coreyjdenford Reviews

Turning Red (2022)

Warm, red and fluffy

[8/10 · 12 March 2022]

It's not the first time Disney and Pixar have dived firmly into a culturally expansive community - or world, with last year's Encanto being set in Columbia and now Turning Red, being set around one Chinese family in Canada...okay so a lot smaller in scale than Columbia. But that doesn't mean Turning Red doesn't deliver. The film centres itself on pint sized protagonist, 13 year old Meilin Lee, a confident, dorky and often loud spoken teenager who tries her hardest to fight for her perfectionist mother's approval with good grades, perfect attendance and her attitude to always be the good girl. Yet inside she has a big fluffy secret, when her life changes, in more ways than one, her interests, relationships, and whenever she gets too excited, she turns into a big fluffy admittedly very cute red panda. If only puberty was as fluffy and cute for all of us.

Onto the matter at hand, Turning Red - like most Pixar films is a stunningly animated, clever and often funny family comedy, that again like Disney's latest trends is extremely relatable - and not just the puberty bit. We all yearn to be outspoken, and the film isn't afraid to come to terms with that. The film is clever as already pointed out, not so much in it's script, in fact that's the aspect that isn't so clever. But the theming of a dorky and if a little wired teenage girl who just wants to be normal, she has her rambunctious friends for help in that department as they are just as loud and confident as she is. But then that just shows storytelling grandeur that with her friends it's a heartwarming often empowering tale of girl power that is a wonderfully vibrant ode to those awkward pre-teen and teen years. And it's not the first time Disney have peaked highly in that region, but indeed when there's success sometimes there is failure, or in this case script problems. Where the script fails, the film finds itself searching for material, but don't let that put you off.

Turning Red is a bright, shimmering and often funny empowering tale that combines humour and relatable storytelling in beautifully animated fashion and yet again extends Pixar's already long list of deft heart and family friendly films that will remain with you for a long time. Even through the craziness and messiness of puberty, but then all of us want puberty to be just as fluffy, bright and cute as this film shows. 4/5.

The Adam Project (2022)

Entertaining Timey Wimey stuff

[6/10 · 11 March 2022]

It was only last year that director Shawn Levy and Producer-Star Ryan Reynolds collaborated with Free Guy, Netflix's latest The Adam Project sees the two join forces again. Whereas the former was a mostly original, sometimes over the top yet really entertaining video game based sci-fi romp, this time is a fully original really entertaining yet largely forgettable sci-fi romp. The film opens like most sci-fi films - in space, Reynolds plays Adam a pilot who messes with time travel to fix something in the past. That bit isn't fully original - Terminator comes to mind or any other sci-fi that dabbles into time travel. He goes to the past to save his younger self played by Walker Scobell, who even throughout the film sounds like Reynolds, and even though the film is largely original as it deals with different elements of time, it's also largely forgettable. But Reynolds and his smaller much younger twin's quips help keep the film alive through it's 106 minute runtime. Albeit the film does suffer, with it's thin script, a forgettable villain and the innocuous and yet contagious Reynolds, can even be too much for the film to handle, a sort of too much Reynolds to handle. The action set-pieces are entertaining too, in fact that is where the film shines, the sparkly, through the wibble wobble time-wimey stuff Reynolds shines it's clear here that the cast and crew had a lot of fun making as the villain's crew are launched like lemmings through Star Wars like set-pieces.

Admittedly you'll watch this, you'll probably enjoy it and why wouldn't you? There's a lot to enjoy, The Adam Project is funny, fast-paced and quick on it's quips and whims, though it's a largely forgettable film and it suffers from too much Reynolds, it's a slickly entertaining - and occasionally moving sci-fi action romp. It's the kind of film where you shouldn't expect too much, much like Free Guy before it. With this you will enjoy it, but probably forget it after the credits roll. 3/5.

The Batman (2022)

Vengeance is served.

[10/10 · 4 March 2022]

Vengeance. Is a word that is used a fair few times in The Batman, but then that is the caped-crusader's whole way of life - to seek vengeance and punch his way through justice in the streets of Gotham. And in director Matt Reeves latest that is no exception, The Batman is a well made, well shot super noir bat-flick that's quite unexpected upon first viewing given it's darker story and a version of the masked vigilante that's so dark and gritty that it will give the previous Batmen a run for their money. Robert Pattinson is exceptional as both Bruce Wayne and the man in black, he delivers a gritty performance in an even grittier film, that's full of action and shocks especially when he faces against his cleverest arch nemeses The Riddler here played by a terrifying Paul Dano - a role which he was born to do.

