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alecalbury
Reviews
Soul (2020)
A film that could save lives
Pixar do it again, a wonderful blend of light-hearted comedy and a poignant message. Everything in 'Soul' is pitch-perfect.
The plot might be a bit too convoluted for younger viewers, but overall it's an imaginative and uplifting film that continues the Pixar tradition of speaking to all audiences in a meaningful way.
I might go as far as to say this is a new favourite, because ultimately the message of the film could save lives. If you've ever suffered from depression, anxiety or general ennui, then 'Soul' might help you through it.
Additionally, the film is genuinely hilarious, the vocal performances are well-suited to the characters, the animation is flawless and fascinatingly dali-esque but the real star of the film is Trent Reznor's original score. The music for the film is absolutely spot on, drawing out the comedic and emotional beats without laying it on too thick. The soundtrack album will be an interesting mix of old-school jazz and ambient electro and I can't wait to listen to it all again.
A brilliant film that I recommend to all, only one mark down for the intricacy of the concept (which to adults will be a plus really but for younger viewers it might put them off)
Uncut Gems (2019)
Intense, frenetic, anxiety inducing nightmare
Adam Sandler is absolutely fantastic as the gruff, sleazy, naive, endlessly optimistic Howard Ratner, a risk-taking gambler and jeweller who is in debt with some rather angry and unsympathetic characters.
One bad decision and a lot of bad luck sends Howard's life spiralling out of control, and the film sticks very closely with Howard as we watch him struggle to keep a lid on everything.
Uncut Gems establishes a level of tension right from the get go which quickly increases as Howard pushes further into the ensuing madness.
This tension may put people off as its achieved through naturalistic performances and some spectacular editing; quick cuts, lots of reaction shots and characters shouting over each other gives the film its freneticism and then the claustraphobic cinematography and performances imbue a sense of realism in the film that makes the tension almost unbearable at times, it's borderline anxiety inducing.
However, if you can go with it then you will be utterly transfixed for the duration.
For me Uncut Gems was a masterclass in rising tension, my mouth dropped at the end. Adam Sandler gives a fantastic performance and the Safdie brothers have really triumphed on a technical level, to sustain the pace for over 2 hours is an achievement in itself.
My only criticism would be that thematically there's not much to chew on afterwards... this is a story of one man's addiction to risk and the danger of his greed and optimism and that's pretty much it.
Overall, a brilliant film that showcases Sandler as a real actor to be lauded amongst the best and that the Safdies are a powerhouse pair of directors, I cant wait to see what they do next.
The Irishman (2019)
A Sombre Tale
This is Scorcese's anti-mob film.
The last 40 minutes of The Irishman put everything up until then into a new light. Suddenly everything makes sense and the film becomes a heartbreaking and poignant epilogue to gangster culture and its violent history.
Speaking of violence, the Irishman is violent but in no way glorified (nor is it in any of his other films)... in fact it's quite the opposite. The violence here is quick, brutal, cold and almost cowardly, where respect can become naivety and get you killed.
It's this respect that Scorcese is more interested in depicting; the familial bond these gangsters have with one another and the respect they have for each other.
This is a sombre tale of regret and broken families, isolation and loneliness, a violent tale of power and betrayal, and overall a tale of powerful men that gain strength through each other, and the respect of others.
That said, my main criticism is that yes, it is indeed too long. That's not to suggest that the film doesn't earn its runtime, like I said the last 40 minutes really do hit hard.
It's in those last 40 minutes where the lack of a strong female presence throughout the film is justified and actually benefits the message it's trying to send. Still, I think it was a missed opportunity not have a stronger female role in the film.
My other issue would be the CGI... whilst it is fantastic, there some scenes where the elderly bodies of the actors with young heads really drew me out of the immersion as it just looked bizarre.
Overall The Irishman is a long and rather downbeat story with a lot to say but only at the end... the plot isn't anything remarkable and has similarities to Scorsese's previous films but stick with it to the end and its guaranteed to have you thinking for a while afterward.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Pretty Damn Good
I haven't read a single coherent review for this film yet as IMDb seems to be full of angry fanboys that don't seem to realise how ridiculous comic book films are.
