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TST Film Review Thread

Another Monday, another Cineworld unlimited card holders preview screening.

Conclave

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossilini.

Starting in the aftermath of the Popes death and then picking up again three weeks later as the duty falls to Fiennes Cardinal Lawrence to run the Conclave were the Cardinals vote for the new pope.

Mainly it's men talking quietly in rooms as the decision is made on who to vote for and how that'll effect the future of the church. As it goes on there's revelations and skull duggery as it seems machinations are in play to point the final vote towards certain candidates.

Very much enjoyed it, a proper 'adult' film with talk of faith and belief, but also of honour and duty.

Directed by Edward Berger who helmed the recent version of All Quiet On The Western Front. He works wonders with the tension, the tightness of the corridors, and the use of the colour palette this world gives him with the reds and whites.

Fiennes performance is great and he anchors the film, but everyone involved is putting in great work.

I believe this won't actually be on general release until November 29th but I'd definitely reccomend it when it's released.
 
Heretic, a psychological horror starring none other than Hugh Grant.

I saw the Trailer a couple of weeks ago when I watched the Apprentice and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice the next day. It didn't give too much away, but seeing Grant, a guy normally bouncing around as an upper class twit in romcoms, in a horror looked intriguing.

And intriguing it was. 2 Mormon girls in their early 20's, are missionaries doing the rounds and door knocking on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The movie opens with them on a break, discussing their beliefs in a way that indicates they are often conflicted between their dedication to church, and the social aspects of being young women.

After a day of cold calling, they arrive at the house of Mr Reed (Grant), whom church records show has asked for further information. Avoiding the rain, he invites them in. After deep and philosophical conversations about religion, Reed reveals himself to be a well read scholar on the subject matter and not what he seems, and the girls, now completely trapped inside his house, are about to be taught a harsh lesson....

A very enjoyable watch. Well written and crafted, and builds suspense throughout masterfully. It does this without leaning into formulaic horror tropes of excessive lashings of tomato sauce and cheap jump scares. Almost Hitchcockian in nature.

I'm not a Hugh Grant fan, but his performance is excellent in this. In a similar way to how you feel about Jim Carey in a serious role, you realise how much of a fine actor he really is when he's not type cast. His manner is creepy and unsettling, and almost leads the viewer, and indeed the young female victims played by brilliantly by Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher, into a false sense of security before progressively trashing it within the first half hour, and continuing to do so further throughout the film. As Grants character sinks deeper into depravity, East and Thatchers characters also develop throughout, from perceptions of typical horror fodder at the beginning, to meeting the challenge of the situations they now find themselves as the movie unfolds.

Suspenseful throughout with few roll your eyes moments, the best horror of the year so far for me. 8/10.
 
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A couple of children's films over the last few weekends

Wild Robot I thought was visually quite stunning, and the story engaging. My daughter didn't feel the same and fell asleep.

Paddington in Peru I thought was OK but pretty slow paced and light on gags following the the first two. Especially when Hugh Grant popped up mid credits as if to remind you of Paddington 2s superiority. My daughter sort of agreed declaring it the least good of the trilogy, but to her I think it was a closer run thing. It was alo great on opening weekend to see it in a packed large cinema, which feels like a rarity these days, and just too cute when all the kids spontaneously clapped at the end.
 
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Being great apprieciators of Ridley Scott's original Gladiator & having been unashamedly drawn in by the resoundingly positive early critic reviews, we decided to give Gladiator 2 a go. Will try and keep this spoiler-free!

From the many questionable casting choices and gaping plot holes, to the lacklustre acting and embarrassingly poor at times (often bizzare) CGI, Gladiator 2 played as an *obviously rushed in execution* and unnecessary money-grabbing sequel; the emotional authenticity of the original was nowhere to be seen, the dark grit had been buffed to a smooth polish and the plot? It felt like a speed-run through confused storytelling, critically underdeveloped relationships and limp attempts to evoke emotion, with the occasional forced nod to the 2000 film.