Of course The Batman isn't just about the action, it works really well as a stunningly contemporary yet also old fashioned crime thriller but then that's what makes a good Batman film is if we can see him solving crimes, and Reeves isn't afraid to get his audience in for the ride. Though coming at a whopping 176 minutes don't worry about it feeling too long there's plenty enough going on, there's action and explosions, it will get you thinking, give you shocks and thrills. That time goes by in a flash. It's also quite an emotional story, beneath the bat ears, he's all granite but off duty his story is a tragic one, farther from the usual comic book malarkey, his is a story of pure tragedy, he hurts and that's ok because beneath all that bat facade he's all human. As are the other characters and thanks to excellent casting, the performances shine through that in pure colour. And just because the film is grim and dark doesn't mean the film doesn't deliver, in fact it does and it's a thrillingly bleak adventure. That's by far the caped crusader's bleakest and most thrillingly ambitious live action outing yet. And is worth the watch. 5/5.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Manic Suicidal Brilliance

[8/10 · 31 July 2021]

Gunnerism isn't an actual word, but the Oxford Dictionary might as well add the word to their next batch of books - the description: A manic way of making a piece of that's both a little bit manic and entertaining. James Gunn, is a crazy writer and he's a crazy director and his latest The Suicide Squad, well, might be just as crazy as he is, filled to the brim with quick action and even quicker quips so quick that it might just be cathartic...and that's not a bad thing. Gunn changed Marvel with 2014s Guardians of the Galaxy when he turned a nonesense story into pure gold, and that same gold that envisioned him 7 years has been carefully sewn around this dynamite that blows up from a small fizzle, to a cascading chain reaction the kind that kind becomes the firework display around Big Ben every New Year. The Suicide Squad is silly, it's violent and is absolutely bonkers from start to finish, it's so good in fact that this may go down as the best DCEU film ever, but then that's not exactly difficult to do. Just like he did with Marvel, Gunn has done the same with DC, and we thank him for it. Can we all forget the first one now? 4/5.

Nomadland (2020)

Van dwelling at it's best

[10/10 · 30 April 2021]

"I need work, I like work"

Frances McDormand gives a staggeringly beaten performance as Fern, a woman in her 60s who journeys through the American West after losing everything in the recession. This one you'll need to slog through the slow pace, and real downer of a story, really it's McDormand who makes this film what it is. She is absolutely fanatstic (it wouldn't be the first time), it's good that she comes with some baggage - in a good way as she needs it in Nomadland. But it's more than just a film, it's a miracle, a beautiful miracle and one that couldn't be more timely. Setting itself up from the very beginning as a poetic character study on the forgotten and the downtrodden, and thanks to Chloé Zhao's stunning directing it's a beautiful and yet still deeply saddening memory of the Great Recession.

Zhao brilliantly captures the forgotten American traditions of being a Nomad and thanks to Joshua James Richards' beautiful cinematography of the gorgeous American countryside, Nomadland is a joy to watch and well not since Robert Redford in All Is Lost has a lead star carried a film through wordless moments and plain glances at what lies ahead. And like Redford before her McDormand is breathtaking even without Zhao's spectacular directing and Richards' cinematography she could essentially carry this film on her shoulders.

The life of a Nomad - or van dweller has never so beautifully captivated or so enrichally told until this moment and it might be a bit late for this kind of film but it is no less relevant. And as Fern, McDormand is the vivid recreation of the political downfall that hit all of us and that is by no means a negativity in fact she's better than she's ever been. And that is the highest compliment. 5/5. A must watch.

Thunder Force (2021)

Thunder Farce

[4/10 · 9 April 2021]

It isn't far into Thunder Force's 107 minute runtime before there's a sudden realisation that director Ben Falcone and partner Melissa McCarthy are a great pairing on other projects, when it comes to their own such 2016s The Boss or Tammy and now this it seems that they have one thing in common - how to bore an audience with flat, unfunny sometimes irrelevant jokes that often go past the time when they were meant to be funny. Yet again Falcone shows that McCarthy can work and can shine given a good co star and her co star here Octavia Spencer they both have a good screen presence but when it comes to vision Falcone is seriously lacking. He took female superheroes, check, it's a superhero comedy, so like Deadpool, and it has interesting ideas, check. But the film is constantly bombarded by daft, sordid and poor punchlines that even the literal punches can't make it better. The film's saving grace is it has competently shot action scenes and it's worth a couple of light chuckles and nothing more than that. On the lighter side this comedy superhero misfire is hardly a crime to cinema - well not a bad one anyway, but the sad truth is that the stars seem to be having a lot more fun than you will. And that just leaves a bad taste in the mouth kind of like uncooked chicken. To be honest we'd rather have uncooked chicken than watch go through this drek again. 2\5.

