Author: Oscar Huckle

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro 
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 152 mins

Set immediately after the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, director Rian Johnson’s subversive sequel is certainly one of ambition and flair. Whilst J. J. Abrams’ sequel trilogy opener was one of frequent grandeur, it was decidedly safe. Johnson attempts to inject some of the slickness and voice that are present in the entire range of his filmography. Unlike The Force Awakens which was a grand voyage across worlds and large in scope, Johnson’s narrative is much smaller. The Last Jedi is essentially an extended chase scene.

The film has proven to be rather controversial with some of its characterisations amongst audiences, even extending to Mark Hamill, who was publically rather critical over the treatment of Luke Skywalker within the film. Johnson’s approach is hit-and-miss. In the case of some characters, it is refreshing to see a heightened sense of vulnerability and cynicism, in particular with Hamill’s Skywalker. However, by far, Daisy Ridley is the standout as Rey, who gets many stand-out moments and her character really develops as she matures from her fish-out-of-water characterisation in The Force Awakens. Andy Serkis and Oscar Isaac also fare much better this time around, Serkis’ villain who was introduced in The Force Awakens is suitably sinister and also has some great moments and Isaac gets a lot more screentime this time around compared to being underused previously.

But in the case of other characters, this is either regressive, conventional or on-the-nose, the latter referencing to the treatment of the late Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia. Adam Driver’s formidabble villain, Kylo Ren was expertly introduced by Abrams in The Force Awakens and whilst Johnson furthers his character arc, I thought the material paled in comparison. Gone are the extreme tantrums and venomous hate, Driver’s character here is much more mellow and mysterious.

Some of Johnson’s risks in the narrative and character choices also backfire. The fusing of an auteur director within the macro-economics of Disney can be rather problematic. As is also the case within the Marvel Cinematic Universe which Disney also figurehead, there is always an issue with promises of false death. There are moments in the film which dare to be really brave creative choices but never happen, which is a real shame. The film portrays life as expendable in many of its characters, but it doesn’t have the guts to extend this to its more central characters.

Johnson excels however with the action sequences, which are superbly crafted and particularly cine-literate. There are two scenes mid-way and late into the film that are particularly memorable, both bathed in red and complimented by Steve Yedlin’s superb cinematography, to connote the severity and bloodshed that these characters find themselves in. There is also a moment where Johnson experiments with sound (or rather the lack of it) and moments of pure popcorn action, in the vein of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, which are seriously impressive.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi ultimately proves a very different flavour compared to the familiarity and magical nature of The Force Awakens. What allows the film to work really well is how this film functions both as a standalone film and as part of a canon. It’s good to see risks being taken by Johnson and everyone all around would have been more courageous, the film would have been brilliant. That said, The Last Jedi is easily the most consistent film compared to The Force Awakens and Rogue One and this is despite it being the longest film, clocking in at a lengthy 152 minutes. The film is never boring and perhaps on subsequent rewatches and as time passes, The Last Jedi will hopefully be favourably remembered. I do, however, have concerns with how the final film in the trilogy which is set to be directed by J. J. Abrams will fare as the way the narrative has been handled in The Last Jedi necessitates capable hands to work out the best way to progress it. That said, at least The Last Jedi isn’t a film concerned with setting up sequels as its narrative is so firmly rooted within this standalone film. This is a rare and welcome outlier in the world of films being consistently being connected and needing to set up future installments.

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Previewing 2018

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With 2017 nearing its close and another strong year in film with many memorable releases, let’s take a look at what films 2018 has to offer! As usual, there are a variety of sequels, franchise pieces and originals. Please note that I will be following the UK release date calendar and I will preview 2018 through each month.

January

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Starting with January, there are obviously a lot of Awards Contenders. On New Year’s Day, writer Aaron Sorkin makes his directorial debut with Molly’s Game. Jessica Chastain in the lead role as the titular character, a true story of a woman who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York for nearly a decade before being arrested by the FBI. I’ve always been a fan of Sorkin’s scripts, particularly The Social Network and Steve Jobs. Reviews so far are very positive and I’m very excited to see how Sorkin finds the leap up to the director’s chair.

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January 5th sees both the releases of All The Money In The World and Hostiles. These are both films that look extremely interesting, the former the latest film by Ridley Scott who most famously replaced Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer in a key role extremely late into post-production. I’ll be interested to see how Plummer fares and with reviews positive so far, it’ll be refreshing to see Scott back to form after the middling Alien: Covenant. I’m also very excited for Hostiles as it’s the new film by Scott Cooper – firstly, I loved both Out of the Furnace and Black Mass which he has previously directed. Secondly, Cooper has assembled another winner of a cast with Christian Bale in the lead role and other greats such as Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi and Ben Foster. Finally, it is a Western, one of my favourite genres and with the genre being revitalised over the past decade, I hope Cooper can further join the bandwagon.

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January 12th is an ever busier week with the Winston Churchill biopic, Darkest Hour which Gary Oldman’s performance has been highly commended. Moving away from Awards fare, Insidious: The Last Key is also scheduled for release and I really like the first three films and I hope a change in crew doesn’t impact this film for the worst. January is often infamous for beginning with some bad horror films and I hope this bucks the trend. The film that I am most looking forward to this week is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, the latest by playwright Martin McDonagh, one of my favourite directors and I have loved both In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. With reviews even better than these two criminally underrated films and Awards attention, I cannot wait to see this film.

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January 19th sees the release of Coco, the latest Pixar effort which electrified the box office and audiences in the US and which will hopefully see a return for them after the disappointing Cars 3 last year. The Post is also due for release, the latest Steven Spielberg film which could be interesting – hopefully it will be more in the vein of Bridge of Spies than The BFG. Finally, The Commuter is the latest Liam Neeson action vehicle which should be good, throwaway fun.

