Bird Box (2018) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / 1 Comment

‘Bird Box’ is based on the novel of the same name by Josh Malerman, which mostly aims to be a dark horror/thriller with an original and twisted story as well as a few other interesting aspects in regards to its filmmaking. Unfortunately, however, the film soon falls into a pit of disappointment which it really struggles to escape from, resulting in ‘Bird Box’ becoming nothing more than another generic Netflix fright-fest.

Plot Summary: In the wake of an unknown global terror, a mother must find the strength to flee with her two children down a treacherous river in search of safety. Yet, due to the unseen deadly forces pursuing them, the perilous journey must be made blind-folded…

As the film jumps back-and-forth between the two different time-periods, the film’s structure can become very frustrating at points, as I personally found the initial chaotic event far more entertaining than the other time-period the film provides, yet this was always cut short as the film continuously cuts between the two at unusual points. The film also chooses to wrap the majority of its story in mystery, never really exploring what the monsters actually are, or how their abilities work. The film even chooses to never actually show the creatures on-screen at all throughout the runtime, and although I agree that not everything has to be explained within a story, the way ‘Bird Box’ presents it makes it nothing but frustrating as the film introduces questions without answers.

Sandra Bullock portrays a struggling mother alongside Danielle Macdonald, Trevante Rhodes and John Malkovich who all portray people attempting to survive in a brutal world, and they do their best considering the weak characters they had to work with. The majority of the supporting cast are also decent, with Sarah Paulson even having a short appearance within the film. However, I actually found she was incredibly wasted in the small (and mostly pointless) role she had within the narrative.

In spite of the film’s many wilderness scenes being shot near the beautiful Smith River in the far north of California. Nearly the entire visual presentation of ‘Bird Box,’ is extremely dull, as the cinematography by Salvatore Totino and editing Ben Lester never really excel beyond ‘okay.’ Usually having scenes consist of many boring shots which never really add much to the tension or atmosphere aside from the occasional moment, this, of course, also alongside the extremely bland grey colour palette.

This is also the case when it comes to the original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, coming across as nothing more than your standard score for any modern horror/thriller with a slight technological twist, which is very surprising, considering these composers did excellent work on the soundtrack for ‘The Social Network,’ back in 2010.

Although the novel obviously came out before last year’s ‘A Quiet Place,’ I also couldn’t help but notice many similarities between the two films. Such as the lack of a certain sense, the apocalyptic setting, a theme of family and the eerie atmosphere/tone (despite the idea of the monsters making you kill yourself being very original). I also couldn’t help but feel the film never made enough use of its concept of simply witnessing the creatures drives characters to suicide, as this is a terrifying idea, and could’ve provided some very gory and truly shocking moments.

In summary, ‘Bird Box’ is one of those few films that gets a large amount of attention for reasons I’m not entirely sure of, as personally, I thought the film was nothing but bland and forgettable in many aspects. Aside from perhaps the main performance by Sandra Bullock and the original idea of its story. There wasn’t much I enjoyed about this adaptation, perhaps give it a watch if you’re really interested, but, in my opinion, there are many similar films which explore these same ideas just with a much better execution. Final Rating: 3/10.

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Wish Upon (2017) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

A hilariously awful attempt at horror, ‘Wish Upon’ comes to us from director John R. Leonetti, mostly known for his cinematography on the first two ‘Insidious’ films as well as the first entry in ‘The Conjuring’ series. With him now recently delving his hand into directing, working on films such as ‘Annabelle,’ ‘The Silence’ and obviously ‘Wish Upon.’ However, after watching all of these films, I think I would really rather he just stick to cinematography from now on.