News of the World (2020)

Great Breaking News

[8/10 · 10 February 2021]

Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks return for the first time since 2013s Captain Phillips, in News of the World Hanks gives a phenomenal performance (no shock there) as former Civil War soldier turned newsreader Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd. Here really shows his paternal side as his life takes a turn when he comes into contact with a lost 10-year-old Kiowa girl, and the two embark on a long journey across Texas facing many dangers along the way. But Hanks isn't the only one to take a turn because behind the camera Greengrass has stepped out of his comfort zone with this, he doesn't usually give us a slow yet an incredibly absorbing drama, in fact quite the opposite he usually gives us tense thrillers, while this may be a step out for him. It's also a step in for him as he seems very much at home, thus making News of the World a success. Granted it does suffer from narrative issues down the road but you can always rely on Hanks pulling out a trick up his sleeve yet again he's an absolute joy to watch and when the action slams into place both Hanks and Greengrass crank up the mayhem. Greengrass delivers again and it might even be safe to say that he should go down this road again, or maybe another genre he hasn't tried, let's hope it stars Hanks again as these two are dynamic together. And it shows. 4/5.

Malcolm & Marie (2021)

Meh & Meh

[6/10 · 5 February 2021]

As we learned from 2019's divorce drama Marriage Story, a true conversation piece is traditionally between two people, there's generally a lot of shouting, debating, arguing and occasionally there's the odd flourish into serenity. It's often cathartic and quite thereputic for two actors with very good chemistry to vent at each other, Marriage Story was successful because of that - one reason why it's lead actors walked away with an Oscar nomination each. Malcolm & Marie is less the success story, more of a flawed conversation caper, though it's two leads aren't the film's main problem as both Zendaya fresh off her Primetime Emmy win for Euphoria and John David Washington who's starting to sound a lot like a young Denzel ever time we see him, their performances are solid, you'll be sold on it just for that alone they have fantastic chemistry almost as good as Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson in the aforementioned Marriage Story. Everything in Malcolm & Marie works, the script is good, the directing is gold and it receives an A+ in acting, but the thing that sinks it is it's less a conversation piece about a couple that's on the verge of braking apart more a thesis on how awful film critics can be, and even the film takes that into context when it leads into venting about white frustration. But other than that this quarantine written and directed film is provocative and seductively stylish that it's such a shame the film is brought down by wrought self indulgence. 3/5.

Outside the Wire (2021)

Narrowly threaded wire

[6/10 · 15 January 2021]

Outside The Wire, is a title that's been used numerous times, well, maybe not those exact words but it's a fundamental thriller title at this point - by perhaps meaning that something, somewhere is going to happen. Plus it's always a guaranteed thriller title too. It's that time again for a Netflix thriller, like with The Old Guard, Extraction and Project Power before, Outside The Wire is yet another one of those so so thrillers that's good action set pieces, and yes, they are good, but not really much else. And much like those as well they also want to prove that a lot of people won't pay attention. It's not a bad film, it's not great either, it's on par with the former. Plus it's set in the future as well, so you could add sci-fi to that, in 2036 there's a war between America and Russia, and a drone pilot is teamed with a super intelligent biotech android to figure out why there is a war. That's pretty much it, the rest is a nonsensical action romp that's well done in the fast paced action set pieces, and naught to do with story. And much like the three aforementioned films, it toys around with big ideas and Anthony Mackie's solid performance just makes it enough for viewers to keep watching, and remember nothing of what happened. Netflix seriously needs to get better thriller ideas. 3/5 and it's just barely that good.

