BlacKkKlansman – Film #70

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Dave On Film

BlacKkKlansman or NoWayMan!

blackkklansman-poster

Title – BlacKkKlansman

Certificate – 15

Director – Spike Lee

Writers – Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee, Ron Stallworth (Based on the book by)

Cast – John David Washington (Ron Stallworth), Adam Driver (Flip Zimmerman), Jasper Pääkkönen (Felix Kendrickson), Laura Harrier (Patrice Dumas)

Plot – Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer from Colorado, successfully manages to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan with the help of a white surrogate, who eventually becomes head of the local branch.

Review – For the first time in a long, long time, I have come out of a movie and genuinely not had an idea how to write a review. This film literally feels very much like everything that Spike Lee has done before has built up to this. It is literally the ultimate racism movie.

I feel like I don’t want to review the film as anything I say can be construed by anyone into something I’m not actually saying.

One major problem I have with the film is that every single line is aimed at the Black vs White culture. There’s zero letup throughout. Even when there’s a love interest for our main character, the reasons behind it are all racially motivated.

I kinda feel like I got missold this film. The trailer made it look very much like a comedy and I was expecting it to be a comedy with a serious message, which I would have been happy with, but the film was much harder going that I wanted it to be.

The final few scenes in the film really hit home and are in there purposefully to strike horror into the viewers…but I felt like I didn’t need to see those horrific scenes. I can see exactly why they were there but I just felt like it was a step too far.

Disappointing, but I expected as much from Spike Lee

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Luis & The Aliens – Film #69

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Dave On Film

Out of this world, or out of it’s mind?

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Title – Luis and the Aliens
Certificate – U
Director – Christoph Lauenstein & Wolfgang Lauenstein
Writers – Christoph Lauenstein & Wolfgang Lauenstein
Cast – See below

Back to the cinema after a week off, and I hoped for a fun kids film…and thats what you get with Luis and the Aliens.

It’s very very far from perfect, and isn’t necessarily going to be a film I want to watch again, but it was alright.

It’s the story of Luis, a kid who is struggling with being a bit of an outcast. His father is a bit too eccentric for the locals and it affects Luis’ life. He has dedicated his time to chasing Aliens, rather than his son, and when aliens finally turn up and help Luis out of a few sticky situations, everything pays off in the way that any kind of kids film with lovable aliens can.

Most of the fun comes from the fact that the aliens can shapeshift, and this brings in most of the comedy in the film. It’s nothing particularly new, but it works.

My three year old loved it…but I was nodding off for some of it, so it was failing to engage me thoroughly.

So now to the cast. Almost all unknowns, but you may notice from the picture that the fantastic Will Forte is mentioned, as is 80’s legend Lea Thompson. But look on IMDb and they are no-where to be seen in the cast list…so did they provide any voices in the film or not? Were they embarrassed to even be associated with the film? Who knows!

2/5

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The Spy Who Dumped Me – Film #68

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Dave On Film

License to Thrill or On Her Majesty’s Shitty Service?

Spy-Who-Dumped-Me-UK-poster-600x450

Title – The Spy Who Dumped Me
Certificate – 15
Director – Susanna Fogel
Writers – Susanna Fogel, David Iserson
Cast – Mila Kunis (Audrey), Kate McKinnon (Morgan), Justin Theroux (Drew), Sam Heughan (Sebastian)

Plot – Audrey and Morgan are best friends who unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of the women discovers the boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy.

End Credits – Stay for the end Credits. Around 20 seconds in you get another scene, then about a minute into the credits you get to see some extra footage. Once this footage ends, you can leave the cinema

Review – I had fairly low expectations going into this film. Directed and Written by people more adept to TV work, and starring Mila “I’m good half of the time” Kunis and Kate “If I pull a funny face is it funny” McKinnon, it was going to go down well…but it surprised me.

McKinnon’s comedy timing is spot on. There’s a fair few laughs throughout the film which really do move it along…and there’s surprisingly a fair amount of action in some of the set pieces.

One word of warning though…don’t over-watch the trailer. There’s a lot of footage in the trailer that spoils plenty of the comedy moment in the film. I feel like the only people laughing at those moments in the cinema were people who had not watched the trailer more than once.

I would have liked for it to be a bit funnier than it was though. It does try in places and the comedy completely falls flat, but in other instances it works well and the whole cinema was laughing along with the film.

It’s decent, it’s funny and its very watchable

3.5/5

 

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The Festival – Film #67

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Dave On Film

Festival of Fun or Shit-Fest?

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Title – The Festival
Certificate – 15
Director – Iain Morris
Writers – Keith Akushie, Joe Parham
Cast – Joe Thomas (Nick), Hammed Animashaun (Shane Stubbs), Claudia O’Doherty (Amy), Jemaine Clement (Robin), Hannah Tointon (Caitlin)

Plot – After Nick’s girlfriend dumps him, his best mate Shane has the perfect antidote to his break-up blues: three days at an epic music festival.

Review – I have never been to a festival…and never even fancied it. So this is about the closest I will get to standing out in a muddy field listening to ear-throbbing music, a sweaty mess, covered in beer, having the fear of having a shit.

Nick has been dumped, so naturally going to a festival is the only way to get over her. Cue drug misuse, meeting randomers, dancing and shagging randomers….oh wait…maybe it might be worth going to a festival after all.

So lets face it…this whole film could have been the next Inbetweeners movie. It stars one of the main lads from the Inbetweeners, it’s directed by the Inbetweeners Director, and even stars the girl from Inbetweeners who dated the lad from Inbetweeners who dated the guy from Inbetweeners who is in this as the girl who has dumped the main guy who was in Inbetweeners.

So yeah…it’s basically like The Inbetweeners go to a festival, but with Hammed Animashaun standing in for the other three lads alongside Joe Thomas.

The main problem is…it’s not as funny as The Inbetweeners. And I think the problem stems from the fact that comedy has moved on somewhat. It’s been ten years since The Inbetweeners started, and it was perfectly placed at the perfect time when everyone watched it and thought it was hilarious. Their first film came at the right time, but the second came a while after and just wasn’t as funny. This film feels like a continuation of that whole area of comedy that just doesn’t work as much anymore.

It manages to go gross-out a couple of times, and there is some actually funny moments. In fact, the final act of the film made me laugh and smile a whole lot more than the rest of the film, as some of the scenarios and situations which weren’t funny earlier on start to pay off a little.

But it’s just not that great. Worth a watch, but don’t waste your money seeing this at the cinema…wait for it to be on TV in about 6 months…in the middle of winter and you can relive the summer days gone by.

2/5

 

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Christopher Robin – Film #66

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Dave On Film

Winnie The Pooh, or a big steaming pile of Poo?
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There have been plenty of Winnie The Pooh adaptations over the years, and other movies featuring some of Pooh’s friends…but this is the first time that the stories have been given the “Live Action” treatment.

Ewan McGregor plays an older Christopher Robin who now has his own life with a wife, a child and a big city job. He hits an impasse in life, with a job gearing him up to fire half the workforce, and problems with him not being very close to his wife and daughter.

That’s when Pooh turns up, having lost all his friends. Christopher Robin heads off through the tree to the Hundred Acre Wood to help him search for them.

It’s a fun adventure, albeit a very predictable one.

In fact, the whole moral of the story about realising that people and family are more important than work-life has been done so many times. I was almost expecting McGregor to punch a top hat through and spout “Supercalifrajalisticexpialidocious” in one climactic scene which could have been lifted straight out of Mary Poppins.

It comes back to Disney and the studio’s parent-issues being the main focus of any story. Look through most Disney films and there’s some kind of child with a missing parent, whether physically missing or metaphorically, and this, I believe is something which goes all the way back to Walt Disney’s actual life.

