A United Kingdom is directed by Amma Asante and is the story of Seretse and Ruth Khama, a black prince of Bechuanaland and a white ambulance driver during World War 2, whose marriage caused great political problems during the mid-20th century.
I wasn't familiar with the story of Seretse and Ruth before I saw A United Kingdom, and I was really interested to see how it would turn out while watching the film. During my review of Allied I mentioned that for a film about the relationship between to people to work, you must believe in the relationship on screen. Luckily I believed in David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike here as the central couple. If I were to have a complaint it would be that at the beginning the set up of their romance was rather quick and was done over a montage where it isn't very clear how long a time period it covers.
In short: A United Kingdom is very well made with believable central performances, but with a rushed set up.
Saturday, 17 December 2016
The Accountant review
To make everything chronological I saw The Accountant after Arrival but before Nocturnal Animals.
The Accountant is a dramatic action film about a highly intelligent autistic accountant who does business on the side with people who have questionable careers, and has a deadly arsenal to defend himself.
Honestly, I found it hard to describe the film as there are so many different story threads and characters that are followed, so I told you the basic premise instead. Having several story threads running alongside each other in a non-linear structure can make a film a mess. I found that wasn't the case here and, like Nocturnal Animals, each story compliments the overall story and the film probably works better having a non-linear structure.
Ben Affleck does well here, as do Jon Bernthal, Anna Kendrick, John Lithgow and JK Simmons. There were some elements to the story which were a bit predictable or felt rather rushed but for the most part it was good. Director Gavin O'Connor and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey do well at showing which time period you are currently watching. However, O'Connor fails to create a natural bridge between the autistic drama half of the film to the action heavy half of the film. I liked both parts, but there was no natural link between them.
In short: The Accountant is an entertaining, action drama that is two films in one without a good link between them, and a few story problems.
The Accountant is a dramatic action film about a highly intelligent autistic accountant who does business on the side with people who have questionable careers, and has a deadly arsenal to defend himself.
Honestly, I found it hard to describe the film as there are so many different story threads and characters that are followed, so I told you the basic premise instead. Having several story threads running alongside each other in a non-linear structure can make a film a mess. I found that wasn't the case here and, like Nocturnal Animals, each story compliments the overall story and the film probably works better having a non-linear structure.
Ben Affleck does well here, as do Jon Bernthal, Anna Kendrick, John Lithgow and JK Simmons. There were some elements to the story which were a bit predictable or felt rather rushed but for the most part it was good. Director Gavin O'Connor and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey do well at showing which time period you are currently watching. However, O'Connor fails to create a natural bridge between the autistic drama half of the film to the action heavy half of the film. I liked both parts, but there was no natural link between them.
In short: The Accountant is an entertaining, action drama that is two films in one without a good link between them, and a few story problems.
Thursday, 15 December 2016
Allied review
Ok, I lied, I am writing this on the 15th December.
Allied is directed by Robert Zemeckis and is about two spies in World War Two, who, after a mission in Casablanca, fall in love. Later the husband is informed his wife may be a German spy.
It would have been interesting to watch the film without knowing about the spy twist. But it was shown in the trailer and if it weren't for that I probably wouldn't have seen it. I wish they didn't show it in the trailer because the film did not work for me at all.
In a film centred around the relationship between two people it is essential that you believe that they are a couple for the film to work. I did not believe for a second in Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard's characters as a couple. They share very little on screen chemistry and their relationship feels very rushed. They are in Morocco for a week, in which they keep it professional until the last day. Then suddenly Brad wants Marion to come back to London with him because they are so in love. Suddenly they're married, now there's a kid, now they're happy, and maybe she's a German spy. It also doesn't help that Brad Pitt shows about five variations of the same expression throughout the film: Happy Brad, Sad Brad, Confused Brad, Angsty Brad and Angry Brad (that could easily become a mobile game). Marion Cotillard was good though.
Robert Zemeckis is known for advancing cinema and for his use of both practical and digital effects, so it is rather odd of him to choose to take on this film when it is a lot more personal with a lot less standout scenes. And the scenes which he tries to make spectacles often come off as cheesy. Scenes inside a car during a sandstorm and a birth during an air raid stand out as completely out of place. I liked one of the previous films Steven Knight wrote, Locke, but I really disliked the characters and the story he created here. Maybe one of the true stories of which this film is based on are more interesting than the fictional one here.
In short: Allied doesn't work for several reasons but mainly the central relationship is not believable.
I forgot to review The Accountant. So that will be next instead of A United Kingdom.
Allied is directed by Robert Zemeckis and is about two spies in World War Two, who, after a mission in Casablanca, fall in love. Later the husband is informed his wife may be a German spy.
It would have been interesting to watch the film without knowing about the spy twist. But it was shown in the trailer and if it weren't for that I probably wouldn't have seen it. I wish they didn't show it in the trailer because the film did not work for me at all.
In a film centred around the relationship between two people it is essential that you believe that they are a couple for the film to work. I did not believe for a second in Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard's characters as a couple. They share very little on screen chemistry and their relationship feels very rushed. They are in Morocco for a week, in which they keep it professional until the last day. Then suddenly Brad wants Marion to come back to London with him because they are so in love. Suddenly they're married, now there's a kid, now they're happy, and maybe she's a German spy. It also doesn't help that Brad Pitt shows about five variations of the same expression throughout the film: Happy Brad, Sad Brad, Confused Brad, Angsty Brad and Angry Brad (that could easily become a mobile game). Marion Cotillard was good though.
Robert Zemeckis is known for advancing cinema and for his use of both practical and digital effects, so it is rather odd of him to choose to take on this film when it is a lot more personal with a lot less standout scenes. And the scenes which he tries to make spectacles often come off as cheesy. Scenes inside a car during a sandstorm and a birth during an air raid stand out as completely out of place. I liked one of the previous films Steven Knight wrote, Locke, but I really disliked the characters and the story he created here. Maybe one of the true stories of which this film is based on are more interesting than the fictional one here.
In short: Allied doesn't work for several reasons but mainly the central relationship is not believable.
I forgot to review The Accountant. So that will be next instead of A United Kingdom.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them review
Fantastic Beasts is an expansion of JK Rowlings Wizarding World, and follows magizoologist Newt Scamander as he enters 1920s New York.
I could go on for ages about how I found this to be a great continuation of a franchise that should have ended five years ago. But I'm not because it could easily become derivative. If you are a dedicated reader (are there any of you?) you will know I am a big Harry Potter fan. During October I visited the studio tour in Watford and would highly recommend it for any fan. I really enjoyed the film.
The characters of Newt (Eddie Redmayne), Jacob (Dan Fogelman), Tina (Katherine Waterstone), and Queenie (Alison Sudol) are all well written and are portrayed well. Colin Farrell and Ezra Miller also do good in smaller roles, but still manage to bring depth to their characters. Rowling does a good job of writing her first screenplay and director David Yates does well in bringing it to the screen.
The CGI is well done and the beasts are truly wonderful... that doesn't sound quite right, erm... majestical! Yes, the beasts are majestical. The second time I saw the film was in IMAX 3D, and while I found the 3D conversion to be quite good with the breaking of the frame, there were several times where the conversion blurred the picture.
In short: Fantastic Beasts is a worthy expansion of the Harry Potter series and shows great potential for the future.
I could go on for ages about how I found this to be a great continuation of a franchise that should have ended five years ago. But I'm not because it could easily become derivative. If you are a dedicated reader (are there any of you?) you will know I am a big Harry Potter fan. During October I visited the studio tour in Watford and would highly recommend it for any fan. I really enjoyed the film.
The characters of Newt (Eddie Redmayne), Jacob (Dan Fogelman), Tina (Katherine Waterstone), and Queenie (Alison Sudol) are all well written and are portrayed well. Colin Farrell and Ezra Miller also do good in smaller roles, but still manage to bring depth to their characters. Rowling does a good job of writing her first screenplay and director David Yates does well in bringing it to the screen.
The CGI is well done and the beasts are truly wonderful... that doesn't sound quite right, erm... majestical! Yes, the beasts are majestical. The second time I saw the film was in IMAX 3D, and while I found the 3D conversion to be quite good with the breaking of the frame, there were several times where the conversion blurred the picture.
In short: Fantastic Beasts is a worthy expansion of the Harry Potter series and shows great potential for the future.
Nocturnal Animals review
Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals has a three story structure in which a woman receives a manuscript from her ex-husband, the story in the manuscript and the story of their relationship.
Of the two Amy Adams films that came out in November, this is the lesser. That doesn't mean it's bad, just nowhere near as good as Arrival. It is clearly shown that Tom Ford is a fashion designer, as every shot seems a carefully put together and everything that is shown is there on purpose. This, however, becomes a case of style becoming substance at times. I love whenever a filmmaker is able to tell their story through visual means, but at times it is almost as if Ford decided to have some parts of the film have several meanings in order to remain ambiguous and confuse the audience. Of course, every shot looks beautiful and helps to easily transition between the three stories.
For a film like this to work you need to be invested in all three stories. The manuscript had me invested in through the whole story despite the shocking violent scenes, which probably helped me to stay interested in the story. The story of Susan (Amy Adams) and Edward's (Jake Gyllenhaal) relationship was intriguing as I wanted to know what went terribly wrong. The story of Susan reading the manuscript didn't have me invested until at least halfway through the film. A lot of the scenes were of Susan walking around her big house, reading as she becomes depressed about her life. It wasn't until we actually start to learn more about Susan that I found this part of the film interesting. The three stories effectively intertwine and add to each other, so it is possible that on another viewing I will appreciate the film more. But the opposite could also be true.