Pieces of a Woman (2020)

Just about tears you to pieces

[6/10 · 7 January 2021]

Child birth is said to be the most painful thing to endure, but it is also said that once the pain is done, there's a sudden euphoria not because the pain is over but when a mother sees and holds her baby that she has been carrying for nine months it's almost as if nothing can compare that kind of feeling. Pieces of a Woman shows that in its glorious opening 30 minute long take of an excruciating home birth, when Martha (a brilliant Vanessa Kirby) goes through that type of pain and then happiness, but sadly pain again as her baby sadly perishes. Just a fair warning, this film will break you apart as Martha perpetually isolates herself with constant pain and emotion and Kirby's performance is brilliant through it all. But sadly after the opening act it's almost as if the film is left running on fumes, it runs out of energy, granted the performances are great through it all but there's a lot of stuff to get through and it's almost as if producer Martin Scorsese ran out of steam half way through. The direction is good, the writing is good and the performances are outstanding but that's all that Pieces of a Woman has on show. It's provocative enough to keep you engaged, to elicit such a strong subject as child loss and the conversations after the final credits will certainly be enough to enrage a controversial if not an undermining tone, but the film does that on its own. If this was to be a piece to show what happens during child birth, the motionless latter half should be left out, only keep the opening. As ultimately at the film's climax we're left with A+ acting and nothing else. 3/5. It's good for a one time watch.

We Can Be Heroes (II) (2020)

Not very Heroic

[4/10 · 1 January 2021]

While it maybe a nice homage to David Bowie for making one of his songs as the name of a film. It isn't so nice that Director Robert Rodriguez has yet again fallen into the "same film pit" as here it goes into the same styles as Spy Kids and Sharkboy and Lavagirl before it, albeit the second film is worse than this, in pretty much every way, that means We Can Be Heroes is just that little bit more bareable. But only that little bit more. A lot of us at this point are starting to miss the Robert Rodriguez that made The Faculty, From Dusk Till Dawn and even 2005s Sin City, even the Spy Kids version Rodriguez wasn't anywhere near as bad, but we are left to wonder what else is down the road for Rodriguez, as he continues down this slope of 'same old stuff'. Yet there's a light at the end of the tunnel as We Can Be Heroes isn't anywhere near as insufferable as the aforementioned Sharkboy and Lavagirl or the black hole that was Spy Kids: All The Time In The World. As there are moments of storytelling grandeur here (and we use that term loosely) as it feels a bit more original, here we have superhero kids (not so original) taking on aliens who guide them to be better than their parents (that's better), and while it plays out that way for most of the film, the rest is jut stuff we've all seen before from Rodriguez. Instead of feeling Heroic, it feels powerless compared to the likes of Sky High or the many other superhero films out there. In fact if this were to be Sky High, the only thing missing is a giddy Kurt Russell and a fourth wall breaking Linda Carter - oh wait no its not. Let's just say these kids should've just stayed home, and the adults should've done too, no wait everyone who made this should've just not done it. But at least it's something that children can enjoy. 2/5.

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Midnight bland

[6/10 · 23 December 2020]

The year is 2049 and the Earth is dying after a global catastrophic event that has lead to great evacuations and mass extinction of not just the human race but of animal life too. With just that plot alone, it's oddly similar to Sunshine or other films that destroy Earth after some sort of disease. Though that doesn't make George Clooney's third film as a director any less watchable instead the only thing that's missing to make the same as Sunshine, is one; director Danny Boyle and two; well, the drama. Not that The Midnight Sky is a bad film, far from it, though it won't be to everyone's taste, it's just the film's narrative gives us quite a well structured wall, but the wall is constantly bombarded by drama that should punch you in the chops but with particularly non-descript characters, the drama fails to hit. Granted director-star Clooney does grace the film with a rather poignant performance as a terminally ill lone doctor as he advises scientists not to return to Earth in risk of death. At its best, the film is stunning to look at with its fantastic sci-fi visuals, that at a glance would be the same as Gravity (but then that film was mostly used as a stunning Earth show). But the rest of it is just slog even through the more dramatic moments which at times will have you nonchalantly shrugging off. Clooney though is definitely taking his directing skills to a new level after that awful mess, Suburbicon, but we remain optimistic that his next film as a director will be a bit better. 3/5.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Ma has a voice of gold

[8/10 · 18 December 2020]

