Lé Results

Released 9th March 2017, Kong: Skull Island follows a scientific venture to a mysterious island where a mysterious creature lives. What makes this such a refreshing entry into the King Kong franchise are two key elements; the first thing to note is the choice to set the film in the 1970s in the social climate of the Vietnam War (most others are set in the 1930s). The second interesting narrative point is that the characters do not wish to bring Kong back home, with the themes of violence, war, survival and morals at the forefront, the characters are working to either escape or kill the creature. An obvious standout of the cast is John C. Reilly’s Hank Marlow; being stranded on the island since 1943, Marlow is both innocent to the social tensions carried by the rest of the cast yet hardened by his prolonged time on the island. He serves a valuable purpose to the narrative and Reilly delivers a great performance in his reaction to the events of the narrative. Other strong characters are Samuel L. Jackson and John Goodman’s Colonel Packard and William Randa. Packard acts as the human antagonist who is sour about the outcome of the Vietnam War and, courtesy of Jackson’s performance, highlights both the vengeful and compassionate nature of humanity through his interactions. Meanwhile, Randa acts as this film’s connection to 2014’s Godzilla and is embedded into the organisation Monarch with the aid of Goodman’s charisma. The film also does a strong job of humanising the various soldiers in the film: each have their own distinct traits and appropriate depth with the addition of fantastic performances to convey the comradery they all share. Besides these characters, however, everyone else’s characters seemed to do the bare minimum in terms of serving the narrative and also performances. Interestingly though, Kong, brought to life by brilliant CGI and Terry Notary’s motion capture performance, is presented with strong nuances and discernible attitudes which help you remain engaged in the narrative. As a whole the visual effects are mostly flawless and pick up the torch from 2014’s Godzilla to further enhance the animalistic characterisation of the film’s ‘monsters’ and to also create a handful of locations of the film. As well as this however, the on-location shooting in Vietnam make the island feel very vibrant and formulates an authenticity to the jungle terrain. One visual flaw of the film is that some of its editing feels rather jarring and sudden which can briefly suck you out of the experience. Henry Jackman is able to deliver a good soundtrack with various applications of Vietnam-appropriate symphonics as well as leitmotifs. As it stands, Kong: Skull Island seems to be the best example of the Monsterverse balancing riveting monster action, provocative themes and actual characters.

Released 15th May 2014, Godzilla follows Ford Brody’s experience with giant monsters while he tries to get home to his family. While it is counterintuitive for a ‘monster’ movie, Godzilla himself does not make many appearances throughout the film; when he does appear, it is very briefly. As oppose to being heavy on action, the narrative instead opts to demonstrate the human reaction to the resurgence of Godzilla and other ‘Titans’ through military responses (as moronic as they may seem), evacuation process and general perceptions of the monsters from human perspective. In this regard, the film is constructed very well in the way that the monsters are frequently shown from ground level or windows; it plants you directly in the (little) action there is. The ‘monsters’ are also treated like mythical beings who represent nature’s defence system and the need to co-exist with it. Aaron Taylor-Johnson provides the performance for protagonist Ford Brody; the most frustrating thing about this character is that his narrative is brilliantly interwoven with the monster events and his character has conceptual drama, however, Taylor-Johnson fails to supplant his role with enough sincerity and nuance to be engaged with. Then there is the best character of the film who is dropped within the first Act: Joe Brody. Despite Ford taking the protagonist role after the opening, the film starts with Nuclear engineer Joe Brody and his experience with the male MUTO (more on that later) sending his power plant into meltdown with subsequent personal tragedy. Bryan Cranston gives what is probably the best performance of the ‘monster’ sub-genre as he fights to find what happened that day which makes it all the more dissatisfying when he gets dropped later on. Everyone else are just okay and serve their purpose with little else; Ken Watanabe is fine as Dr Ishirō Serizawa, Elizabeth Olsen is fine as Elle Brody and child actor Carson Bolde is horrendous as Sam Brody. The visual effects used to bring Godzilla, and the two MUTOs he fights, are fantastic… when they are visible. The film decides to shroud most of the monsters in darkness which makes their minimal appearances even less satisfying. That said, they are animated to behave like you would expect real creatures to act;the sound design also works in the favour of this realism. I would also be doing a disservice to the film if I didn’t mention the spectacular cinematography present throughout the whole experience; it is truly a spectacle and will make you remember the film. Finally, Alexandre Desplat’s soundtrack is really unique and interesting; my only fault is that one motif is used in excess. Overall, Godzilla is a flawed film but it’s best parts truly raise it onto a high pedestal which set a solid foundation for the rest of the Monsterverse to thrive off of.