To give credit where it's due, Denzel was a scene stealer throughout, the only solid casting choice in my humble opinion, bringing a truly layered performance to the character of Macrinus, although, as well as he performed, it was clear he was limited by the absence of depth around him. Paul Mescal, usually a solid choice for a role, just didn't quite raise his performance to the place of deep-rooted anguish it needed to be, neither did he command the respect and honour that was so easily given to Russell Crowes Maximus.

My favourite scene took place in the Colosseum, depicting an almost emotionally raw interaction between Hanno and Marcus Acacius; if only it had been afforded more time, as with the rest of the film, this segment was hurried through like a late boarding passenger. Shame.

Overall, if I were a Roman emperor deciding its fate after a gruesome battle, my thumb would make no hesitation to point south👎🏻 A disappointment but one that will undoubtedly bring in the cash.

TL;DR Gladiator 2 is messy, disappointing and doesn't hold a candle to the original. Denzel steals the show, Paul misses the mark. Overall, poor execution of what should have been a huge cinematic event.
 
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Not sure how a film released 24 years after the original could be considered a rushed cash grab.

Anyhow just saw Gladiator 2 myself, and as the above post said Denzel Washington is by far the best thing in it.

However whilst it's not as good as the original it's still a very enjoyable film with plenty of interesting battles and inversions of the first film. An enjoyable look at machinations of the politics in Rome as well as it testers on the brink.

Pedro Pascal was good, but I would've liked more from his character in the movie. Definitely portrayed that world weariness his character required when not on the battlefield very well.

Mescal also pretty good, more the soldiers soldier whose forced to take the lead than Crowes outright leader of men as Maximus.
 
Watched Joy today which has just came onto Netflix, starring Tomasin MacKenzie and Bill Nighy. It's about the UK team who pioneered IVF treatment. Nothing overly special but some great acting performances and just a well told, and interesting story.
 
This weeks big release is the long awaited adaptation of the massive musical Wicked.

Firstly I've not been to see the musical itself, so it was only the song Defying Gravity that I knew from it.

It effectively starts with the aftermath of The Wicked Witch of the Wests death in The Wizard Of Oz, and then goes back to the start as we find out about the beginnings of her and eventually attending Shiz University were she meets Galinda (who becomes Glinda the Good).

I very much enjoyed this, it's quite long (2 hours 30 roughly) but it genuinely flys by (ahem), and manages to reinject itself with characters and genuinely catchy and pop-u-lar songs.

Obviously all (yellow brick) roads lead to Oz and the wizard himself, and the show stopper Defying Gravity.

It's such a show stopper you'll need to come back next year for part 2!
 
I take part in a film club with my co workers. Usually modern and a genre/seasonal film each month.

Coming up next is Aftersun which Paul Mescal was nominated for best actor at the Oscars a few years ago.

Taken at first glance it's pretty nondescript as we follow a dad and his daughter on a package holiday to Turkey.

Lots of the film is from the perspective of his daughter and the home movies she's filmed on the holiday.

However it's in Mescals performance and what's not said you get to the soul of the film and it's ending.

It's currently on the iPlayer and only runs about 95 minutes, I'd highly recommend it.
 
Wicked was brilliant, I’ve seen the musical a couple of times and it was a beautiful adaption (of part 1!)

I’ve seen criticism that it’s too long, personally for me it didn’t feel like a long film when watching, I’ve sat and watched 1hr 40 films before that are so shite they feel longer!
 
Bit of a Netflix film binge today.

Emilia Perez

Really enjoyed this, a real mesh of genres and had no idea were it was going.

His Three Daughters

A very good three hander as they basically sit around an apartment waiting for their father to die.

The Piano Lesson

Set in 1930s America were a brother and sister argue about whether they should sell the family piano. Adapted from a stage play but they've made it jump off the stage and onto the screen.
 
John_P said:
On the back of Super/Man thought I'd mention the documentary that arrived on Disney+ last week the man that Christopher Reeve said was the one who made Superman fly.

Music By John Williams

A very exhaustive career retrospective featuring an array of big name Hollywood actors and producers talking about John's impact on the film industry. Plus Chris Martin from Coldplay.