1927. It was the heart and soul of blues all around America and in the Africa American communities, there was the Mother of Blues, Ma Rainey. Ma Fainey's Black Bottom is the second film adaptation of the late playwright August Wilson after Fences, the first of which was a brilliant portrayal of an African American couple, played by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis who won an Oscar for that performance, it was good but often felt a little stagey, it was well acted but some of it was a bit overracted. The second, improves on that again starring a brilliant Viola Davis giving another powerful performance as the Mother of Blues. It's been said before and it will be said again, Netflix know what do when it comes to drama they definitely know how to set the dramatic tone, and when it comes to a period piece (there's been two this month alone) their resources are unmatched and again here it's almost as if they've put us in the late 20s in the heart of the blues generation. Granted the setting along isn't what makes Ma Rainey's Black Bottom special, nor is it the script, what is it then? It's the performances, like with Fences before it the performances make this film what it is, Davis gives yet another great performance, but it's the late Chadwick Boseman that totally pulls his heart out as Levee it may be his final film having passed away in September but it is his best performance yet and he's going to give The Academy one hell of a time with both this and Da 5 Bloods. But it'll be this that gives him the award. And as a film it's definitely a fulfilling goodbye to a great talent. 4/5. It's definitely a great one to see off 2020. A must see.

Mank (2020)

Marvelous Mank

[10/10 · 4 December 2020]

Even 9 years after the Best Picture Winning The Artist, black and white films seem like an impossibility. But thanks to David Fincher who we haven't seen behind the camera for six years his previous film being 2014s psychological thriller Gone Girl. His latest - Mank is a film that's both nigh impossible and is yet a miracle of a film, his skills behind the camera pop out once again, as Mank with its black and white often dark picturing sets the tone that it feels like if feels like it was filmed in the early 40s, plus it might be hard to spot at times but you can even hear the static of an old fashioned cinema projector. It's almost as if the Golden age of 30s Hollywood is relived in thriving life. And with Gary Oldman's brilliant Oscar worthy performance he brings his Herman Mankiewicz to life in glorious tones that are humorous, rustic and even sounds close to his Darkest Hour performance, not that, that is in any way a bad thing. As he races to write his masterpiece, Citizen Kane. Granted Mank is a little slow as it takes a long time for it to finally kick in but again that's not bad either because as it's set in the 40s it feels as if Fincher filmed it with all the time in the world. And thanks to Jack Fincher's (David's late father) sharply written, Mank like Citizen Kane 79 years before it will become a classic in its own right, a film like is rare and to exist at a time like this is nothing short of a miracle. 5/5. Fincher does it again. A must see.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)

Just about absorbant

[6/10 · 5 November 2020]

2004, yes 16 years ago, a 16 year old's entire lifetime. That's how long ago Nickelodeon's aquatic yellow none vertebrae and his pink starry friend and his crew first graced the big screen. And it's not often that an animated TV series goes onto the big screen and gets huge success but with Spongebob Squarepants The Movie it did and with that success it gained not one but two sequels the middling Sponge Out of Water and this. Sponge On the Run features the same voice cast from Tom Kenny to Clancy Brown and features Danny Trejo and even Keanu Reeves as a wise Sage who leads our misfits on an adventure to the lost city of Atlantic City. And as much as the cast try and the writers try Sponge on the Run still lacks the charm of the 2004 original film, though the animated standards are pretty relying massively on 3D animation. But there's still that lack of charm, and although Sponge on the Run has some funny moments has some entertaining moments but sadly our favourite under-water creatures don't have the same fire. Which is a shame because Netflix have brought this out at the right time, but it also seems a bit too late too. Which sometimes isn't a bad thing. 3/5. Good but not great.

Over the Moon (2020)

Flying high

[8/10 · 24 October 2020]

It's quite often when an animated film comes out and they try to imitate or to simulate the same narrative aspects or the same characterisation or even the same animated standards of Disney. Sometimes it's so good it stands out, but other times the story mechanics are very familiar with Disney that it can make the film very far from being a success. Over the Moon is a charming Chinese inspired animation that's both victim to that but also different to that and thankfully sets the bar quite high in animated filmmaking. The story is very familiar a teenage girl is trying to get over the death of her mother and to do that she must embark on a journey of enlightenment to move on. We've seen it all before, but the one thing that's different is the colours whether it's the weird and wonderful creatures walking around or the stunning picturesque views of China's landscape. It will often remind you of Spirited Away or Inside Out or other brilliantly successful animations. Granted Over the Moon may not be new when it comes to the storytelling or the pain we all experience when feeling grief but the colours alone make it a wild success and lest we forget the glorious tunes to boot which will make you cry, make you dance and make you smile. It's likely that Netflix will go to the Oscars with this but whether they'll get the prize is a different story. But it flies high past other films of 2020 and could actually be the best animated film of the year...maybe. 4/5.

