Lé Results

Released 23rd February 2000, Anne Frank’s Diary follows the infamous story told by Anne Franks’ real-life diary as she spent over two years in hiding from the Nazis. To the films’ credit, it generally follows the events told by Anne’s diary through the narrative and does an especially good job of highlighting the treatment of Jews in Central Europe during World War 2. With that said… this film is a cinematic disaster. I have watched hundreds and hundreds of films of varying quality and attributes in my life, however, the voice acting of this film stands out as the worst I have ever heard. While there is occasionally emotion attached to dialogue, it is the below the bare minimum that could be imbued. If your characters sound like they are just reading lines from a script, you have failed to direct them. Unfortunately, I cannot say that anyone is a highlight in the cast as everyone is equally lacklustre from Marissa Davison as Anne Frank to Peter Wallasch as German soldier. While the animation itself is perfectly fine (with some shots looking particularly beautiful) it feels very static with many frames are completely still. Take into account that The Aristocats made sure to animate its water back in the 1970s; this 2000 film does not make the effort that a 1970s film took! Finally, the soundtrack is surprisingly mixed; Carine Gutlerner implements a couple of motifs which are somewhat memorable and serve a sustained purpose across the narrative. However, the sheer amount of melodrama in the soundtrack is absolutely abhorrent and failed spectacularly; if your soundtrack is making the audience laugh at Anne’s sister being called upon to go to a labour camp, you have monumentally upturned your tone. Anne Frank’s Diary is a cinematic disaster in so many senses and is only remotely redeemed by fleeting moments of competency in its artistic adaptation of one of history’s most harrowing objects and its subsequent story.

Released 13th December 2016, Rogue One follows Jyn Erso as she aids the rebellion against the Galactic Empire and their new superweapon. Being the first live action spin-off in the Star Wars franchise, it does a superb job at separating itself from the central saga with only brief cameos or natural overlap conjoining the entities into a broadened and cohesive universe (something the sequel trilogy ironically failed to do). Rogue One opts to establish a grittier tone than the main saga by grounding itself in the extremist portion of the rebellion and showing the morally dubious conflicts that come in liberation and freedom. The character of Cassian Andor is the primary representative of this thematic concept through Diego Luna’s performance; Luna is able to encapsulate Andor’s darkness and conflicts through his facial performance and delivers his nuanced dialogue with consolidation and strength. Jyn Erso acts as the protagonist of the ensemble and s brought to life by Felicity Jones. Erso’s arc follows her come to terms with joining the rebellion and hold onto hope in her trials; Jones gives a great performance with diverse skills shown across the narrative. While Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen and Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker are good as Bodhi Rock, Baze Malbus, Galen Erso and Saw Gerrara, respectively, Donnie Yen stands out as the force-sensitive Chirrut. He has similar ‘depth’ to Bodhi and Baze but his dialogue and action scenes are thoroughly memorable and he provides an intriguing alternative to force users in a universe where force-sensitive usually equates to Jedi. Ben Mendelsohn is particularly great as Orson Krennic, the film’s main antagonist. Mendelsohn really conveys Krennic’s beleaguered attitude in the face of his superiors’ judgement while still acting as an imposing threat to the heroes. As usual the film’s token Star Wars droid, K-2SO, steals every single scene they are in with the impeccable delivery of Alan Tudyk in his hysterical sarcasm. That said, a key strength to K-2SO (and the rest of the film) is the impeccable visual effects. Once again we can see the Disney budget paying off in illustrating this fantastical universe on screen to aid the escapism that the franchise has always been built upon. Michael Giacchino also manages to deliver a powerful score which feels inspired by Star Wars and subsequently works to create a unique score in John Williams’ symphonic paradise; Giacchino’s application of Dies Irae across the narrative is especially inspired. Overall, Rogue One serves a fresh perspective of the Star Wars universe with enough thematic concepts and visuals to keep the audience engaged in this fatiguing franchise.