Did you also know that the main characters all personify different mental illnesses?

Winnie The Pooh : ADHD
Piglet : Anxiety
Eeyore : Persistant Depressive Disorder
Owl : Dyslexia
Tigger : Recurring pattern of risk taking
Rabbit : Narcissism

Keep all those in mind when you watch the films next.

So back to this film, it’s very watchable and has a lot going for it, but that whole predictability just really took me out of it somewhat. Eeyore completely steals all the funniest lines in the film and is worth seeing it for him alone…I want more Eeyore!

3/5

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Unfriended: Dark Web – Film #65

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Dave On Film

Fibre Optic or Dial Up?

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Do you cover up your webcam? Yeah me neither…in fact its looking at me right now as I type this….watching me…watching every move….who knows who is watching…..

Welcome to Unfriended: Dark Web, the follow up movie to Unfriended which was the supernatural tale of a bunch of friends chatting on a Skype call and all being killed off one by one by a malignant force, a ghost of a girl who had committed suicide a year before.

In this sequel, the story shifts to a much darker side of the internet, the Dark Web…the side of the internet that us Normals have no idea about. Sure you can hear tales of what is on there…but this kid ain’t ever delving into it.

One guy has acquired a new laptop, which has a load of old details auto-populating for a previous user. After some banter with friends, and playing about in the computer files, he discovers a lot of horrible videos of violence and surveillance and it quickly becomes apparent that things are not going to end happy.

The whole film is seen through the screen of our main guy, with an Apple Laptop being the on-screen focus. Everything begins to unravel at around the halfway mark and doesn’t let up after.

It’s a fun ride…you know how it’s all going to turn out, but nonetheless its great to jump on and ride it out.

My big gripe however was this…in the first film, we had a ghost doing the antagonising…but this time around it’s a much more physical presence…but every time one of them appears on the screen you get a sort of buzzing and blurring of the screen…which makes them look like they are ghostly and not physical beings and it felt to me like it just took me away from the in-the-room threat that was meant to be being portrayed.

It’s still good though and is well worth a watch

3/5

Posted in 2018, Films, Movies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sgt Stubby: An Unlikely Hero – Film #64

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Dave On Film

Super Stubby or Stubbed Out?

Go see this film!

When you see a “Movies for Juniors” film called “Sgt Stubby” about a dog in the war, you expect everything to be pretty poor.

This film was far from it. It just worked really well.

So Sgt Stubby is the “inspired by true life” story of a dog who befriends an American soldier and ends up in the World War 1 trenches as part of the Yankee Division alongside his Human American soldiers and their French allies.

Firstly, this is a PG film…is the content child-friendly? To an extent yes…there is a lot of brutal war scenes, with lots of gunfire and explosions etc. But the film handles any Soldier injuries really well, there’s zero blood or anything like that and we don’t see the true brutality of war, whilst it sticks to the feeling of it.

That’s one of the things I really enjoyed about this…it handles war well, whilst not being overcome by the horrors of it.

There’s some sadness in there and some high points.

It’s very much a film that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike. I have seen a fair few War films…and this is actually one of the best!

Stick around for the end credits to see the real Stubby!

4/5

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The Darkest Minds – Film #63

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Dave On Film

Dark Minds or poor mind games?

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There’s not really much to say about this.

It’s very, very forgettable.

It’s full of up and coming actors, in a generic teen-storybook world, oh and they have powers and are being classified and oh look they’ve escaped the facility and oh look, there’s a bunch of “freedom fighters” who they join and oh look…..I’m bored!

This movie offered me absolutely nothing as a cinema go-er. Yeah it’s done well, and there’s some nifty CGI on the kids who have certain powers, but that’s not going to make for an enthralling 2 hours.

If you are thinking about watching this, don’t bother wasting your time. It’s not worth it.