Rebecca (I) (2020)

Hitchcockian dud

[4/10 · 21 October 2020]

Ben Wheatley is a good director, when his heart is fascinated with a project, if the passion is high enough you can almost guarantee that what comes out from the finished product is going to be a hit from the Killing Fields to High Rise, through Kill List to Free Fire. He's full of the good stuff. He's good at self awareness however his latest Rebecca, is less fiery more running on fumes. From the start it's a glamorous romance set in the 30s, there's the costumes the cars and even the picturesque views look like a postcard from the 30s. But instead of wishing you were here, you'll be wishing you were gone, because the remake denies any existence it was even made from the original source material, and although you've got the Hitchcockian aspects it doesn't quite have the flair but then there's no Lawrence Olivier here. From the performances you can tell the lead actors are trying and they do a good job, sadly it doesn't go beyond 1st Base. And sadly for Wheatley this is a missed opportunity. 2/5.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Justice is good.

[8/10 · 16 October 2020]

There are a few memorable courthouse dramas, a Few Good Men and 12 Angry Men to name only two of which. And when they are well made, much like a winning verdict they are met with thunderous applause. That much can be said for Academy Award winning writer-director Aaron Sorkin's blistering true story of the Chicago Seven, a trial which went on for nearly a year in the late 60s. And at first when Netflix's latest drama starts it hits with immediate historical speeches, and it's a slow burner. But from the moment it starts to the final credits, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a real corker. First there's the cast, and they come in high from Oscar winning Brits to American legends, the real standout is Sacha Baron-Cohen and Eddie Redmayne who are beat for beat our their performances, Eddie probably may win another Oscar for this. And Cohen thankfully gives a career best performance and you can tell he'll want to add another gold to his trophy cabinet. Second is the writing, now courthouse dramas are smart anyway, with a lot of long words, some very fast speaking and a lot of shouting especially in a filled courtroom, and thankfully Sorkin who is known for his smart writing after The Social Network and Steve Jobs, adds to the intellect in wonderful contrast. And happily his directing adds to that too, every angle, every shot and every take are as compelling as they are stylish their is no error to his directing here, it might be a slow burner but it never drags. Every aspect of this thunderous courthouse drama delivers in spades and with the epic soundtrack it's almost as if it was made by well Sorkin there's no other way to describe that, and that is the highest compliment. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is powerful, it's smart and it looks like Netflix will be heading to the Oscars with this one. And whatever it gets its well deserved. Justice is good. 4/5. A must see.

Hubie Halloween (2020)

Just Stubied

[2/10 · 7 October 2020]

It's that time of year again - Halloween, the time of year when we spend far too much on costumes that we wear once and eat so many sweets that we're literally sweating sugar. It's also the time of year were we spend countless hours watching horror films, and it's also the time when we get stupid comedies that aren't so bad that they're good, they are just bad. Hubie Halloween the latest Adam Sandler and Netflix team up 'comedy' is just that. Last year Sandler built himself a reputation as a guy who can actually act given the right material as the gambling jeweler in Uncut Gems. So good of a reputation in fact that he was praised for his good work, this is perhaps the opposite. It's not the Safdie Brothers' literal diamond mine of a film...nope Hubie is the bad mine, the one with no diamonds and should be condemned. Sandler is Hubie a devout Halloween connoisseur who is picked on and teased by the entire town of Salem, Massachusetts. He's essentially the same character as in Waterboy or Little Nicky or maybe even Billy Maddison you know that kind of annoying character that you just want to smack in the chops and hope they never speak again. But unlike the aforementioned Maddison who is actually good Hubie is awful in comparison, he's the kind of person you only see in a bad dream. And that's exactly what this film is, it's a bad dream. It's not funny, or charming and has about as much personality as a cigarette that was stomped out 20 years ago, around the time Sandler did this type of film. It seems like history is repeating itself, but then that much was clear for Sandler more than 10 crappy 'comedies' ago. 1/5. Just a stubied waste.