Released 24th July 2020, Yes, God, Yes follows young Catholic girl Alice as she begins her sexual awakening. Despite the raunchy implications of teenagers’ sexual awakening, the film manages to limit its sexual imagery to a minimum that achieves its purpose but does not venture into gratuity. As the premise insinuates, the narrative delivers resonant themes of religion, sex, relationships and hypocrisy. Unfortunately, being a youth based narrative, there are a handful of tropes that befall the narrative and subsequently suck you out of the film due to the cringe-factor; the film is at its strongest when it focusses on Alice and her personal experiences in the narrative. Alice is played well by Natalia Dyer; she is far from Oscar-worthy in her performance but she illustrates her character beats well and possesses a believable awkwardness in the face of sexual norms when necessary. Francesca Reale acts as Alice’s best friend Laura with a decent performance also; this performance standard spans most of the cast to be honest. Wolfgang Novogratz is fine as love-interest Chris, Alisha Boe is fine as religious youth-leader Nina, Parker Wielding is really bad as the scandalous Wade and Allison Shrum’s Heather is laughably bad in her performance. Timothy Simons was rather strong in his performance as Father Murphy; he had a sustained and calm vocal demeanour throughout the film and his facial performance is consolidated (notably the final 5 minutes). Susan Blackwell delivers the strongest performance… in a 5 minute window. She plays ex-Catholic Gina and provides a kindred spirit for Alice to confide in about her religious qualms and sexual confusions; she feels very genuine in her performance and she has a strong chemistry with Dyer. The production design and cinematography do a good job in encapsulating the religious atmosphere of Alice’s community; this, as well as the script, also enables people who are not particularly religious (such as myself) to understand the norms provided and used in the narrative. While not memorable, the soundtrack was unique and served its narrative really well with its higher pitches and lofty tracks. Finally, the licensed music is also well implemented in accompanying Alice’s ‘taboo’ practises with heavier or louder music. Overall, Yes, God, Yes is one of the better examples of a teen-flick with positive messages about sexual understanding and religious boundaries

Released 31st January 2020, Adú follows the separate stories of a young boy fleeing Cameroon, an estranged father trying to make amends to his daughter and the guilt of a civil guard. While the contrasting stories provided intriguing perspectives to life in (and around) the country of Cameroon, they fail to overlap to the extent and success of other anthology films such as Snatch or most Tarintino films. That said, the stories are still poignant on their own in tackling themes of guilt, family, freedom, survival and abuse. Álvaro Cervantes leads the civil guard storyline with a passable performance that conveys Mateo’s unease in the wake of an accident during an immigration attempt; however, his performance leaves more to be desired and his storyline ends up rather forgettable when compared to the others. Moustapha Oumarou gives a surprisingly good performance as 6 year old Adú and does a great job in carrying his storyline. Adú is (naturally) written as an extremely innocent and therefore vulnerable individual who is easily manipulated by a couple of people across his story. That said, Zayiddiya Dissou and Adam Nourou aid Adú as his sister Alika and his friend Massar, respectively. Whereas Alika provides a gentle support (and a weaker performance from Dissou) earlier in Adú’s journey, Nourou is able to illustrate Massar as a gentle aid while also subtly alluding to a disturbing past with well implemented physical cues. Finally, Luis Tomar gives he standout performance as Gonzalo, the father of Anna Castillo’s Sandra. Tomar manages to apply a versatile physicalisation and vocal range to display Gonzalo’s emotions towards Sandra; he is written in a way that makes him tough on his daughter while also enabling the audience to acknowledge his efforts to connect with his daughter. Anna Castillo also provides a strong performance as she grows to understand and subsequently accept her father’s tough love. While naturalistic and practical, the lighting is good enough with my only real qualm being that some sequences are too dim and sometimes difficult to see what is happening. Similarly, the soundtrack is rather bland and unmemorable despite serving the emotions of its scenes well enough. Overall, Adú is a powerful film which tells its stories and themes very well and is generally carried by strong performances of well written characters.