Released 9th July 2019, The Lion King follows young lion Simba as he grows up to become the king of his home. Now, you’ve all seen the 1994 original film so the only questions which stand are: is it any different and is it good? My outlook is a hard no to both questions. Every part of the original can be found in the narrative with the few added scenes changing nothing but dropping the perfect pacing of the original. The additional scenes generally work as a means of emphasising the interconnectivity of the circle of life; these changes would be fine if they were executed more realistically or with less poor humour. Speaking of ‘humour’, I didn’t laugh once at this film’s jokes and, while partially a fault of the writing, the voice actors are not particularly good. John Oliver takes over from Rowan Atkinson in voicing Zazu; when it comes to the Disney remakes, the least the actors can do is to give their own spin on these iconic characters (I.e., Will Smith in Aladdin (2019)). Oliver is just trying to copy Atkinson’s voice and timing with little effect. Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner’s Pumba and Timon are also unfunny, however, the two had chemistry which made them some of the better voice actors by default. JD McCrary is the obvious standout as young Simba; the reasoning being that he is the only actor who seems to be trying with his emotional drive. Everyone else is painfully average and fail to encapsulate their characters’ emotions in a believable manner like the original. Donald Glover and Beyoncé are noticeably frustrating as the older voices for Simba and Nala; characters who have poor chemistry and, with no in-between, drab or hyperbole vocalisation. One of the most painful failures of the voice acting would have to be James Earl Jones as the icon Mufasa. That said, Jones is so clearly phoning in his performance with minimal care and presence; he drops the ball entirely and makes one of the most authoritative animated characters a boring, weak character with little impact. Chiwetel Ejiofor who makes one of the best villains in animation a blank, dry shell of Jeremy Irons’ charismatic icon. Ejiofor’s greatest sin would be the song Be Prepared where he opts to simply speak the lyrics instead of singing them. In his defence, every single song feels half-baked and inconsistent with the brilliant visuals (we will get there later); simple aspects make these songs weak with a fundamental example being Can You Feel the Love Tonight being sung midday (with unnecessary and frustrating pitching from Beyoncé). It also pains me to say that Hans Zimmer phones it in with his shaky soundtrack which fails to correctly encapsulate emotions of a scene at times. As for the visual effects, whilst flawless in their photo realism, they lack any semblance of emotion and look jarring when these animated characters speak; in Disney’s efforts to make their films more realistic (visually and narratively) they forget to strike the crucial balance of cohesion with their realism. Overall, The Lion King is just that, a film which lacks emotion, charm and drops the ball at every point that the original managed to send the ball soaring; I have no regret in proclaiming this my least favourite film of all time and you are objectively wrong to choose this version as oppose to the 1994 original.

