Skins (2017) Review

So here's an odd Spanish film involving people with 'deformities' trying to find happiness. It's the debut feature for  Eduardo Casanova who is only 27 years old and already shows good promise as a director as I really enjoyed this.
It has a nice consistent aesthetic, is well acted and balances the drama and comedy rather well providing a few touching moments as well as a weirdly cute ending.
Some of the structuring and editing is a little bit clunky, but the run time is is just under 80 minutes and stays constantly engaging throughout.
Now there are some moments people will find discomforting but the film does have dark comical edge that may diffuse that and if anything I think it's thr overall strangeness that'll be off-putting for most people.
But if you give it a real chance there's a great little movie here to be enjoyed, one that tries to provide hope and love to those that are different, albeit in its own unique manner. ****

Johnny English Strike Again (2018) Review

With this type of movie it's best just to go in and see how much fun you can have, cause at the end of the day these films are just a string of comedy set-pieces connected together by a very basic plot..
With that being said I certainly did get a few good laughs out of this, particularly in a sequence involving VR, although there was also a fair amount of comedy that fell dead on it's arse too, but may have got a chuckle out of child me.

So yeah I found the film to be  mildly amusing with a slight charm, but these films have never aspired to be more than just some pleasant passing entertainment and that's really all it is, just more of the same kinda of stuff rehashed with added elements like Johnny being out of touch and old school.

I guess you're enjoyment of this will come down to your connection to the character and sense of humour. I personally have attachment due to being a fan of the first movie when I was a kid, so even if there's barely anything to it, I've got no issues with a simple spy spoof that will have me smiling every now and again. **1/2

A Simple Favor (2018) Review

take some of the hunour and tone of Paul Feig's previous films and mix it with Gone Girl and this is what you get. A fun little thriller that is based on a novel from last year which looks a lot more serious than this film ended up being.
But it's the playful tongue and cheek tone that really makes this work especially with it getting a little farcical towards the end. Though I'm sure there are fans of the novel who are displeased with this deviation which is fair.

The film is ripe with twists and turns that keep it interesting, some more surprising than others and it does a good job of leading you  in a few directions to make you guess what going on before the big reveals finally come in, though it arguably maybe takes a tad too long for the reveals to come through as my interest did wane a little bit in the middle before getting hooked right in.

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick both put on very solid central performances playing contrasting characters that both have things that their hiding beneath and the supporting cast was pretty good too.

In the end what you get is a solid thriller with an intriguing story and a good dose of humour that may not have the heft and weight of gone girl but still provides an all around fun time. Probably Feig's finest film to date.. ***1/2

BlacKKKlansman (2018) Review

Before this I only ever seen one Spike Lee film...the Oldboy remake. Of course that movie turned out to be trash but I was always curious to check out Lee's good stuff and luckily I got a glimpse of that with Lee's latest film BlacKKKlansman which turned out to be rather excellent.

The film is based on the true story of a black detective in the 1970's who with help from his team try to infiltrate and expose the local Klu Klutz Klan residing in Colorado springs.

Now though it is based on a true story there are of course creative liberties that are taken to make things more interesting but without sacrificing the stories validity or things Spike may be trying to say.

Spike also balances the tone here tremendously well consistently switching the line between serious and funny.The best example of this being the KKK, the way they are represented is often quite farcical and not in a forced way but just inherently with their words and actions, but then there are also times where what they say and do is deeply discomforting.

Spike also does a great job of comparing and contrasting the KKK with the Black power movement which again reinforces the ridiculousness of the former, though Spike also doesn't shy away from a few of the negative aspects that were prevalent in the latter.

Spike is also clear to remind us of the racial issues we face in the modern day with a very serious and hard hitting ending which many may argue as preachy but it's Spike just enforcing his point and wanting a change.

This is all also backed up by some great acting with a cast that includes John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace among others all of who put on strong performances.

What Spike Lee has crafted here is great movie that has power and social relevance and whilst you can argue that certain scenes go on longer than they need to do, I personally found the film to be a compelling  experience from start to finish. ****1/2

Diagnosis: Death (2010) Review

Here's a low budget New Zealand horror comedy featuring Rhys Darby, Jermain Clement and Brett Mckenzie from the  Flight of the Conchords TV Show. however despite being the main selling point they only feature in small roles which make up the best moments of the film.

As for the rest of the movie...well it's very messy but somewhat fun. It is pretty simple kind of mysery/ghost film, the pacing is all over the place and horror elements are very bare and generic but there are couple of good bloody moments in there towards the end.
There's also some awkward sexual stuff and speaking of awkward the acting from the two main characters is pretty clunky and some their interactions sound a bit unnatural.
I did enjoy the performance of the Suze Tye though who plays Nurse Magaret Bates she worked well and was fun in her role.

So yeah overall I think there's enough in there to find enjoyment, it's not that funny but still provides a couple of laughs and it's clunky execution is entertaining in it's own way. Just don't expect much from it. **1/2

Office Christmas Party (2016)

Office Christmas Party is exactly what it says on the tin, but that Tin is cheap, tacky and pretty darn useless. The films primary function is to make us laugh, but not once during its 105 minute runtime did I even laugh besides a slight smirk every now and again. I knew what to expect but I just struggled to connect to it, so all the humour just fell flat despite the cast having a good go at it. The film is honestly one of the worst I've seen this year, I went in looking for a fun time and I just got nothing, I'm sure it'll work better for alot of other people but for me this was a failure of a comedy.
*

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Her we have a nice little teen comedy-drama from Kelly Fremon Craig in her directorial debut. It's a solidly made film that's well written with a strong leading performance from Hailee Steinfeld and a good supporting cast. It's not without it's cliches or predictability but what makes it work well is the how genuine the characters feel making us care about them and their situation more. There's a good balance of drama and humour both of which are executed well, though I do feel the films more emotional moments aren't as hard hitting as they should have been. But overall this is a really good teen comedy drama, that I'd recommend especially to fans of this particular genre. ***1/2

Sausage Party (2016)

This balls out and vulgar adult animated comedy might well be my favourite comedy of the year so far (not that there's much competition). It was very funny and highly enjoyable from start to finish and I think what makes it so good, is how the food worlds reflects the real word in an obvious but funny way, rather than just be a random display of nonsense and vulgarity. It just seems like that kind of wacky film I would make except maybe not as crude and obscene as this was, which is sure to put off alot of people. All in all though I thought this was a lot of fun and really liked it alot. A very funny and entertaining comedy. ****

Ghostbusters (2016)

So here it is the controversial Ghostbusters reboot featuring a female cast, that caused a mass negative outburst from many fans. I myself didn't really care much and went in expecting something potentially decent and that's a exactly what I got, nothing outstanding just a fun Paul Feig Ghostbusters film. The cast's themselves are likable and do a pretty good job and there's some cameos from original cast members which are a bit hit and miss but fun. The only person I didn't really like much Kate Mckinnon, I'm not sure what it was but everything she did just fell flat for me and I wasn't a fan. The comedy itself could also be very hit and miss but there's enough there to keep thing entertaining and the story is very run-of-the-mill but executed fine and visual effects aren't superb but not bad. Overall if you enjoyed Paul Feig's other movies your probably gonna enjoy this, it's just a fun little comedy that's harmless and does nothing to tarnish the original film in the slightest (not that, that was even possible in the first place). ***

The Nice Guys (2016)

The Nice Guys is a neo-noir buddy comedy movie directed by Shane Black, which is hilarious and a joy to watch. It stars Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles and they have great chemistry and are very compelling, with the rest of the supporting cast are also doing a good job and working well. The comedy is well written and executed, with lots of very funny moments spread throughout and the late 70's Los Angeles aesthetic is pulled of nicely. Overall there are a few minor issues with the script, but I found this to be a great comedy, that is very engaging,, funny and entertaining.
****

High-Rise (2016)

The latest offering from Ben Wheatley is a strange and chaotic experience, I overheard a guy sat behind me at the cinema calling it "the weirdest movie he had ever seen". Now I wouldn't go that far but it is a film that is certain to confuse a lot of casual viewers and if you go purely because Tom Hiddleston is in it, then be warned. The film jumps around alot and seems to deliberately have a disorienting structure which I found to be a little messy and clunky(not in  a good way) and is ultimately the films biggest flaw. Despite this though, the film is still compelling and has a good performances from it's large cast of notable actors and has a lot of intriguing things going on, as well as a few funny moments. Production design is also great with it's distinct 70's mixed with postmodern look and cinematography is all in all quite nice too.
Overall  it's a rather solid and strange dark comedy, that is uneven but enjoyable.

Kaiju Fever: The Monster X Strikes Back/Attack the G8 Summit (2008)

After 41 years the Kaiju Guilala finally returns in a wacky comedy directed by Minoru Kawasaki. The film is kind of a political satire and is basically involves the world leaders of the G8 summit trying to use their own different tactics to take down Guilala.
It also features a second Kaiju 'Take-Maji'n which is based upon and portrayed by the great Takeshi Kitano which is pretty cool. The film is pretty fun overall, it's a little clunky, has some bad acting (that USA president) and uses quite a bit of Stock footage from 'The X from Outer Space', but has enough there to keep it enoyable and rather funny.**1/2

How To Be Single (2016)