Think for me it's the bits with Williams himself now discussing his career and life I enjoyed the most.

Just amazing seeing this laying down his entire career, plenty of stuff you knew he'd done, but also loads of things he's played on or composed that I never knew he'd been involved in.

If you're a fan of his work it's well worth a watch.
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I'll have to give this one a watch at some point!

Went to see Wicked this afternoon as a bit of a last-minute decision, and do I regret it? No. Absolutely not. I've never seen the stage show before (but I've listened to the soundtrack a few times, and when I go to NYC next year at long last, the hotel I'm due to be staying in is pretty much on the opposite side of W 50th Street to the theatre that hosts it, so I think we'll have to go. Really enjoyed it, and they made the right decision to split it into two films, with the dividing moment between the two being 'Defying Gravity'. Genuinely got chills down my spine when that song played. So, so good.
 
Saw Moana 2 at the cinema earlier this week.

I discovered Moana on the BBC at Christmas a few years ago and was surprised at how good it was.

Clearly it's popularity has only grown in the recent years as this was originally announced as a Disney+ TV show before being re-worked into a film over the past year or so.

I very much doubt the target audience of children will notice this, but with this in mind you can definitely see it's more episodic nature of the plotting.

The plot itself sees Moana attempting to find a lost island which will bring together the other tribes of people who travel the ocean. Suitably epic, and Moana really understands the risks she's taking doing this to both herself and her crew.

Thankfully it's again a very funny movie.

I've seen criticism of the songs online which seems unfair, whilst there's nothing as immediately catchy as How Far I'll Go and Your Welcome their spiritual sequels Beyond and Can I Get Che-how both seem to grow on you.

I very much enjoyed this, and based on its box office success I imagine Moana 3 will be along soon enough.
 
A busy weekend of films...

At the cinema

Lord of The Rings - The War of The Rohirrim

An anime film set in the same Lord of the Rings universe as the Peter Jackson movies.
Overall I quite enjoyed this, was nice to return to that film universe. Hopefully we're not waiting to long for Andy Serkis' Hunt For Gollum movie to move into production.

Kraven - The Hunter

Aaron Taylor Johnson plays the eponymous hero, this is seemingly the final film in Sonys attempts to create a Spider-Man villains universe. A flawed idea filled with bang average movies.
Though I thought this was OK it also seemed like a bit of a mess with so many lines of dialogue done seemingly in post production as they rejigged things. Still Taylor-Johnson might be happy with this series ending abruptly if it frees him up for playing Bond.

At Home

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

I'd not seen these films before so wanted to catch up before number 3 is out next week.

Thought this was a lot of fun, Jim Carrey is amazingly good as Dr Robotnik in both comedy and villainy. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all look great as well. And really good voice acting for those characters.

Christmas At Dollywood

Usually wouldn't review these films but the theme park and Dolly Parton aspect really put it into my wheelhouse.

It's unsurprisingly a very hallmarky film of two people meeting and after some confusion and rivalry falling in love. But they both work at Dollywood, and Dolly herself make some brief appearances. Sadly no rollercoasters are seen during the film, though the Tennesse Tornado does get a name check.

Carry-on

New on Netflix and starring Taron Egerton. It's not a biopic about Sid James but an action thriller.
Egerton is an LAX airport TSA agent who gets caught up in a plot to sneak a package through security and onto a plane.
It's very Die Hard, and that's a good thing. Very cat and mouse in the first hour as well. Definitely reccomend this one.
 
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Like @John_P, I also watched Carry-On this morning.

It’s not my usual genre, but while it’s not going to win too many points for realism at times, I actually thought it was a pretty good watch! I did find it pretty gripping, and I thought the story and general tension were interesting and very effective. I did overall enjoy it, and would definitely recommend a watch!
 
Just finished watching "La Palma" on Netflix

Based on the 2001 theory that an eruption could trigger a landslide creating a mega-tsunami reaching as far as the eat coast of the USA. It was actually very refreshing to see it focussed on characters rather than spectacle alone.