Released 18th January 2002, Black Hawk Down follows the true story of a unified task force trying to remove the extremist Somali leader Mohammed Farah Aidid… and their subsequent day under siege. Similar to The Hurt Locker, and many other war films, the film encompasses the themes of comradery, military incompetence, death and conflict; there are also undertones of hunger as a theme in the first few minutes but are dropped after the opening which makes the opening feel somewhat wasted in retrospective. As for the characters, most come across as little more than stock characters who have no time for backstory due tot the intensity of the ensuing battle; whilst aiding the focus on the narrative, it does leave you desiring more from this star-studded cast. Eric Bana is one of the standouts in that he actually takes the threat seriously from beginning to end with Bana imbuing SFC ‘Hoot’ with a commanding vocalisation to convey his leadership qualities. On the more comedic end of the spectrum, Tom Hardy and Ewen Bremner act as the comic relief of the rangers in their antics as SPC Twobley and SPC Nelson, respectively, which is made natural due to their lacking contact with Somali soldiers through most of the narrative and the specific circumstances they solicit. Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor also do well as the newly drafted SSG Eversmann and SPC ‘Grimesy’, respectively; we see how they both falter under the newly experienced pressures of combat while also being more logistical under the gauze of being fresh from training. McGregor especially has a strong chemistry with William Fichtner’s SFC Sanderson; the two work well together due to the impressionable nature of Grimesy under the experienced Sanderson who takes a shining to the young ranger. While I could spend another 4 paragraphs summarising every individual character and performance, just know that everyone shares great chemistry with one another and everyone (albeit shallow in depth) bestows discernible personalities into their characters. Interestingly, the majority of the film was shot practically with actual materiel and helicopters being used from the US military themselves to help establish the battle. There are also some interesting editing choices made during the battle to present the back and forth between the higher ups giving orders and the subordinates who are fighting against the clock to receive orders. However, as much as it pains me to say it, Hans Zimmer’s score is completely forgettable; not bad… but perhaps his only forgettable soundtrack. Black Hawk Down is definitely a strong war film with lots of high-points, however, the lacking character depth and occasional narrative beats hold it back from being one of the greats.

Released 28th August 2009, The Hurt Locker follows an EOD group deployed in the Iraq war as they work through their tour. As an insight into the Iraq war, the film connotes themes of violence, trauma, life, incompetence and comradery; these are all communicated through the strong cast. In particular, the violence is never shied away from with every wound having an impact and aftermath: it is grotesque in its visualisation yet suitably implemented and poignant. As far as the communication of military incompetency through the film, it predominantly rests the theme on Christian Camargo’s Lieutenant Colonel John Cambridge; as the camp’s psychiatrist, he is presented as someone who is unable to empathise with the soldiers due to his presence behind a desk instead of the barrel of a gun. As the narrative develops, he is taken into the forefront and his military nature manifests. Jeremy Renner acts as the film’s protagonist through Sergeant William James. Renner provides his usual cocky charisma to William and is able to physicalise his responses or information to characters through direct gestures and his poise across scenes. He also manages to have a strong one-way chemistry with Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty as Sergeant J. T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge, respectively. Mackie gives one of the most unique performances of his career in which his usual charisma is used at minimal yet appropriate moments; he is otherwise extremely emotive in his body tension and sharp, direct facial expressions. You can see that Sanborn is a deeply troubled soldier who is just a man doing his best – as is Eldridge. While Eldridge has the least depth out of himself, Sanborn and James, Geraghty provides enough facial nuances, vocal intonations and body tension to communicate that Eldridge is firmly troubled by his experiences. It is through this trauma that he sustains interactions with the aforementioned John Cambridge in therapy sessions. Another significant part of the cast is Christopher Sayegh as a young Iraqi boy called Beckham. While Beckham himself does not hold much depth, it is his relationship with Sergeant William James that makes him memorable and important to the story. In terms of visual storytelling, the film is permanently shot using steady cam which helps to convey the instability of the environment and also the grounded feel of the film. Likewise, the cinematography also serves to ground every explosion with an early scene being particularly well shot. While the soundtrack is not overtly memorable or present through the film, The Hurt Locker is a film that is able to carry itself through the way its shot, the characters and its simple yet poignant narrative.

Prelude: I have been running this blog since 15th January this year (2021). That said, I have been writing film reviews since December 2019 for my Sixth Form's (college's) newspaper and, nearing the end of my time studying there, I have come across my very first film review. I like to think that I have improved my detail and writing style since I wrote this review; I would even say my thoughts have changed since writing the review. However, I figured for my 100th review, it would be fun to look back and share my genesis with those of you who read my blog. I hope you enjoy the post and here is to several hundred more! --- Released 11th November 2011, Arthur Christmas has become something of a classic for the festive season. The plot revolves around the Claus family trying to deliver a forgotten present to a young girl. Despite a moderately large cast, we see each & every character get the limelight in their own rights with their own arcs. This is further exemplified within the stellar vocal performances given by the likes of James McAvoy, Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton (Just to name a few). The stellar quality of the cast is further presented alongside the themes of family, compromises & changing with the times. With such an array of themes familiar / mature, this movie is able to keep, not only younger viewers engaged but also older viewers who can relate to characters such as Steve & Santa Claus with their relatable issues. As film critic Jake Wilson of the Sydney Morning Herald put it; “Parents may shed a nostalgic tear or two, while their children can enjoy spotting all the witty visual details”. Whilst the animation & soundtrack are good, they are nothing special to call home about. Nonetheless, if that is the most negative thing I can say about this movie, I think it is safe to say that this film is a true classic that manages to have a fresh story to tell within a genre with very few directions left to turn.

