Lethal Weapon: Mel Gibson’s Bare Arse.

Lethal Weapon is a buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner. The film follows a pair of mismatched detectives who are brought together to work a case in spite of their differences.

In the action genre this film is very important, it laid the groundwork for a lot of what the buddy cop action sub-genre would there after go. Personally, the thing I most admire about this film, after watching it for the first time for this review, is its sense of style. Everything from the soundtrack to the setting is perfectly paired to create a dense lived in world that never feels overly dire, but also doesn’t feel too comical.

In that regard, this film made me laugh quite a lot throughout. I wasn’t expecting the film to be as funny as it is, but it really tickled me.

Mel Gibson (despite being vile in reality), and Danny Glover give two of the best performances in the action genre and cement themselves as legends. They have marvellous on-screen chemistry together, and it is a treat to watch them interact. If I had to pick a favourite it would probably be Gibson’s Riggs as I love how off the wall yet effective he is.

Overall, a very strong action movie that refines both the standard action formula and the buddy cop formula to a tee and makes for one hell of a watch.

Pros.

Gibson

Glover

The action

The laughs

The style

Cons.

None

5/5

The Kid Detective: Depressing Life Goals

The Kid Detective is a dark comedy mystery film directed by Evan Morgan. The film asks the question what would happen to the child detective after they grew up? What would Nancy Drew be like at 40? What happens when the Hardy Boys move out and get married? We see a once respected kid detective (Adam Brody), now have to adjust to being a lacklustre detective in a grown-up world, but can a serious new case change that?

I enjoyed the gimmick of this film for the first ten minutes…. after that not so much. The joke of but hey he is basically still just a kid detective but in a man’s body quickly becomes tiresome and the film’s gimmick (which it is probably proud of because no other films have really done it), starts to work against it (this is why it has not been done before).

The darker humour doesn’t really work for me. Dark comedy is even more hit and miss than regular comedy as people have lines as to what is and isn’t okay to joke about in their opinion, as such this film had more of an uphill battle. However, I don’t think any of the jokes are particularly risqué, rather I think that is the problem: for a dark comedy film this is incredibly tame.

Brody himself is enjoyable, I am a fan and it is nice to see him get centre stage and he does make the most of it, sadly the film around him is deeply average.

Pros.

Brody

The premise for the first 5 minutes

Cons.

The premise after that

The jokes don’t work

It is painfully dull

2/5

Reviewed by Luke 

Soul: The Jazz Man

Soul is an animated family film directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. The plot follows a part time teacher/ wannbe jazz musician Joe (Jamie Foxx), as he dies before he has a chance to achieve his dream of performing on stage. Whilst in the afterlife Joe meets 22 (Tina Fey), a young soul who is struggling to find their spark, together the two of them run away back to earth and go on a journey of self-discovery together.

This film almost made me cry, almost. The ending is beautiful and heartfelt, and it really brought Pixar back for me in a big way. Personally, I haven’t really enjoyed a Pixar film since Brave and even a few of the ones before that Ratatouille, Wall-E did nothing for me: I enjoyed a final trip to Toy Story but more for nostalgia then a strong story. However, I am pleased to say that this film bucks that trend and in my mind restores Pixar to its former glory.

I enjoyed seeing the bond develop between Joe and 22, I thought it was a incredibly well realised friendship and touched on the very real experience of what it means to be human. The individual character arcs of Joe and 22 are equally well done, and you are left staggered at the complexity of emotional impact they manage to elicit.

My one complaint would be that the soul world stuff is a bit dull at times, and it tends to drag on: you can’t help but think during these sequences that you would much rather they get back to the Earth storyline.

Overall, a film that resorted my faith not only in Pixar but in the animation genre in general.

Pros.

The emotions

The character journeys

The performances from Foxx and Fey

A return to form for Pixar
Cons.

The soul world plot could and should have been more interesting

4/5

Reviewed by Luke    

May The Devil Take You Too: Yet Another Chosen One

May The Devil Take You Too is an Indonesian horror film directed by Timo Tjahjanto, serving as a sequel to May The Devil Take You. The plot follows the immediate aftermath of Alfie’s (Chelsea Islan), escape from the demon summoned by her father, we see her drafted in to help a group of wayward orphans whose guardian also made a deal with the devil; she is the only one that can stop the evil.

