Tag Archives: No Spoilers Review

Comedy, No Spoiler Reviews

MASCOTS (2016): Funny…

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Mascots (2016), Zach Woods, Sarah Baker
Mascots (2016), Zach Woods, Sarah Baker

As the trailer promised, Mascots has a healthy serving of quirky and entertaining characters. A very special selection of unusual people gathered in one place for the 8th World Mascot Association Championships; a sports mascot competition in which the very best sports mascots compete for the ‘Golden Fluffy Award’.

I’m one of those people who stopped watching television talent programmes because I could no longer take all the seemingly forced and inauthentic sob stories. I also decided that life’s not long enough for me to be ok with sitting through the numerous delusional performer’s unbearably cringeworthy interactions with the judges. Luckily for me, there’s none of that nonsense in Mascots.

Mascots (2016), Susan Yeagley, Parker Posey
Mascots (2016), Susan Yeagley, Parker Posey

I loved the humour and the stories of people unapologetically being their – often very peculiar selves. Sid The Hedgehog (Tom Bennett) and Alvin The Armadillo (Parker Posey) are my two favourites.

Mascots is perfect for a relaxed evening’s viewing. I spent most of the time smiling rather than laughing but in this instance, that’s not a bad thing. I like the shooting style which towards the end really had me feeling as though I were right there in the venue audience.

I’m not quite sure if Mascots is based on a real sports mascot competition of this kind but if someone had tickets, I wouldn’t be so quick to say no.

Written/ directed by Christopher Guest and also starring Chris O’Dowd,  Zach Woods, Sarah Baker and Jane Lynch, watch it because the characters are ‘unhinged’, in a good way.

Happy Film Loving

G

Drama, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller, War

THE SIEGE OF JADOTVILLE (2016): Good Movie…

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The Siege Of Jadotville (2016), Jamie Dornan
The Siege Of Jadotville (2016), Jamie Dornan

Until The Siege Of Jadotville, I’d only seen Jamie Dornan in one movie; the hugely successful but not particularly well-regarded Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015). Since the latter film, I’ve been looking forward to finding out what else Dornan could do in front of the camera.

Directed by Richie Smyth and set in early 1960s Congo, The Siege Of Jadotville is based on the true story of Irish UN Commander Pat Quinlan and his leadership of 150 Irish soldiers against 3000 French and Belgian Mercenaries.

My enjoyment of this movie isn’t because I was blinded by the beautiful Irish accents, for, the entire cast delivered good performances and there’s a beautifully tense scene at a bar quite early on. There’s also the cinematography and how well Smyth and his team rose to the challenge of capturing military combat.

By the end of the movie, I was left inspired to fight my corner when necessary, happy to have found my favourite Jamie Dornan movie to date, and reminded to be careful of underestimating my opponents, even when the odds appear to be in my favour. 

Watch The Siege Of Jadotville, which also stars Jason O’Mara, Mark Strong, Danny Sapani and Sam Keeley – to name just a few, because there is certainly more to enjoy than just the lovely Irish accents.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Source: JustWatch
Comedy, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews, Romance

MY BLIND BROTHER (2016): The Thing I Liked…?

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My Blind Brother (2016), Jenny Slate, Adam Scott, Nick Kroll
My Blind Brother (2016), Jenny Slate, Adam Scott, Nick Kroll

My Blind Brother is a movie about the relationship between two brothers, (one of whom is blind) and how their lives are further complicated when a girl comes into the picture.

Starring Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, Adam Scott and Zoe Kazan, I found My Blind Brother quite dull. It felt like a lesser version of a good movie about the relationship between two brothers and the complications that arise  when a girl shows up.

As you can imagine, sibling rivalry comes into play in this story but the general element of dull just reminded me that I’m unfortunately completely over watching Nick Kroll play ‘loser’ characters. Adult Beginners (2014) was quite enough in that regard, thank you. 

Looking on the bright side, as one must, I did find Adam Scott mildly entertaining as the entitled blind brother. But that’s it.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Documentary, No Spoiler Reviews

MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE (2015): The Thing I Liked…

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My Scientology Movie (2015), Andrew Perez as David Miscavige, the leader of the Church of Scientology
My Scientology Movie (2015), Andrew Perez as David Miscavige, the leader of the Church of Scientology

The controversies that surround the church of scientology have been covered quite thoroughly at this point. As someone who’s relatively familiar with the religion’s ‘cultish’ reputation and practices, the news of a new documentary about the infamous church got my attention.

My hope was that documentary film maker Louis Theroux’s investigations into the church would result in a reasonable amount of new information. In truth, very little of what’s revealed in My Scientology Movie is new.

Unsurprisingly, the church of scientology denied all kinds of access to Theroux and his documentary team. As such, the bulk of what we get to see in My Scientology Movie is conversations between Theroux and ex-members of the church, including Marty Rathbun, Jeff Hawkins and Tom De Vocht. There’s also archive footage and re-enactments based on Rathbun’s experiences while inside the church.

My Scientology Movie (2015), Marty Rathbun, Louis Theroux
My Scientology Movie (2015), Marty Rathbun, Louis Theroux

I’m disappointed with My Scientology Movie. Nevertheless, I did find myself somewhat entertained at times; largely thanks to the dialogue between Theroux and ‘scientology spokesperson’ Catherine Fraser. There’s also the peculiar dynamic between Theroux and Marty Rathbun, something that will surely bring a smile or two to your face, should you choose to watch.

Those who’ll get the most out of this documentary will likely be people who don’t already know much about scientology and how the church operates. For the rest of us, there’s boredom and some humour.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Source: JustWatch
Drama, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller

MONEY MONSTER (2016): The Thing I Liked…

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Money Monster (2016), Jack O'Connell
Money Monster (2016), Jack O’Connell

Money Monster is not on my list of favourite thrillers, because even though the cast is stellar, the story and its execution proved not completely worthy of their efforts. There were a few somewhat thrilling moments, but nothing proved enough to make the film everything that the trailer had me hoping for.

Jack O’Connell (Kyle) and Julia Roberts are my favourite things about the Jodie Foster-directed film. Not to say that George Clooney was bad, but I must confess that his character’s dance moves at the start of the film were especially awkward. So much so that, however unfair this may sound, having to witness those moves made me lose quite a bit of respect for the entire production as a whole.

I doubt that anyone will be missing much if they don’t bother with Money Monster. O’Connell’s performance and the resolution of Kyle’s story is the reason I kept watching to the very end. How could I not after experiencing his great work in  Starred Up (2013)? 

Here’s a little taster of what it’s like when Clooney’s character breaks into dance. Deliberately awkward or not, I doubt that it helped the movie.

Money Monster (2016), George Clooney
Money Monster (2016), George Clooney

Watch Money Monster if you really, really must.

Happy Film Loving,

G