Released 17th May 2013, The Great Gatsby is another adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel about the American Dream and the roaring 20s. Being an adaptation of the 1925, the film delves into the themes of wealth, status, love and women. I know that that last one is rather broad but, in the context of the 1920s, we see how women’s status varied based on the different relationships they have with certain individuals. One aspect that the film manages to soar with is its interpretation of the chaos that was the roaring 20s; every single scene is overtly rambunctious in one way or another thus communicating a form of rising action across the narrative. However, the rest of the film is not quite so great. If any of you have read my Spider-man or Spider-man 2 review, you will know that I do not rate Tobey Maguire as a good actor; this opinion stretches into this film. Even in the original novel, Nick Carraway is already very passive character who is simply there to observe the story; Tobey Maguire manages to have either no screen presence or presents himself with a nonchalant delivery in his performance; this criticism extends to Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker (albeit that she is capable of using facial expressions well). Leonardo DiCaprio is great as Jay Gatsby: while not the strongest performance of the film, he is able to abide by the mysterious nature of the character with his salesman-esque vocalisation and facial expression façades. For me, the standouts of the cast are Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan. Mulligan is able to convey the fragility of women during the period under the influence of male-mistreatment through ever-expressive facial expressions and controlled body tension. As for Edgerton, he is able to communicate Tom’s rage across every single scene, however, he is able to do so while also balancing a control of his gestures and body tension. Most of his rage comes from his eye-contact and rugged vocal tone. In contrast to the submissive Daisy, Isla Fisher’s Myrtle holds power through her physical relationship with Tom. That said, Fisher does not receive much screen time and is not able to leave a lasting impression. So much of the film is clearly shot on a green screen and very little of it is well implemented and you are frequently sucked out of the narrative because of it. That said, the costumes are period-appropriate and look great. As for the soundtrack, it reworks modern songs such as Love is Blindness with 1920s Jazz symphonics: the songs work well to establish the popularity of Gatsby’s parties and other events occurring through the film. Overall, The Great Gatsby is a film with several well executed aspects, however, weak visuals and a weak protagonist render the film far less engaging shell of what it could have been.

Released 16th December 2016, The Founder follows Ray Kroc in his expansion of a small business called McDonalds. The film operates as a biopic for the real life Ray Kroc which follows him from Kroc selling milkshake machines in 1954 to 1970 where he delineating the importance of persistence in success. Through this narrative the themes of persistence are well exemplified as well as sacrifice, ethics and greed too; each theme is easy to latch onto and acknowledge through the perfect pacing of the film which keeps the audience engaged with the narrative. Michael Keaton does a fantastic job of bringing Ray Kroc to life through every aspect of his performance. Keaton is able to encapsulate the salesman pace and intonations to his vocalisation while his physicalisation enables flamboyant gestures and paced movements to enhance the vocals; that said, Keaton never comes off as goofy due to his sublime facial performance and moments of quiet. Nick Offerman and John Caroll Lynch also give strong performances to Dick and Mac McDonald. Whereas Dick is presented as the more business-savvy of the two (aided greatly by Offerman’s controlled vocalisation and jaded physicalisation), Mac comes across as the more sociable, people-person of the two (with the help of Lynch’s lofty physicalisation). Both actors also manage to present different responses to Kroc’s rising ambition and boundary pushing: the tension between the brothers and Kroc is thoroughly believable and you know that it will not end peacefully. Laura Dern is also quite good as Kroc’s wife Ethel. While she does not hold a hefty presence in the narrative, she is able to deliver the domestic consequences of business people’s ambitions rather well. Similarly, Linda Cardellini gives an intriguing performance as Joan Smith. Whereas Ethel provided insight into marital influences of business ambition, Joan can connect to Kroc through their business-savvy interests and subsequently draws Kroc away from Ethel. One particularly brilliant aspect of the film is the 1950/1960s production design and costuming; naturally, we see various aspects of 50/60s lifestyle incorporated into every scene which enables the story to feel all the more grounded in its time period. Another aspect which is superb is the soundtrack; Carter Burwell delivers a memorable soundtrack which utilises several leitmotifs across the narrative which tie into the themes very nicely. Overall, The Founder is a well made and well told story of the American Dream manifested through business opportunity and insightful characters.

