Your daily dose of Jack: Bite-sized reviews for each day of the week
Editorial February 8, 2019, Comments OffThe following is an editorial and does not represent the views or opinions of The Drury Mirror.
Throughout 2019 I’ve made it my mission to watch at least one film a day in order to broaden my horizons in the art of film making. I invite you to join me on this journey, as I both watch and share my thoughts, through bite-sized reviews on the vast array of films the world has to offer. My goal is to introduce you to a variety of films, some you have heard of, others you might not have, watching them throughout the weeks as I do from the comfort of your own home. Enjoy!
Scoring System:
- Highly recommended
- Recommended
- Enjoyable enough
- Decent watch with friends
- Take a look if you’re bored
- Not recommended
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
“The Autopsy of Jane Doe” is a 2016 supernatural horror directed by André Øvredal following two coroners as they attempt to uncover the mystery of the titular Jane Doe.
The film has an intriguing premise with a familiar setting, with most viewers having probably seen any number of crime shows or movies where an autopsy will take place. It uses this familiar setting to lull the audience into a false sense of security, before breaking the expectations set by the many autopsy scenes before it.
Be warned however, whilst the depiction of the autopsy isn’t gratuitous it is very graphic, in much the same way that a medical video is. However, whilst the first half is grounded, creepy and intriguing, the latter half almost ruins it by becoming a predictable, almost comical mess where could see every scare coming a mile away, with a less than satisfactory ending, and a cliff-hanger that was downright eye roll worthy.
Decent watch with friends.
The Lobster
“The Lobster” is a 2016 drama by Yorgos Lanthimos about a dystopian world where single people need to find a partner in 45 days or else be turned into an animal. I admit the film has a strange premise, but one that is very compelling and highly original, which really hooks you into the world, investing you in all of the characters however short they are on screen for.
The cinematography is stunning, with lots of wide open shots to showcase the emptiness of the world, and whilst the colour palette is drab it helps to enhance the bleakness of the world. This bleakness showcases the themes of loneliness extremely well, where even when characters are with each other they all seem very lonely, almost as though they are acting for one another.
Whilst the performances at first seem very awkward, they nicely showcase the forced conformity everyone lives by and you get used to the way everyone talks quite quickly. While not extremely prevalent throughout, there is an excellent use of strings, raising the tension at just the right moments. I normally find slow dramas like this to have a lull in the middle but “The Lobster” kept me hooked throughout, always intrigued to find out what was going to happen next in this strange world; and with its gut wrenching ending, this is a film I will not soon forget.
Highly recommended.
The Prestige
“The Prestige” is a 2006 thriller from Christopher Nolan set in Victorian England, and follows the rivalry between two magicians, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, and how their rivalry becomes an obsession for them both, constantly wanting to outdo the other. You feel very invested in the two’s rivalry, and you root for them both in their quest to one up each other. However, the main star of the show is the tricks, the set pieces that keep you guessing as to how both are going to get out, and how the other will respond to the trick.
Christian Bale’s accent is easily the worst part of the film, and while this doesn’t sound like much of a complaint, when coupled with the relatively bland dialogue it managed to consistently rip me out of the immersion of the film which is otherwise built up rather well.
Whilst the twists and turns kept me engaged in the most important moments, between those the pacing felt quite slow, causing frequent lulls that even made me check the time on several occasions. Overall those are twists and turns really are great and do keep you guessing even in the dullest of moments, and whilst the ending is very well renowned it still managed to shock me in all the right ways.
Enjoyable enough.
Hush
“Hush” is a 2016 slasher film directed by Mike Flanagan about a deaf and mute woman who is stalked throughout her home by an unnamed killer.
Right away the film has a unique premise that automatically gives it a lot of tension by taking away the protagonists sense of hearing. It manages to get away with a lot that many other slashers can’t due to the limitations of the protagonist, for example she can’t hear the killer running around, or due to her also being mute she actually has a good reason to not call the police, instead of the tired old trope of having no signal. In fact, it’s almost like the film has a list of slasher tropes that it addresses one by one, leading to quite an unconventional slasher. I’m particularly fond of the way she manages to stay calm, refusing to have a breakdown like many characters in slashers, often leading to their demise.
