The following is an editorial from Your Daily Dose of Jack. All thoughts and opinions are solely the author’s and do not represent those 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 Conjuring”

“The Conjuring” is a 2013 supernatural horror directed by James Wan, following the real life demonologists Ed and Loraine Warren as they investigate the Perron family whose house is being haunted by a strange entity they can’t explain.

The set-up is fairly generic, with the exception being that the Warrens were real people and the events of the film are based on true events. Despite this the plot is still fairly mundane and one that has been done to death a thousand times. However, it is executed so well, and is genuinely creepy and unnerving, even actually scaring me at times, and even if jump scares are used occasionally it doesn’t take away from the genuine fear the film brings.

The dialogue is pretty bad, as is the acting apart from the Warrens, which makes it harder to get invested in the family’s struggle and makes the film less believable overall. There is some nice cinematography at times, with some good use of mirrors and some well-done transitions, however most shots are fairly boring, only sufficing rather than impressing. At times the colour palette can seem dull, as if not much thought had been put into it, but the constant tone of grey only adds to the oppressive atmosphere of the house, and brings a sense of dread throughout.

Overall “The Conjuring” is a genuinely frightening ghost film with a fairly mundane plot that is extremely well executed that made me want to keep the lights on when I next went to sleep.

Recommended.

“The Theory of Everything”

“The Theory of Everything” is a 2014 biopic drama of the life of Stephan Hawking, following his younger years and up until the publication of his famous book “A Brief History of Time”.

Eddie Redmayne is incredible as Hawking, brilliantly capturing the awkwardness of his youth and really committing to the role as his condition gets worse, making it extremely easy to feel connected to Hawking on his journey through life. The film portrays his condition well, subtle at first, knocking over a coffee cup or dropping a pen before it cascades further and further, with Redmayne committing to the role more and more until we start to have an idea of what Hawking had to go through and all he did for the scientific community despite his condition.

Whilst Redmayne tends to overshadow everyone else, it’s not to say that their performances aren’t good, in fact they are great, with not a bad performance in the film, making you invested in not just Hawking, but everyone around him. The script is also very good, complementing the performances nicely, at times being very emotional with the great music fitting nicely with the highs and the lows of Hawking’s life, inspiring at times and melancholy in others.

Overall “The Theory of Everything” is a very well made film with great performances by the whole cast, especially Redmayne who captures the essence of Hawking beautifully.

Highly recommended.

“Slow West”

“Slow West” is a 2015 western directed by John Maclean that follows a young boy as he travels across the Old West with an unlikely companion in search of his love.

“Slow West” has a satisfying colour palette, showcasing how colourful and varied the Old West can be, with powerful greens and blues that contrast how most westerns look, with not just sand and dirt, but forests and grasslands, choosing to only use traditional yellows and oranges near the end.

There is not a lot of dialogue, with most emotions being shown through body language and facial expressions which is done very well. The music is also good, giving the film quite a charming tone, and is oddly comedic at times, contrasting the otherwise harsh setting of the Old West. The narration that plays at times adds to this tone, and intrigues you enough to keep watching in the beginning.

However, as the film goes on the title of the film also starts to reflect the pace. I constantly kept checking to see how long was left, and despite enjoying what was happening on screen I felt that each scene went on for too long without anything meaningful happening, and regardless of its short runtime I felt every minute of it.

“Slow West” is a decent enough film, with some good colouring and performances that showcases the Old West well, but is ironically let down by its slow pace that ultimately didn’t keep me engaged.

Enjoyable enough.

“No Escape”

“No Escape” is a 2015 action thriller directed by John Erick Dowdle, following an American family as they are caught in the middle of a violent coup in Southeast Asia.

Owen Wilson is a strange choice for the lead and I never could stop seeing him as a comic actor, despite how hard the film tried, leading to many scenes that weren’t as tense as they otherwise could have been. Despite that it is still quite a tense film, at times being very stressful, as I kept putting myself in the situation they were in, thinking about what I would do. The slow motion utilised starts to get annoying with the frequency of its use, but it is a nice way to show how the shock of what is happening is affecting people.