If, like me, you are a little disenfranchised with the MCU films, and you tried watching BVS and realised D.C. will continue to produce utter bilge as long as Zack Snyder is around to make them "dark and gritty", you'll understand my trepidation before watching Civil War.
I couldn't be more surprised at how good Civil War was. A comic book film that earns its dramatic moments, gives everyone a motive and a relevant amount of screen time, throws in some truly spectacular action sequences AND can make light of itself every now and then when it gets too serious BECAUSE IT'S A FILM ABOUT SUPER HEROS FFS.
This film isn't perfect, I found myself trying to keep up with the plot in places as everything moves quite quickly. Additionally, the beginning feels a little rushed to get to the main bulk of the story and themes, but I can forgive it for actually having a good story and strong themes that it sticks to.
The issue is the Fan boys / Zack Snyder fan boys that need to realise not everything needs to be super serious as that makes dull cinema. Nolan achieved it with his Batman trilogy BECAUSE HE'S AN EXTEMELY TALENTED FILMMAKER WITH A GREAT WRITER AS A BROTHER. Snyder consistently tries to make things more poignant without actually earning the right to be, resulting in boring cinema because we're not invested in his characters.
Anyway, I could go on for hours about how moronic some of the reviews from fan boys are but overall this film is a great action adventure that I'm more than certain you'll enjoy if you watched the other MCU films.
The Shape of Water (2017)
A few big problems (Contains very slight spoilers)
Yes, everything you've heard about this film is true, it's gorgeous, well acted, well written, entertaining and provides a lot to sink your teeth into in terms of symbolism and themes... but there's a few big problems I had with it...
For me, the central romantic relationship was silly, I never bought into it. It almost felt rushed to me, like the writers didn't believe it either. Girl meets fish monster, girl instantly falls for fish monster even though it is rather terrifying and has already maimed someone, girl gives rather tacked on reason for her feelings etc. Personally it wasn't enough to buy this rather strange coupling of souls, unless you're easily pleased in films I suppose.
Which leads onto my other problem with the film. Had this film been longer it really could have taken the time to add more depth and exposition to the loneliness everyone supposedly feels and Elisa's past so their motivations and actions made sense... it really felt a bit rushed throughout and I really wasn't as emotionally invested like everyone else claims they were. If you were to compare the portrayal of loneliness in this film to the likes of a film such as Moon... Moon has a much bigger impact, but then Del Toro crams a heck of a lot more into this film.
On top of all this I found it very hard to believe some of the events in the film because of some annoying plot holes (the poor security in the supposed 'high security' facility being the most jarring). The film was never more than a delightful romp, rather than the high art some people are labelling it.
I realise my review is quite negative but overall the film really is a lot of fun. It was never boring, it was funny, the set design and cinematography is astonishing, the acting is top notch, the story is good fun if rather hackneyed and there's a lot to take from it, but overall the film never reached the heights of Pan's Labyrinth or Devil's Backbone, because it never took itself seriously and remained very much a simple fairy tale, rather than the dramatic masterpiece I was hoping it would be.
4/5
Side note : I have noticed a lot of critics praise films very highly when they reference many other films so this may be where the gushing of love for this film has come from.
Kimi no na wa. (2016)
Fantastic but not perfect
Recently I've been reviewing the films I watch as soon as I can after watching them as a way of channelling my thoughts.
I've just finished 'Your Name' and have to agree with a lot of people on here, it's quite fantastic. The story and themes are very interesting and I found the film kept me engaged with shifts in tone / plot that felt natural and paced well.
Additionally the animation is gorgeous and a lot of the music was achingly beautiful.
However, some of the music (mainly the poorly timed pop ballads) felt out of place and actually served to draw me out of the experience as a whole. Some of the ballads worked but I felt the orchestral music alone would did a great job on the emotional cue's of the film.
Furthermore, I think the characters were slightly two-dimensional (or not as individualised as they could have been) and the story falls into a familiar and rather cheesy conclusion, but it fit the tone of the film overall, it just wasn't entirely believable.
Other than that it's a great watch and I'd happily watch again, it's a lovely film and does a great job at sucking you into its world.