Without spoiling it, one part of the story follows scientists observing anomalies, the other a Norwegian family (parents with relationship problems, a kid with autism and an older girl struggling with her sexuality) - So you can imagine there's multiple inter-woven plot lines here!

Whilst it definitely exaggerated what the reality would actually be (and took scientific liberties) it was close enough to suspend your disbelief. I found myself rooting for the family in-particular, although I'm not sure the ending gave quite the emotional payoff the film makers hoped. (This is coming from a grown man who visibly wept at the end of No Time To Die!) - Anyway, worth a watch imo!

Speaking of Bond, I'm highly surprised no films have ever tapped-into manipulating nature to destabilise nation states. La Palma got me thinking, what if bond were to encounter a secret organisation called "Cinotect Minutsa" (Work out the anagram yourself!) intent on inducing the events shown in this series to destabilise the west and shift power to the east?

There you go MGM, there's your next bond film plot! 😂
 
A busy few days of cinema visits and watching stuff on streaming.

Mufasa - The Lion King

Thought it was better than the 2019 film as they've got the CGI lions to emote better. Songs not as good though.

Should've called it 2 Lion 2 King.

Then I went on a bit of an iplayer classics binge.

The Bishop's Wife

A 1940s Christmas classic as an Angel played by Cary Grant visits a Bishop played by David Niven.

The Red Shoes

A rewatch, but an absolute classic from Powell and Pressburger. Would highly recommend this film and the 2024 documentary Made In England about their partnership.

Scrooge

The Alistair Sim version, has there been a better portrayal of Scooge?

An Almost Christmas Story

A 20 minute short on Disney+ about an owl lost in New York City. Lovely animation.

Then it was back to the cinema for

Sonic The Hedgehog 3

A trilogy were I'd only watched 1 and 2 in the past fortnight. More of the same but very well done. Enjoyed these more than the Super Mario film.

Then back onto streaming

My Old Ass

Following a mushroom drugs trip on her 18th birthday Elliot is visited by a 39 year old version of herself (played by Aubrey Plaza) who tries to give her some life lessons.
Really enjoyed this, a great twist on the coming of age story.

Silver Linings Playbook

Somehow never watched this before, very good film. Great performances all round from Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Nero.
Nice turns from Chris Tucker and Shea Whigum as well.

Rebel Ridge

Probably best described as rambo for 2024 as a former marine runs a foul of the local police force and their unscrupulous practices. Very much enjoyed this.

And finally because it's Christmas

The Muppets Christmas Carol

Possibly the greatest adaptation of the Christmas classic. Caine playing it completely straight makes the film.
 
I watched two more new Christmas films in recent days…

Bad Tidings
It’s getting quite bad reviews on IMDB and the like, but I quite enjoyed this festive TV film on Sky Max! It stars Lee Mack and Chris McCausland as two neighbours who don’t particularly like each other, but are forced to team up to protect their street from a local villain family after Lee Mack’s character inadvertently causes a power surge on Christmas Eve and forces everyone else to evacuate for Christmas. It’s very similar to Home Alone in style, which suited me as someone who very much likes Home Alone! It’s nothing particularly original or groundbreaking, but I enjoyed it enough for a couple of hours’ watch!

Red One
Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Chris Evans (Captain America rather than the BBC Radio 2 presenter), this Amazon Prime film centres around Santa Claus having been kidnapped and Johnson and Evans searching to try and find him to save Christmas. I thought this was a very entertaining watch; the storyline is good and compelling, and there are plenty of nice funny bits!

On a non-film aside, we then watched old episodes of Would I Lie To You?, or more specifically some of Bob Mortimer’s previous appearances… some of these are absolutely hilarious!
 
Sonic The Hedgehog 3

We couldn't do our traditional trip to panto this year as it was booked up, so the whole family went to see the latest showing of Sonic 3. With a dad (me) a long time Sonic fan, we've seen all 3 in the cinema as a family, and seeing the original was our last trip out together before COVID, when special things like cinema trips were taken from us, and a large part of many children's lives were taken away from them. So a Christmas eve family showing (with me barely being able to move after 10 days straight of 12+ hour shifts) seemed quite fitting.

