Month: January 2023

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Movie Review

Empire of Light (2022) Movie Review

Empire of Light – Movie Review

Empire of Light

Director: Sam Mendes

Writer: Sam Mendes (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times, set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s.

Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Empire of Light starts as we meet Hilary (Colman) the duty manager of a small seaside cinema. She keeps to herself while being involved in a secret affair with the owner Donald Ellis (Firth). Hilary lives a quiet life away from the cinema until a young man Stephen (Ward) comes to work there.

The two strike up an unlikely friendship as the cinema is preparing for a potential big premiere. This leads to a relationship that neither is prepared for, as Stephen must learn what has held Hilary back in her life for so many years.

Verdict on Empire of Light

Characters

Hilary is the duty manager at the cinema, she has had problems in her life. She keeps a low profile outside of work, keeping to herself. At work, she finds herself making sure things run smoothly while being trapped in helping the owner with his needs. It becomes clear that something else is wrong with Hilary and her routine is what is keeping her problems down in her day.

Stephen is a young man that comes to work at the cinema. He gets shown the ropes by Hilary and looks to learn from her experience. Stephen gets uses his own experiences of being treated differently to understand the problems Hilary is going through. This job is to help his own dream to go away to university to give himself a brighter future.

In the supporting cast, we get the sleazy manager of the cinema that takes advantage of Hilary. As well as the rest of the employees around the cinema. Each one has their own story, as we get to see how everyday life in the cinema operates.

Performances

Olivia Colman gives us a wonderful performance as a middle-aged woman struggling through life. She brings her full range of emotions that are needed for her character. Michael Ward is brilliant in the movie too, the newcomer comes into the movie and stands tall opposite Olivia Colman. The supporting cast is strong too, even if the movie does feel like wastes Colin Firth with such a small role.

Story

The story follows a cinema employee as they live a quiet life that starts to spiral out of control. It follows her through her own problems in life, as she makes new connections along the way. This sees her need to learn to cope with her problems while helping a young man prepare for life.

The story here is a nice one at showing how important connections in life are. It puts a firm focus on the idea that you never really get to know somebody until speak to them. This story focuses on helping people get the most out of their lives, no matter what their age is and how much of life they have been through. There are a few social subjects discussed outside of the main story, but they don’t seem to get enough focus going forward.

Final Thoughts – Empire of Light is an interesting story about the lives we touch.

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Movie Review

20.0 Megaquake (2022) Movie Review

20.0 Megaquake – Movie Review

20.0 Megaquake

Director: Jared Cohn

Writer: Marc Gottlieb (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: As a megaquake threatens San Francisco, a series of foreshocks wreaks havoc across the city. Now an elite team of emergency service and disaster experts converge on the anticipated epicentre, working tirelessly to save as many lives as possible before the city is crushed into oblivion.

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: 20.0 Megaquake starts in the aftermath of a Super Volcano in Hawaii. A new sudden earthquake hits near San Francisco causing massive damage. However, this isn’t the end of the destruction as a new threat from deep beneath the surface waits.

Molly (Westmore) and Eric (Bowler) lead the rescue attempts and the co-creator of the original disaster looks to assist in stopping the destruction.

Verdict on 20.0 Megaquake

 20.0 Megaquake is the latest disaster movie from The Asylum. It is a sequel to Super Volcano, as the effects of that disaster continue to cause problems on the Earth. Now mainland America is in danger, as the same team must find a solution before destruction hits.

Big disaster movies are movies I personally enjoy watching. Unfortunately, this is one that misses in a major way, leaving the destruction being a bog standard CGI mess. It puts all the focus on the human drama about who is right or wrong when it comes to solving problems. Showing that money is the major talking point being anything being resolved.

Final Thoughts –20.0 Megaquake is another disappointing big disaster movie.

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Movie Review

Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Catch Up 2022 – C – Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog Poster

Director: Walt Becker

Writer: Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Blaise Hemingway (Screenplay) Norman Bridwell (Book Series)

Cast: Darby Camp, Jack Whitehall, Izaac Wang, John Cleese, Sienna Guillory, Tony Hale, David Alan Grier, Horatio Sanz

Plot: A young girl’s love for a tiny puppy named Clifford makes the dog grow to an enormous size.

Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Clifford the Big Red Dog starts as bullied schoolgirl Emily (Camp) is left in the care of her Uncle Casey (Whitehall). Her mother Maggie (Guillory) heads off for work. Emily gets drawn to an animal rescue tent, run by Bridwell (Cleese). He has an adorable red puppy dog that follows Emily home.