Released 20th November 2020, Sound of Metal follows heavy metal drummer Ruben Stone as he comes to terms with becoming deaf. One of the strongest aspects of the film is the way that it is edited (yes, it deserved its Oscar); in its portrayal of regular life and deaf life through the film, it frequently cuts appropriately in time with the sound (more on that later). This makes it easy for a general audience to follow and sympathise with Stone through his journey of tranquillity, rage, love and desperation. The editing works as successfully as it does by utilising close-up shots which focus on entities that create sounds, some notable examples of this are coffee jugs, a bell tower and a blender. Besides this, the film is shot in a naturalistic manner with standard lighting and simple sets. Stone himself is emotionally portrayed by Riz Ahmed who manages to give a strong vocalisation to Stone despite the eventual hardships that brings later in the narrative. However, it is Ahmed’s facial expressions and physical outbursts that carry the film as we a offered a sophisticated insight into this person who has to overcome great challenges. Much like Stone, Ahmed is supported by the rest of the cast who all manage to deliver fantastic performances. Stone’s most intimate connection is in the form of Olivia Cooke’s Lou; Lou is Stone’s girlfriend in the narrative where there is an emphasis on her deeply troubled past. While the third act arguably focusses a bit too heavily on her, she is definitely a fleshed out character who herself is aided by Mathieu Amalric as her estranged yet caring father Richard. Paul Raci delivers the strongest supporting performance as Joe, the leader of a deaf community who take Stone in. He is able to imbue Joe with strong empathy towards Stone and a consolidation of his physical and mannerisms. However, the strongest aspect of the film (bar-none) is its use of sound across the film. While it opts not to have a traditional soundtrack, scenes that utilise music do so with diegetic drumming from Stone or other pieces of music being played by the characters. As previously stated, the editing places an emphasis on the different soundscapes between ‘normal’ people and deaf people. In this case the lack of traditional soundtrack enables the audience to register the appropriate soundscapes and appreciate the way that deaf people interact with their environments and different perspectives they have access to. Overall, astounding film and sound editing carry a film with already strong performances to deliver a poignant story of disability and the balance of shortcomings and perspectives brought on by being deaf.

Released 23rd November 2016, Moana follows the titular character as she travels across the ocean to restore the heart of an ancient goddess of nature. A pleasant aspect of Moana is that it opts to tells its story through the gauze of Polynesian culture and subsequent history; while deviating with some fantastical elements, the film generally stays faithful to its setting and embraces it to tell its story. For as simple as the story is (that being take a stone to island with the help of a demigod), it is told with enough humour and nuance that its themes of discovery, bravery, identity and responsibility are told with great success. Moana herself is voiced by Auli’I Cravalho who does a fantastic job; she gives Moana a bubbly energy which is able to slide between giddy confidence and awkwardness. That said, she is also able to convey her negative emotions with success and is generally sophisticated with all of her characterisations. Joining her on her adventure is the demi-god Maui who is voiced by real-life demi-god Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Much like Johnson himself, Maui is essentially a celebrity who is known to all of humanity for his acts of strength and charisma; however, much like Moana, Maui has personal trials that he must overcome to restore himself to his old-self. While they do not receive much screen time, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger and Rachel House are also very good as Moana’s parents and grandma; their presence is always felt from how strongly they interacted with Moana during the first act with Gramma Tala playing a particularly prominent role. Similar to Moana’s parents, Jemaine Clement’s Tamatoa receives minimal screen time (approximately four minutes) and yet he will likely stand as on of the most memorable Disney characters for many years to come. To top off the cast, Alan Tudyk is a bizarre standout as Hei Hei the chicken (trust me you will have to watch the film to understand). From a visual standpoint, the animation is beautiful and encapsulates the tropical warmth of the Polynesian island in Oceania (albeit with the help of the most generic animation form of modern cinema). Mark Mancina delivers a truly refreshing film score by utilising the symphonic aesthetics of Polynesian culture and underscores every scene with intensity and awe. However, a key strength of Mancina’s score is the synergy with Lin Manuel-Miranda’s songs; straight off the back of Hamilton, Manuel-Miranda’s songs are lyrically brilliant, fun and (best of all) aid the movement of the narrative. Overall, Moana’s simple story is carried by its strong vocal performances, captivating songs and peak computer generated animation.