I went into this film with mild expectations and ended up enjoying alot more than I thought I would. It's a part romcom/non-romcom about the way certain people are during their periods of being single. A follows a bunch of female characters with different traits who are well acted by a likable cast and I want to give particular praise to Leslie Mann who really shines through in some of the more dramatic scenes. The film is filled with quite a few funny moments, nothing uproariously hilarious but enough to keep you satisfied, and it's got some solid dramatic moments too. 
Despite wanting to be it's own thing, It does still fall into a few genre cliches while barely escaping others and is still a little superficial and hokey at times (not fond on the execution on some of its voiceover narration). But overall I thought this was a solid comedy that was very enjoyable and funny.***1/2

Zoolander 2 (2016)

Almost 14 years after Zoolander first hit our screens, he's now finally back for a sequel. But is it any good? well not really, did I still like it though? yeah kind of. Here's the thing, this film is an awkward rehash with lots of misfiring jokes, clunky dialogue exchanges and needless cameo's aplenty. Yet despite not being this and not all that funny, I still rather enjoyed it cause it's a movie that does it's own thing in it's own little world and my enjoyment comes from that even if I don't laugh. Like every character has their own little weird traits and I just enjoy those little things, even if they are not that well thought out.
So while not being able to recapture the glory of the original, there are still a few funny moments and enough there for me to enjoy. It's not good but I liked it.
**1/2

From Vegas To Macau III (2016)

I went into this  without seeing any of the previous films in the series, all I knew was it had a 1.1 IMDB score and was meant to be an utter mess, so of course I had to see it for myself.
The film is indeed an utter ridiculous mess but one I kind of had fun watching (I do enjoy a fun mess). Anyone who likes an ounce of logic in their films, should probably avoid this, as it's mostly a nonsense. A bunch of silly jokes and action slapped together with a thin plot, assaulting your face at mach speed. Its like they wanted to make a fun movie but weren't sure what to do, so just lobbed everything at it.
But like I said it's a mess that I still managed to enjoy to a certain extent, not super fun but kinda fun.
recommended only to those that can find enjoyment in anything (like me), otherwise stay well away.**1/2

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

I had to study the original Pride and Prejudice for A-level English literature and hated it(tough I have enjoyed a few of it's film/TV adaptations). When I finally read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I thought it was a vast improvement over the original, weaving zombies into the plot in an interesting and fun way. So now comes the film adaptation and while not as well executed as the novel, this was still pretty fun. The films biggest problem is that the more Pride and Prejudice type stuff is really quite solid, while the zombie stuff is a little on the weak side. It tacks on a more generic action movie ending that feels a little rushed and the action is ok but not as interesting as the rest of the movie. As mentioned the Pride and Pred stuff is good and there are some good comedy bits here and there, one actor that really shines through is Matt Smith, who is a perfect Mr Collins and is probably the best thing in this movie, just super enjoyable and really funny.
Overall while it struggles to get a good balance between it's two elements, there's still enough there to keep you interested for it's 108 minute runtime making for a fun (if a little underwhelming) movie. ***

The Big Short (2015)

Who knew that a film concerning the 07/08  financial crisis could be so fun. This is a really great comedy drama containing very interesting characters brought to life by a great cast of actors, with stand out performances from Christian Bale and Steve Carell. The film also explains different concepts and terms to the audience in a usually fun way so that everyone can understand and be aware of them, It helps dissolve any confusion, making it fun and easy to digest without negating any of it's depth.
This is the first film that Adam Mckay has written/directed that isn't a comedy starring Will Ferrell, instead Mckay applies his talent to something greater showing how good he really is. Overall this film is just thoroughly entertaining film with a good amount of laughs and drama, and a strong thought provoking ending. Recommended. ****

Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen (2015)

The latest offering from Takeshi Kitano is a solid comedy that is no where near the greatness of some of his earlier work but still quite an entertaining little film. It's about a bunch of old retired Yakuza who decide to make a new family together leading to some very funny moments scattered throughout and some fun performances from it's cast. Now apart from it's plot and some of it's comedy the film actually doesn't feel that distinctively Kitano,  it's overall visual aesthetic is very standard and the film could probably pass as a general comedy directed by someone else. I'm sure it'll disappoint alot of Kitano fans (a current 5.4 imdb score would suggest that), but for me I really quite enjoyed and thought it was still pretty solid, even if it is far from greatness. ***1/2

Dilwale (2015)

This is the first actual Bollywood film I've ever watched let alone in the cinema, I've always known about how excessive they are meant to be and this action romantic comedy didn't dissappoint. A fun 154 minute ride filled with melodrama, romance, comedy, action with the odd musical number thrown in for good measure. Also don't forget the countless slo-mo shots and music cue. It's overwritten, ridiculous and tonally all over the place, but it was alot of fun to watch.
An overall good time, if you're not super picky about how films are made.
***