic comedy “Book Club” starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson and Alicia Silverstone.

The four leading ladies all attend a book club with each other where they drink wine and moan about their sex lives. One day, one of them brings along a copy of the first 50 Shades Of Grey book, and their lives take a turn and a sexual awakening rouses in their old age. Fonda’s Vivian begins seeing an old flame, Keaton’s Diane (yeah same name in real life) falls for a rich guy she meets on a place (Andy Garcia), Bergan’s Sharon enters the online dating scene, and Steenburgen’s Carol attempts to rouse her husband back into passion.

I was absolutely pleasantly surprised by the whole film. Now, as a 36 year old man, this shouldn’t really appeal to me, and having not seen any trailers, I didn’t really know what to expect. What a treat it was though. Diane, Mary, Jane and Candice are amazing in the main roles. The characters all play off each other really well. There’s moments whilst watching where you start to believe that this could actually be their lives and we are watching some kind of reality TV show starring aged actresses trying to kickstart their career again. It all works really well.

Yes it’s fluffy in places, especially in the final third of the film, but there is so much comedy in there it’s brilliant. Almost all the laughs come from the delivery of the fantastic dialogue, which is credit both to the writer and the stars of the film. All the side characters are perfectly placed too…and it’s nice to see Alicia Silverstone back on the screen (I always did have a thing for her!)

Such a delight of a movie which will be bypassed by a lot of people due to the poster and the premise of the film, but take it from me, it’s very funny and it’s definitely worth a viewing!

4/5

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Life Of The Party – Film #39

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Dave On Film

Back to School or Back to the Drawing Board?

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Mention Melissa McCarthy to people and you either get “oh she’s hilarious” or “god she is so unfunny!” and unfortunately I have lately been in the latter camp. After a big success with Bridesmaids, I have just found almost everything she has turned her hand to to be poorly executed…and I feared for Life Of The Party too. The trailer turned up a few laughs but it was clear it wasn’t going to be constant throughout.

So as the film started and really struggled to get going, I thought we were going down a painful road of unfunny comedy, squeezed into the age old trope of “older person goes to do something that younger people do” as seen in many of it’s predecessors.

It does, however, pick up. There are some genuine laugh out loud moments that had me really belting out some belly laughs. The unfortunate thing is that two or three REALLY funny scenes, a comedy film it makes not! Most of the attempts at comedy between these good points is truly painful. I actually found any scene with Bridesmaids co-star Maya Rudolph in them to be a lot funnier than anything else in the film. She really brings the chuckles to the film and keeps them there.

There’s some silly subplots about a girl who had been in a coma for 8 years, and the strange roommate, but any jokes directed at these very rarely pay off, and the ultimate coming together of both those storylines feels a little abject and shoehorned in there for a glamour moment.

It’s not terrible, but it’s absolutely miles off being the funniest film of the year.

3/5

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Sherlock Gnomes – Film #38

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Dave On Film

Fancy Garden Ornament, or Cracked Porcelain?

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The gnomes are back after their 2011 take on the Romeo and Juliet story, this time they bring in the world of Sherlock Holmes and Watson into their porcelain lives.

Gnomes are going missing everywhere and Sherlock Gnomes is on the hunt for the Gnomenapper across London. He bumps into Gnomeo and Juliet after the rest of the gnomes in the garden go missing and they all head off together, with Watson, to track them down.

Moriarty is the bad guy, as any Sherlock fans will know and accompanied by a couple of gargoyle dragons, the heroes have their work cut out.

Now, I loved Gnomeo & Juliet. I thought it was funny and a fantastic reworking of the Romeo and Juliet story, making it clear which bits were adapted from which bits of the original story. The problem with this is the source material. As they are using Sherlock Holmes, it feels kinda forced and hard work sometimes, almost like they could have done the film without the Sherlock character at all.

Then we have Moriarty, some kind of pie mascot who is so cartoonish, every time he’s on screen, it completely takes you away from the reality of how well designed the gnomes are in the film. The animation on the gnomes really makes you think this could have been done with real gnomes in stop motion, but Moriarty is just way too “toon-like” to be believable.

There’s also a distinct lack of adult engagement in the film. I remember the first film being filled with references for everyone, things that will go over kids heads, but this really didnt have them present.

My three year old loved it and was talking about it all the way home, but for me it just fell drastically short of it’s predecessor

2/5

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I Feel Pretty – Film #37

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Dave On Film

Fat full of laughs or a bit thin on the ground?

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The new Amy Schumer film is here…strap in!

After seeing a pretty painful trailer more than enough times, I was going into I Feel Pretty with low expectations but it actually came out alright. It’s nothing spectacular and never attempts to be. It’s not going to come out on the top half of the funniest films of the last ten years, but it’s a fair effort.

Quick overview…Amy Schumer is Renee, a thirty-something who hates her body and image until she takes a ridiculous knock on the head and suddenly starts to think she’s thin and fabulous. Cue loads of looking at herself in mirrors being amazed at her new look, as well as showing off her new image to friends who clearly just see her as the exact same person she was before, albeit with a renewed sense of self-worth.