Released 30th October 1998, American History X tells the story of Derek Vinyard and his influence on his family and local area through white-supremacist ideals. The film decides to deliver its concepts with a serious approach of drama and shock as it tackles the themes of supremacy, family and crime. It is key to note that this film utilises shock value to great success in presenting the underlying horror of areas influenced by these groups and how some of these actions lead to martyrdom among these individuals. One aspect that I would begrudge of the film is that it often breaks its tense and tonal atmosphere with frequent shots of a beach and the sea; it may seem specific and bizarre but I cannot determine how they enhance the story being told or resonate with any prominent characters. Edward Norton gives a stellar performance as Derek Vinyard in which he goes through a dynamic character arc. We see every crucial step in Derek’s life as he develops from a hateful teen with abominable ideologies and actions to a matured and remorseful young adult; forged in the fires of his actions and experiences among his fellow supremacists. While not Oscar-worthy, Edward Furlong also gives a great performance as Danny, Derek’s younger brother. Danny is shown to be following in his older brother’s footsteps with Derek’s reputation making him easily influenced by the other supremacists. The rest of the Vinyard family are given great performances from Beverly D’Angelo and Jennifer Lien’s Doris and Davina Vinyard, respectively. For the little time they receive, William Russ and Stacy Keach give intriguing performances as the influencing factors of Derek and Danny’s lives. Whereas Keach has a narrative presence as Cameron Alexander as the ringleader of the supremacists, Russ is positioned as Dennis Vinyard to plant the hateful ideas into the formative teen Derek. In spite of the scene editing with the beach, this film uses a monochrome colour grading of the characters’ past; a time where Derek and Danny’s ideas were black and white. Much like the beach shots however, Anne Dudley’s soundtrack was able to suck me out of the emotions of the poignant narrative at every conceivable turn. The soundtrack is so fuelled by melodrama and ‘heightened’ emotion that it is frustrating and could be replaced by literally any other music pieces and work better. American History X is one of the most poignant narratives ever constructed and has proven to be relevant as time passes further and further into the 21st century; in spite of this, technical shortcomings leave the film feeling less refined and therefore falls short of ‘masterpiece’ status.

Released 3rd October, Venom follows reporter Eddie Brock as he uncovers a corporate conspiracy with an unlikely ally. Much like 2007’s Ghost Rider or 2016’s Deadpool, Venom plants itself into the antihero bracket of the ‘superhero’ genre by presenting a grittier world filled with flawed individuals who are just trying to go about their lives. One hallmark that this film manages to achieve is by establishing San Francisco as a city that these characters interact with and live in; you gain an understanding of their lives which helps to ground the narrative that is centred around redemption, heroism, scientific boundaries and… alien goo. In regard to the theme of scientific boundaries and pushing far past them, Riz Ahmed gives a ‘performance’ as Carlton Drake; Drake serves as the antagonist of the film in trying to use the symbiotes to better sustain human life with a disregard of human life along the way. Ahmed is laughably bad in his performance throughout; he is completely one-dimensional and lacking any emotion in his performance. While I would normally leave them out, this problem also span to the extras of the film who do absolutely nothing until they are cued by the lead actors; it is truly hysterical and once you notice some of the instances you will never unsee them. Tom Hardy infuses Eddie Brock with a believable suaveness before his downfall and he is very successful in encapsulating the anxieties you would expect from someone dealing with an alien parasite (also voiced by Tom Hardy). Despite being a voice through most of the film, Venom’s dynamic with Eddie works surprisingly well and their interactions carry the film with great hardiness and enjoyability. Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate and Reid Scott give passable performances which serve to move the plot along where necessary. To be frank, the pacing of the film is bonkers. The first act feels entirely rushed which prevents any concrete attachments being formed; when you get to the second act, it feels a lot slower and (while enabling attachments to be formed to these characters) drags in places. More so than most other films, the visual effects here are a very mixed bag; due to the fluid yet solid nature of the symbiotes, there were bound to be complications in bringing the concepts to life and as a result many shots look really unpolished thus degrading the effect of the well realised shots. Ludwig Göransson’s soundtrack is probably the highlight of the film; it is consistent in its motifs and capturing the emotions desired for the scenes. Overall, Venom is one of the weaker superhero films to come out of the past decade, however, the dynamic between Eddie and Venom is able to carry the film from the second act to be an enjoyable experience where you do not have to focus too hard.