I really enjoyed the first movie. It's brand of laid back comedy continued into the second. It's a highly successful franchise of movies showing the enduring strength of Sega's triple A IP. And let's face it, after over 20 years of on/off woes, Sega needed a success story.

The movie series has always followed it's own cannon, disregarding any worlds and universes created in games and comics, and just does it's own thing. In doing so, it's managed to avoid the curse of Hollywood movies based on games almost always leading to failure, and even spurred Nintendo to cash in on that (vastly inferior) Italian plumber guy, who's first trip to Hollywood in the 90's was an utter disaster, but managed to churn out a relatively enjoyable movie recently himself by following the Sonic formula.

Although that formula is still followed here, with the reasonably comical supporting human cast still being present and as enjoyable to watch as ever, there's far less emphasis. The shining light of these films were always the relationships between the human world and the anthropomorphic characters delivering funny family comedy.

But this movie seems to treat itself a little more seriously. It breaks with the earlier two movies by following game cannon alot closer. It's basically a revised and condensed version of Sonic Adventure 2's plot, but on the basis that the separate world created so far still exists. Shadow, for instance, is exactly how you would imagine him to be from the games, whilst Sonic, Knuckles, and Robotnik have always done their own thing. In doing so, some of the comedy is lost.

Crush 40's 'Live and Learn' from SA2 is even played (which I believe Sega are being sued for). As is usual for this series, a mid, and post-credits sequence leaves the door wide open for another movie. Sonic and Tails seem to develop throughout the movie from the carefree "kids" they are portrayed to be in the first two, to being the more confident characters we see in other Sonic media, but it comes across as standard cookie cutter confidence building fayre see in dozens of other family movies.

Knuckles, played by Idris Elba, continues to be brilliant however. He's genuinely quite funny and enjoyable to watch, and you feel you see more of this come through now that the focus isn't as much on him.

But the shining star once again is Jim Carey as Dr Robotnik. Carey has been quite vocal about his dislike for acting recently, only wishing to do things he wants to do. As such, you can tell he's been given a huge amount of artistic licence for this movie, for a role he's said he's really enjoyed playing, and it pays off dividends. He's having fun, is interesting, and appears relaxed in the role. He's created his own version of the Doctor, and we see this come through in spades here.

The fan service is heaped on once again. Loads of Sonic Heroes and Shadow The Hedgehog references. But even though the movie chooses to follow game cannon closer, this doesn't feel cringe worthy of shoehorned in. It's doesn't force itself on you, and unless you played the games you wouldn't even notice. So it still remains an enjoyable family movie to watch in its own right even if you know nothing about the series that it's based on.

Overall, an enjoyable watch with many of the great aspects from previous films remaining. When they turn up, the human characters still remain funny, there's just a lot less of them. Sonic and Tails come across as a little more annoying here, but the excellence of Knuckles and Robotnik make up for much of that.

7/10
 
Moana 2. I thought it was pretty crap, a half arsed cash in. The songs were nothing on the first one and felt oddly like Encanto rejects, the story patchy at best with new characters delivering little. The under sea bat thing makes no sense and her storey is never resolved at the end. And where the hell is the shiny crab? 3/10.
 
An enjoyable Christmas day of new films

Wallace & Gromit - Vengeance Most Fowl

A wonderful film to celebrate 35 years of the iconic duo, so many little jokes I'll still be noticing for years to come.
Plenty of film references but certainly wasn't expecting Cape Feare.
Feathers McGraw returning 31 years after The Wrong Trousers and being as ominous and villainous as ever. Plus he's still a master of disguise.
The Norbots just great character design and seemed sinister even when being friendly. And then frankly quite frightening with the all black eyes.

Neat and tidy!

From Roger Moore With Love

A lovely documentary about the man who portrayed James Bond the most times at the cinema. Plenty of interviews from his friends and family. Plus narration which is taken from his own diaries and writing is narrated by Roger Moore (well Steve Coogan doing his Roger Moore impression). Light and fun.
 
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