Plot Summary: When teenager Clare Shannon discovers an old music box that carries strange abilities and can grant her any wish she desires, she believes all her dreams have come true. That is until, she realises that there is a deadly price for each one…

Although the film’s plot does take inspiration from W.W. Jacobs’ iconic short story; ‘The Monkey Paw,’ ‘Wish Upon’ itself rarely feels like an actual horror film. Of course, the fact that the film has little-to-no atmosphere as well as an enormous amount of weak jump-scares throughout, it’s very clear that this film was clearly meant to pander towards horror-loving teenagers. ‘Wish Upon’ is truly one of the least tense horrors I’ve watched in a very long time, even being unintentionally hilarious at various points.

This is also one of the few films where I can safely say that every character in the film is not only poorly portrayed, but also incredibly stupid. As the entire cast of Ki Hong Lee, Sydney Park, Shannon Purser and, of course, Joey King as the protagonist, ‘Clare Shannon.’ All make ridiculous decisions throughout the entire runtime, in addition to never really acting very intensely to anything, no matter what it may be. The writing also doesn’t help, however, as none of the characters in the film talk like actual teenagers, and the screenplay is full of incredibly cringey, cliché and cheesy lines.

All of the cinematography throughout the film by Michael Galbraith is very bland and uninspired. Normally using just simple shots without any attempt to integrate any creepy elements into them. The lighting also doesn’t help, however, as most of the film looks like a cheaply made for TV film due to being very bright and clear throughout.

The original score by ‘tomandandy’ is your usual horror affair, with nothing really interesting or particularly memorable of note about it. However, the choice of songs throughout the film is memorable for all the wrong reasons, as the film chooses to use terrible pop music at various points during the film, which comes completely out of nowhere and ruins whatever little tension or atmosphere the film had up to that point, making the film feel almost like more of a teen comedy than a horror. Simply due to how distracting it is, this was easily the worst element of the film for me.

Only a very small detail, but I feel the only aspect of the film I actually enjoyed is the music box itself, having a very creepy and unique ancient Chinese design. It’s clear the filmmakers were trying hard to make the item iconic in its own right. Whilst obviously not truly successful with this, I still like its design, and the eerie tune that it plays as a horrific event unfolds, the film also has a very surreal and entertaining end title sequence, but this obviously adds very little to the film overall.

In summary, ‘Wish Upon’ is a true mess of a horror film, everything from the writing to the cinematography to the original score is either very poorly done or extremely dull and generic. Often coming across as unintentionally hilarious and lacking any truly terrifying scenes, ‘Wish Upon’ is far beyond saving. But, at the very least, the film does have plenty of memorable moments if you decided to watch it with some friends for a laugh. Final Rating: high 1/10.

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Source Code (2011) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Talented science fiction director Duncan Jones (Moon, Warcraft, Mute) brings us an original, engaging and fast-paced sci-fi thriller with ‘Source Code.’ Combining futuristic technology, human drama and a handful of brief action sequences, all equalling to a pretty enjoyable experience, which I personally believe still holds up today, aside from a few small issues here and there.

Plot Summary: When soldier, Colter Stevens, awakens in someone else’s body, he soon discovers he’s part of an experimental government program. Created in order to find the bomber of the commuter train he is aboard. A mission he has only eight minutes to complete…

Despite this time limit, however, the film always manages to deliver its story very effectively as this sci-fi flick builds up a decent layer of mystery and tension as to who is responsible for the bombing throughout giving the film an almost mystery-type structure alongside its science fiction elements, using the story’s original ideas to their best extent as we follow our protagonist; ‘Colter,’ as he searches for his target over the course of the film, encountering many different characters on board the train along the way.

The supporting cast of Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright all do a pretty great job throughout the film. However, Jake Gyllenhaal as ‘Colter Stevens’ is obviously the stand out, proving that he can hold his own as a leading hero, regardless of whichever genre he finds himself in. But, unfortunately, the characters within the film definitely lack development, as aside from a few short scenes, the film never really seems interested in exploring its characters any further than it needs to. Yet, with the film’s tight runtime, I definitely feel this was a missed opportunity.