Released 1st March 1985, The Adventures of Mark Twain follows an anthology of human stories / concepts that are tied together by a caricature of the American writer Mark Twain. Despite centring the film around a real world figure, the film takes many creative liberties and uses its art form to deliver the themes of religion, humanity and death that were ever present in Mark Twain’s works. Interestingly, in spite of its very family friendly tone, the film does not shy away from the depth (and borderline horror) of the stories told. James Whitmore provides Mark Twain with consistent charm and wit in his delivery; Twain is written as a grandpa-esque figure who imparts wisdom one moment while being able to sustain a sombre atmosphere the next. Twain’s caricature is accompanied by three young children; Tom, Becky and Huck. Chris Ritchie, Michele Mariana and Gary Krug, respectively, imbue the children with inquisitive tones across the narrative as they ask Twain various questions. If anything, the children’s voices sound too matured for their supposed age (of 10) which subsequently sucks you out of the film from time to time. Besides these four, the cast continues into the anthology; two examples to note are John Morrison and Carol Edelman’s Adam and Eve. Based upon the figures from the Bible, Adam and Eve provide commentary on the original story of the Garden with added aspects of modern gender ideas. These themes overlap well and enable the religious aspects to come across without being too preachy to a general audience. The most memorable character of the film would probably be The Mysterious Stranger. With the mixed voices of Michele Mariana and Wilbur Vincent, The Mysterious Stranger delivers the shortest story out of the anthologies in which it never raises its volume or alters its pitch; The Mysterious Stranger simply tells a story of human futility and confused concepts. While the voice in itself is unsettling, the Claymation truly brings this character to life with a horrific fluid-like nature to its face. That said, the animation is expressive across the whole film and is truly remarkable (especially for 1985) in bringing its scenes to life in an ever changing, fluid style. Finally, Billy Scream’s soundtrack is decent in underscoring its scenes, however, it is ultimately forgettable. The Adventures of Mark Twain is a film that the whole family can enjoy and remain engaged in through its deep themes, fluid animation and a strong caricature of a protagonist.

Released 25th December 2017, 12th Man follows the sole survivor of a Norwegian anti-Nazi mission as he attempts to escape to Sweden, a neutral country. For a film based on true events, the narrative flows really well while feeling like a natural progression of Jan Baalstrud’s incredible story. Baalstrud’s tale and the events surrounding it speak volumes of human survival, hope and inspiration; the film never fails to convey how meaningful Baalstrud’s trials and tribulations are to the oppressed Norwegians. 12th Man is also able to balance a laid back sense of humour with the harrowing events that are conveyed through grotesque imagery and sinister characters. On the Nazi side of the story, Johnathon Rhys-Meyers and Martin Kiefer are great as Kurt Stage and Walther Wenders; Kiefer does a good enough job at connoting Wenders’ low effort and laissez-faire attitude towards his task while Rhys-Meyers gives a truly chilling performance as Stage. Rhys-Meyers provides blazing eye-contact and sustaining physical tension in every scene he is in; Stage is a Nazi in every sense of the word and Rhys-Meyers illustrates this to perfection. Thomas Gullestad delivers an equally brilliant performance of Jan Baalstrud, the 12th man of the title. Gullestad is able to portray every emotion you could fathom in Baalstrud’s circumstance (and more) while also managing to hold onto his wavering humanity across the narrative. There is a large supporting cast who, whilst not overtly deep and complex, everyone Baalstrud meets attains a sense of hope and inspiration from his perseverance against everything that has pushed him down. The camera work of the Norwegian setting is truly amazing and is sufficient in conveying how far Baalstrud must travel for his freedom; in the same vain the visual effects are grotesque in their realism and serve to further ground the story with an aura of suffering and pain. While nothing memorable, Christophe Beck’s soundtrack serves its scenes well enough and can’t be faulted for that. 12th Man is ultimately a testament to Norwegian morale in a time of unfathomable crisis and a subsequent display of human capabilities in crisis as a whole, all while being able to tell a true story.