Enola Holmes (2020)

The game is just about afoot

[6/10 · 23 September 2020]

At this point ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle released his best selling novella of England's most famous fictional distinctive, there have been countless adaptations from stage to TV and even film, and each one no matter the budget seemed to be focused on the cases, but never about his life. We all know about his older brother Mycroft, the politician who likes to keep status in government untarnished. But it seems noone really knew of a sister, Enola which as Millie Bobby Brown points out in Netflix's Enola Holmes it spells alone backwards. And it seems like this could be the start of a franchise in waiting, if it was to succeed, in that case since its on Netflix that has to be up to the audience numbers. That may or not be difficult thanks to Brown's effervescent attitude towards the character, the 16 year-old English actress gives a brilliant performance bringing her character life in fact for effort it's an 11. But for everything else it seems that there could've been a lot more lighter in the story though thanks to Brown and Henry Cavill's more suave take on Sherlock Holmes and it's definitely a lighter tone than both of Guy Ritchie's takes. Director Harry Bradbeer makes this world enchanting to disappear into and in Enola, Brown seems to have found her crowning glory. Granted it succeeds in the embodiment of female power but lacks in its subtlety, thankfully other than that Enola Holmes and Brown offer a fine and fun adventure that needs more work done to it maybe if it does become a franchise, it can improve its standards along the way. It's also slightly too long. 3/5.

The Devil All the Time (2020)

The Devil most of the time

[6/10 · 16 September 2020]

When you see a young actor go into the harder, often violent, often hard to take film it's almost certain for a barrel of question with most of the answers heading towards, can they really pull it off? Tom Holland is that young actor in question, now 24 years old and acting since he was a kid (not that long ago) and the lead actor in a major MCU franchise, well it's almost as if he might not pull it off, the film being mostly set in Virginia the accent might've been hard for a British actor to pull off. Well he does it all in spades, here he is Arvin Russell the only place The Devil All The Time goes as for a good guy character (though not really that good if his past has anything to do with it), Holland's performance is exceptional his co-stars are good especially an always on form Robert Pattinson as the untrustworthy preacher. But it's Holland's performance that really gathers all the plaudits, and yes he pulls it off in a film that's so violent so unforgiving in places that it's almost punishing, it's very hard hitting. And Holland is remarkable through it all, in fact you could almost say The Devil All The Time was made for him. But unfortunately the cast and the stellar performance seem to be the film's strong points sure it packs a punch, but when it comes to the narrative it could be better. It sometimes goes from one place to another really quite quickly and it seems that when it deviates between characters it seems a little rushed. And that, unfortunately is the film's fall point, the atmosphere is good as director Antonio Campos really sets the tone for the gothic presence but unfortunately with the tonal shifts and missing narrative it seems like The Devil All The Time is really just a film to watch maybe once. 3/5.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

Kaufmanised

[8/10 · 4 September 2020]

When an adaptation of a thriller novel is released it's always close to the source material, often relying too much on the original works and often this can result in some crucially missed moments, varying from a few paragraphs to even a few pages, thus weakening the overall adaptation. That happens here in I'm Thinking of Ending Things Netflix's latest thriller adapted from Iain Ried's phenomenal best seller of the same name, some of the material is missing here, but thankfully due to director Charlie Kaufman's brilliant mind and wonderful knack for his creativity to put our minds in a spin. He takes us on bonkers journey much like he did in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and 2002s Adaptation, anchored by stunning performances by both Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons Kaufman's third directing credit is probably his most unsettling piece yet, as he takes us on a mind-bending thought-provoking often confusing yet thoroughly unique psychological thriller into Buckley's mind as she constantly thinks about her life with her boyfriend, does she want to stay with him? Or does she want to leave? It's constantly putting us in a loop, a loop which we didn't want to end but unfortunately it did. It might not be Kaufman's best film but it certainly is one to remember but then again when it has name attached to it, it's often hard to forget it. And that feeling is always welcome and let's just see what he does next, will it be just as unsettling? Or will it be entirely different? Whatever it is Kaufman is always a welcome presence. 4/5.

Project Power (2020)

Stable Power

[6/10 · 14 August 2020]

You might have all heard the phrase, if you could have one superpower, what would it be? Well Netflix's Project Power takes that phrase literally, when a pill arrives on the streets of New Orleans that can give you any power for five minutes, whatever that power is, you could be fast, invisible, impervious to bullets or have super strength. The only downside to the pill, it's a lottery, the power could be bad. It's 50/50, and that'll be your main thought through the film to, the action is good, it's fast paced, gritty and it's fun, Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback give punchy performances and are hugely likeable characters, the direction is competent too. The main problem is the script, it feels as if it was just a drafted script and not fully checked through and directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman probably said to the writer, it doesn't matter is the script is good. But sadly that is Project Power's main problem it struggles to make sense of what the film is trying to be. It wants to be a film about superpowers, and it pulls that off really well, but it doesn't have the same dramatic core as other films about superpowers. Albeit, the rest of the film is punchy, it's gritty, it's fast paced and a rollicking good time, if you don't watch it for the script. In conclusion it's good but forgettable.