The cinematography by Don Burgess is decent for the most part, never really experimenting with anything incredibly creative, but staying at a fairly decent level for the majority of the film. The original score by Chris Bacon is without a doubt the worst element of the film, however, as I simply feel the score doesn’t suit this genre of film at all. Feeling more like a soundtrack from a generic action blockbuster, rather than a slick sci-fi, such as this one. In addition, I feel the train set (where a large majority of the film takes place), could do with some improvement as although this is only a small criticism, and won’t bother most, I personally found the set to look and feel a little too much like a set at points, with the green screen view from the windows not helping towards this. But, with most of the film being shot on a soundstage in Montréal, Canada, I suppose the film we received is the best result.

The film does manage to blend many of its more outlandish sci-fi aspects with the more grounded science fiction elements very well, however, cutting between the past and the present at various points throughout the film, always utilising the lighting as well as the different sets very effectively as a terrific visual indicator for the audience. I was also surprised on my initial viewing to find that the film contains quite a few comedic moments throughout as ‘Colter’ experiences the strange reality he now finds himself in through some of his funny interactions with the various people on board the train. However, this did lead me to wonder if the film could’ve been improved should the story have fully embraced a more absurd tone, perhaps this then would’ve made the film extremely unbelievable, but I personally feel this way the film could have explored some of its interesting ideas further.

In summary, ‘Source Code’ is an enjoyable ride, as while I personally find the film much more interesting for its story and ideas as the cinematography and original score throughout the film can sometimes be a little bland and uninspired (in addition to the film’s lack of characterisation). Regardless, I still find the majority of the filmmaking pretty decent and it results in a mostly entertaining sci-fi thriller, and a pretty easy watch on a Saturday night. Final Rating: 7/10.

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Ghost Stories (2018) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Based on the West End play of the same name written by Jeremy Dyson, ‘Ghost Stories’ is a British horror directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, featuring many tension-filled scenes and plenty of clever story elements throughout, it’s not quite the cliché horror you might expect, as the film definitely takes a unique approach with its storytelling and ideas, and I would say I enjoyed the film quite a bit due to this, although I feel this may not be the same for everyone.

Plot Summary: Sceptical professor; ‘Phillip Goodman,’ embarks on a trip into the terrifying world of the paranormal, after he is given a file with details of three unexplained cases of apparitions to investigate…

Whilst nothing incredibly original for a horror narrative, this story does allow the film to have almost an anthology-like structure in a way, with the three separate case files all being their own contained story. The film also takes a very interesting direction for the majority of its runtime, mostly focusing on the paranoia and imagination of the human mind, and how certain tragic events throughout life can lead the mind to wander. Whilst I personally think this is a very creative way to explore paranormal encounters and the horror genre in general, I can definitely say not every horror fan would enjoy this element, as I can see many hating this film mainly due to its exploration of these ideas. This concept even plays-into title of the film, which was misspelled as ‘Ghost Stories’ in much of the pre-release media. This was done to accord with the film’s tagline; ‘The Brain Sees What it Wants to See.’

Andy Nyman portrays the main protagonist of the film (Phillip Goodman), and I’d say he does a pretty great job with the arrogant character he is given, especially being a mostly unknown actor. Then, of course, we also have Phil Whitehouse, Alex Lawther and Martin Freeman as the various victims of the cases, who I also quite enjoyed watching. All the performances here are also backed-up by the writing in the film, as I feel the writing is pretty on point here. Having many elements of dark comedy along with giving some development to the various characters and having some little pieces of information hidden within dialogue for later in the narrative.

The cinematography by Ole Bratt Birkeland is pretty impressive throughout, only having a few shots throughout the runtime which I thought were a little bland. ‘Ghost Stories’ also utilises many wide shots throughout the film which really lend themselves to the eerie atmosphere, alongside the hauntingly beautiful original score which also lends itself to the film. This time being handled by Haim Frank Ilfman, a composer who I actually hadn’t heard of before this film. But, I do hope to see his name in credits more following on from this, as the soundtrack works perfectly throughout the film, changing from emotional to tense, to chaotic, without ever feeling rushed.

