Happy Death Day 2 U

Posted on February 17, 2019 by C966939529

If I was stuck in a time loop watching this film – I wouldn’t care!

We have yet another sequel, but I am not mad as I loved the original film. But I always get nervous as films will always be compared to their counterparts. Luckily this film works perfectly.

The original Happy Death Day was set on Tree’s Birthday 18^th September. Happy Death Day 2U is set the very next day, 19^th September. This could be troublesome, but the sequel has remained with the same crew, same director, same cinematographer and same music director.

This lends itself to the smooth transition from one film to the next. This is definitely a film that you need to see the original before seeing the sequel as there are so many Easter eggs! Especially relating to Back To The Future, which was a big influence in this film.

So, of course you know the drill

* SPOILER ALERT*

Some of my favourites are:

The woodchipper scene, which is called Biff’s Tree Cutting Service, a nod to Biff the bully from the Back To The Future trilogy.
There is also in the background of the skydiving scene “Like a Leaf” written on the plane, another homage to the joke Biff always messed up, “Make like a tree and leaf.”
88 mph in the car
Poster on the wall[1]
Red Hawaiian shirt in the background

I live for these sort of references in films!

An extra one the Greek Mythology buffs:

Ryan’s Proton Converting Device. He named it Sissy, which sounds suspiciously like Sisyphus, who escaped death and was forced to roll a boulder up a hill, which constantly rolled back down, for eternity. [2]

The story is as seamless as these references and of course with any slasher film, a higher death count. In the first film there are 14 deaths, 8 of these are Tree’s. In this film there are 20 deaths, but luckily for Tree she only dies 7 times, but of course they are hilarious.

My personal favourites, the skydive and the electrocution.

The comedy keeps rolling even with the costumes.

Speaking of costumes, some eagle eyed viewers may have spotted a huge clue to the multiverse theory. Look closely at these two photos:

Happy Death Day Happy Death Day 2 U

The Gigs are he same band, but different locations….Butterfly Effect is in full effect people!

Happy Death Day Happy Death Day 2 U

Speaking of which DO NOT LEAVE IN THE CREDITS!!! Trust me it makes everything make sense and leads us to thinking there is going to be another film! I am buzzing!

If you liked the original you will love this film, I guarantee it!

My blog so my views I give it 5/5!

Director: Christopher Landon

Cast: Jessica Rothe, Isreal Broussard, Ruby Modine

Crew: Toby Oliver (Cinematography), Jason Blum (Producer), Bear McCreary (Music)

Genre: Science Fiction Comedy Slasher

Rating: 15

[1] https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2467009/happy-death-day-2u-has-a-bunch-of-clever-back-to-the-future-tributes

[2] https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/the-myth-of-sisyphus/

The Meg

Posted on August 24, 2018 by C966939529

A Meg-nificant Movie Mistake

This film plays on one of the most well known fears throughout the world…How do you really know what is lurking beneath you in the ocean?

So far scientists have only explored around 20% of the world’s oceans which means we know so little about the environment, the climates, and the species that dwell below in the deep., and back in 1975 Jaws brought this fear to the forefront of peoples minds and although many years have passed, can you tell me when you go in the water you don’t still hear the chilling theme tune?

Besides have you seen Shark Week?!?! They are discovering the bigger sharks are dwelling at deeper depths and aren’t normally seen at the surface, so what else is hiding down there?

Since Jaws is one of my favourite films and got me looking at films from numerous aesthetic angles I can’t review a shark film without discussing them both!

Just like Jaws, The Meg is based on a book and is based around the deep sea research from an ocean based marine biology centre. Oh wait does this sound familiar? You bet! From 1975 lets time travel to 1999 and Deep Blue Sea. Marine Biologists are researching on a floating rig in the middle of the Ocean. I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this already aren’t you?

So lets cut to the chase and look at our big bad sharks:

Jaws:

Great White Shark

Carcharodon carcharias

25ft or 7.5ms

Man- eater

Attacks from below

The Meg:

Megalodon

Carcharocles megalodon

68-88ft or 21-27ms

Top predadtor of the oceans

Extinct 2 million years

We have learnt in recent years that giant Great White Sharks called mega-sharks do exist.