Casey reluctantly agrees to let Emily keep Clifford for one night, only for him to grow to a massive size. Clifford gets released in New York city drawing the attention of seedy scientist Tieran (Hale). He wants Clifford for his research, wanting to use him for his profit.

Thoughts on Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog is a family-friendly adventure movie. The story brings us the tale of wishes that can change lives. Showing how a wish brings to life a giant size dog, one that will be harmlessly run around New York. It is a dog that will bring together the neighbourhood and give a little girl happiness. Something she doesn’t have in everyday life.

This is based on an animated show, bringing the harmless dog to life. This is like many of the live-action animated shows like Scooby-Doo and Garfield. The animal never feels connected, despite the heart of the character being strong.

There is plenty of heart in this movie, the message about being treated equally. Finding love in animals and learning to fit into a bigger crowd. The performances are fun, Darby Camp shines, while Jack Whitehall brings the fast-paced laughs. Tony Hale as the villainous scientist is delightfully over the top.

Final Thoughts – Clifford the Big Red Dog is a fun family film, with heart and laughs along the way.

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Movie Review

The Minute You Wake up Dead (2022) Movie Review

The Minute You Wake Up Dead – Movie Review

Minute You Wake up Dead

Director: Michael Mailer

Writer: Timothy Holland, Michael Mailer (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A stockbroker in a small southern town who gets involved in an insurance scam with a next-door neighbour that leads to multiple murders.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Minute You Wake Up Dead starts when a stockbroker Russ Potter (Hauser) returns to a small southern town. He gets evil looks from most of the residents because of his failed venture. This venture has caused many of the residents to lose a lot of money and he starts getting threatening phone calls.

When Russ’s close friend Delaine (Alexander) sees her father murdered. This leads to Sheriff Fowler (Freeman) investigating what happened as a new web of conspiracies starts to unfold.

Verdict on The Minute You Wake Up Dead

Characters

Russ Potter is a stockbroker that investigated a lot of his money and the local resident’s money into a failed venture. He has returned to the town filled with only apologies for what happened. Russ finds himself dealing with threatening phone calls, leaving him questing his safety. He is presented as a remorseful figure that is upset with the outcome of what happened.

Delaine Moore is a local waitress and Russ’s neighbour. She works long shifts and her father’s health is getting worse. When her father is murdered, she looks to move on with her life, only to show how far she has gotten caught up in an insurance deal.

Sheriff Fowler isn’t overly fond of Russ’s return to town. However, he soon starts looking into the murder and the threats made toward him. He is trying to understand the bigger picture before things spiral out of control.

In the supporting characters, we get a host of different figures who want to get their hands on the money in play. They have different motivations and cause different problems for everyone else involved

Performances

Cole Hauser, Jaimie Alexander and Morgan Freeman are the biggest name in the movie. Morgan Freeman does his typical well-spoken supporting role. Jaimie Alexander is the star of the show here, she goes through the most different roles throughout the movie. Cole Hauser starts the movie strongly, with a character that feels more complex than the typical stockbroker figure.

Story

The story follows a remorseful stockbroker that returns to his home town. He finds himself threatened by the locals before a surprise murder sets off a catalyst of events. This leads him down a path where he doesn’t understand the bigger picture of what is going on.

The movie does try to keep us guessing, constantly looking to bring a new twist to the story. However, certain twists don’t seem to make as much sense as they should. Certain characters seem to know things they shouldn’t and by the end, it reflects how everything gets spiralled out of control. The story does flow along at a slower state, where not everything comes together as smoothly.

Where to Watch: Signature Entertainment presents The Minute You Wake Up Dead on Digital Platforms on 9th January.

Final Thoughts – The Minute You Wake Up Dead is a twist-filled thriller that doesn’t quite click together.

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Movie Review

Black Site (2022) Movie Review

Black Site – ABC Film Challenge – Catch Up 2022 – B – Black Site – Movie Review

Black Site

Director: Sophia Banks

Writer: John Collee (Screenplay)

Writer: Jinder Ho (Story)

Cast

Plot: A group of officers in a labyrinthine top-secret prison must fight for their lives against Hatchet, a brilliant and infamous high-value detainee. When he escapes, his mysterious and deadly agenda has far-reaching and dire consequences.

Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Black Site starts as CIA agent Abby Trent (Monaghan) has been tracking down a terrorist that killed her family. She operates in a secret prison, where she has led the investigation to collect intel. The information has helped capture the world’s most dangerous man Hatchet (Clarke) for a secret interrogation.

When Hatchet escapes, he releases the detainees causing chaos in the base. Abby knows the threat, while Miller leads the teams to collect the detainees. The clock is ticking, can Hatchet be stopped before the time runs out?

Verdict on Black Site

Black Site is an action thriller that follows a determined CIA agent who must regain control of the black site after a terrorist escape within the walls. He goes on a rampage causing mayhem and betrayal between the operatives.

This plays into the typical tight contained location, where an agent must do everything to stop the one person that is causing problems for their team. It has plenty of twists about who can and can’t be trusted along the way. Only it doesn’t get into enough about why Hatchet is so determined to complete his side of the mission.

The performances from Michelle Monaghan and Jason Clarke are strong and help carry the movie. This does end up being a movie that feels like it would have worked better as a miniseries, with the twists and turns thrown up along the way through.

Final Thoughts – Black Site is an easy-to-watch action thriller with twists and turns galore.

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Movie Review

Firenado (2022) Movie Review

Firenado – Movie Review

Firenado

Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield, Scott Jeffrey

Writer: Tom Jolliffe (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Sian Altman (Croc!)
  • Nicola Wright (The Killing Tree)
  • Toby Wynn-Davies (Alien Abduction)
  • Gordon Millar (Outlaw/King)
  • Daniel Godfrey

Plot: An accountant for the mob, has to escape a whirlwind of fire while is chased by armed robbers.

Runtime: 1 Hour 18 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Firenado starts when scientist Devlin (Wynn-Davies) and his team Anna (Altman), Helena (Wright) look to create a tornado. It sees them create an unstoppable force of nature that catches fire, creating a firenado. Meanwhile, local gangster looks to attack local accountant for the mob Pierce Moore (Godfrey).

As the firenado rages through the local area, Devlin and his team look to keep people out of its path. Leading them to clash with the thieves who are about to hit their biggest score.

Verdict on Firenado

Firenado is an action thriller that puts a group of scientists in a race to protect people from a fire tornado. They class with a group of thieves that are using the weather as a chance to rob another local gangster, leading to the two sides clashing for survival.

This movie does feel a lot like ‘Hurricane Heist’ using the robbery during a deadly storm to add layers of tension. It creates an interesting idea for the tornado that catches fire. However, it doesn’t feel as much of a threat as it should be. The criminals are created to be ruthless, making them feel more dangerous to the overall plot of the movie. This does fall into the big disaster gimmick that doesn’t get to use it enough.

Final Thoughts – Firenado is a big disaster gimmick that lets the heist take over.

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Movie Review

After Yang (2021) Movie Review

After Yang – ABC Film Challenge – Catch-Up 2022 – A – After Yang – Movie Review

After yang

Director: Kogonada

Writer: Kogonada (Screenplay)

Writer: Alexander Weinstein (Book)

Cast

  • Colin Farrell (The Batman)
  • Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim)
  • Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja
  • Justin H Min
  • Orlagh Cassidy (Beach House)

Plot: In a near future, a family reckons with questions of love, connection, and loss after their A.I. helper unexpectedly breaks down.

Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: After Yang starts when Jake (Farrell) and Kyra (Turner-Smith) must look for a location to fix their A.I. helper Yang (Min). Yang has been part of the family for their child Mika’s (Tjandrawidjaja) life, helping her understand the adaptation process.

As Jake explores different options to fix Yang, he gets torn between certain options. Each option would change Yang and not bring back the connection they once had with him. This leads to the family’s need to come together to understand what the family is all about.

Verdict on After Yang

After Yang is a sci-fi drama that follows a family of three that must adapt to life after their A.I. Helper breaks down. It shows how close they became and how reliant the family become on the helper. This gives them a chance to bond while searching for answers about his life.

The movie gets to ask bigger life questions, with technology being welcomed into homes. It shows how easily a family can turn to it, taking away bonding time with a family. This is a wonderful drama that show a loss in a different way and puts a question out there about A.I. intelligence.

We have a brilliant cast lead by Colin Farrell shining once again. The supporting cast including Jodie Turner-Smith and Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja both excel. While Justin H Min brings the emotionless character to life.

Final Thoughts – After Yang is a beautiful drama about loss and building connections.

Categories
Movie Review

Firenado (2023) Video Movie Review