Released 12th March 1938, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs follows Snow White as she tries to escape the Evil Queen of the kingdom. Naturally, this film is renowned for the being the first animated feature film of all time (more on that later). Other than that, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is also an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm story with an emphasis on the theme of kindness and its importance through its varied cast. Lucille la Verne is able to give a sophisticated, sharp articulation of the Evil Queen’s dialogue. Harry Stockwell and Stuart Buchanan also do a successful job at encapsulating the masculinity of their macho archetypes. While I would normally begrudge one-dimensional characters, this film is very much the original mainstream Fairytale film so I must give it credit where credit is due. Adriana Caselotti is able to convey Snow White’s youth and innocence through her high pitched yet soft vocalisation; Caselotti also delivers several harmonious musical numbers across the film too. As for the dwarfs, Pinto Colvig’s Grumpy is easily the vocal highlight with his sustained low-pitched angry tone which becomes less growly as he warms up to Snow White; interestingly, Colvig also provides the (minimal) drowsy vocalisation for Sleepy rather well too. Roy Atwell is another dwarf standout as Doc, the timid and stuttering leader of the dwarfs. Atwell is able to make Doc feel greatly wholesome through the aforementioned stutter but also from his gentle volume and fairer pitch too. Out of the ‘exceptional’ dwarfs, Eddie Collins and Jimmy MacDonald both work to deliver Dopey. Whereas every other character is animated from scratch, Collins acted out routines with heavy emphasis on his gestures and pace for the animators to reference for the character. MacDonald gives a juxtaposing drowsy vocal performance which is able to emphasise the physicalisation of the character. Of course, Dopey’s physicalisation owes itself to the revolutionary animation too. For the first animated film, it has aged extraordinarily well and actually looks better than other animations in the late 20th century (i.e., Anne Frank’s Diary). Every frame is bustling with movement and life from the water, the animals and even Snow White’s chores. Another success of the animation is giving a visual energy which is able to match the musical nature of the film and the various songs throughout. Whereas live-action could only do so much for musicals in the early 20th century, animation provided a new expressive cinematic artform to present such energies. Overall, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a cornerstone of cinema with its kickstart of the fantasy genre, renaissance of musicals and the birth of feature length animation.

Released 9th April 2004, Shaun of the Dead follows Shaun as he is sucked from his mundane life to face a zombie apocalypse. This film operates as a comedy which, with the help of Edgar Wright’s direction, is absolutely hysterical and clever. Wright is able to apply numerous recurring gags which are elevated by their recontextualization through the narrative to be both logical and comical. Another Wright-ism which garners comical results his use of quick-cuts to convey mundane tasks that he carries out; in contrast he also manages to utilise one-take shots to slowly pan Shaun’s environment and illustrate the individuals there only to recontextualise them later on. These physical gags succeed in (obviously) providing comic relief to the film but they also manage to shape a fresh identity for Edgar Wright’s comedic films. Simon Pegg stars as Shaun and delivers a versatile but strong performance. His delivery and facial mannerisms are impeccable for his comedic moments; however, he also displays powerful emotion through his vocalisation and facial performance. Sharing the spotlight (and a powerhouse of chemistry) with Pegg is Nick Frost as Ed; he acts as the bumbled idiot friend and Frost does a strong job at matching Pegg’s comedic energy thus forging a synergy that would lead to the two starring in several other projects together. Bill Nighy, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran give quirky performances as Phillip, Liz, Dianne and David that provide necessary plot drama where necessary and comic-ripe conflicts. Penelope Wilton gives a firmly wholesome performance to Shaun’s mum Barbara and she is very much the innocent of the survivors posse through the narrative. Oddly enough, one of my main problems with the film is that it often dips too far into drama; while it avoids melodrama and contains strong performances at moments of emotion, it’s tone conflicts sharply with the otherwise hysterical comedy that is being distributed every other scene. While the film has an original score (which provides a strong energy to match the visual comedy), Wright is able to apply licensed music with vast success e.g., beating up a zombie in time with Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. Overall, Shaun of the Dead has fantastic comedy, great performances and strong directing from one of cinema’s best comedy directors.