I would like to introduce you to Deep Blue, a 20 ft female Great White Shark found in the Guadalupe Islands off of Mexico. She is believed to be one of the biggest White Sharks discovered, but she is still growing. She is believed to be around 50 years old and she is still growing. She is only 5ft off the shark in Jaws, so who else is hiding down there?

“You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat”

But I digress!

The Meg has tried to learn a lot from its predecessor shark films such as:

Using music to build tension
Not showing the shark straight away and playing on the audiences’ own fears
Using Point of View shots from both the characters and the sharks

But it differs on the way it has been filmed.

To get the best shots of the actors in the water they wanted to be able to control the environment so instead of shooting in the ocean they shot in a tan. I can completely understand the reasoning behind it but it is soo obvious! You know it isn’t the ocean, purely because there isn’t anything disturbing the shots and to me it is going to scare me of the ocean because it clearly isn’t the ocean!

In Jaws they filmed in the ocean and tied ropes on to the actors and pulled them around giving the authentic feel, admittedly the shark is nothing by todays standards it gave a focal point for the actors. This is the problem with CGI because the actors are trying to act with a tennis ball on a stick for reference. I don’t care if you were the world’s greatest actor, you are not going to get believable reactions. I really believed that with clever angles and a smaller realistic model this would have been a much better film.

In my opinion, this film is style over substance and is weakened by bad aesthetic choices – CGI can only take you so far. I know it was never going to be a master piece, but I really had higher expectations, a few funny moments can’t save it.

2/5

Director: Jon Turtletaub

Cast: Jason Statham, Ruby Rose, Rainn Wilson, Li Bingbing,

Crew: Harry Gregson-Williams (Music), Tom Stern (Cinematographer)

Genre: Science Fiction Thriller (apparently???)

Rating: 12A

Inferno

Posted on October 22, 2016 by C966939529

Terribly predictable

I was looking forward to this movie because I love “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons”. Considering that Ron Howard has stayed on as director and David Koepp is still writing the Screenplay I had high hopes, but it just hasn’t worked.

I can’t pin point what it is exactly that bugged me so much. I think personally it was the inconstancies and the lack of mystery.

Firstly there was some positive things in the film, first of all Tom Hanks. As soon as I heard that the books were going to be made into movies I said to my Dad I think Tom Hanks would be perfect for the role of Robert Langdon and he agreed. We always do this for books, suggest who we would want in the film, and apparently we think the same as Ron Howard. I think he really brought the essence of the character to life, unfortunately the same cannot be said for Felicity Jones as Sienna. Her performance was fairly flat and was monotonous throughout but I think it’s just the way the film turned out.

I also liked the use of technology in the film. Youtube, Gmail, The Guardian and Drones are all used as nice touches but the drone scene has a big no-no for me. Considering that it is set in Florence, Italy and everyone is speaking Italian, so why is the drone in English? For me little things like this really bug me as it makes it obvious that I am watching a film and I am suddenly detached from the actual story.

I haven’t read the book but I am sure it is not as cheesy as the script. “Humanities final hope” (Howard, 2016) is an awful phrase although I do like the idea of if “There’s a switch, if you throw it half the people on earth will die, but if you don’t in a hundred years then the human race will be extinct.” (Howard, 2016) Films that make you think about these seemingly impossible questions and I think that is why I love thrillers.

One thing that I have to mention is the CGI in the vision scenes. It was terrible! Seeing people walking around with their head facing the wrong way should be terrifying but it was not it was cringe worthy and not in a good sense.

Overall, when I am going to see a mystery thriller I expect it to be unpredictable and keep me guessing. I don’t expect to be able to guess the ending half way through the film. I just found it was messy and incoherent. In the final scenes somewhere that is supposed to be full of people suddenly cut to scenes where there was only 2 characters. These inconsistencies are easy enough to fix but unfortunately just not for this movie.

2 stars.

Works Cited

Howard, R. (Director). (2016). Inferno [Motion Picture].

Director: Ron Howard

Cast: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ben Foster

Crew: Hans Zimmer (Music), David Koepp (Screenplay)

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Rating: 12A

The Purge: Election Year

Posted on September 28, 2016 by C966939529

“A great ending to a great trilogy”
I am a big fan of the Purge franchise. I like the different political and social issues that they bring to a head. Throughout the trilogy issues that have been discussed are the classes system, dealing with family and morals. In the first film deals with the classes; the populous is divided into first class and the homeless.

The first class people can afford security protection and use the annual purge as an excuse to get rid of the homeless. In the second film it progresses from the reaction to the purge. Some choose to sacrifice themselves for their family where as others try to avenge their families. This film covers the main topic of whether the purge is right or wrong. The tagline “Just remember all the good the purge does” (DeMonaco, 2013) represents one side of the argument. They believe it is about cleansing their soul from evil. “Blessed be America for letting us and cleanse our souls. Join me as we eliminate evil. Purge and purify. Purge and purify”. (DeMonaco, The Purge: Election Year, 2016)

I love films that make you think and the Purge series really makes you think. As it is set in the future it is possible that something like this could happen. Over the years I have decided that I would be too poor to afford the nice security system so my plan would be to barricade myself in the house and hide in the loft with food and be really really really quiet. I admit it is not the best plan but at least I would be alive! Although I have just shared my plan with you…..you wont tell anyone right?

I like the stylisation of the film as well as it is similar to Nerve. Again they use neon lights and darkness to represent different ideas.

In a lot of the scenes at the beginning with the Senator the light is bright.

When the opposition is on screen they are in the dark with a really harsh light. This gives it a sinister feeling.

This film had a great use of tension and had some good jumpy moments.

4/5

Director: James DeMonaco

Cast: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell and Mykelti Williamson.

Crew: Michael Bay (Producer) Jacques Jouffret (Cinematography)

Genre: Dystopian Action Horror

Rating: 15

The Shallows

Posted on August 26, 2016 by C966939529

Jaws on Acid

The first film I ever saw that really stuck with me was 1975’s “Jaws”, I think because of the atmosphere that Spielberg created with John William’s music. The iconic Jaws theme is always singing in my head whenever I am in water, be it the sea, swimming pool or even in the bathtub!

Since this I have developed a love around shark films so I was really excited to see this one. My worry about this film was the fact that there is one main actor. Isolation films are a really interesting concept and can go either really well or really bad. Examples of this are one of my favourite film “Cast Away”, I love it was really well done but in comparison to “Gravity”, that as a different story. Gravity was visually spectacular and I love Sandra Bullock but I was so bored. So I had my reservations about The Shallows too, but they were not needed.

I loved the Jaws throwbacks. There was a lot of similarities between the first shark attack in Jaws and Lively’s attack in The Shallows.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the use of comedy and thriller at the same time. The use of the language barrier was really funny. It is a very fine line between bringing comedy and thrillers together.

One of my other worries about this film was of course the shark. Need I remind you of the shark from Jaws 3?

CGI can be either good or bad….like Sharknado being the bad kind.

The Shallows wasn’t too bad. I think they get away with it because they rely on the viewers imagination reacting to shadows and Lively’s reaction.

Another good point was the use of the surfers Go-Pro cameras and the point of view shots they gave. Used in a similar way to “Hardcore Henry” but less of a main film point. It was used as a good way to connect the few secondary characters together.

I love this film and find it really enjoyable. Blake Lively gives a really good performance and they don’t just rely on her being pretty and thin. Some films like this just rely on bikini clad girls (Piranha comes to mind) but through most of the movie Lively is wearing a wetsuit top and her attire slowly changes by ripping pieces off the suit to cover her wounds. A very good use of wardrobe.

Love love love!

Works Cited

Jaws (1975)

Sharknado (2013)

Jaws 3 (1983)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Blake Lively

Crew: Anthony Jaswinski

Genre: Survival Thriller

Rating: 15

Nerve

Posted on August 20, 2016 by C966939529

“Neon Nerve-wrecking Fun”

I was really looking forward to seeing this film as technology is always evolving so it is a topic that is developing in films. Just look at “Hardcore Henry” and the use of Go-Pro cameras, totally new idea that is starting to be seen elsewhere. The idea of this film is about almost Truth or Dare but just the dares for money. The characters are all teenagers about to go to University so this is almost the next step up from playing dares in the playground as kids. Except this is the next level, playing for money and the fear of failing.