Released 9th May 2019, Brightburn indulges in the concept of Superman if he grew up to decide that he does not have to use his powers for good… why not use them for bad? One aspect of the film which had vast potential was its placement into the horror genre; while the film makes use of some sinister visuals, and equally so plot-points, the film utilises too many jump scares which deflate the growing tension. Brightburn’s concept leads the way for themes of violence, responsibility and belonging; there is also an emphasis on the sexual awakening of young males and how, if unchecked, can develop an unrealistic mentality that requires immediate action. The film places a strong emphasis on violence by illustrating horrifically brutal scenarios which the camera does not fear to show. Most of the onscreen violence is the result of protagonist Brandon Breyer’s superpowers and his horrible misuse of them. Jackson A. Dunn gives a rather mixed performance as Brandon; on one hand, his delivery of many lines feel rushed and his facial expressions often wander. That said, his wavering facial expressions actually mesh well with Brandon’s psychopathic nature and his definitive lack of sympathy for anyone in the narrative. Elizabeth Banks and Meredith Hagner give great performances to Tori Breyer and Merilee McNichol, respectively. However, these two characters constantly make poor decisions through the narrative which could easily (and logically) have been avoided. David Denman is definitely the standout as both actor and with his character Kyle, Brandon’s father. Whereas Tori is well acted but illogical throughout the narrative, Kyle abides by both logic and emotion towards his son; he is the first to truly understand Brandon’s negative potential and is the only person close to him who suitably acts on his behaviours. For a child actor, Emmie Hunter gives a decent performance as Caitlyn; she gives a suitably anxious performance once she realises Brandon’s disturbing tendencies and how she may be the centre of some of them. While understandable for the minute budget, the visual effects are mostly awful and only really ‘shine’ with anatomically demanding shots. As for the soundtrack, it had some tonally fascinating concepts which would have benefitted from evolving leitmotifs. Overall, Brightburn is far from the worst horror film ever made; that said, it’s concepts promised something truly super and the film did not deliver.

Released 30th September 2015, The Martian follows Astronaut Mark Watney as he fights to survive on Mars while Nasa equally fight to bring him home. A great ode to the film’s success is that (for the first two acts) it is able to deliver its narrative in a realistic manner with plausible processes and technobabble. This setting grants strength to the film’s themes of survival, determination and hope: themes that are strong enough to persevere through frequent comedic moments. Unlike many modern comedies, The Martian has a very laid back sense of humour which arises through the circumstances of the character, not the script; this is made all the more apparent by the vastness of the cast and how different everyone is. While the size of the cast prevents many characters receiving great depth, they all serve their purpose and this film receives a pass as the narrative stresses that it is a race against time to save Watney hence reducing the necessity for depth. Donald Glover, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejifor, Mackenzie Davis, Sean Bean and Kristen Wiig do a good enough job as the Earth-based crew at Nasa. Everyone is able to demonstrate unique quirks and offer something different to the table. Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan and Aksel Hennie also do a great job as Mark’s crewmates who had to leave him on Mars. This portion of the cast are able to indulge in elements of grief and blame towards their actions while also reflected the comradery of the crew to the audience. Then there is Mark Watney himself, Matt Damon; Damon’s performance is far from a career best but he gives a solid range of emotion through the film with relatable nuances and aforementioned comedic timing. Being set in space, there are a greater emphasis on visual effects throughout the film; these effects do not seem to falter at any point and deliver Mars’ scale particularly well. While sufficient in underscoring many scenes, the soundtrack is generally unmemorable. Overall The Martian is a perfectly serviceable film with an enjoyable, star-studded cast, good visuals and enough comedy to prevent the third act from seeming as scientifically bonkers as it is.