1/5

Current movie list…trending at 102 movies for the year…complete with links to all the reviews where I did them either on YouTube or as a Blog Post here on my blog :

02/01/2018 1 Three Billboards…
07/01/2018 2 My Little Pony
09/01/2018 3 Downsizing
14/01/2018 4 Coco
15/01/2018 5 The Commuter
27/01/2018 6 Maze Runner : Death Cure
31/01/2018 7 The Shape Of Water
03/02/2018 8 Early Man
05/02/2018 9 Winchester
06/02/2018 10 I, Tonya
13/02/2018 11 Black Panther
13/02/2018 12 The Mercy
23/02/2018 13 The Greatest Showman : Singalong
26/02/2018 14 Game Night
02/03/2018 15 The Greatest Showman
09/03/2018 16 Red Sparrow
13/03/2018 17 Love, Simon
16/03/2018 18 Walk Like A Panther
17/03/2018 19 Peter Rabbit
22/03/2018 20 Tomb Raider
25/03/2018 21 Blockers
26/03/2018 22 Isle Of Dogs
27/03/2018 23 Unsane
29/03/2018 24 Ready Player One
03/04/2018 25 A Quiet Place
11/04/2018 26 Duck Duck Goose
12/04/2018 27 Thoroughbreds
12/04/2018 28 Rampage
12/04/2018 29 Death Wish
12/04/2018 30 Pacific Rim: Uprising
14/04/2018 31 Truth Or Dare
14/04/2018 32 Ghost Stories
26/04/2018 33 Infinity War
01/05/2018 34 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
04/05/2018 35 The Strangers: Prey At Night
05/05/2018 36 Tully
09/05/2018 37 I Feel Pretty
12/05/2018 38 Sherlock Gnomes
13/05/2018 39 Life Of The Party
14/05/2018 40 Book Club
15/05/2018 41 Deadpool 2
17/05/2018 42 Breaking In
28/05/2018 43 Show Dogs
29/05/2018 44 Solo: A Star Wars Story
06/06/2018 45 Jurassic World 2
08/06/2018 46 Kaala
16/06/2018 47 Hereditary
20/06/2018 48 Incredibles 2
22/06/2018 49 Ocean’s 8
05/07/2018 50 The First Purge
06/07/2018 51 Tag
10/07/2018 52 Hotel Artemis
15/07/2018 53 Secret Of Marrowbone
16/07/2018 54 Soorma
17/07/2018 55 Skyscraper
22/07/2018 56 Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again
25/07/2018 57 Mission Impossible: Fallout
02/08/2018 58 Ant Man & The Wasp
06/08/2018 59 Equalizer 2
10/08/2018 60 Teen Titans Go To The Movies
10/08/2018 61 The Meg
11/08/2018 62 Dog Days
11/08/2018 63 The Darkest Minds
Posted in 2018, Films, Movies | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Dog Days – Film #62

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Dave On Film

Top Dog or Gone to the Dogs?

dogs

There’s been a fair few films out this year with Dogs central to the story. There was the fantastic Isle Of Dogs, and the not so great Showdogs as well as Patrick and there’s probably more I can’t remember off the top of my head.

So here comes a film which is essentially Love Actually, set in the Summer, with dogs bringing people together instead of kids.

Ensemble cast, coincidences like you have never seen, and clear-from-the-outset story arcs which you can pick up a mile away.

Despite it being very predictable, it’s pretty heartwarming in parts. Once again I was bawling my eyes out like I was at the end of Mamma Mia 2.

No-one really delivers standout performances. Everyone is just…well…good. Everyone kinda plays themselves, without stretching too much as actors.

Wait until it’s on TV or some streaming service to watch…but give it a watch. It’s better than I thought it would be.

2.5/5

Posted in 2018, Films, Movies | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Meg – Film #61

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Dave On Film

Super Statham or Meg-a Sinker?

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It’s Statham vs Shark…the ultimate battle…only one can win…but who will it be?