Released 8th January 1929, Man with a Movie Camera is a Russian documentary-film that shows everyday life in the USSR. While the best way to describe the narrative is it being anthological, the way the film is edited makes it very loose in its emphasis on certain occurrences and people. That said, Man with a Movie Camera is arguably the father of modern film editing. When you watch older films, you will often notice that they were shot in long takes with extremely limited cutaways; in contrast this film utilises (even by today’s standards) heavily frequent cuts and split-screening to convey atmosphere through objects and tensity. These cuts give the film a special and unique visual identity which still remains undisputed after nearly a century. Due to these cuts and minimalist anthology structure, the film does not have a cast so much as it has real people from the Soviet Union being captured going about their life. While this enables a level of authenticity, the only actual cast member we are left with is Mikhail Kaufman as the titular ‘man with a movie camera’. As opposed to imbuing personality into this protagonist, Kaufman simply acts as a focal point for the audience to see the transitions to the locations and activities being viewed on screen. Similarly, the film also acts as a frame narrative which uses a movie theatre to present the rest of the film: this results in an extended perception of film being able to bring people together through life experiences. The anthological stories told also manage to deliver a fascinating insight into what life was like during the soviets’ reign in the late 1920s, although, it could be argued that it may be somewhat staged in parts due to propaganda censorship in the nation. As well as fantastic editing prowess, the application of green screen visual effects are also phenomenal for its time with several looking somewhat believable, an astounding achievement for such a young era of cinema. One aspect which varies however is the soundtrack; nearly all films had live compositions during this age of cinema which means that said compositions (music) changes between different versions hence making it difficult to comment on. Man with a Movie Camera is such a special film which stands as a visible landmark in cinema where the technical prowess shown will have anyone who values the history of cinema in awe.

Released 19th February 2021, Nomadland follows a woman in the wake of 2009’s Great Recession as she travels America as a nomad living out of her van. At its heart, this film encapsulates the lifestyle of a nomad in extraordinary detail thanks to the laser-focus of Frances McDormand’s Fern and the many individuals she meets during her travels. The narrative also succeeds in delivering its themes of freedom, life, family and belonging; each theme is interwoven into Fern’s identity with appropriate subtleties and any further insight is delivered by the ensemble cast. One of the individuals Fern meets is Swankie; played by Charlene Swankie, Swankie educates Fern on nomad etiquette and the importance of preparedness in their lifestyle. Swankie is also able to deliver a pleasantness in her performance with her softer vocalisation in a heart-to-heart describing her reasoning for the lifestyle. Similarly to Swankie, Linda May’s Linda (yes, everyone who is not Fern shares the same name as their actors) acts as a close friend to Fern and frequently bumps into her on her travels. While she does not have the same depth as Swankie, Linda serves her narrative function to convey the closeness of the nomadic community. Another friend that Fern makes during the narrative is David (played by David Strathairn); he sustains a plutonic relationship with Fern and manages to indicate the loneliness that comes with being a nomad and also the connections that remain to family despite the lifestyle. David has great chemistry with Frances and he delivers his lines with sublime facial movements to coincide the potential he sees in his and Fern’s relationship. As the protagonist Fern, Frances McDormand is able to highlight all aforementioned aspects in her own naturalistic performance which is sustained every moment she glides across the screen. She is written with a concrete history and her connections to her peers is believable and sympathetic. With most of the scenes being shot on-location, the cinematography is able to make fantastic use of America’s natural beauty across the baron Badlands; simple shots like Fern sitting outside her van are accentuated by the closeness of nature’s beauty around her. Ludovico Einaudi delivers a soundtrack that operates appropriately with its scenes, albeit otherwise unmemorable. Overall, Nomadland is a great introspective into a subculture that does not receive much mainstream attention.