16 | February | 2020 | Movie Reviews 101

Director: Will Gluck

Writer: Rob Lieber, Will Gluck (Screenplay) Beatrix Potter (Characters)

Starring: (Voice Talents) James Corden, Fayssal Bazzi, Domhnall Gleeson, Sia, Sam Neill, Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley, Rose Byrne

Plot: Feature adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s classic tale of a rebellious rabbit trying to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden.

Tagline – Born to be wild.

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Poor Film

Story: Peter Rabbit starts as we see how Peter Rabbit and his family and friends had a battle with old Mr McGregor (Neill) after they continued to steal from his garden, until he passes away. The next-door neighbour Bea (Byrne) does try to keep them safe the best she can.

When Thomas McGregor (Gleeson) moves into the house with plans to sell it, which sees the war coming back for Peter and his family, this time it might become deadlier.

Thoughts on Peter Rabbit

Characters – Peter Rabbit is the mischievous little rabbit that always gets his siblings into trouble as they always seem to terrorise the McGregor family, that does seem to be the only thing he does each day, making him out to be a horrible little rabbit. Thomas McGregor is a completely by the book toy store employee wanting to get to management, when he loses his job, he ends up following in his uncle footsteps, getting into a battle with the rabbits. Bea is the nice neighbour that has always tried to look after the animals, loves nature and is an artist.

Performances – Domhnall Gleeson is great along with Rose Byrne are the two main live action stars that both work well with how they act towards the animals. Most of the voice acting is mixed, with the three sisters working well, but James Corden not suiting the character.

Story – The story follows the adventures of Peter Rabbit against the McGregor’s, which just seems to keep escalating. The story is strange because it doesn’t make Peter likeable at all, he just seems to annoy McGregor and never do anything else, surely there would have been another food supply for him. Most of the story revolves around pop culture jokes, which have dated quickly, but by the end the story just becomes boring more than anything else.

Adventure/Comedy – The adventure is just the troubles Peter gets himself in, we don’t seem to go any further, while the comedy is a miss already.

Settings – The film keeps the action in the country, which does seem to have only show how close the war between the two was.

Animation – The animated animals looks solid for the most part, but some of the moments seem weird.

Scene of the Movie – Harrods break down.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Peter Rabbit.

Final Thoughts – This is a big disappointment because the characters used are loveable for the most part, while this movie just makes them horrible.

Overall: Boring.

Director: Pedro Almodovar

Writer: Pedro Almodovar (Screenplay)

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Nora Navas, Julieta Serrano, Cesar Vicente, Asier Flores

Plot: A film director reflects on the choices he’s made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.

Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Brilliant Life Drama

Story: Pain and Glory starts as we meet film director Salvador Mallo (Banderas) whose most famous film ‘Sabor’ is being honoured, it is one of his films he never truly enjoyed until recently, which makes him start to look back at his life as a children in near poverty, where is mother Jacinta (Cruz) did everything she could to keep him happy and now Salvador must rebuild the bridge with the star of the movie Alberto (Etxeandia) after they fell out after the film was made.

Salvador’s latest work is must more personal story form his younger years, with his own former lover Federico (Sbaraglia) being the man that helped him become the star he would, understand why he was always more against the drug lifestyle that Alberto was involved in.

Thoughts on Pain and Glory

Characters – Salvador Mallo is a director who has lost his motivation, he is questioning the decisions he once made, even though his films are held in high regard, add in the illness and wear and tear his body is going through, he is wondering if his legacy is what he wants it to be, be it the relationship he once had with his lead, his mother and many other parts of his life. Alberto Crespo was the star of the hit movie, the two fell out because of his addiction, which caused the rift between the two, now he gets a chance to make up with Salvador who understand his own errors of the way. Federico is the former lover of Salvador, somebody who motivated him to create the work he has become famous for. Jacinta is Salvador’s mother that has always encouraged him to improve himself in life.

Performances – Antonio Banderas is fantastic in the leading role and you can see why he got nominated for an Oscar. Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia and Penelope Cruz are excellent in the supporting roles too.

Story – The story here follows an aging film director that is looking back at his own career and life, wondering if he made the right decisions, which sees him looking to write his own story. The idea that we jump between different moments in his life and the ones he sees being important from his childhood, to making up with his former co-star, shows how you can always reflect on certain moments in life. It does show us how an artist might not always be happy with his work too, which shows us just how you can often be your biggest critic in life.

Settings – The film does show us just how far Salvador has come in life, from his poverty like raising to his celebrity status.

Scene of the Movie – Final shot.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Sometimes the time jumps happen too often.

Final Thoughts – This is a brilliant drama that shows how difficult looking back on your life can always make you question what you did, despite not being able to change it.

Overall: Wonderful Drama.