My main criticism of the film is the usual issue I have with modern horrors, as while I do feel this film builds-up a lot more of an eerie atmosphere than many other horrors. The film is still littered with jump-scares, and while I do believe jump-scares can work if used to a minimal extent, here I felt many of them were just thrown in a points without much reason, the film does have plenty of visual horror however which I appreciate. Another small issue I have is the design of one of the creatures we see in the film, as to me it’s design felt very out-of-place when compared to the other paranormal entities we see within the story, but again, this is only a small issue.

In summary, ‘Ghost Stories’ is a very distinct horror film, as while I don’t think the film is perfect, I did find it pretty entertaining for the majority of my watch. Having an original story and great direction as well as many attractive shots along with some great writing and a terrific original score, I’d say the film is a definite watch for someone seeking something a little different from the horror genre. Final Rating: low 8/10.

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Beautiful Shots in Cinema – Film List

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Throughout history, there have been many captivating shots in cinema that inventively visualise the stories they are illustrating, thoroughly enthralling the audience in their stories by combing imaginative framing/composition with an attractive colour palette and exceptional lighting. Some shots even go so far as to convey the narrative behind a certain character, item or location merely through a single image, becoming commemorated in the annuals of cinema for decades to come. Here are a few of my personal favourites…

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) – Cinematographer, Roger Deakins

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The Matrix (1999) – Cinematographer, Bill Pope

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Jaws (1975) – Cinematographer, Bill Butler

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Psycho (1960) – Cinematographer, John L. Russell

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Pulp Fiction (1994) – Cinematographer, Andrzej Sekula

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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – Cinematographer, Douglas Slocombe

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The Revenant (2016) – Cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki

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American Beauty (1999) – Cinematographer, Conrad Hall

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Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) – Cinematographer, Robert Richardson

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Don’t Breathe (2016) – Cinematographer, Pedro Luque

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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – Cinematographer, Ben Davis

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Annihilation (2018) – Cinematographers, Rob Hardy and Robert Hardy

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Interstellar (2014) – Cinematographer, Hoyte Van Hoytema

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American Psycho (2000) – Cinematographer, Andrzej Sekuła

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The Shape of Water (2017) – Cinematographer, Dan Laustsen

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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – Cinematographer, Allen Daviau

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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – Cinematographers, Geoffrey Unsworth and John Alcott

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The Road (2009) – Cinematographer, Javier Aguirresarobe

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Life of Pi (2012) – Cinematographer, Claudio Miranda

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Fight Club (1999) – Cinematographer, Jeff Cronenweth

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The Shining (1980) – Cinematographers, John Alcott and Martin Kenzie

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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) – Cinematographer, Bill Pope

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A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Cinematographer, Jacques Haitkin

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – Cinematographer, Andrew Lesnie

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Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) – Cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki

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The Belko Experiment (2016) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

An intense thriller with elements of dark comedy thrown-in for good measure, ‘The Belko Experiment’ is written by ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Slither’ director James Gunn, and directed by Greg McLean (Wolf Creek, Rogue, Jungle). A strange combination which works surprisingly well, in my opinion, as it results in a tense, unique and fast-paced corporate thriller.

Plot Summary: In a twisted social experiment, eighty American employees are locked in their high-rise corporate office building in Bogotá, Colombia, and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company’s intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed. Throwing every employee into a state of panic and a question of morals…

As you can probably guess from a quick pitch of the plot, the film doesn’t hold back from throwing the audience straight into the gory chaos after only about ten to fifteen minutes of screen-time. From here, the film continues to build tension and a dreading atmosphere throughout the remainder of the film. At many points, ‘The Belko Experiment’ also dips its toes into the realm of dark comedy, not too surprising as writer James Gunn was originally set to direct as well. However, when it was time to begin filming, Gunn withdrew, deciding he didn’t want to spend several months working on such a violent film, leaving Greg McLean to bring his screenplay to the big screen.