My biggest issue with this sequel is that it is too ambitious. The sequel adds a whole lot of lore and exposition on top of the premise from the first film and has Alfie as some sort of mythical being?, or destined to become some form of immortal being? I don’t know, and that is the problem. There is a lot going on here, a lot of set up and worldbuilding, which is crammed in and not really mentioned in the first film; the film as a whole feels overstuffed and by the end you have no idea what is going on.

The scares are still strong, and it is still nice to see the film’s very unique take on demons. I enjoyed the look of these creatures and their design especially endgame boss Moloch, I though they all looked well realised and quite menacing.

Overall, though the acting is still good and the scares still strong the film suffers from too much going on at once making it a confusing mess that leaves the world have developed.

Pros.

The scares

The creature design

The acting

Cons.

There is far too much going on

The plot easily becomes confusing

3/5

Reviewed by Luke   

Bad Words: Swearing At Kids

Bad Words is a dark comedy film directed by Jason Bateman. The plot sees adult man Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman), enter into a children’s spelling competition much to the annoyance of all involved.

Before watching this film I read some of the reviews for it that called it things like ‘offensive’ and ‘in bad taste’ and I have to say after watching it these people just seem to be very fragile, and easily upset to think that this was bad or offensive.

The (apparently offending), humour is just standard dark comedy affair, Guy is the traditional arsehole protagonist that you are not meant to root for at the start of the film; usually the sort of role Vince Vaughn would play. Very much in keeping with that architype, as the film progresses the character reconsiders their behaviour or starts to show some nicer personality traits, thereby making them likeable and someone with whom the audience can begin to root for; this is fairly standard character development for a dark comedy film, and it is beat for beat present in the film. There is no deviation or fresh take on this formula, so don’t go in expecting the unexpected, you can work out the ending in the first 5 minutes.

The comedy I found to be hit and miss, Bateman’s character only had a few genuine laugh out loud jokes, but often made me smile. However, not all of Bateman’s jokes land and a few are painfully unfunny, the same can also be said for when anyone other than Bateman tries to be funny: it never works. However, comedy is subjective so you might feel differently.

Bateman and Kathryn Hahn (who plays Guy’s press correspondent/ girlfriend) have a good back and forth and you can feel the chemistry there which makes for pleasant, almost comforting viewing.

Overall, a slightly better than average dark comedy.

Pros.

Bateman

The jokes (for the most part)

Bateman and Hahn’s chemistry

Cons.

Some of the jokes really didn’t work

The other characters, outside of Bateman and Hahn were often annoying

3/5

Reviewed by Luke     

May The Devil Take You: Never Look Behind Hospital Medical Curtains

May The Devil Take You is an Indonesian horror film directed by Timo Tjahjanto. The plot follows Alfie (Chelsea Islan), a young woman who learns that her father made a deal with a demon to attain wealth and now must deal with her fathers end of the bargain, namely said demon wanting her and her sibling’s souls.

This is a very striking film. I have watched a lot of horror films over the years and never yet have I seen one quite like this. Whether it how the film chooses to show The Devil, or the communing ritual at the start of the film, there are multiple scenes that push the horror genre in a new direction and inject it with fresh blood.

I enjoyed the physicality of the performances of those who were possessed, as more than one person was over the course of the film. I thought seeing these demons jumping about the room, or running up walls was truly a sight to behold it was both terrifying, but also visually impressive from a filmmaking stand point.

The film had a lot of good scares both in terms of jump scares, which this film actually manages to pull off well, and scares from its atmosphere: both of these are incredibly effective. In terms of similar scares I would compare this to the TV series Marianne.

Overall, this is a very well-done horror film that is brimming with new ideas and strongly thought out scares.

Pros

The scares

The physicality

The visuals

The performances

Cons.

The ending is a slightly weak, and off the mark

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke 

Sweeny: No One Needs To See Ray Winstone Like This

The Sweeny is a crime film directed by Nick Love, the film acts as a reinvention of the classic 70s series made for a new generation. Veteran inspector Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) is brought into a world of pain after he becomes caught up in a series of crimes that cost him his job and his new love.

I did not like this film. Sometimes crime films are bleak and gritty, but this film takes it to a whole new level, everything is unpleasant and there is not an inch of joy to be found anywhere throughout.

None of the characters are in any way likable, with Winstone in particular being extremely vile and in an era of police violence under a new intensity the idea to make a violent officer a lead is beyond comprehending. You do not root for the lead characters at all, really you are left thinking at the end of the film it would probably be better if they were shut down.