The final week of January has Downsizing, the new Alexander Payne film on the schedule and Last Flag Flying, the new Richard Linklater film, both of which could be good.

February

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Moving into February, the first week sees the release of Phantom Thread, Winchester and Roman J. Israel, Esq. Phanthom Thread looks the best out of the three, the new film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and supposedly the final performance of Daniel Day-Lewis. Both have done great work together in the past with the electrifying There Will Be Blood so I’m excited to see what these two geniuses have in store for this final effort. Winchester is a horror film, directed by The Spierig Brothers who made Jigsaw last year. Whilst that film didn’t recieve the best reviews, I do find their work genuinely interesting and thoughtful so here’s hoping Winchester is more in the vein of some of their previous work. Roman J. Israel, Esq. is the follow-up film by Tony Gilroy to Nightcrawler, which I absolutely loved. This doesn’t look great from its marketing to be honest and I’m not a great fan of Denzel Washington, but let’s wait and see.

Moving on, whilst I’m not interested in it, the final part of E.L. Grey’s Fifty Shades of Grey film, Fifty Shades Freed will be released, I suspect to terrible reviews again. More positive however should be The 15:17 to Paris, the latest film by Clint Eastwood which is based on a true story and uses the real people to perform as themselves. Whilst currently untitled, a Cloverfield film is scheduled for release and hopefully like with the exemplary 10 Cloverfield Lane, we should begin to learn some details soon.

Other original films this month include The Mercy, a biopic of amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst and his disastrous attempt and subsequent cover-up of his failure to complete the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968. Annihilation is Alex Garland’s follow-up to Ex_Machina which I loved.

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Greta Gerwig’s critically acclaimed Lady Bird will be released in February which has a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes at this time of writing and the ever-reliable Guillermo Del Toro’s Awards-tipped The Shape of Water also sees release.

We also see the first comic-book film this month with Marvel’s Black Panther which will be particularly good for diversity as we follow Chadwick Boseman’s titular character after first being introduced in Captain America: Civil War. It is directed by Ryan Coogler, so we hopefully should be in for a treat.

March

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With most of the Awards films out of the way, March looks to be quite a quiet month. I’m most looking forward to You Were Never Really Here, the latest film by Lynne Ramsay after really liking We Need To Talk About Kevin and a follow-up has been long overdue. It has recieved great reviews and has Joaquin Phoenix in the lead.

Red Sparrow could be good as it is directed by Francis Lawrence, who directed the majority of The Hunger Games films and stars Jennifer Lawrence, fresh off her turn from mother!. As could Mary Magdalene which is Garth Davis’ follow-up to Lion last year and stars Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix again and perhaps most excitedly, will be scored by the talented Johann Johannsson. Finally Isle of Dogs, which is directed by Wes Anderson, who I have been rather sniffy on in the past but really liked The Grand Budapest Hotel which saw Awards success. iIf you haven’t noticed already, the beginning of 2018 sees a trend of a lot of director-driven material, which is very exciting to see based on the strengths of their previous works.

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Whilst Logan opened the big-budget fare in true style last year, I don’t think the same will be the case with Tomb Raider, which looks poor from its first trailer and Peter Rabbit looks even worse. We do get the sequel to Guillermo Del Toro’s underrated Pacific Rim though later in the month, however he doesn’t direct it. I hope it’s good but I’m a little trepidatious towards its first trailer so far. This is the same with Ready Player One, another film by Steven Spielberg who has clearly been busy with The Post back in January, but we’ll see.

April 

From April and onwards, the films of 2018 seem a little more clouded as we don’t have much to judge them on so far in terms of trailers or marketing but two films that I am looking forward to are both comic-book fare.

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First of all, The New Mutants which is the latest X-Men film and like Deadpool and Logan, this film also looks to be ambitious in terms of subverting the genre as the materials from the film so far seem to suggest this will be a horror film. This prospect seems very exciting and it’s good to see comic-book films continue to innovate the genre.

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On the 27th, we get Avengers: Infinity War which is the culmination of all the Marvel films so far, which should be extremely exciting for obvious reasons. I have faith that Anthony and Joe Russo can do justice to these characters and the first trailer that was released earlier this year was certainly promising.

May

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May looks to be an even quieter month so far, but it should see the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story. This is the second Anthology film after Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and follows the titular character so famously played by Harrison Ford in the past, a younger iteration by Hail Caesar!‘s Alden Ehrenreich. The film has experienced some turbulence behind-the-scenes with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller originally due to direct and they shot a lot of the film only to leave due to creative differences and be replaced by Ron Howard. We’ll have to wait and see the result but the similar issues behind-the-scenes with Rogue One were not to that film’s detriment.

June

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June is where things pick up a bit and straight at the beginning of the month on the 1st, the highly anticipated Deadpool 2 will be released. The first Deadpool went down very strongly with critics and audiences. I was less warm on it and found it rather obnoxious, but I’m still eager to see it regardless, particularly with the hiring of director David Leitch who co-directed the first John Wick. The action sequences, bar the first extended one, were where the first film suffered, so this should help it in this respect at the very least.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is due for release the second week. Like with Deadpool, I was also a little disappointed with its predecessor but with J. A. Bayona replacing Colin Trevorrow as director, I’m hoping the film will be more ambitious. Bayona directed A Monster Calls last year which had some gorgeous visuals, so this also sounds promising for the sequel.

Ocean’s 8 comes out towards the end of the month, a reboot-cum-sequel that follows a group of women perform a heist as opposed to Steven Soderbergh’s male-driven predecessors.

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But, my ultimate pick of the month is on the 29th June when Sicario 2: Soldado will be released. I loved Denis Villeneuve’s first film back in 2015 and whilst I never expected it would warrant another revisit, if done right, this could be great. Unfortunately, Villeneuve isn’t returning to direct, instead passing duties onto Italian director Stefano Sollima. Writer Taylor Sheridan is, however, and on the strengths of his previous works, most recently Wind River, I have faith in this.

July

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Whilst July is normally the peak of the Summer season, at first glance, the only film that I’m really interested in is The Incredibles 2, the second Pixar film of 2018. I loved the 2004 original, so I’m really hoping this sequel can deliver.

Other films releasing this month include Alita: Battle Angel, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again and Mision Impossible 6 which all should do good business but I’m not particularly that interested in them myself.

August

August picks up from July with The Predator and Ant-Man and the Wasp. The Predator is the fourth installment in the franchise and whilst details are fairly scarce so far, I really think Shane Black as a director is good and it will be interesting to see what he does with the material. The cast is also strong so far, comprising of Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key and Jacob Tremblay. Fingers crossed it’s good.

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Ant-Man and the Wasp is the sequel to Ant-Man and the first film after the deliriously anticipated Avengers: Infinity War releasing earlier in the year. It will be interesting to see how this film ties into the events of Infinity War and it will make a nice juxtaposition having this character on a smaller scale compared to the ensemble that Infinity War promises to have.

Christopher Robin also releases this month, and the central premise of an older Christopher Robin meeting his childhood friends should make for a nostalgic watch. Ewan McGregor and Hayley Atwell star.

September

Nothing is currently scheduled for release in September, but September is normally a good month where the preliminary Awards contenders emerge, so watch this space.

October

October picks things up again, firstly with Venom at the beginning of the month, a spin-off from Spider-Man starring Tom Hardy in the titular role. We then get Johnny English 3 which should be good on the strengths of how much I enjoyed the first two.

After making his directorial debut with Breathe last year, Andy Serkis’ long-overdue Jungle Book film, Mowgli, arrives on-screen. It will take a lot to beat Jon Favreau’s 2016 version but I’m confident Serkis will impress.

On Halloween, we get the tenth sequel to John Carpenter’s classic, Halloween. This sequel is said to ignore the nine other sequels and try to be the scariest of them all. We’ll see if that’s the case but at least they’re trying. In the final week, The Girl In The Spider’s Web will be released which is the 4th book in the series and will be directed by Fede Alvarez. I loved David Fincher’s 2011 film and whilst it’s a shame he didn’t make any of the sequels, at least we get to hopefully re-experience this authentic world again.

November

November picks up yet again with big-budget fare and the beginning of the month sees the third X-Men film of the year, X-Men: Dark Phoenix release. This is a sequel to the terrible X-Men: Apocalypse, so my expectations are currently low.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly reteam in Holmes and Watson, which I think they are perfectly casted. With Ralph Fiennes as Moriarty and Hugh Laurie as Mycroft, this should be a great comedy and subversion on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Detective.

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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is also scheduled for release which I am really looking forward to and was very impressed with Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them in 2016. November ends with the sequel to Wreck-It Ralph which I also enjoyed, Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2.

December

This December is the first one in a while without a tentpole Star Wars film but there is a large selection of films to offer this month for example the Peter Jackson produced Mortal Engines and the animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.

Most exciting is perhaps Aquaman, which I’m hoping will be a return to form for the DCEU after Justice League. James Wan is a brilliant director and I think he suits the material perfectly.

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Mary Poppins Returns is also due for release and even more interestingly, Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen biopic which has receieved a turbulent production thus far. With Dexter Fletcher recently announced to replace Bryan Singer, here’s hoping this long awaited film finally gets on the right track.

Unscheduled 2018 Films

As usual, there are a number of films that are due for release this year, but do not currently have a specific release date.

The Purge: The Island is due for release this year, as is a new Robin Hood film starring Taron Egerton. The Nun is the latest film in The Conjuring series. I really liked Annabelle: Creation this year and I think the series which has been spearheaded by James Wan, is going from strength to strength.

Joel Edgerton is back in the director’s chair with Boy Erased after directing The Gift in 2015, my second favourite film of that year. I’m hoping he can impress again.

S. Craig Zahler returns after seriously impressing with his first two films with Dragged Across Concrete. He reteams with his Brawl In Cell Block 99 star, Vince Vaughn who continues to reinvent his career and also Mel Gibson. Plot details are rather scarce at the moment but I’m sure this is a film that cannot be missed.

2018 looks like another strong year for film. As usual, the films that end up being my favourite of the year are ones that generally don’t tend to be on my horizon and often take me by surprise.

What are your thoughts? What are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments or tweet @TheFilmMeister

Top Five Hugh Jackman Performances

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Releasing this Boxing Day in cinemas is The Greatest Showman, a musical with a star-studdded cast and the film has received three Golden Globe nominations including Best Picture in the Musical and Comedy category. In the lead role as American showman, P. T. Barnum is Hugh Jackman, who himself has recieved a Best Actor nomination for the film. In my opinion, Hugh Jackman always puts in a great performance in whatever film he is in and always elevates the material. He always tends to pick really interesting projects and portray characters in a wide range of genres as well.

I thought this would be a suitable time to have a look back at Jackman’s career so far and count down his Top Five films. These films are based on both his performance in them and their quality. To get them down to just five films was a real challenge, as he has put in so many great performances.

