Dec 15 2019

ABC Film Challenge – Anticipated for 2020 – O

ABC Film Challenge

Anticipated for 2020

O

The year 2019 is coming to a close and it is time to look ahead to the new year, through December the subject is the films I am looking forward to seeing, hopefully I will be able to select one film for each letter even if we dive into actors, directors or themes. Join in if you want and let’s get this conversation going about the next hopefully wonderful year in film.

Onward

Stars – Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Octavia Spencer

Synopsis – Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there

Dec 14 2019

Original v Remake Weekend – Pete’s Dragon (1977)

Director: Don Chaffey

Writer: Malcolm Marmorstein (Screenplay) Seton I Miller, S.S. Field (Story)

Starring: Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters, Sean Marshall

 

Plot: An orphan boy and his magical dragon come to town with his abusive adoptive parents in pursuit.


Tagline – Featuring Elliott, the fearsome, frolicking, fun-loving dragon!

Runtime: 2 Hours 8 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Great Family Film

 

Story: Pete’s Dragon starts when orphaned boy Pete (Marshall) is trying to escape from his abusive family along with his dragon Elliot, who just so happens to be able to become invisible. Pete finds himself in a new fishing town, where Nora (Reddy) and her drunk father Lampie (Rooney) take him in, with Nora letting Pete believe the dragon is real, while Lampie has seen it for himself.

When a stranger and con-man Dr Terminus (Dale) arrives in town, he learns about Elliot and wants to dragon for his own reasons, which will see Elliot suffer, can the town and Pete come together for the better.

 

Thoughts on Pete’s Dragon

 

Characters – Pete is an orphaned young boy, he is in an abusive family that makes him to work he isn’t old enough to be doing, he manages to escape with the help of his magical dragon that guides him to freedom, he gets a chance with a new family and town where his stories about the dragon turn the heads of the people. Nora is the kind lady that takes Pete into her home, she lives and operates the lighthouse with her father, while hoping to see her partner return from the ocean. Dr Terminus is a con-man that goes from town to town taking people’s money for false promises of his medicine, he wants the dragon to help him improve his own profits.

Performances – Sean Marshall as the young boy which works without being annoying which his character could easily become. Helen Reddy gives us on of the purest nice woman performances in film. Jim Dale does make for an entertaining villain through the film. Mickey Rooney does bring us the extra comedy though it doesn’t always hit.

Story – The story follows a young boy with a magical dragon escaping from an abusive family finding a kinder family while escape the clutches of people that want him or the dragon. The idea of the story is delightful because it shows that the magical dragon is here for a reason, to help a young child in need, it does show how people can look at people that could fear change instead of accepting change, only it does feel like certain elements have dated in cultural story. We do get everything needed to hit the emotional factor showing the different nature of humans in the era this is set.

Adventure/Comedy – The adventure side of the film shows how Pete has made a friend that most don’t know even exist. The comedy does come from Elliot which can get laughs, while the rest of the humour does come from mishaps going on.

Settings – The film is set in a small fishing town which sees everyone that lives there knows each other and what is going on in town.

Animation – The animation comes from seeing Elliot on screen and for the time this made everything looks brilliant.


Scene of the Movie – Apples.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain jokes feel dated.

Final Thoughts – This is a wonderful 70’s Disney movie that showed us just how life can be difficult until something magical could change it for one young boy.

 

Overall: Charming adventure.

Rating

 

 

Dec 14 2019

ABC Film Challenge – Anticipated for 2020 – N

ABC Film Challenge

Anticipated for 2020

N

The year 2019 is coming to a close and it is time to look ahead to the new year, through December the subject is the films I am looking forward to seeing, hopefully I will be able to select one film for each letter even if we dive into actors, directors or themes. Join in if you want and let’s get this conversation going about the next hopefully wonderful year in film.

No Time to Die

Stars – Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Lea Seydoux

Synopsis – Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Dec 13 2019

6 Underground (2019) Movie Review

Director: Michael Bay

Writer: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick (Screenplay)

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Melanie Laurent, Ben Hardy, Dave Franco, Sebastian Roche, Corey Hawkins, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo

Plot: Meet a new kind of action hero. Six untraceable agents, totally off the grid. They’ve buried their pasts so they can change the future.


Tagline – They Say No One Can Save The World. Meet No One.

Runtime: 2 Hours 7 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Completely Bonkers Entertainment

Story: 6 Underground starts as we meet the agents, One (Reynolds) the billionaire, Two (Laurent) the Spook, Three (Garcia-Rulfo) a hitman, Four (Hardy) the skywalker, Five (Arjona) the doctor and Six (Franco) the driver, whose latest mission in Italy has gone sour, seeing them use their skills to escape the threat coming their way, only to lose a member of the team, needing to find a new member to become a seven.

Recruiting Seven (Hawkins) we learn about the plans they group have, they look to eliminate dictators that nobody else would touch, placing the rightful person in charge of the country, with the latest mission being to head to Turgistan.