The actual plot of the film is very generic and has been done better before. I could guess right from the off where the plot was going, and it did not surprise me in anyway. This is nothing you have not seen before.

Overall, this is a deeply off-putting film for several reasons.

Pros.

It is watchable

Cons.

Winstone

The insensitivity

It is incredibly predictable

The characters are loathsome

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Wind: Sleep With A Shotgun In Your Hand, Just To Be Safe

The Wind is a western, horror film directed by Emma Tammi. The plot centres around a frontier couple who begin to experience increasingly alarming supernatural happenings, with Lizzy (Caitlin Gerard) believing it to be the workings of a demon.

The Witch is probably my favourite horror film and is my second favourite film generally; Lost Boys is my favourite film and would be my favourite horror film though I don’t really view it as one. So, when I read that this film was basically a western version of The Witch, I was intrigued and put it on to see if it could live up to the high standard set, and I am pleased to say dear reader it more than did.

In the beginning the time hopping narrative didn’t make a lot of sense and I was lost, but as the film goes on it all wraps together nicely. The issue is that though we might be seeing a flashback, or a flash forward the film does not announce it as such, which can be a bit jarring.

The demonography of the American Frontier is fascinating, and I am surprised other films haven’t explored it more deeply before. I thought the film benefited from creating a very isolating atmosphere, that worked perfectly with the threat of the film and the idea of constantly being under siege. The larger scares towards the end of the film when we actually get to see the demons, in their human vessels, is incredibly menacing and actually managed to unsettle me; not an easy task as I have become quite desensitised over the years of watching horror films.

Overall, I think this is a superb horror film that more than deserves its comparison to Egger’s masterpiece. A must watch!

Pros.

The scares

The atmosphere

The demonology of the American Frontier

Gerard

Cons.

The timeline is a little confusing

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Untouchables: Never Get Between Sean Connery And An Italian Person

The Untouchables is a crime epic directed by Brian De Palma. The plot focuses on the early life of Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner), as he fights to bring down organised crime in Chicago and stop the notorious Al Capone (Robert DeNiro).

I enjoyed this film quite a lot, it was very fun to watch. I enjoyed the mentor role of Sean Connery’s character and thought that he had great chemistry with the rest of the cast. I do, however, think because Connery’s performance was so good he might have outshone Costner’s lead just a little bit, which no doubt would be infuriating for Costner. Costner’s Ness for the most part was your typical straight lace man of the law, gone bad by the end, type. Costner brought nothing to the role that could not have been done by another actor, he was fairly interchangeable. 

I thought there were a lot of strong moments and sequences that were both tense and thrilling: I think the death of Connery’s character is one and I think the courthouse roof scene is another. However, despite these great scenes the film does suffer from pacing issues and struggles to maintain this sense of tension throughout. My main complaint in this regard is that scenes often play out for much longer than they should, thereby becoming bloated.

DeNiro’s Capone is fine, he is a very hateable character which is what the film was probably going for, however, he is nothing more than a hateable low life there is no nuance there or further look into his character he is simply an antagonist and nothing more.

Overall, pacing issues aside this is a fun ride with a great performance from Connery. The rest of the cast let the film down to a degree and stop it from achieving true heights, but it is still good.
Pros.

Connery

The thrills

The action

Cons.

Costner

DeNiro

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Black Water, Abyss: Rooting For The Crocodiles

Black Water, Abyss is an Australian thriller film directed by Andrew Traucki. The plot sees a group of adventure seekers/ divers become trapped in a uncharted underground cave filled with vicious crocodiles.

Why do I keep coming back to the shark attack, crocodile attack, creature feature sub-genre? There is nothing left of interest in this sub-genre at all. Sometimes these sort of films can be good for a bit of low engagement, mindless viewing, but I found that was too much of an ask for this film.

Though this film is on for under 2 hours it feels much, much longer. I don’t know how you can make man vs crocodile boring, but this film finds a way. Honestly by the midpoint of the film I was completely checked out and bored; if I was not reviewing the film I would have turned it off.

The characters are exactly what you would expect, if you have seen any film like this before. It is the same collection of cliches and stereotypes that leave absolutely no impression on you at all, even as they are eaten by the crocodile.

The kills themselves are fine, probably the highlight of the film, but even then they are just average.

Overall, give this one a hard pass unless you need something to both infuriate you and send you to sleep.

Pros.

The kills are okay

Cons.

The characters are generic

The kills have no real impact as you don’t care about the characters

It is not scary or thrilling

It is tedious and hard to get through

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke