I have literally zero interest in the cast this season
Flushed Away (2006)
Dir: David Bowers & Sam Fell
Flushed Away is an adventure comedy animation about a rat called Roddy who lives a luxurious lifestyle in a flat in Kensington, until he gets flushed down the toilet into the sewers of London. (I know, iconic.)
Flushed Away definitely isn't the best animated film ever released, but I honestly have to say that it may be one of my favourites. It is a genuinely laugh out loud film for children and adults alike. The premise, like the majority of animated films is so ludicrous that it makes it so fun to watch. Rich rats, poor rats, evil frogs, singing slugs, you name it, it's in there. But as goes with films like this, I give so much credit to the writes for managing to pull together these outrageous story lines as well as creating hilarious quips and innuendos throughout. I honestly think that writers for children/family films are actual geniuses when they manage to land jokes for all audiences.
Flushed Away feels like one of those films that got lost and forgotten in Hugh Jackman's filmography nowadays, but I honestly love it so much and I really would recommend it, probably for a younger audience though.
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
Dir: Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz
The Peanut Butter Falcon is a comedy drama about a man with down syndrome who runs away from his assisted living facility to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, and on his way, befriends a drifter type character who becomes his best friend and wrestling coach. On this journey they learn so much about themselves and each other, making this a very feel good film.
The film really was such a joy to watch. From beginning to end I found myself with such a big smile on my face, all of the characters were so well realised and well acted that it really felt like I was watching along with someone's real life story, alongside them rather than just watching a movie based on real events.
The character of Zak, is a self titled character played by Zak Gottsagen, who has down syndrome and so this character is really incredible in this movie, it makes a statement about the treatment of people with down syndrome without having to say anything out right, but just by the interactions he has with other characters throughout the entire film. - And that anyone has the right to follow their own dreams and and really gives out the lesson that you should always try and do your best to support those around you to pursue their dreams, no matter how much they may seem like a fantasy to you. It doesn't make their dreams any less valuable.
The Peanut Butter Falcon genuinely was such an enjoyable film to watch, it was incredibly wholesome and real, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an incredibly well shot, feel good piece of art.
this show is honestly so bad but i'm clinging on, although losing hope in any improvements :disappointed_relieved:
The Laundromat (2019)
Dir: Steven Soderbergh
The Laundromat is a Netflix distributed comedy drama which follows the story of Ellen Martin, played by Meryl Streep, who after an unthinkable accident takes plan on her holiday, she begins investigating a fake insurance policy.
The plot of this movie was an incredibly interesting story, and the way that the movie was directed just didn't stand up unfortunately. The cast list is incredible but the movie was just inherently flawed and not at all enjoyable in my opinion. I genuinely never thought that I could be bored by the filmography of Steven Soderbergh but this film really has me stumped, even with the film progressing at such a fast pace with a lot of dialogue.
Don't get me wrong, not everything about this film was bad, the acting was incredible, Meryl Streep was incredible, Gary Oldman was incredible, Antonio Banderas was incredible, the cinematography was very nice. Where as the rest just fell flat for me, the film was poorly executed and after all of the hype and waiting for this, I was honestly just left disappointed.
It could've been more to do with the script than the direction alone that created the flaws in this movie, at points it felt really kind of scattered as if too much had been forced in to this film, making it way too busy and too much to process and take in.
Overall, for me unfortunately The Laundromat isn't a film that I would recommend to my friends, although I would say for some it may be a valuable watch and could be an entertaining movie if you're just looking for a casual watch and can get past the poor execution.
this show is just so wholesome and real I don't want it to end
Klaus (2019)
Dir: Sergio Pablos
Klaus a Spanish animated Christmas comedy film written and directed by Sergio Pablos, with this being his directorial debut. The story follows the son of a prominent figure who intentionally squanders any given opportunity in order to stay at home, living a life of luxury and after proving himself to be the worst postman at the Royal Postal Academy, his father ships him off to Smeerensberg, a frozen town in the north where he finds that Santa is hiding out.