However, the whole idea of this happening to a seemingly perfect American family as they try to fend off the ‘savage’ locals, before ultimately being saved by Pierce Brosnan, another westerner, just feels insulting and like it is pandering to a Western audience without showcasing anything good about the region. If you don’t think about it too much “No Escape” is a fairly enjoyable thriller, but if you even start to scratch the surface you start to see how insulting it really is, with age old stereotypes that show westerners as the protagonists and foreigners as the antagonists.

Ultimately this left a sour taste in my mouth, and whilst the first half was fairly tense and enjoyable enough, the second half devolved into a pandering mess for western audiences.

Take a look if you’re bored.

“Final Destination”

“Final Destination” is a 2000 horror directed by James Wong following a group of teenagers who cheat death by getting off a plane that should have exploded, before being killed off one by one by the very forces that tried to kill them in the first place.

Right from the start there are some good opening titles, with some nice foreshadowing to all the deaths that will occur, along with some nice visuals, and off putting, creepy music that nicely sets the tone for the first part of the film. Before being followed by some truly bad exposition and pretty sub-par acting.

That sums up “Final Destination” well; sometimes having creative horror scenarios that are fun to watch, whilst other times showcasing its bad dialogue or boring cinematography. This frustrated me as the concept was, for its time, interesting and original, but it is just executed poorly, never quite distracting me from what was going on, but still very noticeable.

However, I still enjoyed the overall plot, even if it can be a little silly at times. This actually works in its favour, with the absurdity of parts causing me to enjoy certain parts much more than I otherwise would have.

Overall “Final Destination” is a fun ride, with an interesting concept that is let down in the end by poor film making and acting.

Decent watch with friends.

“Calibre”

“Calibre” is a 2018 thriller directed by Matt Palmer following two lifelong friends as they go on a hunting trip to the Scottish Highlands before an event happens that causes their friendship to be tested to the limit.

The plot of “Calibre” is incredibly compelling, with many twists and turns that I won’t spoil, hence the vague plot description, that constantly kept the tension up throughout the film. The two main actors give incredibly convincing performances that felt extremely believable, showcasing so many emotions as the film went on that kept me engaged throughout, along with great chemistry between the two that made believing their lifelong friendship incredibly easy.

The writing is also great, seeming very natural throughout, with a nice use of slang that isn’t used too often to break immersion, adding to the believable of the setting. It also showcases how much what happens affects the two leads, starting off cheerful at the starts, before contrasting that with the downward spiral of what happens after. As a viewer you feel the guilt they feel, making me very anxious at times, almost as if I was believing I had done what they had, managing to always stay believable which only added to the tension.

Overall “Calibre” is a hard film to explain without revealing the best parts about it, but with an incredible plot filled with tension and believable acting, it is a film best viewed knowing nothing before watching.

Highly recommended.

“Hero”

“Hero” is a 2002 martial arts film directed by Zhang Yimou following a lone warrior as he tells his story to the king of how he killed the three assassins that have attempted to kill the king for over ten years.

What first strikes you about “Hero” is how impressive the scale of the setting is, helped by the good cinematography, whether showcasing the huge armies of the kingdom or the vast steps up to the palace, the scale is amazing. The colour palette is also very well done, reflecting the tone of each scene well, with every scene having a unique look to it that makes watching the film incredibly satisfying to watch.

The music has a suitably Chinese flair to it, using a variety of instruments to fit the setting and always showcasing the tone of the scene, whether that be emotional or exciting. The action is fast and impressive to watch, although at times can be a little too flashy for its own good, with the characters literally fighting in the air at times which hurts the believability that is otherwise built up well.

However, due to the film being mostly in flashbacks there could be a case of an unreliable narrator, one who over exaggerates his story for the king. Due to this unreliable narrator the plot becomes difficult at times to follow, at times making me confused to what was actually going on, what was real and what was fiction.

Despite that “Hero” was still enjoyable, with impressive action and an incredibly satisfying colour palette that made for a visual feast, regardless of its sometimes confusing plot.

Recommended.

Written by Jack Goodman.