4/5
Bright (2017)
Ar(BRIGHT)rary - A Total Mess
Has everyone lost their mind?
The amount of consumers that have not only said the critics were wrong (I can respect that) but then have given this film 10/10?!
A lot of reviews state "it's no Citizen Kane but I didn't expect it to be", WELL THEN DON'T GIVE IT A PERFECT SCORE!
For me, putting it bluntly, if you don't like to think during a film or be challenged in any way and just like stock characters, a bargain bin story line and a few poorly executed shootouts then you'll probably enjoy this. But please don't come here and give it a 10 / 10 review afterwards telling me "the critics were wrong". These are people that have studied and watched film all their life and know a heck of a lot more than any IMDB user does.
As for the film I have to agree with the critics, this should be called 'ArBRIGHTrary' as every scene in this film happens for no reason other than to rip off scenes from other films and badly.
Acting was pretty good from both leads considering they had an awful script. Female characters are underused and merely serve as plot devices to take our leads on their (really dull and ultimately pointless) journey. Many women will probably boycott this altogether due to its total disregard for the current climate.
Additionally, the script was a complete mess. Characters we've not seen before will turn up, state their arbitrary part in the story, cause a few problems for the leads then disappear having had no bearing on the actual story (I refer to the gangsters, Tika, the orc gang leader, even the dirty cops to a degree). The original lore for this world is mentioned in passing rather than fully fleshed out and the actual REASON and MOTIVE for most of the story events / fantasy world's dynamics is 'Just because...'
I could go on for hours but overall this film fails because I simply didn't buy it. Everything fell flat; the comedy, story, atmosphere, cinematography, characterisation etc.
By the end of the film (which thinks it's a lot more meaningful and spectacular then it actually is) I just felt deflated and angry.
What a complete shambles of a film, a total mess and 2 hours I'll never get back.
If you do enjoy this when you watch it then please be realistic with your review. You know for a fact that this is NOT a 10/10 film. I've given this 3 because some of the violence and comedy worked for me but overall there was nothing else to like.
This movie is dumb... super dumb... it rips off Fifth Element for God's sake.
F (2010)
Worth Watching
I made an appearance at a preview of 'F' in Cambridge recently this year.
Though it wasn't a fantastic horror and yes there were some clichés and repetitive moments, I was still thinking about it when I left.
I was thoroughly surprised at the 18 certificate because you rarely see any of the violence taking place, just the gory aftermath, yet this is where the brilliance lies.
Everything was suggested through the camera work. Tension built, shocks revealed and moods created through the use of one camera. The close-ups became reasonably annoying but it is impossible to deny that it was well filmed, very well filmed. The soundtrack was very good and was consistently played which is reminiscent of John Carpenter's films. 'The Thing' comes to mind.
David Schofield carried the film, especially compared to the rest of the cast. His performance was solid and believable. As has been said before, the rest of the cast members were a bit too bland to empathise with, some even used as cannon fodder.
The lighting was brilliant as well, successfully evoking the tension out of its viewers. Additionally, although there was a trick, the 'Hoodies' were fantastically lit, keeping them faceless. The 'Hoodies' are where I feel a lot of people misunderstood the film.
The 'Hoodies' are faceless forces of evil. They are silent, deadly, malicious. They are a symbol of todays violent youth (take the student protest in London recently as an example). The 'Hoodies' were an enigma, a force within and apart of the school. This is where I had the most fun in the film, watching these things cause chaos. When the 'Hoodies' were looming we would know, and that made them ten times creepier.
The ending, love it or hate it, was different and strangely invigorating.
'F', despite the minor clichés, it's slight dip into repetition and bland characters (apart from a couple), and I suppose the lack of a substantial plot, is a fresh film. It is entertaining with some moments of horror and some genuinely brilliant filming, especially when the 'Hoodies' are looming.
Most importantly, there are horrors churned out by Hollywood these days that are skid marks in comparison to this. So if you're a person that enjoyed those terrible remakes such as 'One Missed Call,' or 'Prom Night,' which this film shouldn't really be associated with, then this is definitely worth a watch, in fact it is utterly fantastic compared with those.
One bit in particular is worth watching if you're a Hollyoaks fan... or hater. 6.5 / 10