Thoughts on 6 Underground

Characters – One is the leader of the squad, he is a billionaire that faked his own death to build the squad which will fight against the dictators of the world, he recruits the very best, he uses the code name, he wants to use his wealth to solve the problems in the world, in a way being known really works, often given commentary on what is going on. Two is the ex-CIA spook that is the most deadly with a weapon, she is willing to lead any assault the team goes on. Three is a hitman that has been given a new life, he is the most reckless of the crew, he will break the rules, but give him a gun and he will get the job done. Four is known as the skywalker, he parkour skills are unbelievable, he will run through building roof tops, searching for routes for the team, getting involved when required, he is easily the most entertaining character of the squad. Five is the doctor, while she might have the weakest character development of the whole squad. Six is the driver that enjoys the thrills that come from the high speed chases. Seven is the newest member of the team, a former soldier bought in for his own skills, he does question the true identity of One, unlike anybody else.

Performances – Ryan Reynolds, is like he always is, wise cracking, fun to watch and always confident, something he needs to be for this role, thinking Deadpool, without the costume. Melanie Laurent does an excellent job in the spook role, with Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco and Corey Hawkins are strong too, though it is Ben Hardy that seems to steal the show.

Story – The story here follows an elite group of soldiers that have come from around the world to work together to stop dictators from maintaining their reigns of terror over their nations. While this story is hugely ambition and original, it shows how wealthy people could use their money for the right reasons, to help the world instead of just watching it get destroyed. Outside of just dealing with the problems in the world, the story is very simple, go from one mission to the next, with plenty of banter between the squad, usually revolving around film references, which if you understand add humour to scenes through the film.

Action – The action in this film is massive, it is almost relentless for large parts of the film, we see so much happening, from car chases, the gun battles, parkour on rooftops and that boat sequences, well wow.

Settings – The film does take us all over the world, with the main country being fictional, it is implied which country we are seeing wanting to have a change. The film does make the most of the locations, with the environment playing a big part in how each scene can be won.


Scene of the Movie – The Parkour rooftop.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Sometimes it does feel like it is just Deadpool commenting on an action film.

Final Thoughts – This is a truly bonkers action film that you can switch off and just let everything unfold to the crazy levels it is meant to reach.

Overall: Wildly Over the Top.

Dec 13 2019

Black Christmas (2019) Movie Review

Director: Sophia Takal

Writer: Sophia Takal, April Wolfe (Screenplay)

Starring: Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O’Grady, Caleb Eberhardt, Cary Elwes, Simon Mead

Plot: A group of female students are stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break. That is until the young sorority pledges discover that the killer is part of an underground college conspiracy.


Tagline – Slay, Girls

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: All Over the Place

Story: Black Christmas starts as we meet our sorority sisters Riley (Poots), Kris (Shannon), Marty (Donoghue), Jesse (O’Grady), Helena (Adams) and Fran (Morris) who are preparing for the Christmas break, with Riley having history with the alpha sorority, which never got dealt with by the authorities.

They decide to get revenge through song and soon find themselves getting picked of by a masked killer, where they need to find themselves fighting to survive.

Thoughts on Black Christmas

Characters – Riley is previously a victim of sexual assault by one of the rich college students, 3-years-later she is still dealing with the effects, being the big sister to the rest of the sisters and is one of the few that worries about the locations of the other girls. Kris has been on a crusade to get equality, she spends most of the time preaching about how men have it easy and mostly gets annoying. Marty is another member of the sorority and like Jesse, we don’t learn much more about any of the other girls.

Performances – Imogen Poots is a talent actress when she is given something to work with, she is the strongest of a weak story, where nobody comes off like they are giving a good acting performance because of the material they are given to work with.

Story – The story is meant to be following a group of sorority sisters that get picked off and attacked by a masked killer over the Christmas break. Well, where do we start to break this story down, first thing, this isn’t any sort of remake or sequel to either movie seen before, it uses the location of the house and one look at a death, don’t think this is a remake. Secondly, we spend more time trying to get the message over about men thinking they can walk all over women and the only good men in life are nervous wrecks around the women. Thirdly, this is meant to be a horror and doesn’t even know what tone to stick to. Finally, the trailer gives away everything. This is a social message that uses an existing horror franchise to try and get a point over, without using any sort of subtitle approach.

Horror/Mystery – The horror in this film is almost non-excitant, it tries to use the slow slasher traits early on, which show glimpses, only to go, ‘you know what, we want to do an action horror now’ by the end. The mystery is also poor, because we get zero potential suspects and the only person it could be is revealed in the trailer.

Settings – The college location is fine, though it is the weird college I have ever seen.

Special Effects – When it comes to the effects, we get basic horror ones, sadly, the film decides to hide away from showing any actual gore, even though the injuries are designed to show it.


Scene of the Movie – Nate grabs an axe.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The girls leave a party at what they say is midnight, we cut to one that left early and it is suddenly 10.45, seriously can people not tell the time?

Final Thoughts – This is a very bad social message horror that spends more time banging you over the head with the message, than actually giving us a coherent story or any scare.

Overall: Social Message, without a scare.