John Gallagher Jr and Adria Arjona are the main two protagonists of the film, as well as Tony Goldwyn and John C. McGinley as the antagonists, who, are all great in their varied roles, due to there being an entire building worth of employees involved in the story, however, there’s an enormous amount of characters, which, of course, means barley any of characterisation for most of them aside from a couple of lines or the occasional scene.

Whilst the cinematography by Luis David Sansans isn’t any overly impressive, it is decently pleasing throughout the runtime and does manage to show off many of the practical gore effects within the film to their best extent. The same can not be said for the CG effects throughout the film, however, as despite not always being noticeable, there are a few moments where the CGI becomes extremely obvious due to the film’s smaller budget and can take the viewer out of the film for a moment or two. In addition to this, the original score by Tyler Bates is not very memorable or unique despite doing a decent job of building tension throughout the film, as the soundtrack rises and changes over time to fit the more tense and chaotic feel of the narrative. However, the score can also feel a little out-of-place when some of the more comedic scenes come into play, but this issue is also noticeable when it comes to the tone of the film, as despite much of the comedy actually working fairly well, the film sometimes changes from horrific imagery to humour a little too quickly.

One of the main elements of the film is obviously the gory deaths, as the story resolves pretty much completely around the deaths of the various characters, and while the film does have a few memorable moments and kills. I was a little dissatisfied with the variety, as the majority of the characters seem to die simply from gunshots, rather than the film getting creative and making better use of the office location it’s set in, perhaps by having characters use office/everyday equipment and supplies as improvised weapons.

As you may also expect with a violent setup such as this one, ‘The Belko Experiment’ also delivers on plenty of underlying themes and messages. Focusing mostly on how we react as humans to traumatic events and give in to our most primal instincts and selfish desires, and while I do wish these ideas were delved into a little further. They are present throughout the film regardless, and I did find the way the film explored the ideas of human survival pretty interesting. Even my personal favourite scene in the film (which takes place in the main reception of the building) excels at expressing these themes in pretty a brutal way.

In summary, if all you’re searching for on your Saturday night is a bit of gory, comedic excitement with a few underlying themes mixed in good measure. Then, ‘The Belko Experiment’ happily delivers, as the film is an enjoyable thrill-ride with some quick pacing and practical gore effects, regardless of some of its weak characters, CG effects and relatively simplistic story. Although it may not appeal to all, for me, I feel it’s a decent viewing experience. Final Rating: 7/10.

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The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Only five years after the previous ‘Spider-Man’ franchise ended, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ attempts to be a fresh and slightly darker reboot of the superhero’s classic origin story yet, sadly, falls pretty flat. Feeling too similar to the previous iteration of the franchise, as well as never really perfecting any of the interesting ideas the film introduces itself.

Plot Summary: When ‘Peter Parker’ is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound spider-like powers and ventures-out to solve the mystery of his parent’s mysterious death. Meanwhile, a menacing new threat emerges on the streets of New York City…

Aside from the new focus on his lost parents, the story is far too similar to what we have seen before. Featuring all the classic scenes of ‘Peter’ beating up criminals, making his iconic costume (which now has an unpleasant redesign) and, of course, witnessing his ‘Uncle Ben’s death. This can make the story feel very bland and predictable for the majority of its runtime, if the film was to come out many years after ‘Spider-Man 3,’ then perhaps it wouldn’t have been as bad. But, due to Sony wanting to keep the rights to the Marvel character, a new remake had to be rushed out.

‘Peter Parker’ is this time portrayed by Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Hacksaw Ridge), and overall, I think he does a decent job here, as while this version of the character isn’t incredibly memorable, he does portray the character as a nervous and awkward yet still likeable teenager, despite looking a little too old for the character’s actual age. The rest of the cast of Emma Stone, Sally Field and Rhys Ifans all do a decent job throughout, but are never really given anything interesting to do when it comes to the story.

