Captain Marvel Review

Captain Marvel

The 21st feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel is Marvel Studios' first female led film and, naturally, was met with controversy by some groups online, which will not be elaborated on here, this will be a review based solely on the film. 

Academy Award winner Brie Larson plays Carol Danvers, a super powered soldier for the Kree Empire in their war against the shape-shifting Skrulls.  When the fight comes to Earth in 1995, Carol is forced to confront her past and her inner demons.

It is akin to the superhero origin stories of the early MCU, but told through a non-linear narrative that enables the audience to learn more about Carol's story alongside her as she rediscovers herself.

The visual effects department did incredibly when it came to the de-ageing of Samuel L. Jackson as a younger Nick Fury, though his movements during some minor action scenes did give away that he is still a 70 year old man. 

Captain Marvel is an okay MCU film, featuring good action set pieces, Marvel trademark humour and well done special effects.  

X-Men: Dark Phoenix Review

Dark Phoenix

X-Men: Dark Phoenix feels like the endgame for 20th Century Fox's tenure owning this Marvel franchise (and  actually is, unless the repeatedly delayed The New Mutants actually gets released).  

In Dark Phoenix, the X-Men are viewed by the public as heroes and Professor Xavier (James McAvoy)  is enjoying the attention, believing he has finally begun to bridge the divide between mutants and humans.  However, when team member Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) returns from a rescue mission in space, corrupted by a powerful cosmic entity, she becomes a threat to humanity, forcing a difficult choice upon those closest to her - can Jean be saved or must she be stopped for good?

This film was written and directed by Simon Kinberg.  Kinberg is no stranger to this franchise, having been a writer on previous X-Men films (Apocalypse, Days of Future Past and The Last Stand).  This is, however, Kinberg's debut as a feature film director, his only previous directing credit being one episode of the 2019 The Twilight Zone television reboot.  

The cast does a commendable job with the material and direction they were given, but some lines of dialogue, including an awkwardly used "f-bomb", could not be salvaged by their performances.

A gimmick of the recent X-Men films is that they are period pieces, each set in a new decade; First Class in the '60s, Days of Future Past in the '70s, Apocalypse in the '80s and Dark Phoenix in the '90s.  The respective time periods were reflected well in the previous three, whether through fashion, soundtrack choices, background television broadcasts, world events or which US president is in office, these factors made each one feel "of the time" they were set.  This cannot be said for Dark Phoenix.  There is nothing outright "'90s" about it.  For example, in a series that accurately features Richard Nixon as president in the '70s set film, it would have made sense to have an actor portray George Bush Senior in the film set in 1992.  This does not affect the quality of the film, nor should it, though it is more noticeable when compared with the other three.

This is the second feature film adaptation of the acclaimed comic book story The Dark Phoenix Saga, written by Chris Claremont in 1980, the first being the aforementioned X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and many fans of the original source material would argue that it has yet to be done well.

In this case, the story hinges on the emotional weight affecting the relationship between Jean and Scott Summers (played by Tye Sheridan), though, despite also appearing in the previous film Apocalypse, we have not seen much of their relationship or character growth, making it rather difficult to empathise with them.

The main positive I have for this film is that the fight scenes are nicely choreographed and, despite the fact that the final battle takes place in narrow train carriages, display nicely the various powers of each mutant, some of which are used rather brutally.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix is an okay film.  It is acted well enough and the action scenes are somewhat entertaining, but it is quite a forgettable affair.

Gerry Anderson's Firestorm Review

Gerry Anderson’s Firestorm Review

This pilot episode for Gerry Anderson’s Firestorm is fun, charming, exciting, animated action suitable for family viewing in the vein of Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet before it and filmed in “Ultramarionation”.

Set in the year 2102, humanity is peaceful and no longer under threat of climate change or food shortages.  However, that all changes when the mysterious Black Orchid emerges, causing chaos.  It is up to Storm Force to combat the perpetrators, mission codename: Firestorm.

Funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign, Firestorm is sure to satisfy existing fans, attract new ones and compliment the legacy of the late, great Gerry Anderson through its impressive use of marionettes, miniatures and special effects.

It sets a solid foundation as a pilot and promises further excitement in the full series.