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5) CHAPPiE 

I really struggled what to put in 5th and juggled between Darren Aronofsky‘s The Fountain and a guilty pleasure, Van Helsing, but I ended up letting CHAPPiE in. What all of these films share in common is the fact that they all recieved mixed reviews, but director Neill Blomkamp’s film is ultimately the most misunderstood. His third film after District 9 and Elysium saw his career crashing down and him being removed off an Alien film, but I think it’s a really thoughtful, entertaining piece. Jackman is particularly great in this film, playing against type as the mullet-wearing, hot-blooded villain, Vincent. Vincent is a South African former soldier-turned-engineer who is bitter when his Moose technology is turned away from his boss played by Sigourney Weaver and Dev Patel’s leading character’s android is given money for further development. Jackman is clearly having a ton of fun in the role and at times, his character is really quite nasty and it’s a departure from the norm for the actor.

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4) The Prestige

The Prestige is a perfect film and is endlessly rewatchable. The plot is a masterclass by director Christopher Nolan and compared to a lot of his other films, is rather small in scale. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale both give tremendous performances in the lead role and the late David Bowie also stands out in a small role as Tesla. Jackman plays Robert Angier, a magician who comes into competition with Bale’s Alfred Borden and both characters go to extreme lengths to outdo each other. The film has many revelatory twists and features one of the best endings to a film ever. It’s a bit of a shame it’s never quite got the recognition it deserves, presumably being released between Nolan’s first two Batman films which are always going to be hotter property. But, The Prestige is a gem of a film and one not to be missed.

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3) The Wolverine

Perhaps a bit of an odd choice, The Wolverine is a perfect film up until its final act that does what most other comic book films can’t – not just be a great comic book film but also a great action film to boot. Many people point to Logan as the best X-Men film (which I think it might be), but this comes so, so close. Jackman channels the comic-book character most faithfully in this film when it was released, Logan is in pain, bitter and wild when the film first opens and the setting of Japan really suits the character’s quest for redemption. James Mangold’s film features some great action sequences particularly one on a bullet train and at a funeral.  Until its final action sequence that frustratingly descends into generic comic book territory, the film is a perfect adaptation of what a Wolverine film should be minus the R-rating which Logan then achieved.

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2) Logan

Logan is not just a fantastic superhero film, it is also a fantastic Western film that just happens to have a superhero starring in it. The Western genre is a genre that is close to my heart so not only is it refreshing to be given another ace Western but for it to be in the shape of Logan is extremely impressive. The film is gritty, swearytastic and deliciously violent, fully earning the film a 15 / R rating. The performances by the cast all-round are great and returning director, James Mangold, directs this film with real flair. The film has a lot of emotional beats and really develops these characters that we have come to empathise with over the course of this franchise. The story, also manages to surprise with a couple of great twists and turns. Jackman, with the elevated age rating is finally allowed to swear which helps establish a sense of realism in the film and when the action arrives, detail certainly is dwelled upon. Jackman’s character has clearly aged and is fragile, even from something so simple as having to wear glasses to read. It’s a brilliant film and one that will certainly feature in my upcoming Best Films of 2017 list, placing 4th on my Mid-Year list.

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1) Prisoners

Prisoners is my favourite film of 2013 and one of my favourites of the decade. Denis Villeneuve’s English-language debut is a harrowing, dark account of the kidnapping of a young girl and the subsequent investigation that ensues. Hugh Jackman plays the father, Keller Dover, whose multi-layered, fragmented character goes to extreme lengths to protect his family and uncover the identity of the kidnapper. This perfect film also features a brilliant score by Jóhann Jóhannsson which is wholly original and frequently haunting and is shot beautfully by Roger Deakins. For Jackman’s sake, he’s overshadowed slightly by Jake Gyllenhaal, who also puts in a career-best performance as Detective Loki but both performances are top-notch. If you haven’t seen Prisoners, go and watch it immediately and then take a look through the rest of Villeneuve’s filmography – he is one of the most exciting directors of our time and Jackman compliments this film perfectly.

So there we go. What do you think? What did I miss? If you haven’t watched any of these films, I’d highly recommend you do so as they’re all really worthwhile and I hope this actor’s career continues to go from strength to strength.

The Greatest Showman is out now in UK cinemas 

Alternative Christmas Films

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Christmas is almost upon us and when it comes to films, you probably think first of films such as Home Alone or It’s A Wonderful Life or Elf. Whilst they’re all classics in their own right, it’s always nice to have a change and watch something new from the usual catalogue. So here are five alternative Christmas films that you may not initially associate with the festival. These are not in order of quality or alphabeticised, but in order of obscurity.

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Bad Santa

Bad Santa was and continues to be a great Christmas film – it manages to subvert the genre by essentially being an anti-Christmas film and is suitably raunchy and shocking. It also features a great central performance by Billy Bob Thornton as the titular character who really makes the character his own and as an audience, for all the character’s flaws, one can empathise with him. It has numerous standout sequences and is a film that holds up well to repeat viewings. Just ignore the sequel, which is a lazy, puerile and hateful film.

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Die Hard

As well as a brilliant action film, Die Hard is also in my opinion, a Christmas film with its setting and how this impacts on its characters. Bruce Willis is excellent in his inaugral outing as the wisecracking John McClane and the late Alan Rickman plays Hans Gruber, an evil German terrorist who takes a building and its employees hostage. Gruber is perhaps one of the best film villains of all time. Whilst the sequels are so-so, the original is a masterpiece.

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Lethal Weapon

To compliment Die Hard, the original Lethal Weapon also implores a Christmas setting and is a fantastic action film. Compared to its sequels (which are also great), Lethal Weapon is a far more serious affair and certainly not all that comedic. There are some really dark moments in this film and the violence is very nasty at times. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as the leads are fantastic, particularly Gibson’s turn as the suicidal Riggs.

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Iron Man 3

A superhero film at Christmas? Yes, there are quite a few of them and to add to this list, Tim Burton’s Batman films can also be regarded as Christmas films. My pick though would be Shane Black’s Iron Man sequel, a delightfully subversive film in the series and the Marvel canon in general. Black’s film takes a lot of risks and didn’t particularly go down well with audiences, but I’d strongly recommend watching this if you want a different Marvel film to the majority of the collection that has variations in its narrative. Oh, and it’s also got a great Guy Pearce performance and an even better Ben Kingsley one…

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In Bruges 

I might be cheating here a bit as this film’s connection with Christmas is through the characters description and likeness of the Belgian city to the festival.Regardless, In Bruges is one of my favourite films of all time so I had to try and get it in here somehow. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes are perfect in their roles and the film is very darkly comedic and is endlessly quotable. It’s shot beautifully and Carter Burwell’s score is superb.  And with the Awards-nominated Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri due for release in a few weeks time, what better way to get started with Martin McDonagh’s filmography and watching a Christmas film at the same time…?

What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or tweet @TheFilmMeister

Scope

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There’s something that’s really been bugging me recently in the movies and that has been a lack of scope in big-budget films.  Surely you would think with the more-than-healthy budgets they have, you’d have thought they could have spent a bit more on establishing a greater versimilitude. Apparently not. Two films that have really stuck out like a sore thumb this year are Dunkirk and Justice League, both for different reasons.

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Although Christopher Nolan is one of my favourite film directors, I didn’t love Dunkirk and a big reason for this was its lack of scope. For a film based on an important World War II historical event, you’d have thought Nolan would have wanted to get everything accurate and really allow the film to connect with viewers. We are only ever told through exposition of the extent of the battle and what is happening in some other place. This is mainly through Kenneth Branagh’s Captain, who I strongly think, is only in the film for expository purposes. Branagh informs other characters what is happening in terms of the battle as opposed to Nolan giving us a visual representation. I really liked the idea of individuals not enlisted in the Navy using their boats to go to Dunkerque to help rescue soldiers and had Nolan capitalised on this idea, Dunkirk would be a substantially more rewarding experience. Instead, Mark Rylance’s character arc in the film is solely for that purpose and we don’t get to see anything else. Even just a few shots of civilian boats would have done the job. Famously, the British effort was collective from not just the Navy and we never get to see this. Nolan can make pretty much what he wants to make and nobody can tell him any different because he repeatedly proves he can make success after success. Surely, if you have the money and passion for this subject, you should try and do this. It’s overall hard to care for a film that looks smaller than it is.

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With Justice League, on top of me finding the film a bit of a frustrating experience anyway, the final set piece really began to nark me off in places. The film’s final set piece should be the crowning jewel of this kind of a film, the moment it has all been building up to, but it is boring and juvenile. Characters make many references to saving the poor citizens who are being terrorised by the villain but we only see this suffering through the eyes of one family, stereotypically Russians. Whenever we see characters making these references, the film neglects to show us anyone and actually the area the villain is causing havoc in looks pretty empty. Even just a few shots of people running around the place and screaming would have helped create a more believable world. But the film doesn’t. Justice League has a huge $300 million budget – surely the filmmakers could have spent a little more in order to invoke that this situation is actually dangerous.

As you can probably tell, this is a frustrating issue and I hope this doesn’t continue to happen in many tentpole films. It is not as if films don’t have the money, as demonstrated by these two examples. We, as audiences, should expect more and let them deliver the goods.

Justice League is out now in UK cinemas. Dunkirk is out now on home release. 

What are your thoughts? Tweet @TheFilmMeister or leave your ideas in the comments

Top Five Oscar Isaac Performances

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Oscar Isaac has got a little new film out this week which you may, just may, have heard of called Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the latest in the ever-popular and ever-expanding saga. With the one exception of X-Men: Apocalypse where he plays the titular villain and is made to constantly shout whilst looking uncomfortable in a blue outfit, Isaac always integrates seamlessly into any film he is in, elevating the material with his performances. He always tends to pick really interesting projects and a portray characters in a real range of genres as well. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he returns as Resistance Fighter pilot, Poe Dameron, in an expanded role after being introduced (and underused) in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I thought this would be a suitable time to have a look back at Isaac’s career so far and count down his Top Five films. These films are based on both his performance in them and their quality.

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5) Drive

I’m generally not the biggest fan of director Nicolas Winding Refn and took particular offence last year to The Neon Demon, but Drive is probably his most accessible film. Isaac plays Carey Mulligan’s debt-ridden husband who has recently been released from prison. He hires Ryan Gosling’s stone-cold getaway driver for a job, which turns out to be a disaster but Isaac does really well as a character who wants to turn his life around and wants the best for his family.

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4) The Two Faces of January

The Two Faces of January is the directorial debut of screenwriter Hossein Amini and a film that really holds up to repeat viewings, a kind-of Hitchock meets Agatha Christie blend. Oscar Isaac is excellent here as Rydal, a tour guide who scams tourists whose character arc is vastly developed as he meets The MacFarland’s, played by Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst. What works with the film and with his performance is you’re never really sure what his character intentions are and Isaac manages to portray this brilliantly. If you haven’t seen this film, definitely one to check out.

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3) Ex_Machina

Alex Garland’s debut is tense and a slow-burn, yet a very philosophical watch and the film makes for a great character study. Isaac plays here as the CEO of a search engine company against Domhnall Gleeson’s computer programmer, who wins the opportunity to spend the week with him. Isaac has a very meaty role and as the film progresses, the film asks some tough, ethical questions of its audience which his character is central to. A different role for the actor, but one that he pulls off really well.

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2) Inside Llewyn Davis

The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis is an extremely underrated film in the director’s catalogue, with many quick to watch it and dismiss it. I loved it on first go and it gets better each time I rewatch it. Again, another new direction for Isaac who portrays the titular character, an individual who is trying to find his place in the world but finds himself constantly struggling. It’s a great film and one that I would rank really highly in the Coen Brothers’ entire body of work.

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1) A Most Violent Year 

It has taken me a very long time to realize just how good A Most Violent Year is. I initially thought it was rather indulgent with there being a great 100 minute film in it. Since then, after rewatching it multiple times, I now consider it to be a masterpiece. You may have read when I wrote my favourite films from that year, I placed it at 12th – I’d probably now go about 5th. The film is paced so well and there are so many perfectly orchestrated scenes in the film. As well as trying to convince you to go and watch this film, you also get a career-best performance from Oscar Isaac here. Isaac’s performance channels many other crime drama’s, for example The Godfather and his character has so many layers to him. A Most Violent Year is a most incredible film.

So there we go. What do you think? What did I miss? If you haven’t watched any of these films, I’d highly recommend you do so as they’re all really worthwhile and I hope this actor’s career continues to go from strength to strength.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is out now  in UK cinemas 

Ranking The Comic-Book Films Of 2017

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With 2017 bringing us a slew of comic-book films, 7 to be exact (6 live-action, 1 animation) and them all receiving very different receptions now would seem like a suitable time to rank them. Although comic-book films are increasingly prevalent every year at the moment in the film industry with 2016 jumping up to 6 releases, 2017 further continues this trend.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to chug along and this year, we’ve had 3 new films – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok. Marvel continue to prove with these films in their general reception that they are the current juggernauts and things look very promising indeed for next year’s big team-up which these films culminate in – Avengers: Infinity War.

2017 has been an even more important year for DC in their quest to also prop up a cinematic universe, like Marvel. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were both received very negatively last year (I liked BvS a lot and can just about give a pass to Suicide Squad) so 2017 has been very important in them proving why they should also have a share of the market. 2017 saw the releases of Wonder Woman, which practically did a U-turn for the DCEU in its brilliant reception. Although Justice League, the culmiation of the DCEU films thus far which sees our favourite superheroes team up, wasn’t received nearly as well, in terms of reception, people have accepted it a little more than either of 2016’s releases. The Lego Batman Movie also features in this list, which is not an official entry in the DCEU but it’s still a comic-book film nonetheless based on the DC character of Batman.

The trend of comic-book films aimed more towards adults , which kicked off with Deadpool last year, continues with Marvel’s solo X-Men offering this year, Logan and it is also Hugh Jackman’s swansong as the character.

So this hasn’t just been a typical year in this genre hence why I have felt the need to rank them. Let’s get started!

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7) The Lego Batman Movie

The Lego Batman Movie is a film of two halves – its first act is particularly impressive and constantly cracks jokes left, right and centre and is surprisingly very cine-literate. The opening sequence which is a fight between Batman and the Joker is particularly well-crafted and the gags keep coming at a rapid pace and there is so much to absorb on-screen, little references to the character and previous incarnations scattered across the screen – it is pure eye-candy. The voice cast are generally pretty strong and Lorne Balfe’s score is generally competent and there are a couple of memorable, dark and brooding themes that elevate the narrative, particularly in the opening fight sequence. Unfortunately, the film completely tanks in its second half. The reason why it tanks, primarily is because it chooses to go down a specific narrative which I won’t spoil but it really doesn’t do the film any favours. Part of why the first act works really well is because the filmmakers are clearly respectful of the source material but all that respect goes out of the window in the second half and this very much becomes a film centered for children. (My full review here)

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6) Justice League

I debated whether to put Justice League in last position because between this and The Lego Batman Movie, at least the latter has a brilliant first half. But because that film so violently tanks in its second half and at least, Justice League has a bit more promise, it just edges that film out. Still, Justice League is an absolute mess and is the result of again in the DCEU, too many cooks in the kitchen. Snyder and Whedon as filmmakers pull in completely different directions, with Whedon injecting more humour into the film whereas Snyder has always been the more visionary filmmaker. Whilst I was watching the film, I never felt the stakes faced against these characters and the film has no sense of flow. 120 minutes is a very short run time for the story this film tries to tell and is the shortest DCEU installment thus far. The film neglects to develop its new characters of Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash that it introduces and has a very forgettable, one-dimensional CGI villain with typical end-of-the-world antics. One also has to wonder what this fim could have been. I’m confident that if we ever see a Snyder cut of the film, it will be leaps and bounds ahead of the theatrical cut and could really elevate the film. (My full review here)

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5) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is unevenly paced and overstuffed but the amount of heart it has allows it to just about be successful. Gunn hasn’t made your typical sequel but the story he chooses to tell is all over the place and at times, incoherent. The film retains much of the heart the first film had and this is what allows the film to work better than a film such as Avengers: Age of Ultron or X-Men: Apocalypse which were lunk-headed, equally overstuffed and had zero heart. Gunn manages to further expand the mythology of this sub-universe of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Guardians of the Galaxy are very much an important and established strand of this behemoth. I just wish the film was better. It is only because of the characters and the amount of attention invested in them that I can just about be positive in my overall opinion. (My full review here)

And now for the good one’s…

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4) Wonder Woman 

Wonder Woman is immensely enjoyable for a long strength of its lengthy runtime, has a lot of heart and is surprisingly quite human for a comic-book film. Action sequences are used quite sparingly in this film, Jenkins really puts these characters at the forefront and develops them strongly. The performances, pretty much across the board, are excellent and the film looks great visually. Unfortunately, it does fall into the trap of stumbling in its final act where it becomes quite formulaic and contrived but until this point, it is a very fine film and definitely the strongest DCEU film so far. (My full review here)

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3) Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok is a Taika Waititi film through and through – it retains his signature humour and really inverts expectations on what a Thor film should be. This feels refreshingly different from the first two films, more vibrantly coloured and more comical. The film is extremely entertaining and puts the characters that we have grown to like over the course of the films in rather vulnerable positions throughout the film and there is a real sense of danger prevalent. Unlike recent comic book films which have a great, big (and boring) action climax at the end of the film to save the world, Thor: Ragnarok actually earns its finale. The marketing for this film has also been extremely impressive upon viewing the final product – there’s a lot that Marvel have managed to withold from its audiences which is very satisfying. (My full review here)

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2) Spider-Man: Homecoming

It was a tough choice where to place this with Thor: Ragnarok but ultimately Spider-Man: Homecoming, to my surprise, was more of a breath of fresh air in what has been quite a convoluted genre of late. I thought it struck just the right tone between seriousness and humour and it is a very realistic and grounded film in the Marvel canon. It also features one of the best villains we’ve had in Michael Keaton’s Vulture who is extremely sinister and narcissitic. The whole cast are generally excellent and I was really invested in the narrative that Watts portrays. Watts also does well to not aim too high in terms of visual effects and although there are a couple of impressive action sequences, they never reach the heights of some of the other Marvel films which further helps to keep this film very grounded. (My full review here)

And the best comic-book film of 2017 is…

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1) Logan 

There was never any competition as to which film would get the top spot as Logan absolutely floored me in terms of how good it was. It’s not just the best comic-book film of 2017, it’s also one of the best films overall of the year. Logan is not really a superhero film, it is more of a Western film that just happens to have a superhero starring in it. The Western genre is a genre that is close to my heart so not only is it refreshing to be given another ace Western but for it to be in the shape of Logan is extremely impressive. The film is gritty, swearytastic and deliciously violent, fully earning the film a 15 / R rating. The performances by the cast all-round are great and Mangold directs this film with real flair. The film has a lot of emotional beats and really develops these characters that we have come to empathise with over the course of this franchise. The story, also manages to surprise with a couple of great twists and turns. I’m not sure if it’s better than The Wolverine but it is definitely equal to it and both of Mangold’s efforts are the best comic-book films since The Dark Knight. (My full review here)


What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or tweet @TheFilmMeister

 

Justice League (Review)

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⭐⭐ (Poor)

Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Ciarán Hinds
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 120 mins

It feels rather surreal that Justice League has finally arrived on the big screen, particularly after a really tumultous production. After the negative critical reception to both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (BvS) and Suicide Squad, Warner Bros decided to rein returning director Zack Snyder back by making the film less dark, murky and devoid of humour which were the problems that plagued BvS. As for myself, I have always liked and will always defend Snyder’s vision on that particular film, so from the start this film always felt as if it was aiming in the wrong direction. The Justice League are what DC is to Marvel’s Avengers, the culmination and grouping of these superheroes together in a feature film. Not just for myself, but for years, even the notion of a Justice League film happening was one I had never dreamed would come. Snyder unfortunately left the project this year after a family tragedy and Avengers director Joss Whedon stepped in to finish the project. Whilst we’ll never know exactly who shot what, Whedon then was commissioned to lead extensive reshoots on the film, also replacing Junkie XL as composer with Danny Elfman and having to cut the film down to a 120 minute run time which is strongly suspected to have been mandated by the studio.

Unfortunately, this all shows on-screen. Justice League is an absolute mess and is the result of again, too many cooks in the kitchen. Snyder and Whedon as filmmakers pull in completely different directions, with Whedon injecting more humour into the film whereas Snyder has always been the more visionary filmmaker. Whilst I was watching the film, I never felt the stakes faced against these characters and the film has no sense of flow. 120 minutes is a very short run time for the story this film tries to tell and is the shortest DCEU installment thus far. The film neglects to develop its new characters of Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash that it introduces and has a very forgettable, one-dimensional CGI villain with typical end-of-the-world antics.

The biggest problem with the film is it feels unfinished. This is from everything down to the film itself, its acting and its visual effects. You can trash BvS all you want but you can’t deny that there were multiple instances in which Snyder stunned his audience with some mesmerising visuals. Justice League has none of that and its big set pieces aren’t convincing or believable due to the poor visual effects. By extension, the whole film feels as if it has been cobbled together at the last minute, a far cry from what it once was before. Everyone in the cast looks tired and the performances are mostly wooden and lacking energy. Of the new characters, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is going to have to do a lot of work to impress me in his standalone film next year as I thought his character was stupid and he spends virtually the entire film out of the water as opposed to in it which are his strengths. Ray Fisher’s Cyborg is average and some of Ezra Miller’s humour as The Flash sticks but some of it aggressively doesn’t. Ciaran Hinds is a fine actor and god knows what they were thinking when they made his villain all-CGI so as not for Hinds to showcase his talents and his villain is so bland, so one-dimensional and again, this trend of poor visual effects continues as his villain looks like he came straight out of an early generation computer game.

The script is just woeful. It is penned by Chris Terrio, who also wrote BvS but Whedon also recieves a credit for his rewrite and like the film, the script feels as if it’s the two of them pulling in different directions. Many attempts at humour feel forced and the film often resorts to cliched exposition. The film’s final set piece, which should be the crowning jewel of this kind of a film, is boring and lazy. Characters make many references to saving the poor citizens who are being terrorised by the villain but we only see this suffering through the eyes of one family. Justice League has a huge $300 million budget – surely the filmmakers could have established a sense of scope in order to invoke that this situation is actually dangerous.

Danny Elfman’s score has recieved some flack for him not opting to reuse the themes Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL had used in the previous films, instead opting to use his classic Batman theme and John Williams’ Superman one. Although perhaps in principle, an interesting idea, what of Elfman’s score that has made it into the film sadly doesn’t really stick. I would like to point out however that on the soundtrack, there are a couple of interesting tracks that for some reason haven’t made it into the film. Fabian Wagner’s cinematography is also sound but lacks the ambition and beauty of Snyder-regular, Larry Fong.

Justice League is not a bad film overall – it’s just a crushingly disappointing one with a real lack of ambition. With the talent involved and what could have been, it’s a real shame that the film that we get is one that doesn’t have much personality, is frustratingly pedestrian and inoffensively bland. There are a moments in it which showcase some of the better qualities of Snyder and Whedon but the cut that has been put together doesn’t fit together and it makes for a very jarring experience. I kept having to remind myself that I was actually watching a Justice League film because the low stakes that were being portrayed on-screen and the sub-par film weren’t really what I had anticipated.

DC need to have a big think going forward. With the exception of Wonder Woman earlier in the year, nothing has seemed to stick with audiences looking at past examples. Justice League is certainly not the worst film of the year and it is a film where I will always imagine what could have been. It will be interesting to see what happens with the standalone Aquaman film next year. Although his character recieved a poor introduction in this film, James Wan is in the director’s chair and hasn’t really put a foot wrong so I have confidence the first step in permanently course-correcting this franchise starts with him. We will have to wait and see.

⭐⭐ (Poor)

 

Only The Brave (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connelly 
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 133 mins

Only The Brave translates the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of firefighters who died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in June 2013, to the screen. It is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who previously directed Tron: Legacy and Oblivion, both films that garnered mixed reviews. Kosinski has assembled an impressive cast consisting of Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Connelly to name a few of its talents and tells this inspiring story from the perspective of the firefighters and we see how this team of firefighters impact on their community and their family lives.

Only The Brave is easily the best film of Kosinki’s career and a gripping account of the subject material. It is clear that the cast have the utmost respect for these heroes, resplendent in the modest, genuine performances. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Kosinski is more of a visionary director than a narrative one and his previous filmography is visually pleasing to look at. Why Only The Brave works so well is because it combines Kosinki’s visual talents with a very solid script, allowing a strong equilibrium between the visual and the story. Kosinski captures the forest fires extremely faithfully – they felt genuinely threatening on the screen, the images of smoke and burning woodlands. The characters are also really well developed and I felt empathy particularly for Josh Brolin and Miles Tellers’ characters, the latter being our insight into the forest firefighter industry, a character trying everything he can to turn his life around from his dark past.

The film is not quite without its flaws though: it’s a little pedestrian in places and relies on generic beats of the genre at times. Furthermore, the film also gets off to a wobbly start, with its rather initially overt and on-the-nose presentation of gender at a few moments.

That said, Only The Brave is a largely successful effort and definitely represents a peak for director Joseph Kosinski. Perhaps, like Peter Berg who has also found success with adapting true stories into films such as Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day after initially making turgid duds, this genre could be where Kosinski finally finds home as a filmmaker? Only time will tell…

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Camp
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 121 mins

A Palme D’Or contender earlier in the year, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is the latest by Greek director, Yorgos Lanthimos, who solidified himself as a talent to watch with his English language debut film, The Lobster, in 2015 and before that, the deeply unnerving Dogtooth. The Killing of a Sacred Deer sees the director reteaming with the ever-reliable Colin Farrell in the lead role as a cardiothoracic surgeon, Steve Murphy, who we first see completing open heart surgery in the film’s striking opening moments to Schubert’s ‘Stabat Mater’ in F minor. Murphy lives in a upper market, suburban area with his wife, Anna (Nicole Kidman) and two children, Kim and Bob (Raffey Cassidy and Sunny Suljic). Unknown to his family at the beginning of the film and for reasons not disclosed even to the film’s audience, Steve is a mentor to a teenager called Martin, played by the rising talent Barry Keoghan who was excellent back in the Summer in Christopher Nolan‘s Dunkirk. Martin is presented from the outset as a deeply disturbed and challenged individual with a past and his relationship with Steve feels extremely unnatural and sickly.

As with his previous filmography, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a genuinely unnerving and memorable experience, rich with strong themes and disturbing imagery. It is a film that requires multiple rewatches, particularly as Lanthimos has rooted this narrative in a Euripidian Ancient Greek myth. I felt genuinely unclean after watching it and was left thinking about it for quite a while.

Lanthimos maintains his signature arch, one-note dialogue and the characters are again, irrational yet weirdly enticing to watch. Farrell continues to prove why he is one of the most reliable actors in the business and whilst I’m not the biggest fan of Nicole Kidman, she does a great job here. It is however, the younger actors, who perhaps fare the best with Keoghan, Cassidy and Suljic all turning in brilliant performances and being able to mesh their adolescent innocence and maturity, fused with Lanthimos’ characterisation and dialogue.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer often feels not too dissimilar from a body horror film with Lanthimos’ bold music choices, amplifying the sustained tension and grisliness throughout the film and the situation the characters find themselves entrapped within. This is heightened by Thimios Bakatakis’ cinematography, which allows the film to feel very claustrophobic and sickening at times but also, the shots in the city and the hospital have clear power over the characters, vast spaces in a labyrinthine maze that Lanthimos’ characters are trapped in. There is one particular shot of a character blindfolded and spinning which I found very difficult to watch but the execution and staging of this scene is perhaps one of the most memorable images of the year.

I’m not sure whether The Killing of a Sacred Deer is an enjoyable experience or not but it’s certainly a memorable one and it’s a film that I cannot wait to watch again. It’s films like this that challenge and question their audiences that keep me fascinated with the film industry. It’ll be a hard film to seek out as it’s in a limited release, but I would definitely recommend making the effort to see this. The Killing of a Sacred Deer cements Lanthimos as one of the most powerful voices of cinema of our time.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)