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Films round-up
May. 29th, 2017 10:55 amGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - I've said to people that the best parts of this film are the opening and end credits. That's no criticism of the film in-between, but the opening sequence just fills your heart with joy (one word: Groot), and the end credits include so many extra treats that I lost count. The rest of the film is like the biggest Saturday morning cartoon you'll ever see. If you weren't convinced by the first GOTG, this will do nothing to change your mind, but if you were won over by its over-the-top silliness and irreverence, you'll love it. It's also deceptively cleverly written. I was impressed by how every single character has an interesting story arc, and how seamlessly it all fits together. Rocket and baby Groot may be my favourite double-act, but I can't help loving the rest of the characters too.
Their Finest - A rather sweet comedy/drama set around British WW2 propaganda film-making. Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton) is the writer hired to draft the "slop" (women's dialogue), Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin) the colleague she clashes with, and Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy, on top form as ever) the rather luvvie actor leading their cast. Sexism, politics, bombings and increasingly awkward relationships get in the way of the film they're trying to make, but give us a delightful film to watch - with a surprising sudden twist near the end. The constant battles of wills between not just Catrin versus the rest, but pretty much all the main characters, make it a juicy drama, but it's also warm-hearted and an affectionate feel-good film.
Alien: Covenant - Despite the title, this is very much a sequel to Prometheus. You don't need to have seen it to follow this one though. (In fact, don't ever see Prometheus; you'll be cursing the lost two hours of your life.) Returning to the mysterious planet seen in that film, the crew of the colony ship Covenant stumble across an abandoned settlement and one of them begins to fall ill... There's a definite attempt to add more of the classic Alien tropes this time around, which is an improvement. The problem is that Ridley Scott seems to have forgotten how to use them. You can always tell exactly when an alien's about to jump out, and gadgets like the life sign tracker defuse the tension rather than adding to it. Ultimately it's an okay film, redeemed a lot by Michael Fassbender's performance, which is scarier than any alien.
Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Men Tell No Tales Salazar's Revenge - Similarly, this fifth entry in the Pirates franchise plays pretty much to type. Most of the old cast are back, there are CG-enhanced supernatural baddies galore, a quest for a magical MacGuffin, and an unnecessarily over-complicated plot. It's by no measure a great film, but it is the most fun entry in the series since Dead Man's Chest. I was especially fond of the classically Jack Sparrow bank robbery and the attack of the zombie sharks. Barbossa also gets a strong character arc this time. On the downside, Javier Bardem's Salazar is a less memorable baddie, and the attempt to flesh out Jack's backstory felt forced. Supposedly this is the final film in the series, although the post-credits sequence suggests otherwise...
Colossal - Unoriginality is the last complaint you can level at Colossal. I loved this film; it's quite unlike anything I've seen before. It's a black romantic comedy, a psychological study of standing up to abuse and bullying, and a trashy monster movie all in one. Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an alcoholic mess. Thrown out by her boyfriend (Dan Stevens), she returns to her childhood town. There she bumps into old friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), who helps her out but is the opposite of what she needs to break her drinking habit. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Seoul, a giant lizard monster is materialising out of thin air at the exact same time every night and trashing the city. Wait... what? How is this connected to Gloria's story? Well, to explain that would be to spoil it. Suffice to say this film is bonkers, inspired and highly recommended.
Their Finest - A rather sweet comedy/drama set around British WW2 propaganda film-making. Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton) is the writer hired to draft the "slop" (women's dialogue), Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin) the colleague she clashes with, and Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy, on top form as ever) the rather luvvie actor leading their cast. Sexism, politics, bombings and increasingly awkward relationships get in the way of the film they're trying to make, but give us a delightful film to watch - with a surprising sudden twist near the end. The constant battles of wills between not just Catrin versus the rest, but pretty much all the main characters, make it a juicy drama, but it's also warm-hearted and an affectionate feel-good film.
Alien: Covenant - Despite the title, this is very much a sequel to Prometheus. You don't need to have seen it to follow this one though. (In fact, don't ever see Prometheus; you'll be cursing the lost two hours of your life.) Returning to the mysterious planet seen in that film, the crew of the colony ship Covenant stumble across an abandoned settlement and one of them begins to fall ill... There's a definite attempt to add more of the classic Alien tropes this time around, which is an improvement. The problem is that Ridley Scott seems to have forgotten how to use them. You can always tell exactly when an alien's about to jump out, and gadgets like the life sign tracker defuse the tension rather than adding to it. Ultimately it's an okay film, redeemed a lot by Michael Fassbender's performance, which is scarier than any alien.
Pirates of the Caribbean:
Colossal - Unoriginality is the last complaint you can level at Colossal. I loved this film; it's quite unlike anything I've seen before. It's a black romantic comedy, a psychological study of standing up to abuse and bullying, and a trashy monster movie all in one. Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an alcoholic mess. Thrown out by her boyfriend (Dan Stevens), she returns to her childhood town. There she bumps into old friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), who helps her out but is the opposite of what she needs to break her drinking habit. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Seoul, a giant lizard monster is materialising out of thin air at the exact same time every night and trashing the city. Wait... what? How is this connected to Gloria's story? Well, to explain that would be to spoil it. Suffice to say this film is bonkers, inspired and highly recommended.