The cinematography by John Schwartzman is nothing outstanding, as aside from the unique P.O.V. shots from ‘Spider-Man’s perspective, the cinematography mostly just stays at a consistent level throughout the runtime. However, this is easily redeemed by one of the best elements of the film for me, the great chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, as Stone portrays ‘Gwen Stacy’ (Peter Parker’s first love interest) all of their scenes together are very funny and charming, reminding heavily me of director Mark Webb’s prior film; ‘500 Days of Summer.’

The original score by James Horner is once again nothing amazing, but it does fit the film’s style. Feeling like a classic superhero score, mixed with some more emotional elements, equalling to a pretty varied but not very memorable soundtrack. The majority of the film could be described in this way, however, as many aspects of the film never seem to pass the level of ‘decent,’ which is a real shame, as I think this director and cast have some great potential. But, this simply wasn’t the film for it.

The writing is definitely one of the weakest elements of the film for me, as the film is full of cheesy lines and cliché moments throughout the story. My main issue with the film, however, is the film’s antagonist, the ‘Lizard,’ as his motivation, awful appearance and general lack of an intimidating presence really portray this classic comic book foe in a bad light.

The action sequences throughout the film are nothing really exceptional of note, as although they are decently entertaining, none of them ever manage to become as memorable as anything from the original ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy. My personal favourite most likely being the action scene set in ‘Peter’s high school, as the scene utilises the location very well. It’s also here when we get a great look at the various different CG effects in bright lighting, and I feel overall they look decent.

In summary, although I initially gave this film a lower rating, the actual filmmaking on display here isn’t terrible, and what the film does well such as great chemistry between the lead cast, ‘Spider-Man’s spectacular P.O.V. shots and the occasional entertaining action scene, I simply can’t ignore. Maybe check this one out if you’re a huge fan of the character, if not, you’re not missing out on much. Final Rating: low 5/10.

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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

One of my all-time favourite films, my favourite Edgar Wright flick, and a film I’d always recommend to any film fan. ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ is a super stylised, incredibly fun action-comedy, utilising some great CG effects along with brilliant editing and writing, I honestly can’t see anyone not enjoying this well-crafted piece of filmmaking.

Plot Summary: ‘Scott Pilgrim,’ an unemployed twenty-three-year-old gamer in a going nowhere garage rock band, while dating an underage seventeen-year-old high school girl; ‘Knives Chau,’ he comes across the girl of his dreams. That is, until he discovers that he must defeat her seven evil exes in order to win her heart…

This over-the-top concept for a narrative is taken from the comic book series of the same name, and provides an insanely fun, hilarious and surprisingly emotional story. Edgar Wright truly directs the film with all his creativity and charm, using the ‘comic book nature’ of the story to its full advantage, with every scene usually containing many visual jokes or comic book like effects, mostly inspired by ‘Scott’s eternal love for video games, music and comic books.

Speaking of ‘Scott Pilgrim,’ he is portrayed expertly here by Michael Cera, coming across as awkward, funny and charismatic from beginning to end. The rest of the cast are also fantastic, however, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Kyle Culkin, Ellen Wong and Jason Schwartzman all being great within their roles. Truly giving life to their characters, and bringing Edgar Wright’s dialogue to another level. I also personally enjoyed Chris Evans as ‘Lucas Lee’ (the second evil ex), as he always manages to get an enormous laugh out of me every watch, but this isn’t to say all of the evil exes aren’t given their own distinct personalities and fighting styles.

The cinematography by Bill Pope is very well done throughout the film’s runtime and greatly adds to the already impressive editing style. Once again similar to the CG effects, the cinematography and editing are also used for comedy many times throughout the film. Many techniques like these really help the film feel fresh and really fit with the tone, ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ also has the usual bright colour palette to be expected from this director, this also backs up the tone very well and feels reminiscent of the comic book series in a few shots.

