The Lego Batman Movie is a spin-off from the Lego Movie, and follows Lego Batman as voiced by Will Arnett. The style of the film is much like the style of the Lego Movie, being very fast paced and full of jokes and references to pop culture. The film is a spoof of everything we have seen from the character batman, from the 60s to the recent DC films, but also has a pretty sweet story amongst the gags about Batman dealing with loneliness and struggling with the concept of family. Batman is afraid of relationships and relying on other people, he resists working with the police and refuses to admit to the Joker that they have a connection, but when he accidentally adopts Dick Grayson he is forced to try to connect with the people who care about him. If you’re not a fan of referential humour and pop culture comedy, you didn’t like the Lego Movie, and don’t have a basic knowledge of the Batman franchise, then you probably won’t enjoy this film. I like all of those things though and I thought this film was an absolute blast. The Lego Batman Movie is directed by Chris McKay and stars the voices of Will Arnett. Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes and Zach Galifianakis. Continue reading “The Lego Batman Movie (2017)- Film review”
Split (2017)-Film review
Split is a psychological thriller following three girls who are kidnapped by a man with 23 different personalities. The film primarily follows Casey, one of the kidnapped girls, and three of the man’s personalities, Dennis, Miss Patricia, and Hedwig. These three personalities have split away from the other 20, as they believe a 24th personality is coming to consume the girls. This is the latest film from director M. Night Shyamalan, and if you are familiar with his previous work then you know that he has had very high points and very low points, and I am very happy to say that this film feels like a return to form for him, I enjoyed it a lot. There is quite a big spoiler in this film which I will avoid giving away. Split stars James McAvoy as many personalities, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula. Continue reading “Split (2017)-Film review”
Sing (2017)- Film review
Sing is the latest animated kids film from Illumination studios, and is set in a world with animals instead of people. Buster Moon, a theatre owning Koala, decides to put on a Singing competition to save his Theatre from closing down. The film follows Buster and a variety of different animals who enter his competition, including Jonny the bank robbing Gorilla, Rosita the housewife Pig, Meena the shy Elephant, and more. The film takes the initial premise from Zootropolis, but replaces the cleaver comedy and inspiring social message with pop song covers and on the nose, slap stick humour. To be honest there’s not much to say about this film. There was nothing offensively bad and it wasn’t particularly boring, but it didn’t really have anything that made it unique or especially entertaining either. This is definitely aimed more at a younger audience, and adds up to a perfectly fine but ultimately disposable kids film. The film stars the voices of Mathew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Taron Edgerton, Tori Kelly, Scarlett Johansson, Seth MacFarlane and John C. Riley. Continue reading “Sing (2017)- Film review”
Hacksaw Ridge (2017)- Film review
Hacksaw Ridge follows World War 2 army medic Desmond T. Doss and his involvement in the Battle of Okinawa. Doss desperately wishes to serve his country but is also a devout pacifist who refuses to ever touch a gun. After much resistance, he is allowed into the field of battle with no weapon to protect himself. This is a very inspirational story about someone trying to bring a ray of light into one of the darkest and most horrible places imaginable. It is also a very grounded and realistic depiction of WWII and the horrors of the battle on Hacksaw Ridge. Films like this are important as they remind us of these dark times so that we may find a way to avoid them in the future and this film definitely fulfils this as war is never glorified, and every death hits you like a punch to the chest. This film is directed by Mel Gibson and stars Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss, with supporting roles from Sam Worthing, Vince Vaughn, Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey and Hugo Weaving. Continue reading “Hacksaw Ridge (2017)- Film review”
La La Land (2017)- Film Review
La La Land is a musical romance set in modern day Los Angeles. The film follows Mia and Sebastian, Mia dreams of being an actress while Sebastian wishes to open his own Jazz club, and through a series of coincidences these two come together and help each other pursue these goals. This a uplifting film about chasing your dreams, it has a joyous tone and is a fun musical experience. It has a similar feel to the old musicals of the 50s, like Singing in the Rain and Guys and Dolls, and definitely pays homage to that era and style. I feel like if you have experienced LA you will get a little extra out of this as the city is brought to life; I have never seen LA but I was still drawn into the setting due to the dreamlike quality the film displays. Having seen this film after it won all those Golden Globes I had to put that out of my head, as I didn’t want to have overly high expectations, and while I will say I don’t know if it deserved the record breaking amount of awards it got, It was a very enjoyable film that I had a great time with. La La Land is directed by Damien Chazelle, director of Whiplash, and stars Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling and John Legend. Continue reading “La La Land (2017)- Film Review”
Silence (2017)- Film Review