There’s a new line being launched by the high end fashion company she works for and moves out of the e-commerce pit she lives in, unseen by the public, and into a front-facing role in the company as they look to launch a new initiative aimed at “the normal woman”

So now you’re up to speed, here’s my thoughts.

My initial reaction is that, taking a step back from what the film is showing us, Amy Schumer is genuinely a beautiful and fantastically figured woman. She is however in that camp of endlessly making image-motivating posts online with photoshoots showing that “the bigger woman can be sexy too” for want of a better phrase. But this is my issue..there’s nothing wrong with her. And therein lies the drawback of this film. Its as though it’s trying to say “oh look at this vile, revolting creature and oh, now look, she’s confident because she likes her body and everything is OK and you should all begin to understand that you can be confident with whatever body you have and…” etc etc etc

The film just doesn’t handle that message too well. It’s about twenty minutes too long, and there’s a whole middle section that feels drawn out. There’s a really odd storyline involving the younger brother of the modelling agency which could have been cut from the storyline entirely, but then how else would they find a way to have a good looking guy on camera?

It is funny though. There are some genuine laugh out loud moments, but for me, most of the comedy actually comes from the supporting cast rather than Schumer herself. Sure, she sets everything up, but it’s the delivery of the lines from others that really work best.

It’s not a bad film, and I would say go see it if you think it’s the type of film you will enjoy.

It’s like a Reverse Shallow Hal/Big mashup which doesn’t quite tip the scales in the way the film wants you to believe that Renee does.

6/10

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Tully – Film #36

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Dave On Film

Ah, the delights of motherhood

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Tully is a “Quirky” tale (you will see why I quoted that when you watch it) of motherhood and the stresses of childen.

Charlize Theron plays Marlo, a mother who get very little help from her husband Drew (Ron Livingston). She is having to bring up two children, one of whom is a little difficult and is having problems at school…and with Marlo pregnant again, things aren’t going too well.

When Marlo chats to her rich brother Craig (Mark Duplass), he talks highly of his child’s nanny and how it helped them. He then announces that he will pay for a Night Nanny for Marlo to help her out with the upcoming baby.

Intially she refuses, but after the baby is born and everything builds up to a crescendo, Marlo gives in and calls the Nanny.

Enter Tully, played by Mackenzie Davis. She’s a free-spirited youngster who reminds Marlo of herself before she succumbed to marriage and motherhood. She takes over the night duties of the child. Marlo isn’t sure about it at first but when she realises she’s having an amazing night’s sleep and getting her life in order, she sees the benefits.

What you get in Tully is some amazing performances. Charlize Theron is absolutely spot on. She piled on 50lb in weight for the role, and her depiction of a struggling mother who is being put upon and can’t get a break is nothing short of brilliant. It contrasts really well with the Tully character and together they world really well.

Its very funny in places, but with a serious tone of reality.

A surprising gem of a film

7/10

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The Strangers: Prey At Night – Film #35

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Dave On Film

Brace yourselves…this is going to be brutal…..

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The tagline, as you can see from the poster above is “If you’re lucky, you die first”…it should say “If you’re lucky, you won’t have to sit through this nonsense!”

Painful is the best way to describe this film. In fact, when a film’s soundtrack is infinitely better than the actual film itself, there’s something fundamentally wrong.

There’s the most minimal amount of story possible. Some weak tip-offs to a daughter who is troubled and apparently wanted to play baseball as a kid, her brother who plays baseball….and two parents with zero back story whatsoever!

You have horribly put together set-pieces. There’s one point where the girl (Bailee Madison with the most annoying “Cry” I have ever heard on screen) is running away from a truck…and, in full view of the truck, hides in a small tunnel in a playground. This is the horror film equivalent of a two year old playing “Peek-a-Boo”, hiding behind their hands thinking they can’t be seen.

This isn’t the only annoyance. There’s moments where the family have chance to easily kill the bad guys…but just don’t…it makes zero sense.

I don’t think I have ever rolled my eyes as much as I did throughout this film. The acting is terrible, the decision making of any of the characters in any situation is shockingly bad…oh and there’s the moment where the girl jumps off a roof to behind a building…and you can obviously see the actress is laid about ten metres further back than she would have been to allow the stunt woman do do the jump. I know this is pedantic, but it just adds to the cheapness and amateurness of the entire scene.

Giving this a 1/5…and it’s only getting that 1 because it has a decent soundtrack!

Don’t waste your time!

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Film #34

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Dave On Film

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When you own a Cineworld Unlimited Card…you go see a lot of films that you wouldn’t normally pay to sit through. In other words, you would go see any old shit, just because it was effectively free (I am currently 4 months into 9 free months from recommending friends to the Unlimited Card)

In these last few days, I have been to see Avengers: Infinity War….twice. Massive scale, big action, explosions, larger than life everything……..and I could still hear people enjoying that whilst I sat in a relatively quiet, small screen, watching the quaint tale of Lily James’ Juliet Ashton, a writer who stumbles across a book club which was started accidentally on the island of Guernsey during the Nazi occupation. The story intrigues her as she begins a little bit of “You’ve Got Mail” back and forth with Dawsey Adams (played by Michiel Huisman who is portraying the sexiest pig farmer ever to grace the earth….literally imagine those fireman calendars…but if a pig farmer in the 40’s published one…this guy would be in it!)