Amy Adams gives a better performance in Arrival than she does here, as she is given more to work with there. Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and, especially, Aaron Taylor-Johnson give great performances and I would really like for them to get recognition during awards season.
Once again, it would probably be best not to know much about the stories before watching Nocturnal Animals for the first time.
In short: Nocturnal Animals is a film with great performances and is very well designed, even if it sometimes overtakes the plot.
Of the two Amy Adams films that came out in November, this is the lesser. That doesn't mean it's bad, just nowhere near as good as Arrival. It is clearly shown that Tom Ford is a fashion designer, as every shot seems a carefully put together and everything that is shown is there on purpose. This, however, becomes a case of style becoming substance at times. I love whenever a filmmaker is able to tell their story through visual means, but at times it is almost as if Ford decided to have some parts of the film have several meanings in order to remain ambiguous and confuse the audience. Of course, every shot looks beautiful and helps to easily transition between the three stories.
For a film like this to work you need to be invested in all three stories. The manuscript had me invested in through the whole story despite the shocking violent scenes, which probably helped me to stay interested in the story. The story of Susan (Amy Adams) and Edward's (Jake Gyllenhaal) relationship was intriguing as I wanted to know what went terribly wrong. The story of Susan reading the manuscript didn't have me invested until at least halfway through the film. A lot of the scenes were of Susan walking around her big house, reading as she becomes depressed about her life. It wasn't until we actually start to learn more about Susan that I found this part of the film interesting. The three stories effectively intertwine and add to each other, so it is possible that on another viewing I will appreciate the film more. But the opposite could also be true.
Amy Adams gives a better performance in Arrival than she does here, as she is given more to work with there. Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and, especially, Aaron Taylor-Johnson give great performances and I would really like for them to get recognition during awards season.
Once again, it would probably be best not to know much about the stories before watching Nocturnal Animals for the first time.
In short: Nocturnal Animals is a film with great performances and is very well designed, even if it sometimes overtakes the plot.
Arrival review
I am really bad at releasing reviews on time.
Arrival is a science fiction drama about a linguistics professor(Amy Adams) asked to make contact with aliens in pods that have arrived on Earth.
I have told you all you need to know about Arrival before you see it. It is one of my favourite films I have seen this year, and I would highly recommend that you see it if you haven't already. This is the third film of Denis Villeneuve's that I have seen; it is his best in my opinion. Prisoners and Sicario are both very well made but both are very dark and neither have much hope. This is where Arrival is different. There is a sense of wonder felt at several times throughout the film and the outlook on humanity isn't as dark and depressing as several characters in Prisoners and Sicario. There are a few moments of humour that are placed well without standing out, but help keep the film from going into bleak territory.
Amy Adams gives a brilliant performance in the lead role and I think has a great chance of being a frontrunner when it comes to awards. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker both do well in the smaller roles they are given as a theoretical physicist and a military colonel. Villeneuve once again partners with Jóhann Jóhannsson for the third time to produce a magnificent score that works well in the film. Not returning is cinematographer Roger Deakins, and is replaced by Bradford Young who excellently captures the great majesty of the arrival of the extra-terrestrials.
I've told you enough, just remember that aliens≠action.
In short: Arrival is fantastic, it is what every science fiction film should strive to be like.
Arrival is a science fiction drama about a linguistics professor(Amy Adams) asked to make contact with aliens in pods that have arrived on Earth.
I have told you all you need to know about Arrival before you see it. It is one of my favourite films I have seen this year, and I would highly recommend that you see it if you haven't already. This is the third film of Denis Villeneuve's that I have seen; it is his best in my opinion. Prisoners and Sicario are both very well made but both are very dark and neither have much hope. This is where Arrival is different. There is a sense of wonder felt at several times throughout the film and the outlook on humanity isn't as dark and depressing as several characters in Prisoners and Sicario. There are a few moments of humour that are placed well without standing out, but help keep the film from going into bleak territory.
Amy Adams gives a brilliant performance in the lead role and I think has a great chance of being a frontrunner when it comes to awards. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker both do well in the smaller roles they are given as a theoretical physicist and a military colonel. Villeneuve once again partners with Jóhann Jóhannsson for the third time to produce a magnificent score that works well in the film. Not returning is cinematographer Roger Deakins, and is replaced by Bradford Young who excellently captures the great majesty of the arrival of the extra-terrestrials.
I've told you enough, just remember that aliens≠action.
In short: Arrival is fantastic, it is what every science fiction film should strive to be like.
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