Silence is the latest film from Martin Scorsese, and tells the true story of two Priests, Father Rodrigues and Father Garrpe in the 17th century, who travel to Japan find their mentor after they receive a report that he has verbally renounced his faith. The Priests are put to the ultimate test of faith, as Christianity is outlawed in Japan, and their supporters are tortured and executed. Despite being about religion, I did not find this to be a religious film. It doesn’t feel preachy, and Scorsese treats this tragic story with respect and doesn’t hold back on the horrors that took place. This film will affect anyone, religious or not, as it is a portrayal of people suffering for what they believe, and it is from a director who has yet to make a film that hasn’t been a critical success. This film stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson. Continue reading “Silence (2017)- Film Review”
A Monster Calls (2017)- Film review
A Monster Calls is the film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Patrick Ness. It tells the story of a young boy, named Connor, who is visited nightly by a giant monster. Connor is struggling with issues at school and at home, and dealing with things that no one, let alone a child, should have to deal with. A Monster Calls explores the complexity of a child’s emotions through imagination. Having read the novel and loved it, I knew that trying to not compare this Film to the book would be difficult. However, this wasn’t really an issue, as the film is almost exactly the same as the book plot-wise, and acts as a very good companion piece to it. The film captures the essence of what made the book special, and that is its mature approach to a child’s mind as well as its full and vibrant imagination, and while it isn’t a masterpiece or one for the Oscars, it is a touching and heartfelt experience with an important message that can connect to all ages. A Monster Calls stars Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Liam Neeson, and Sigourney Weaver, and is directed by J. A. Bayona. Continue reading “A Monster Calls (2017)- Film review”
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)- Film review
Rogue One is a spin-off anthology film set in the Star Wars Universe. The film depicts the events that led up to the beginning of A New Hope, showing how the Rebellion acquired the Death Star plans. The film focuses on the team of rebels as they try to acquire the plans, and primarily follows Jyn Erso, a convicted criminal who is recruited by the Rebellion. I don’t really know what else to say about it without spoiling it, but despite the fact that the film goes all over the galaxy to new and unique planets, it feels like more of a small scale adventure than the other films. I found the film to be very enjoyable with engaging characters. The film stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Ben Mendelson, Forrest Whitaker and Mads Mikkelson, as is directed by Gareth Edwards. Continue reading “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)- Film review”
Station Eleven (Emily St.John Mandel)- Book review
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel, is a novel revolving around an apocalyptic flu epidemic and follows a series of interconnecting characters. These characters are all connected by a famous Hollywood star, Arthur Leander, who dies of a heart attack during a stage production of King Lear in Toronto immediately before the flu outbreak starts. Primarily, the story takes place 20 years after the epidemic, following 28 year old Kirsten (a child actor on stage with Arthur when he died) and the group she travels with, ‘The Travelling Symphony,’ a caravan of actors and musicians who travel between the towns and settlements of the new world performing music and Shakespeare. However, the story also jumps non-chronologically between the lives of Arthur, his first ex-wife Miranda, his friend Clark, and the man who performed CPR on him on stage, Jeevan; focusing on their lives before, during, and after the outbreak. The way the story changes and develops is so intriguing and gripping that I am not going to spoil any of it in this review, as I didn’t know anything about it going in and it added to the experience. I will say though that this novel feels like it should be a classic, it’s beautifully written, it leaves you thinking about what it’s trying to say long after you’ve finished reading, and I found it very hard to put it down. Continue reading “Station Eleven (Emily St.John Mandel)- Book review”
Moana (2016)- Film review
Moana is the latest film from Disney animation. Set in ancient Polynesia, a young chieftains daughter, named Moana, is raised on stories of the Demi-god Maui and how he stole a life giving stone which was then lost to the sea, causing a darkness to spread across the world. When the supposed legend turns out to be true as the darkness reaches Moana’s Island, the Ocean chooses Moana as its champion, and she must decide whether to go and find Moui and make him correct his mistake, or stay with her tribe as the future chieftain. It is an exciting musical adventure filled with magic, beauty and heart. I didn’t know what to think going in because I wasn’t the biggest fan of Frozen (2013) and have preferred Disney animation’s none-musical films, like Zootopia (2016) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012}, but I ended up having a lot of fun with this one. It felt like it belonged alongside the classic Disney musicals of the 90s, such as Aladdin (1992) and Lion King (1994). Moana stars newcomer Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, and is directed and written by John Musker and Ron Clements, the team behind The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin and Hercules (1997). Continue reading “Moana (2016)- Film review”
The UK Reviewer 