Through this communication, she decides to head off, away from London and her American boyfriend to see what the Literary Society is all about.

There she inevitably meets Dawsey along with a few other islanders (played brilliantly by some amazing English actors), and the story begins to unfold. There’s an underlying story of the missing mother of a girl that Dawsey looks after…she calls him Dad…and then the hints towards the natural and predictable love Juliet and Dawsey begin to experience for one another.

So from the above, and the poster, you get the feel of how the film will play out. And like I say, this is not normally my type of cinematic experience…but I found myself emotionally involved in the characters…funnily enough, way more than I was with any of the characters in the aforementioned Avengers movie…and I left the cinema smiling, even finding I was smiling throughout parts of the film too.

This is what I love about having a Cineworld Card…you uncover little gems of movies you wouldn’t ordinarily see. You stumble upon brilliance.

Mike Newell directs a great cast, most notably Penelope Wilton, who has this uncanny ability to be both sentimental and terrifying in adjacent scenes.

I highly recommend seeing this. It’s not something you necessarily need to see at the cinema, but keep it on your radar for DVD release down the line.

Rating 8/10

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Avengers: Infinity War – Film #33

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Dave On Film

Spoiler free review.

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OH MY GOD!

OH MY GOD!

OH MY GOD!

WHAT A FILM!

So yeah…Infinity War is pretty fucking good!

Now lets face it…if you have watched and enjoyed any of the previous eighteen (yes, there’s really been 18) films in the MCU over the last ten years, you’re going to be firmly booking your tickets to see this one. There’s no amount of begging I can do…you’re either going to watch it or you’re not.

And if you are…you are in for an absolute treat. It’s literally Jaw-Dropping!

You all know the story…Thanos wants the Infinity Stones to put into his Gauntlet that will grant him ultimate power over the Universe and everyone we know and love will be attempting to stop him. From Captain America, to Iron Man, to Doctor Strange, to Thor, to Hulk……damn its some list! They’re all in there except, wierdly enough, Ant Man…but I expect his absence may get explained in Ant Man and The Wasp later this year.

Just go see it. It’s amazing, it’s epic.

If you can see it on IMAX…..just do it!

I am in a state of shock, and wonder and satisfaction I don’t think I have ever felt after coming out of a movie…. I can’t wait until Part 2 in 2019….!

 

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Ghost Stories – Film #32

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Dave On Film

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The Brain Sees What It Wants To See

Ghost Stories is here. Adapted from the Olivier Award Winning Stage Show written by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman (who also starred in the Show and in this film), the film is the story of paranormal investigator Professor Phillip Goodman, a debunker of fake mediums and suchlike. He meets an old investigator who has three cases he has never been able to uncover the truth about. This sets him off on a journey to see the three main men across the stories : Paul Whitehouse (playing a night watchman), Alex Lawther (a troubled student) and Martin Freeman (a farmer). He meets all three, attempting to find out what is going on…and there’s not much about the plot I can tell you beyond this without spoiling things.

The film is undeniably creepy as hell. Most of the film was filmed literally around the corner from where I live, so the “Yorkshire” feel to the film made it even more relevant.

The stories are indeed spooky and creepy, each different and scary in their own right.

It’s an unnerving film, and everything comes together beautifully later on.

Midway through the film though, I felt like it lost some of its direction, but I needn’t have worried, it turned itself around brilliantly.

I am gutted I never got to see the stage show now, although my friend Yvonne assures me that on a small stage, it was put together amazingly. So much so that audience members were told not to reveal anything to others on leaving the theatre!

So back to the film and it’s really well put together and has a fantastic feel, although I feel like it could have been scarier in places.

8/10

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Truth Or Dare – Film #31

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Dave On Film

I have a question for you……Truth Or Dare?

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Blumhouse have been big players lately in the horror market. From the Sinister series, through some of the Paranormal Activity films.

Truth Or Dare is the latest production from the studios and unfortunately it falls fairly short of some of it’s predecessors.

Its the story of a group of friends on spring break in Mexico who get roped into a game of Truth Or Dare that quickly turns deadly. They are told that the rules are that if they don’t tell the truth, they die, and if they don’t do the dare, they die.

After the game begins, all the friends systematically begin to see visions of people asking them “Truth Or Dare”, which leads to a few deaths and some awkward moments of truth before they figure out what is going on.

So here’s my issue with the film. First of all, a film which is relying on character deaths in crazy circumstances needs to have better deaths. Sure, there’s a couple of decent ones…but there’s a major problem I have…not once throughout the whole film do you see any blood or gore. Some of the deaths are violent, but there’s a distinct lack of the red stuff, that just takes you away from the action somewhat, wanting a little more.

The story itself is a decent one. It’s very much like Final Destination in that everything is done in turn, so they know “who’s next?”

But it feels like it goes on just a touch too long and the eventual revelation of how the game is being governed all feels like it’s been done way too many times.

Watchable but not one I would recommend for everyone to rush to the cinema to see.

6/10

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