This is a Christmas movie with a very wholesome message, that one small act of kindness always sparks another - which is demonstrated throughout the movie's entirety.
I didn't know much about this movie when I went into it, I hadn't watched any trailers or done any research, I'd just seen and heard passing comments online stating how much people were enjoying it; so I had to give it a watch for myself. Klaus exceeded every expectation that I had set in my mind, the animation was absolutely lovely and so cute to look at, with a 1 hour 36-minute running time there was the perfect amount of time for this story to be told. There was always something happening in this story to keep you hooked, with adorable characters, wholesome relationships and so much more.
The voice cast for this film was also incredible, with stars including Jason Schwartzman, J. K. Simmons, Rashida Jones and Joan Cusack in starring roles.
I wouldn't change a single thing about this film from a production point of view, and this might become a movie that I watch every year at Christmas time because I really have become a fan of this movie after just one watch, and I can see plenty of rewatches in future for myself and many other individuals and families around the festive season.
Overall, I absolutely adored Klaus, and I'm looking forward to watching it all over again, I'd definitely recommend it to fans of Christmas films and those looking to get into the Christmas spirit, and even to those who don't celebrate Christmas or have no interest in Christmas films as this was an incredibly well crafted masterpiece that shouldn't be missed.
Official Secrets (2019)
Dir: Gavin Hood
Official Secrets is a somewhat political drama mystery set in 2003 where a British intelligence specialist leaks top secret information to the press regarding the Iraq war.
Personally i'm not a huge fan of films that are outright political dramas like this one, about the press and the media. Although I did quite enjoy this one, despite it falling flat quite a few times. This film does an incredibly good job of telling the story how it should be told, packed full of relevant information of the deception throughout the government. Although, I found that it struggled to get an actual emotional response from me personally. This film didn't really make me feel anything, I was just kind of 'meh' when the film ended. Official Secrets was definitely gripping, as we see the main character fighting with her own morals whilst receiving the fallout from her actions in the government, and with this being based on real events it can sometimes be quite difficult to pull off.
I'd say my only serious flaw with this film was Keira Knightley. I don't have anything against her but all of her characters just feel the same to me, and there's no real distinguishable characteristics for any of her characters to me. I feel as though you could just swap and change her characters from film to film and they'd still be the same character.
Overall this film was pretty good, but personally it's not one that I would choose to rewatch as it seems once you've seen this film, there's nothing particularly gripping or prominent enough to make you watch to come back for more. I'd definitely recommend this film to anyone with an interest in political drama, or more specifically the British government in the early 00s.
THE BUNNY DROID THING LMAO
OH OK I SEE
The single best episode of The Walking Dead we've had in a while
Hair Love
Dir: Matthew A. Cherry & Everett Downing Jr
Hair Love is an adorable animated short film about a father who has to unexpectedly step in for the mother to do his daughter, Zuri’s hair before a big event, what sounds like an easy task, is anything but as these locks have a mind of their own.
Hair Love simply is adorable, a very sweet watch which is currently featured on the Animated Short Academy Awards shortlist, and I sincerely hope that it does earn at least a nomination. The relationship between father and daughter here is incredibly touching, as the father has to venture completely out of his comfort zone to help his daughter.
This story, as stated by the director himself, was born out of seeing a lack of representation in mainstream animated projects and also wanting to promote ‘hair love’ amongst young men and women of colour. And it is their hope that it will inspire.
I love to see projects inspired by an own persons struggles, everybody deserves representation in all types of mainstream media, but it is truly inspiring when someone takes a difficulty or bias of their own and uses a creative outlet to display it.
Hair Love itself was an incredibly well created piece, technically the animation was really nice and reminiscent of a Pixar short with excellent technical execution.
I would definitely recommend Hair Love, it entertains, informs and inspires all in one sweet, short piece.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Dir: Kevin Reynolds
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is the story of Robin Hood who decides to avenge his father who was murdered by the Sheriff of Nottingham, and on his adventures he joins forces with Little John and his band of thieves in order to overcome to evils of the Sheriff.
I'd never seen this film until recently, despite it being released so long ago. It was one of those films that just got lost in my watchlist until recently; when it was recommended to me. I really thought this movie was a lot of fun, it was a really fun watch, there was some action, some history and a sprinkle of comedy. This film really dug more into the backstory of Robin Hood than other films dealing with the same subject matter. All of the characters were really well acted and as we all know, Alan Rickman plays an incredible villain. Morgan Freeman's character, Azeem really carried the comedic aspect of the film and he was definitely the character whose lines I felt myself laughing at the most, although there were also a few points where each individual character got their chance to shine with their own humour, including the villain; the Sheriff of Nottingham.
In all honesty, I think this might be my favourite portrayal of Robin Hood to date. It was fun, sometimes a little bit preposterous but overall it was a really heartwarming movie which i'd definitely recommend.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
Dir: Dean DeBlois
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is the third and final movie in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, in which viking leader Hiccup and his friends must unite to find the hidden world which holds the key to them saving his dragon, Toothless and his friends.
This film really was the perfect ending to the trilogy for me, growing up reading the books and then watching the film series left me with really high expectations going in to it, and I honestly wasn't even slightly disappointed. The How to Train Your Dragon trilogy has to be up there in my top 10 animated film franchises.
The animation was really incredible and most of the shots were so captivating that it was hard to look away for even a moment in fear of missing some of the wonderful cinematography. The story line was also amazing and such a good way for the audience to say farewell to Hiccup and his crew.
I really don't have a single negative thing to say about this film, I loved it more than I ever thought I would. It was incredibly wholesome and I'd definitely recommend this film, and the franchise as a whole.
This is genuinely one of the best bad films I've seen in a long time.
You can tell that the ending of this show is going to be incredibly unsatisfying, there's 3 episodes left and there's little sign of anything wrapping up. I feel there's just going to be a reunion in the final 2 episodes that spark nostalgia from the first few seasons and the showrunners think that's enough.
The Perfect Date (2019)
Dir: Chris Nelson
The Perfect Date is a young adult targetted romantic comedy starring teen "heartthrob" Noah Centineo. This is the story of a high school student who creates an app to offer services as a fake date to make money for an Ivy League college. When he develops feelings for someone, things get complicated. The Perfect Date is based on the 2016 book 'The Stand-In' by Steve Bloom, which personally until researching this film, I had never heard of.
In the past year or so, Netflix has been cranking out these sub-par, ludicrous romantic comedies for their teenage audience, and don't get me wrong - I don't hate them. Noah Centineo is doing his rounds with Netflix, starring in films such as 'To All The Boys I Loved Before' and 'Sierra Burgess Is a Loser' and the teenage/young adult audiences are lapping them up, hence more being pumped out.
I've had The Perfect Date in my Netflix list since the premiere date, out of curiosity. It seemed like one of those films that I'd watch in the middle of the night when I was too tired to commit to a heavy drama that'd require a lot of concentration, but too awake not to watch a film, and that night was tonight. I haven't heard anyone say a single word about this film since it's release month, so there wasn't a huge hype for it like the aforementioned film, 'To All The Boys I Loved Before' which has already produced two sequels which are yet to be released, also based on young adult novels.
The film itself I found to be average, I didn't hate it, it served its purpose, told the story it was supposed to be telling with the cheesy love scenes and all the connotations of a teenage drama packed in like sardines, but I don't think I'll be hankering for a second watch anytime soon.
Overall, for the typical teenage audience who swoon over Noah Centineo, this isn't a bad film and sure I'd recommend it to that audience but I don't think it'll make it into any top rom-com lists or columns anytime soon. But in all honesty, It's worth a watch if cheesy rom-coms are your thing.
Modern Love (2019)
Season One
Modern Love is a co-production of Amazon Studios and the New York Times, an anthology series which explores love in all of its beautiful and complicated forms, as well as its effects on the human connection. Each episode depicts a different story inspired by the newspapers popular 'Modern Love' column. The series has an incredible cast, with stars including Anne Hathaway, Andy Garcia, Tina Fey, Dev Patel and John Slattery.
This was such a good anthology series, with eight, 30ish minute long episodes, it made for a very easy binge watch. All of the episodes and stories were crafted so well and really gave the audience reasons to connect with the different characters and see what love meant to each of them in their own unique situations.
As with the majority of shows, there's the odd episode that doesn't quite stand up to the rest, but realistically none of these episodes were inherently bad, there was such good continuity through this anthology which allows for the audience to see how everyone's stories pan out in the same period of time throughout New York City, which comes to light in the final episode.
I don't want this review to last for too long so i'll just log a few words about each episode and my thoughts.
-Episode One isn't typically what you'd expect when you say love, but it's really wholesome and heartwarming. 8/10
-Episode Two is an incredibly heartwarming break up and reunion episode. 8/10
-Episode Three is a mental health related episode and how mental health effects relationships with others. 8/10
-Episode Four is 30 minutes of Tina Fey and John Slattery playing tennis. 7/10
-Episode Five is quite nice really, quite wholesome. 8/10
-Episode Six is the lowest rated episode on trakt, and I'm in total agreement, it's pretty much an episode about daddy issues. 6/10
-Episode Seven is probably my favourite, and it manages to hold so much emotion and character development. 8/10
-And last but not least, Episode Eight is incredibly sad but also really inspiring at the same time, throwing out the message that it's never too late in life to find love.
Overall, I absolutely loved this series and I can't wait for the second season now that it's officially been renewed. I need more ASAP. I'd really recommend it, one of the best Amazon Originals that I've seen in a while.
Stuber (2019)
Dir: Michael Dowse
Stuber is your generic, comedic buddy cop movie, in which a short tempered police officer recovering from eye surgery recruits an uber driver, aptly named 'Stu' to help him catch the bad guy, a heroin dealer who killed his partner.
Honestly, this film feels like it has been done a million times before in some capacity with so many buddy cop films circulating, and honestly being reused so often that frankly, it's exhausting. BUT - This review isn't going to be entirely negative. I didn't hate this film, it had it's one redeeming quality. Kumail Nanjiani. Don't get me wrong, Dave Bautista was fine, the relationship between the two characters was fine, but Kumail's character really stole the spotlight in ever scene with his sweet, positive personality, quick-wit and his characters anxiety about every situation he was found in, it really saved what was really a poorly executed film.
Overall, this review just feels like me sitting here complimenting Kumail Nanjiani, and honestly it might've been. But back to the point, I'd probably recommend this film based on Kumail's performance alone, so give it a watch to fill his wallet.
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Dir: Craig Brewer
Dolemite Is My Name is the story of the performer; Rudy Ray Moore, who assumed the role of an iconic pimp named Dolemite during the 1970s. It is a biographical comedy film which really highlights the hollywood attitudes towards the so called "little guy" who try to pursue their dreams, and in this case, prove people wrong.
This film was incredibly well crafted, which can't be said for the self-titled Dolemite film released by Rudy Ray Moore himself in 1975. This really is, as many are saying; Eddie Murphy's comeback film, in which he really did play an incredible role.
The film itself, and Rudy Ray Moore are being compared to recent releases such as the Disaster Artist and the works and character of Ed Wood, although I really feel like Dolemite Is My Name has so much more to offer than the latter. This film really does show the best and the worst parts of Rudy Ray Moore but in that, makes him feel more human than say Tommy Wiseau in the Disaster Artist, this is a man who wants to make it big, who has absolutely no means to do so, with no money and a very small amount of people who believe in him.
Dolemite Is My Name really was a pleasure to watch, plus it's always convenient when films are distributed by Netflix, so that you can watch the movie as soon as it's released.
Overall, I would probably recommend this film to anyone who did enjoy the premise of the Disaster Artist, or in general really anyone looking for a laugh, this is the film for you.
A really fun exploration of cultural norms, enjoyed this short film a lot.
Conceptually interesting and it has its moments but also isn't something that's going to stick with me; how do I describe a plot as slow for an 18 minute long film? I don't know, but Gorka managed to do that. The acting from Gorka, (Yanis Charifi) was wonderful, and the connection formed between him and Tonya (Geraldine Somerville) was beautiful but everything else fell flat around them.
