Tag Archives: Movie Reviews

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, No Spoiler Reviews

WONDER WOMAN (2017): Good…

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Wonder Woman (2017), Gal Gadot
Wonder Woman (2017), Gal Gadot

As good a film as Wonder Woman is, I’m quite sure that I adore the trailer more. This is probably the first time I’ve said I love a trailer more than I love the film, but without really meaning that the film is bad. 

The pace of director Pattie Jenkins’s movie was OK, and the humour was fun, but there’s something about the film’s initial trailer that I just can’t forget about – because it was super.

Of course, the exceptionally chosen, perfectly rousing trailer music coupled with great editing, storytelling and visuals had much to do with it. Yet Wonder Woman’s crime, for me, at least, may be that the wonderful high I experienced as I watched the trailer simply wasn’t constantly present throughout the film. Not that I’m saying that would have been a great idea, mind you.

It’s just that there’s no denying, for me, the noticeable absence of said high by the end of this movie. I did not take my hands to the air while silently yelping, so as not to annoy my neighbours, as I did the first time I saw the trailer. Instead, at the end of Wonder Woman, all I could say as the credits started to roll was ‘It’s not a bad film‘.

Gadot is really great. She’s beautiful, strong, very capable and in my mind, as Wonder Woman, she remains my big sister. As such, if you haven’t already, watch it because it’s good.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Drama, Fantasy, No Spoiler Reviews, Romance

THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017): The Things I Liked…

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The Shape Of Water (2017), Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer
The Shape Of Water (2017), Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer

Set in Cold War era America, circa 1963, director Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape Of Water is an other-worldly fairy tale and fantasy/romance about a lonely mute called Elisa.

Played beautifully by Sally Hawkins, Elisa falls in love with ‘amphibian man’, a sea creature captured for a secret classified experiment due to take place at Elisa’s work building where she cleans.

Featuring good performances by all, including Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon, I found Hawkins to be particularly captivating as Elisa. Her great performance along with the beautiful visuals, filming style – the way the camera barely stood still combined with the editing and pacing managed to keep me engaged.

The Shape Of Water is generally a well-executed movie. Nevertheless, I’m not as enthused post viewing as I thought I might be. I understand the film’s message about love and how there are near to zero limitations in terms of where one can find it. Still, perhaps it’s just the kind of film, though good, it doesn’t inspire a certain level of excitement within me. It could have something to do with not really seeing myself ever falling in love with ‘amphibian man’. It could also be that the ‘love can be found anywhere’ message is one I’d already fully digested. Lastly, maybe I loved the first half more than I did the second half, where things got really serious. Yes, that may be it. I think I had more fun in the first half when Elisa was happy and tap-dancing in her corridor!

Richard Strickland’s (Shannon) voice and suit before the true nature of his character is revealed, the capabilities of ‘amphibian man’ and Hawkins’ performance are my favourite things about The Shape Of Water. 

Watch it if you’re curious. Maybe you’ll be more wowed and enthused than I. It is the Best Picture Academy Award winner after all.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Comedy, No Spoiler Reviews

THE WILDE WEDDING (2017): The Thing I Liked…

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The Wilde Wedding (2017), Patrick Stewart, Glenn Close.png

The Wilde Wedding, the Damian Harris-written/directed movie about a retired actress who remarries for the fourth time, had me feeling a tad disinterested immediately. Reason being, I found that I didn’t connect with the narrator at the beginning. I also felt there were too many characters, none of whom proved particularly interesting.

For me, this film just plodded along, and I continued watching in hopes that things would improve. Especially considering the talented main cast  – John Malkovich, Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close.

I’m glad to say that things did get interesting and more dramatic somewhere past the halfway point. And I certainly didn’t anticipate the way it ended. However,  is it all enough for The Wilde Wedding to be a movie worth recommending? Not really. In my humble opinion,  It’s Complicated (2009) is more fun.

The thing that stood out most for me overall about this film actually has nothing to do with the story, but rather the truth about one of the actors. I’m speaking of Australian actor Yael Stone, a.k.a. Lorna Morello from Orange Is The New Black. The lady is a wonderful performer, especially in Orange Is The New Black, and she’s clearly gifted with accents, for, in this movie, her character is very convincingly British.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Drama, Horror, Mystery, No Spoiler Reviews

WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS (2016): The Thing I Liked…

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Starring Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Romany Malco, Theo Rossi, Michael Kenneth Williams and Jaz Sinclair; the Jon Cassar-directed When The Bough Breaks is a movie that had some promise. This particular story of a surrogate mother becoming dangerously obsessed with the biological father certainly isn’t the best of this genre. 

The movie had me doubting things quite early on. Especially when I noticed the overly dramatic music used to make Theo Rossi’s character seem more menacing and dangerous. All it did for me was point out what was lacking in the film, script and performance-wise.

The best performances in the movie came from Hall, Chestnut, Malco and Michael Kenneth Williams. In the end, what’s unfortunate is that none of it proved enough to make When The Bough Breaks particularly noteworthy. I ended up enjoying some of the cinematography more than I did the story and characters. Especially the shots of that lake house. I’d love to go there!

Cassar’s movie is one you watch if you really must. Otherwise, the likelihood is that only those relatively new to movies/films of this genre, or big fans of at least one of the stars involved will likely rate it more highly. If you think I’m wrong, do share your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy Film Loving

G

Comedy, Crime, No Spoiler Reviews

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS THE MOVIE (2016): The Things I Liked…

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Absolutely Fabulous - The Movie (2016), Joanna Lumley (l), Jennifer Saunders (r)
Absolutely Fabulous – The Movie (2016), Joanna Lumley (l), Jennifer Saunders (r)

I vaguely recall having a good time during my earlier years as I sat through episodes of Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley’s hit BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. This memory and the new film’s fun trailer are reasons enough to tune into the Mandie Fletcher-directed comedy  Absolutely Fabulous – The Movie.

Starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Kate Moss and many more, it became clear quite quickly as I watched, that as is the case with most sitcom turned movie productions, things tended not to move along as quickly as one would have liked.

Along with the pacing problem, I found a few elements of the story just a tad too ridiculous. At first I thought It may be that too much time has passed since I watched the sitcom and I’ve therefore forgotten just how ‘ridiculous – in a good way’ it was. However, upon reflection, my accusation of ridiculousness isn’t really about how the two leads conduct themselves, but rather how far they seem to be able get even though the authorities are supposedly in pursuit, post the Kate Moss incident. 

Though there are some amusing moments, I’d say that Absolutely Fabulous – The Movie is more likely to be adored by those who really liked the sitcom. As for me who just vaguely recalls liking it, the trailer will remain the best part.

I particularly enjoyed the delightfully unexpected madness of what happens to Kate Moss and the perfectly timed comic scream /fainting of one of Moss’s biggest fans.

Give it a chance if you’re curious.

Happy Film Loving,

G