I discovered that Director Ariel Shulman (Yes, from Catfish), said about his own experiences “I can’t turn down a dare. I’m incorrigible. I’m the kid who did dumb shit in high school because people dared me to do it, and I wanted the attention.” (Bell, 2016) So I am quite impressed I understood the idea behind it and also shows that the storytelling is great in the movie to be able to pick up this kind of content.

Stylistically I love this movie! The use of neon lighting in all scenes really brings out the almost seediness and darkness in the film. I was very impressed with the lights being used as a tracking device. In a few of the scenes it is a wide shot of a bridge. You could easily lose sight of the characters but you can easily spot the motorbike. It really draws your eye.

I mentioned the darkness of the film and to me this is due to the technology aspect of the dares. When Vee (Emma Roberts) first signs up to play all of her details on the internet are automatically connected to her player profile. What was most creepy of all was that her password was her fingerprint. It shows that no matter what, everything is on the internet if you are not careful. I also enjoyed the use of phones being used to film your dares as proof and the player interaction with the phone being on the screen, almost as if the app was watching you.

(White, 2016)

The one thing that bugged me about the film was the relationship between Vee and Sydney. The social construct of their friendship reminded me a lot of “Jennifer’s Body” between Jennifer and Needy. Vee is the meek nerdy friend whereas Sydney is the popular fearless cheerleader who doesn’t like it when Vee starts to find herself e.g. playing Nerve. This just seems a bit over played in films lately but for only one bad aspect, I can’t complain that much!

I really enjoyed the cast and think Dave Franco and Emma Roberts really shine. I would highly recommend this to everyone. The dares themselves are clever as you start off with an easy one then they get more and more risky.

Go see it…if you’ve got the nerve. 4/5

Works Cited

Bell, C. (2016, June 29). NERVE DIRECTORS REVEAL THE VOYEURISTIC DARE THAT WAS TOO ‘GROSS’ FOR PG-13. Retrieved from MTV: http://www.mtv.com/news/2899509/nerve-directors-dare-too-gross/

Kusama, K. (Director). (2009). Jennifer’s Body [Motion Picture].

White, J. (2016, July 27). Broomstick Comics. Retrieved from Film Review: Nerve: http://boomstickcomics.com/2016/07/film-review-nerve/

Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Cast: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco and Juliette Lewis

Crew: Michael Simmonds, Rob Simonsen

Genre: Techno-Thriller Adventure

Rating: 15

Now You See Me 2

Posted on July 5, 2016 by C966939529

“Magically Mediocre”

Sequels are a funny thing. They normally all go downhill from the original but I am an optimist when it comes to films. I was a huge fan of Now You See Me (NYSM) as I love magic. It is a personal love of mine as it fascinates me. I really liked the story and the cast and characters so I was really looking forward to seeing the sequel. As soon as I saw they were making a second film I was convinced they should call it “Now You Don’t” the marketing writes itself! Regrettably even a better name couldn’t save this film.

I was bitterly disappointed. It was very drawn out, they tried to up the stakes and everything but I was bored and it didn’t catch my attention. It was very over the top and the storyline kept getting more involved for no real reason. Changing the director gave it a different feel I’m not sure whether it made much of a difference.

*Spoiler Alert*

The one thing that I really liked was the death of Lionel Striker. The idea of it resonated with the true story of Amazing Joe Burrus. On October 31^st 1990 this magician tried to do Harry Houdini’s buried alive trick on the anniversary of Houdini’s death. Although Houdini never performed it on stage because he died before hand it is one of his famous tricks mainly due to the fact that it almost killed him during one performance. Burrus said “I consider myself a master of illusion and an escape artist. I believe I am the next Houdini and greater, to me, that is what an escape artist is: to put myself in an impossible situation and get out of it.” (AP, 1990)

Check out the video below, but bare in mind it is not suitable for people of a nervous disposition.

Unfortunately Burrus didn’t make it out alive and now shares something else with Houdini, his death date. Striker’s death in the film reminded me of the ever present danger that magicians face during every trick. I like the reality check.