"I wish I had a girlfriend, I just have a ferret"
Ok so interesting episode, nice to see the origin story of a developed character from the main show, although it strayed from the origin that we already have been given for Alpha.
Side note, really glad this isn't the version of Lydia that we see in the show, and that she's developed because this one was annoying af.
I haven't finished this episode yet but I'm fuming that they've lined them up at gun point just like Negan did in the walking dead, it's so embarrassing that they can't think of anything new and just reuse the moves that gave them some shock factor the first time around.
HELL YEAH that's some goooooooooooooooooooooooooooood stuff
ugh i love you lizzo
I only enjoyed the last 2 minutes of this episode lmao.
Wild Rose (2018)
Dir: Tom Harper
Wild Rose is a British musical drama following a Scottish woman who's fresh out of prison juggling her job and two children whilst attempting to pursue her dream of becoming a country music star. She soon gets her chance when she travels to Nashville Tennessee on a life-changing trip to discover her true voice.
Wild Rose is a very heartfelt film that felt incredibly real, the way that this woman is just doing her best to get by, whilst also trying to follow her dream, who is hindered by her past actions and struggles to manage her busy life and goals equally. This film shows how difficult it can be for people in more difficult situations to choose between their families and doing what they've always dreamed of.
I liked this film, it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It wasn't perfect though. There were a few moments throughout this film where honestly the story just got lost, and I didn't know where they were going with it, but it all managed to fall back into place for a bittersweet ending for our main character.
The title character of Rose-Lynn was portrayed by Jessie Buckley, who for me was completely unknown before I saw this film, I'd never seen any of her previous work but she was incredible in this part, she has an incredible voice for country music which was fantastic for the soundtrack of this film.
Overall, I thought Wild Rose was a really good, but bittersweet film that could be a British film contender at the BAFTAs in 2020 in my opinion. I'd definitely recommend it.
The Irishman (2019)
Dir: Martin Scorsese
The Irishman is the story of truck driver Frank Sheeran in the 1950s, who gets involved with Russell Bufalino and his Pennsylvania crime family. As Sheeran climbs the ranks to become a top hitman (house painter) he also works for Jimmy Hoffa, a damn powerful guy.
Martin Scorsese hit the nail on the head with this movie, I can't even find fault with this 3 hours 30-minute long epic. I was hooked, I had to commit to the full running time, I couldn't walk away from this movie, and quite honestly, it was that gripping that it didn't feel like I'd just sat for that long to watch a movie, the time went flying by, that's what they say - time flies by when you're having fun!
This movie was packed full of acting greatness, with the cast list including Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino and many, many more. Almost anyone who can pull off crime family realness made their way into this movie somewhere.
The movie itself was incredible, as mentioned previously the direction and acting were both something special, but also the cinematography was so on point for this movie, I am in awe of Martin Scorsese for creating this masterpiece. This review honestly might just be 300 or so words of me complimenting Martin Scorsese. It's up there in my top ten movies of the year, and probably my top five Scorsese works at the current time.
Whilst this movie was incredible, from the perspective of someone who admires these actors so much, it does feel a bit like this could be their last great piece, their way of signing off from these Hollywood epics now, with the majority of the cast aging and having the spotlight for decades cumulatively.
I can't forget to mention the soundtrack behind this movie, with Martin Scorsese requesting that composer Robbie Robertson would avoid making a traditional movie score, instead, the soundtrack is packed with songs from well-known artists including Glenn Miller, Eddie Heywood, and Fats Domino to name just a few. Robbie Robertson did pen a few songs for a score himself, with only one; "Theme for The Irishman" making it onto the official soundtrack, although multiple of his pieces can be heard throughout this film.
Overall, The Irishman really is a piece of cinematic art that audiences will be enjoying for years to come, and I would definitely recommend that anyone watches whether or not they're admirers of Scorsese, and sure, if you can't manage the full watch time I'm sure there's a way that this film can be devoured in increments, it just shouldn't be missed.