Imaginary Bullets Review

Imaginary Bullets Review

Imaginary Bullets is a short film written and directed by Arizona based filmmaker Sean Oliver.  It is set in a world where toy guns and gun-like hand gestures are just as dangerous as the real things.  The tone of this film felt very much akin to something like Black Mirror, full of satire and social commentary.

The film starts out nice and innocent enough, with two young boys playing with water pistols and then BANG!  Amidst the initial shock, questions are subliminally asked, such as how innocent can playing with toy guns actually be?  How ethical is pretend killing?   

The world starts descending into chaos as people begin to discover that they have firepower at the tips of their fingers.  This can be interpreted as social commentary on US gun laws and the ease of access for firearms, regardless of age or mental health.  Another reading of the film could be that the guns themselves are not hurting anyone, rather the people that would have access to them is doing the damage.  It could also be interpreted as the looming, ever-present danger of these weapons being so near children.

Overall, Imaginary Bullets can be seen as a powerful allegory in favour of stricter gun control laws in the United States and as a commentary on the acceptance of violence in everyday entertainment, with clever camerawork and editing, particularly with certain scene transitions.

Paris Song Review

Paris Song Review

Paris Song, directed by Jeff Vespa, is a biographical period drama that stars Abbie Cornish, Ben Aldridge as composer/pianist George Gershwin and Sanjar Madi as Amre Kashaubayev.

 

Based on a true story, the film follows Amre on his journey from obscurity to recognition, starting as a small-time singer in his town in Kazakhstan before competing in the 1925 Paris Expo singing contest.  A fish-out-of-water due to cultural and class differences, Amre soon finds himself being welcomed with open arms by Paris’ musical elite, though it becomes apparent that not everyone is enthused by his talents.

Madi’s performance is brilliant, expressing the emotions, the wonder and the humility of the protagonist in such a believable, satisfying way.

The cinematography is well done with various techniques employed effectively, such as framing choices that highlight a character’s isolation, as well as point of view shots with quick pans and depth of field changes that help to position the audience as the protagonist.

Paris Song is an uplifting underdog story that showcases a likeable protagonist remaining humble in the face of popularity and success, leaving audiences with an inspiring, heartfelt message – if we just close our eyes and listen, everything is music.

Shut Up and Dig Review

Shut Up and Dig Review

Short film Shut Up and Dig is a black comedy by young filmmaker Scott Piggott that centres around two mobsters, Kenny (Vincenzo Nicoli) and Ben (Arthur Darvill of Doctor Who and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow fame) who, over a period of months, dispose of various bodies in a cemetery.  Kenny appears hardened to this sort of thing, whereas Ben is clearly disturbed by it, making awkward small talk due to his nerves.  Subjected further to this occurrence over time, Ben seems to disassociate himself from it until he can bottle up his feelings no more.

Piggott has previously stated that his influence for this short film was seeing how an older generation of British men deal with feelings, particularly now in a mental health driven society.  He also says he feels it is important to present the errors in a light-hearted fashion.  

   

The director accomplishes this without branching into an advertisement for mental health awareness.  The extreme, dark example of criminals disposing of bodies, combined with an eerie yet comical soundtrack and humorous dialogue delivery helps present the intended message in a fun way without coming across as too pandering or obvious.

Troll Bridge Review

Troll Bridge Review

Troll Bridge, directed by Daniel Knight, is an adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s short fantasy story of the same name and is set in the fictional Discworld.  It is a character driven narrative that features the famed Cohen the Barbarian, who has appeared in a number of other Discworld stories, on his quest to defeat a troll in battle, though not all goes quite as expected. 

The blending of live action and computer generated effects are well done.  Backdrops and bridge towers look almost photorealistic, and the appearance of the troll is somewhat charming - not too horrific but not too goofy either.

The scenery showcased in the beautiful establishing shots evokes Middle Earth as seen in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, from mountain ranges to the large stone bridge itself, it truly is a spectacle.  This connection is appropriate, especially given that the story was originally published in 1992 as part of a collection entitled After the King: Stories in Honour of J. R. R. Tolkien.  

Troll Bridge is an amusing, well made short film, with satirical dialogue and fun characters that should please more than just fans of the source material and fantasy enthusiasts.