The Old Guard (2020)

Forever old

[6/10 · 10 July 2020]

In 1986, Highlander was released and at one point in the soundtrack Freddie Mercury hailed the question Who Wants To Live Forever? Which was true for Highlander, and is true for The Old Guard, when an outfit of meecenaries all centuries old immortals fight to keep their secret hidden. Led by Charlize Theron's Andromache the Scythian (her friends call her Andy) who could have even lived as far back as the ancient Macedonians, strives to keep her powers and the powers of their team strictly their own. Just that bit of plotting alone works for the film, it's entertaining fast paced action sequences that clearly comes from Theron's training as Atomic Blonde, and she kicks ass, literally. The fight sequences are incredibly filmed. Unfortunately the film is brought down by its conventions into other genres making it feel a bit restricted, but thankfully director Gina Prince-Bythewood brings a sophisticated and we'll made vision into the superhero genre and Theron is yet again brilliant in the fight scenes. It's not great and not exactly a memorable plot, but thankfully unlike it's 1986 immortal cousin there's actually something to like here and it's better than the whole Highlander series. But then that wasn't exactly a hard ladder to climb.

Re-Animator (1985)

Re-Animated fun

[8/10 · 28 February 2020]

FROM DAVID CRONENBURG'S The Fly and Videodrome, through John Carpenter's The Thing and David Lynch's Eraserhead to even the recent Teeth and Raw, the subgenre Body Horror or biological horror involving the mutilation of natural human abilities, is sometimes gross, can be very gory and often can make even the person with the strongest of stomachs churn on it's side, it can make our minds imagine such bizarre things and can mostly make our bones hurt when we look at what the human body does in these films. In The Fly there's a scientist who changes into a fly, The Thing has an alien that morph itself into anything, Teeth had the vagina dentata (a toothed demon living in the female genitalia) and even 2009 had Human Centipede which doesn't need much description but we'll go for it anyway (prepare yourselves) it had a mad scientist tying up people via their gastric organs. Body Horror can go to incomprehensible lengths that our imagination can take us, and as by these few, there's clever, sci-fi to the weird and finally disgusting (Human Centipede). And it will most likely leave you with a chill in your bones, and often can make us squeamish, so you'll need a strong stomach.

H.P Lovecraft's Re-Animator is no stranger to that, originally released in 1985 when director Stuart Gordon who made yet another gross-out weird body horror film From Beyond carefully crafted a wonderfully fun, sometimes horrific and a stunningly imaginative film - that's not afraid to show what it can do. And it definitely lives up to the imaginative point when Doctor Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) designs and invents a serum that can re-animate the cells of dead animal or human tissue not the full body just the skin, the re-animated corpses are still pretty dead inside. However it's not the plot that may bother you, it may be the elements of shock and awe that are in place here, and they deliver here in spectacular fashion, as Gordon cleverly distorts the human mind on what we are capable of and he turns it up to a factor of 11. It delivers the shock in spades, first there's a dead cat that's brought back to life, then a man in a mortuary who as soon as he awakes becomes the embodiment of Frankenstein's monster, and if that doesn't make your toes curl then maybe the introduction of a headless man might. Yet, when the corpses are brought back they aren't perfect they resort to violence but then again wouldn't we all if we were brought back from our peaceful slumber?

It is, of course, not just the shock factor that unfolds here in glorious fashion as Gordon frenetically combines shocking and gory horror with hilarious deadpan comedy moments, and as the more serious moments take place there's a sprinkling of comedy "Who's going to believe a talking head? Get a job in a sideshow." Herbert West says to a decapitated neurosurgeon as a moment of blackmailing unfolds. And that's just one of the hilarious moments on show here. If you enjoyed The Thing and The Fly along with a sprinkling of Videodrome then Re-Animator is the next body horror for you to watch, with it's campy/weird moments and gross-out violence. Plus Gordon's script is so tightly written it manages to avoid every horror cliché in the book. Though it's not your typical 80's classic it's a fun one nonetheless.

VERDICT: A vividly deft, gory, funny and an utterly fearless mix of horror and comedy on one plate. It proves that entertainment value literally trumps any other concern.