Although the original score by Nigel Godrich is heavily overshadowed by a great choice of songs, very similar to Edgar Wright’s other film; ‘Baby Driver,’ every piece of music whether created by the band within the story or not, always seems to fit the scene very well and fits with ‘Scott’s passion for music.

The action scenes are also extremely well-executed throughout the film, utilising stunts very well mixed in with some nice effects. All alongside the interesting locations used throughout the story, as the film also does a great job of combining music with visuals, both in and out of the various action sequences during the runtime.

If I had to give any criticism of this film it would most likely be the reincorporation throughout the story, as some characters/ideas do sometimes appear and then never appear again within the story, can make the film feel a little jolted at times, this along with the pretty quick pacing, the film can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. However, as the story is based on multiple different comic book issues with a similar story structure, I wouldn’t say it’s an enormous problem and can be overlooked.

In summary, ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ is the pinnacle of a stylised film, in my opinion, making great use of all elements of filmmaking to create a truly incredible experience, along with the enjoyable story and likeable developed characters, there really isn’t much to dislike about ‘Scott Pilgrim.’ Personally, I adore this film to pieces and would always recommend giving it a watch. Final Rating: 9/10.

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Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Serving as a sequel to the 2014 American ‘Godzilla’ remake, as well as standing as another chapter in this new franchise of monster films by Legendary Pictures. ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ delivers more on of the exciting monster action and amazing visuals that the first film somewhat lacked, but the film does cut down on many other aspects to make this possible.

Plot Summary: When the world is threatened with extinction, the crypto-zoological agency; ‘Monarch,’ is forced to face off against a roster of God-sized monsters, including the mighty ‘Godzilla,’ who soon collides with the fearsome; ‘Mothra,’ ‘Rodan,’ and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed titan; ‘King Ghidorah.’

As the runtime goes on, the narrative does go a little deeper, but I personally feel the plot gets a little absurd as it continues, becoming almost too layered at points for a simple monster flick. Of course, it can probably go without saying, that every action scene featuring the creatures is phenomenal as each monster is always given its own unique way to combat the others, and the film always finds time to give each creature at least one or two memorable scenes. The film also features a lot more action than the previous ‘Godzilla’ film, due to the film’s quick pacing and as it jumps from location-to-location constantly, always trying to increase the spectacle with each cut.

The three main members of the cast, that being Kyle M. Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown, portray a broken family, forced apart by various responsibilities as well as the loss of one of their children in the past, and while their performances are decent throughout the film. I was disappointed by the lack of any further development for their characters, as I found the setup for their story very interesting and wish the film went more in depth with this idea rather than indulging in one more fight scene, this same issue unfortunately also applies to Charles Dance’s antagonist; ‘Alan Jonah,’ within the story.

The cinematography by Lawrence Sher is decent, as while there are many beautiful and simply awesome shots with the monsters themselves, many of the shots with human characters are rather bland, as there is definitely an overreliance on hand-held shots every time ‘Godzilla’ (or one of his counterparts) isn’t on-screen, despite the film’s colour palette actually being very ranged and pretty visually appealing. The original score by Bear McCreary is very different, however, as the composer crafts a score which captures the enormous scale of the monsters and their chaotic nature very well, with the soundtrack even going to the extent of giving each one of the creatures their own unique and intimidating theme.

The film’s best aspect, in my opinion, is definitely the creature designs, as each one is always very creatively designed, and is given many unique features to fit with its abilities and make it stand out from the rest of the monsters. Of course, the CG effects throughout the film also add to this, as although the film can sometimes be bombarded with far too many elements on-screen at once (becoming a little overwhelming at points). Despite this, everything visual effects we see is usually incredibly well-detailed and doesn’t feel at all out-of-place.