There is also a strong sense of isolation, with the protagonist completely on her own against the killer, forcing her to use unconventional means in order to get out alive. A great slasher film overall, one that you’ll particularly enjoy if you’ve had enough of the genres very tired tropes and want something fresh and exciting.
Recommended.
V for Vendetta
“V for Vendetta” is a 2005 thriller based on the graphic novel of the same name following V, a masked vigilante intent on bringing down a dystopian British government.
Hugo Weaving himself is wonderfully charismatic as V, managing to convey so many emotions using only his voice and body language that make him truly likable character. His transitions are seamless from making serious speeches about oppression to cooking breakfast whilst wearing an apron; and I love it.
I love that whilst at times the film has a serious, politically intriguing plot, it also doesn’t take itself entirely seriously, using moments of levity to keep you engaged. At times the writing is phenomenal, V’s first speech to Natalie Portman’s character being a stand out, but at other times is quite cringe worthy, using so much British slang it is almost comical. The writing also reflects Natalie Portman herself, at times giving a heartfelt, emotional performance, whilst at other times giving me flashbacks to her role in the Star Wars prequels.
Whilst a lot of the films charm comes from how very British it is, it also comes off as quite obnoxious at times, whether it be from the constant use of British slang to the many shots of people inside a pub, at times it just felt a bit unnecessary. However, the enjoyable cat and mouse game between V and the government was great, with nice pacing and symbolism throughout, ending in an explosive finale that cements this film as a classic.
Highly recommended.
Green Room
“Green Room” is a 2015 thriller written and directed by Jeremey Saulnier about a heavy metal band who, in search of work, agree to play at a Neo-Nazi venue before discovering a body, launching them in a fight for survival against the venues owners.
Immediately the film has a sticking green colour palette, giving connotations of horror even when everything is calm. Almost every shot has something that is green in it, whether it be the lighting or an object, even a character’s hair; green is everywhere. Whilst at first I liked this use of colour, after a while it became a bit bland to look at, with few variations from that colour palette.
The cinematography was pretty good throughout with a few nice shots and some clever use of focus. The acting as well was surprisingly great, with even Patrick Stewart making an appearance to give a cold and chilling performance as the owner of the venue. There was a good use of music, with haunting tracks playing at times to contrast the heavy metal music, as well as to signify the calm before the storm.
The film has a very intense tone, in which you genuinely feel scared for the characters in the situation they find themselves in, managing to keep that tone up consistently throughout with its grounded and gritty setting. Overall this gritty tone kept me engaged throughout, with its no holds barred depiction of violence only adding to the intensity and in turn my enjoyment.
Recommended.
The Hurricane Heist
“The Hurricane Heist” is a 2018 disaster film directed by Rob Cohen about a team of mercenaries who attempt to rob a federal treasury in the middle of a hurricane. Where to start with this film?
Almost everything about it is atrocious, there is genuinely no obvious redeeming factor. Even just the concept itself is ridiculous, and not in a good way. Who thinks it is a good idea to rob a treasury in a hurricane?
At first I thought it was just a coincidence that the hurricane hit when they were robbing it, but they later tell you that it was planned. They got a team of elite mercenaries together and planned the entire heist from the time they learned that the hurricane was coming? Okay.
The actors are pretty bad, throughout the film, but even those who have a semblance of acting capability, such as the antagonist played by Ralph Ineson, have absolutely nothing to work with. As a special mention the child actors are also terrible, I know they are children but you only need to look at “Stranger Things” or “IT” to see that good child actors exist.
The CGI is mediocre at best, which is normally one of the good things about disaster films, but no, it is still not great. However, what brings this film down the most is the script. I can’t describe how bad it is, almost every line had me sighing, whether it is the attempts at jokes, or the awful techno mumbo-jumbo when talking about the hacking, it made the film much, much worse.
The only remotely positive thing I can say about this film is that the music is okay at times, but that is it. Overall this film is awful, not even managing to be a fun film to turn off your brain due to the bad acting and absolutely terrible script.
Not recommended.
Written by Jack Goodman.
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