Jason Statham is no stranger to water…back in 1990 he competed at the Commonwealth Games in Diving for England.

Don’t believe me? Enjoy… https://youtu.be/vWrINMm1aCI

Now you’ve got over the shock of that…imagine him diving into that water and a 60ft shark leaping through the air to take him out…and you have the basic plot for The Meg.

The “Meg” in the title is Megalodon, an extinct species of shark which lived millions of years ago in our seas.

By accident, humans release Meg from the deepest of the darkest parts of the sea and he unleashes watery hell on anything he comes into contact with. Sunken submarines, an underwater research facility, boats, underwater vehicles…nothing is a match for this beast.

Jason Statham (with a weak back story about letting people die previously) is the only man for the job when the deep needs exploring and once Meg is out in the Ocean, it’s only him and his little group who can stop it.

I quite liked the film in all honesty. I actually expected it to be absolute garbage, with a load of comedy thrown at it, but there’s genuinely some strong moments in the film which really takes itself seriously.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s some absolutely insanely stupid scenes which make the eye rolls worth it, but it all comes together pretty well.

It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but take it as it is, Statham fighting a shark, and you get exactly what you expect from it.

3/5

Current movie list…trending at 99 movies for the year…complete with links to all the reviews where I did them either on YouTube or as a Blog Post here on my blog :

02/01/2018 1 Three Billboards…
07/01/2018 2 My Little Pony
09/01/2018 3 Downsizing
14/01/2018 4 Coco
15/01/2018 5 The Commuter
27/01/2018 6 Maze Runner : Death Cure
31/01/2018 7 The Shape Of Water
03/02/2018 8 Early Man
05/02/2018 9 Winchester
06/02/2018 10 I, Tonya
13/02/2018 11 Black Panther
13/02/2018 12 The Mercy
23/02/2018 13 The Greatest Showman : Singalong
26/02/2018 14 Game Night
02/03/2018 15 The Greatest Showman
09/03/2018 16 Red Sparrow
13/03/2018 17 Love, Simon
16/03/2018 18 Walk Like A Panther
17/03/2018 19 Peter Rabbit
22/03/2018 20 Tomb Raider
25/03/2018 21 Blockers
26/03/2018 22 Isle Of Dogs
27/03/2018 23 Unsane
29/03/2018 24 Ready Player One
03/04/2018 25 A Quiet Place
11/04/2018 26 Duck Duck Goose
12/04/2018 27 Thoroughbreds
12/04/2018 28 Rampage
12/04/2018 29 Death Wish
12/04/2018 30 Pacific Rim: Uprising
14/04/2018 31 Truth Or Dare
14/04/2018 32 Ghost Stories
26/04/2018 33 Infinity War
01/05/2018 34 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
04/05/2018 35 The Strangers: Prey At Night
05/05/2018 36 Tully
09/05/2018 37 I Feel Pretty
12/05/2018 38 Sherlock Gnomes
13/05/2018 39 Life Of The Party
14/05/2018 40 Book Club
15/05/2018 41 Deadpool 2
17/05/2018 42 Breaking In
28/05/2018 43 Show Dogs
29/05/2018 44 Solo: A Star Wars Story
06/06/2018 45 Jurassic World 2
08/06/2018 46 Kaala
16/06/2018 47 Hereditary
20/06/2018 48 Incredibles 2
22/06/2018 49 Ocean’s 8
05/07/2018 50 The First Purge
06/07/2018 51 Tag
10/07/2018 52 Hotel Artemis
15/07/2018 53 Secret Of Marrowbone
16/07/2018 54 Soorma
17/07/2018 55 Skyscraper
22/07/2018 56 Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again
25/07/2018 57 Mission Impossible: Fallout
02/08/2018 58 Ant Man & The Wasp
06/08/2018 59 Equalizer 2
10/08/2018 60 Teen Titans Go To The Movies
10/08/2018 61 The Meg
Posted in 2018, Films, Movies | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments