"War Dogs: This isn't about being pro war, it's about being pro-money"
"Based on a true story"........very very very loosely.
A film with this subject matter probably should've been directed by someone else. This is a film about gun-runners and arms dealers during the Iraq War but told from the perspective of two college bro's. Director Todd Phillips of The Hangover Trilogy fame never really questions the moral or ethical dilemmas at hand, but instead focuses on our two protagonists landing "the big score", the big score being a $300 million dollar government arms deal.
Todd Phillips is in over his head trying to tackle an old school crime saga, he throws in classic rock songs, freeze frames with tiresome voice overs & title cards with the intention of giving this material a little more heft but fails miserably. There is so much blatant homage to the film Scarface with background posters and scenes of doing gratuitous amounts of cocaine that it's basically just the Diet Coke of Brian De Palma or Martin Scorsese light.
Personally if you want to see a film dealing with this subject matter that's handled with way more
austerity, then watch Andrew Niccol's "Lord of War" which actually satirizes war profiteers rather than glorifies them. The insurmountable problem is that David Packouz (Miles Teller) & Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) are both pot-smoking losers, but they're both winners in the eyes of director Todd Phillips who can't seem to escape the pot-smoking crude humor film genre he's been stuck in for the last two decades.
There are no stand out performances in this film, Miles Teller barely has a heart beat, Jonah Hill is basically playing an extension of his character from "The Wolf of Wall Street" without the direction from Martin Scorsese and the cameo from Bradley Cooper merely exists, it could have been played by anyone. It's perfectly watchable because there is an occasional laugh stemming from Jonah Hill's cartoonish behavior, but it's just an overly polished attempt at telling a story about two stoners from Florida who accidentally become arms dealers.
Everything is surface level, it's all about the prestige, the money, the fame and the women but doesn't really ask the audience any hard hitting questions. Of course when things go south for our moronic duo the film expects you to feel sorry for them, but frankly I could give a fuck less. This Bradley Cooper & Todd Phillips production is plagued with bad writing and is easily forgettable. Save your money. 1.5/5
Saturday, 20 August 2016
Thursday, 18 August 2016
Midnight Special Film Review
"Midnight Special: It doesn't matter. Good people die every day believing in things."
On the surface Midnight Special is a mid-level budget action film, but it approaches the science-fiction genre from an unconventional angle. Whilst the premise is nothing new; the two protagonists Michael Shannon (Roy) & Joel Edgerton (Lucas) escort a young dependent child by the name of Alton with abilities away from an overbearing authority and a cult that disturbingly worships the child. Beneath the surface there is a critique on the current wave of superhero films and the prevalent practice of glorifying city destruction that we so often see.
The film does little to shy away from comparisons of big budget blockbusters with the child drawing his power from the sun, it's interesting that Michael Shannon is cast as Alton's father who only a few years previously portrayed General Zod in Man Of Steel, where the protagonist Clark Kent also draws his power from the sun. The film is blunt in it's references so much so that Alton reads a Superman comic book in the back seat of a car with a torchlight as they flee from the antagonists. As a further nod to the audience Director Jeff Nichols cast's Kirsten Dunst as Alton's estranged mother Sarah who previously portrayed Mary-Jane in the globally successful Spider-Man franchise.
This can easily be watched or dismissed as a Superhero film on a budget but really when taking into account Jeff Nichols previous works such as "Take Shelter" & "Mud" it's easy to see he has an affinity for the existential, this may seem pretentious to some and that's perfectly fine but I believe the film deserves a closer look. Midnight Special draws specific attention to the tropes it borrows from contemporary blockbusters as a way to shine a light on the formulaic way film studio's are pumping out large volumes of Superhero movies.
When Alton's powers are triggered, they are triggered violently but only in an accidental manner, hence why the government chases him so doggedly. This theme is also prevalent in Man Of Steel where Superman is feared for his destructive abilities but that was handled with much less gravitas by Director Zack Snyder who to be fair was making a blockbuster that had to broadly appeal to mass audiences.
The ominous cult that so desperately want Alton back are addicted to looking into his eyes, which seem to be where his powers stem from. When looking into Alton's eyes people attest to an overwhelming sense of euphoria and an escape from the woes of daily life on earth. This is most likely a metaphor for the current state of film goers being drawn to Superhero films as a way to live out our own escapist fantasies. Midnight Special serves as a warning that with our unbridled obsession with Superhero films we are in a way holding ourselves and the artist back from being able to tell original and compelling stories.
Midnight Special is a diamond in the rough that deserved a wider audience but failed to appeal to the masses because as I said previously it's only a mid-level budget action film. It's an entertaining ride that will make you consider the current state of the film business that's obsessed with rehashing old properties. 4.8/5
On the surface Midnight Special is a mid-level budget action film, but it approaches the science-fiction genre from an unconventional angle. Whilst the premise is nothing new; the two protagonists Michael Shannon (Roy) & Joel Edgerton (Lucas) escort a young dependent child by the name of Alton with abilities away from an overbearing authority and a cult that disturbingly worships the child. Beneath the surface there is a critique on the current wave of superhero films and the prevalent practice of glorifying city destruction that we so often see.
The film does little to shy away from comparisons of big budget blockbusters with the child drawing his power from the sun, it's interesting that Michael Shannon is cast as Alton's father who only a few years previously portrayed General Zod in Man Of Steel, where the protagonist Clark Kent also draws his power from the sun. The film is blunt in it's references so much so that Alton reads a Superman comic book in the back seat of a car with a torchlight as they flee from the antagonists. As a further nod to the audience Director Jeff Nichols cast's Kirsten Dunst as Alton's estranged mother Sarah who previously portrayed Mary-Jane in the globally successful Spider-Man franchise.
This can easily be watched or dismissed as a Superhero film on a budget but really when taking into account Jeff Nichols previous works such as "Take Shelter" & "Mud" it's easy to see he has an affinity for the existential, this may seem pretentious to some and that's perfectly fine but I believe the film deserves a closer look. Midnight Special draws specific attention to the tropes it borrows from contemporary blockbusters as a way to shine a light on the formulaic way film studio's are pumping out large volumes of Superhero movies.
When Alton's powers are triggered, they are triggered violently but only in an accidental manner, hence why the government chases him so doggedly. This theme is also prevalent in Man Of Steel where Superman is feared for his destructive abilities but that was handled with much less gravitas by Director Zack Snyder who to be fair was making a blockbuster that had to broadly appeal to mass audiences.
The ominous cult that so desperately want Alton back are addicted to looking into his eyes, which seem to be where his powers stem from. When looking into Alton's eyes people attest to an overwhelming sense of euphoria and an escape from the woes of daily life on earth. This is most likely a metaphor for the current state of film goers being drawn to Superhero films as a way to live out our own escapist fantasies. Midnight Special serves as a warning that with our unbridled obsession with Superhero films we are in a way holding ourselves and the artist back from being able to tell original and compelling stories.
Midnight Special is a diamond in the rough that deserved a wider audience but failed to appeal to the masses because as I said previously it's only a mid-level budget action film. It's an entertaining ride that will make you consider the current state of the film business that's obsessed with rehashing old properties. 4.8/5
Wednesday, 17 August 2016
Netflix's Stranger Things Series Review
"Stranger Things: Science is neat, but I’m afraid it’s not very forgiving."
Yearning for yesteryear? Then this retro roller coaster of a series might be for you. It's a completely original series that reboots everything you loved about the 80's. It defies all odds and is a celebration of nostalgia. It was created and directed by the Duffer Brothers whose only other directing credit is an indie film called "Hidden" (highly recommended horror film). They've created a series heavily inspired by Steven Spielberg, Stephen King & John Carpenter but instead of the show constantly winking at you with references they're winking WITH you in a very non-condescending way.
In a nutshell Stranger Things is an 8 episode series set in middle America during the early 80's where a young boy goes missing in the woods, his friends go searching for him and come across a young girl with a shaved head and telekinetic abilities who has trouble communicating. Instead of this going the route of that J.J. Abrams series "Lost" where it's unsolved mystery after unsolved mystery, it has a very focused, well written story line where we learn things gradually.
Also looking for the lost boy is his mother played by Winona Ryder who delivers a stellar comeback performance after stepping away from Hollywood for a few years. One of my new favourite actors David Harbour plays the town police chief who could have very easily been written as a stereotypical naysayer but instead gets heavily involved in the search for the boy once he begins to see a government conspiracy unfold.
It definitely feels like the President Reagan years with the whole trope of tying to stay one step ahead of the Russians but instead of getting bogged down in politics it focuses on a research facility where the antagonists have really overstepped the mark in terms of experimenting on children and being able to access alternate dimensions which leads to accidentally releasing a faceless monster that terrorizes the town. Whilst it is reminiscent of films like "The Goonies" or "E.T" in it's child like perspective of story telling; the haunting nature of this series allows it to get very very dark and gritty. It doesn't shy away from violence and horror which leads to in my opinion a much more compelling story. It's as realistic as it can be when dealing with the supernatural. The score is also very 80's synthesizer music which is so fitting but it's never obnoxious, it comes across very natural.
A definite recommendation to anyone who enjoys 80's science-fiction, it's only 8 episodes long but feels way more cinematic than some of the recent trash in theaters. You can binge watch it and have a blast because Netflix released all episodes at once. Take a trip down memory lane. 4.7/5
Yearning for yesteryear? Then this retro roller coaster of a series might be for you. It's a completely original series that reboots everything you loved about the 80's. It defies all odds and is a celebration of nostalgia. It was created and directed by the Duffer Brothers whose only other directing credit is an indie film called "Hidden" (highly recommended horror film). They've created a series heavily inspired by Steven Spielberg, Stephen King & John Carpenter but instead of the show constantly winking at you with references they're winking WITH you in a very non-condescending way.
In a nutshell Stranger Things is an 8 episode series set in middle America during the early 80's where a young boy goes missing in the woods, his friends go searching for him and come across a young girl with a shaved head and telekinetic abilities who has trouble communicating. Instead of this going the route of that J.J. Abrams series "Lost" where it's unsolved mystery after unsolved mystery, it has a very focused, well written story line where we learn things gradually.
Also looking for the lost boy is his mother played by Winona Ryder who delivers a stellar comeback performance after stepping away from Hollywood for a few years. One of my new favourite actors David Harbour plays the town police chief who could have very easily been written as a stereotypical naysayer but instead gets heavily involved in the search for the boy once he begins to see a government conspiracy unfold.
It definitely feels like the President Reagan years with the whole trope of tying to stay one step ahead of the Russians but instead of getting bogged down in politics it focuses on a research facility where the antagonists have really overstepped the mark in terms of experimenting on children and being able to access alternate dimensions which leads to accidentally releasing a faceless monster that terrorizes the town. Whilst it is reminiscent of films like "The Goonies" or "E.T" in it's child like perspective of story telling; the haunting nature of this series allows it to get very very dark and gritty. It doesn't shy away from violence and horror which leads to in my opinion a much more compelling story. It's as realistic as it can be when dealing with the supernatural. The score is also very 80's synthesizer music which is so fitting but it's never obnoxious, it comes across very natural.
A definite recommendation to anyone who enjoys 80's science-fiction, it's only 8 episodes long but feels way more cinematic than some of the recent trash in theaters. You can binge watch it and have a blast because Netflix released all episodes at once. Take a trip down memory lane. 4.7/5
Suicide Squad Film Review
"Suicide Squad: Oh, I'm not gonna kill you... I'm just gonna hurt you really, really bad"
This is going to be shallow and condescending, just like this critical darling film! There was hope that DC would Marvel us with their version of Guardians of the Galaxy, a rag-tag team of anti-heroes coming together for the greater good, however in typical DC fashion they deliver us a horrendously edited final product.
Call me a film snob or DC hater, I don't care this film was garbage from the get-go. There's only so many pop-songs & mini intro's I can handle in the first act, our introduction to the Suicide Squad was basically one long music video with shiny neon lights that would trigger any epileptic into having a frothing at the mouth fit right there in the cinema.
Maybe Warner Bro's don't actually care, maybe they aren't trying to catch up to Marvel, maybe they're just exploiting all the superhero film rights they own to make quick cash & if I was a Warner Bro's shareholder I probably wouldn't care either. This film appeals to the lowest common denominator of film-goers. If you just want action scene after action scene with terrible one liners then this is the film for you.
The premise itself is laughable; let's put together a team of meta-humans to combat the next superman scenario in-case the next Superman to visit earth doesn't "come in peace". It has the exact same overarching plot issue that "Man Of Steel" had. A self full-filling prophecy, if Superman never came to earth in the first place then Superman would never have needed to save us. So what happens in this film? The government, headed by Viola Davis's character "Amanda Waller" try's to employ the "Enchantress" an uncontrollable witch that releases her demonic brother that creates yet again another faceless enemy for our anti-heroes to combat. Just like with The Avengers 1&2 the faceless armies have no real substance because in a PG-13 film god-forbid we kill actual human beings and show blood or have an antagonist with real motivations.
Cara Delevingne plays the Enchantress and Cara Delevingne is to acting what Adam Sandler is to comedy. She's awful and only now has a film career because she's a famous model that has 32 million Instagram followers that the studio hopes to exploit. I could keep on writing about individual performances such as Jared Leto's "Joker" but whats the point? They're all forgettable performances in a film that has no structural integrity because the editing is the worst I've seen all year, probably due to the rumored interference from the studio that supposedly hired last minute editors to do a re-cut of the film because it was originally too dark. So would I recommend Suicide? Yes to anyone who see's this atrocity. 0/5
This is going to be shallow and condescending, just like this critical darling film! There was hope that DC would Marvel us with their version of Guardians of the Galaxy, a rag-tag team of anti-heroes coming together for the greater good, however in typical DC fashion they deliver us a horrendously edited final product.
Call me a film snob or DC hater, I don't care this film was garbage from the get-go. There's only so many pop-songs & mini intro's I can handle in the first act, our introduction to the Suicide Squad was basically one long music video with shiny neon lights that would trigger any epileptic into having a frothing at the mouth fit right there in the cinema.
Maybe Warner Bro's don't actually care, maybe they aren't trying to catch up to Marvel, maybe they're just exploiting all the superhero film rights they own to make quick cash & if I was a Warner Bro's shareholder I probably wouldn't care either. This film appeals to the lowest common denominator of film-goers. If you just want action scene after action scene with terrible one liners then this is the film for you.
The premise itself is laughable; let's put together a team of meta-humans to combat the next superman scenario in-case the next Superman to visit earth doesn't "come in peace". It has the exact same overarching plot issue that "Man Of Steel" had. A self full-filling prophecy, if Superman never came to earth in the first place then Superman would never have needed to save us. So what happens in this film? The government, headed by Viola Davis's character "Amanda Waller" try's to employ the "Enchantress" an uncontrollable witch that releases her demonic brother that creates yet again another faceless enemy for our anti-heroes to combat. Just like with The Avengers 1&2 the faceless armies have no real substance because in a PG-13 film god-forbid we kill actual human beings and show blood or have an antagonist with real motivations.
Cara Delevingne plays the Enchantress and Cara Delevingne is to acting what Adam Sandler is to comedy. She's awful and only now has a film career because she's a famous model that has 32 million Instagram followers that the studio hopes to exploit. I could keep on writing about individual performances such as Jared Leto's "Joker" but whats the point? They're all forgettable performances in a film that has no structural integrity because the editing is the worst I've seen all year, probably due to the rumored interference from the studio that supposedly hired last minute editors to do a re-cut of the film because it was originally too dark. So would I recommend Suicide? Yes to anyone who see's this atrocity. 0/5
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