One element I felt didn’t reach the level of the first film from 2014 was how the film captured the true scale of the creatures, as while director Michael Dougherty clearly puts his all into pleasing fans and creating a fun experience, even having the classic theme for ‘Godzilla’ make a welcomed return. The film simply doesn’t capture the same feeling of being within the real-world as these massive creatures roam quite like the first film did.

In summary, ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ is the definition of a mixed-bag for me, even with its explosive monster fights, some amazing visuals, and a great original score. It’s over-the-top story displayed through it’s extremely fast pacing and weak characterisation simply can’t be ignored, leaving the film a fun creature-feature with some serious flaws. Still, there is some enjoyment to be had with ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters,’ so maybe check this one out if you’re a big fan of the iconic monster. Final Rating: 6/10.

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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

The western genre used to be extremely popular back in the golden age of Hollywood, but in recent years the western genre has mostly died off, as aside from a few honourable mentions, such as ‘True Grit,’ ‘The Sisters Brothers,’ and ‘Django Unchained.’ The western genre as a whole has run mostly dry, until now that is, as iconic directors Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (The Big Lebowski, Fargo, No Country for Old Men) return to the silver screen for this brilliant western anthology.

Plot Summary: Consisting of six different stories of life and violence in the Old West, including the tales of a singing gunslinger, a bank robber, a travelling impresario, an elderly prospector, a wagon train and a perverse pair of bounty hunters…

This diverse set of stories and characters really keep the film engaging from start-to-finish, as the film constantly jumps between characters and locations, all whilst ensuring that it keeps its decent pacing and usual Coen Brothers’ dark sense of humour intact. Resulting in the film feeling extremely refreshing, as superhero blockbusters and jump-scare filled horrors have really taken over the film industry in recent years. So, revisiting an old yet classic genre (especially with this modern spin and the Coen Brothers’ brilliant direction) is truly a breath of fresh air.

The performances by every member of the enormous cast are pretty excellent all around, as Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Thomas Waits, Zoe Kazan, Jonjo O’Neill and Brendan Gleeson (just to name a few) are all brilliant when portraying their varied and interesting characters, with Tim Blake Nelson definitely being the clear stand out for me with his extremely funny and charming portrayal of the title character; ‘Buster Scruggs.’

Throughout the runtime, the cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel is almost flawless, as the film utilises a variety of beautiful shots which perfectly capture the visual appeal of classic westerns. The original score by Carter Burwell is also great, as the soundtrack uses slow guitar strings and an enormous list of classic country songs to build up atmosphere, with the best of these definitely being ‘When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings.’

One aspect of the film I absolutely adore is the Coen’s usual style of writing, as every character throughout the film is given plenty of comedic moments and memorable lines, which really helped make many of the characters with slightly less development more likeable. Another element that also really drew my attention during my first viewing was the incredible sets and costumes the film had on full display, as considering the locations/costumes are some of the main factors of engaging the audience into the story and it’s time-period. It was clear they were pulling out all the stops, as every location always feels real and lived in, with the character’s costumes being no different.

My personal favourite narrative of the six would most likely be the opening story, sharing the same name as the title of the film; ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.’ This opening was just such as joy to watch, balancing dark humour with a classic western setup brilliantly, in addition to the fantastic performance from Tim Blake Nelson as already mentioned. However, this is also where my biggest criticism of the film comes in, as although they definitely aren’t awful, the last two stories are easily the weakest of the film, as although we do get some great character moments and fun scenes within these stories, I couldn’t help but feel they simply weren’t as memorable or as charming as the others leading up to them. Perhaps if these two stories we’re placed earlier in the film it wouldn’t be such an issue, but it simply leaves the viewer with a bad taste in their mouth afterwards.

In summary, ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ proves once again that westerns are far from gone when it comes to film, as the Coen brothers once again take the audience for a trip into the wild west with complete success, as this anthology is just as hilarious as it is visually impressive and well-acted, regardless of whether or not the stories are quite on the same level. Final Rating: low 8/10.

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