The main issue I had with the film was the timeline. They said that the events of the first film was a year ago, so because of this I have it in my mind the timeframe. Later in the film Thaddeus says he has been in jail 18 months. How does that work as he was arrested at the end of the first film? Maybe I am being picky but I am a stickler for these sort of continuity errors.

Another issue I have with any sequel is when they change characters. Isla Fisher had to drop out of the film due to her pregnancy and was replaced with Lizzy Caplan. Caplan did a great job and brought a new energy into the film but even her ever present optimism could not save this film. I mean come on what is with Merritt’s twin Chase? It is way too out of the box and very predictable. Also Daniel Radcliff as the bad guy was more comical that believable. Merritt referring to him as the “man-boy” was on point! (Chu, 2016)

Unfortunately with the world of magic once the trick has been explained then the experience is over. This makes me worry about the fact that they are doing another film and making it a trilogy when it’s not really needed or asked for.

I can only give it 3 stars.

Director: Jon M. Chu

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Daniel Radcliffe, Lizzy Caplan

Crew: Ed Solomon (Screenwriter)

Genre: Thriller Caper

Rating: 12A

Works Cited

(1990, November 1). Man Who Billed Himself As Escape Artist Dies In Halloween Stunt. Retrieved from The Seattle Times: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19901101&slug=1101736

Chu, J. M. (Director). (2016). Now You See Me 2 [Motion Picture].

Money Monster

Posted on June 7, 2016 by C966939529

Magical, Meaningful, Majestic

I am in love. This is my kind of film hands down! From when I first heard about the premise of this film I knew it was going to be on my To Watch List. The first thing I noticed was the cast. Clooney (Lee Gates) and Roberts (Patty Fenn) have a great on screen chemistry anyway but add to that Jack O’Connell (Kyle Budwell), Lenny Venito (Lenny), and Caitriona Balfe (Diane Lester) performances I was so drawn into the characters. I mean Brit Jack O’Connell’s American accent was on point. If it hadn’t it would have drawn me out of the story.

The cinematography was really well constructed. I noticed that at the beginning whenever you saw Kyle it was a low shot and even cut his head out of the shot. Once he took over the studio suddenly the shots were higher and more focused. This gave a great sense of the illusion of status.

Kyle is comparing himself to Lee and Lee even sets up a scoreboard.

It makes a point that everyone values different things in life. Lee has the money but not the family and Kyle has the opposite. I also like the contrast between the light and dark reflecting the truth being sought and discovered.

*SPOILER ALERT*

The ending shocked me, I did not expect Kyle to get shot because of the story development I guess I was thinking there was a way out for him but then reality set in. Even Kyle himself says “I came in here knowing I wasn’t walking out”. I felt a real connection to O’Connell’s character as he is my age (24) struggling to keep his head above water and trying to save money for his child. This reminded me of many a talk I have had with my Dad. He has always said his generation are the “lucky generation” because they were able to leave school and walk straight into a job. I mean my Dad has been working for the same company since he was 18. Today it doesn’t work like that.

When my parents were my age they were married, both had jobs, and had bought their own house. How many 24 year olds could say that nowadays? I work as hard as I can to save money to get my own place but it is a struggle as the house prices are so much higher.

I think that is why this film and the character of Kyle resonates with me so much.

As well have having tense moments there is also a lot of comedic moments like between Patty and Lee right at the beginning of the film.

“Patty Fenn: Do you have the revisions for the opening?
Lee Gates: We’re still making changes.
Patty Fenn: Am I going to get the changes before the show or after the show?
Lee Gates: You know the drill. You just point the camera in my direction and we’ll figure it out together.
Patty Fenn: It always sounds so simple and yet so moronic.”

My favourite quote though was when someone says “Did he just say fucking on the air”, as if that is the main problem going on right now.

Ultimately this is a tense thriller with real life issues that makes you think and reflect on your own situation and relationship with money, a real thought provoker.

4 stars from me.

Director: Jodie Foster

Cast: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’Connell, Lenny Venito, Caitriona Balfe

Crew: Alan Di Fiore (Writer), Matthew Libatique (Cinematographer)

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 15

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