La La Land (Damien Chazelle, 2016)

La La Land is a musical/romance film which follows Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian’s (Ryan Gosling) relationship as they attempt to balance both their relationship and their aspirational careers. The film is located in Los Angeles and uses locations around Hollywood which links to Mia’s aspirations of being a Hollywood actor. The film was originally conceptualised by Chazelle and Justin Hurwitz at Harvard University. Chazelle originally wrote the film in 2016 but it wasn’t taken up until after the success of his film Whiplash, which was released in 2014. Filming took place in 2015.

La La Land was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2016 and grossed over $446 worldwide while the film only costed $30 million. The film was praised for multiple things such as, Emma Stone’s and Ryan Gosling’s performance as well as an excellent score, script and cinematography. The film won a series of awards such as 5 awards at the British Academy Film Awards and 6 awards at the Academy Awards.

One of the most notable scenes in the film is the finale sequence where it’s revealed that after becoming a famous actress Mia has married and had a daughter with another man and Sebastian has opened his Jazz band showing that they favoured their careers over their love life. In this final sequence it portrays an artistic sequence of what their relationship could have been if they had made different decisions and chosen their relationship over their careers. This scene is particularly impactful considering that the audience is hoping that the protagonists will end up together and are then shown that they have gone their separate ways making the sequence of what could have happened even more impactful.

The integration of musical elements into the film is carried out effectively due to the effective transition to and from musical. The first scene introduces the style of the film from the large scale singing and dance sequence which effectively shows the focus on musicality as well as Romance. It also introduces both characters in an unconventional way for a Romance film.

Both Gosling’s and Stones performance were considered exceptional in La La Land. Gosling won a Golden Globe for best actor and Stone won an Oscar for best actress. Their acting ability is shown by the contrast of their performances between scenes of romance and scenes of anger and sadness.

Overall, La La Land effectively demonstrates key features of it’s genre and successfully fulfils genre expectations through typical tropes of both Romance and Musical films.

The Devil’s Backbone (2001) – Review

The Devil’s Backbone (Guillermo del Toro) is a gothic/horror film set in Spain in 1939 and takes place during the end of the Spanish civil war.  The film was released to postive reviews by critics and audiences alike.  The film follows Carlos (Fernando Tielve) and his life at the Santa Lucia school.  It shows his relationship with Jaime (Inigo Garces) which is developed throughout as it starts off negative but they end up woking together at the end.  The protagonist is Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega) who is played very well as the audience grows a large amount of hatred towards him throughout the film.  Towards the start of the film alot of the focus is on Santi the ghost however, as the tension rises with Jacinto the focus is taken off Santi as he seems relatively harmless compared to him. 

The story line isn’t particularly fast pace however, the plot does develop a lot throughout the film due to the change in characters. The story line starts with clips that reveal some of the most shocking moments.  This is done well as it gives the impression that Jaime has murdered Santi which not the case.  The story line was good but I felt like it was trying to focus on too many things.  This is shown as there are three subplots, Jacinto trying to get the gold, the ghost and the presence of the bomb.  It’s good to have a complex storyline but I felt like because of the amount none of them were explored in enough depth.  Despite of this I did enjoy the storyline and thought it was very clever at parts.  This is shown with the slight twist at the end of the film where Dr. Casares becomes a ghost which led to a very satisfying ending.

Character development is very present throughout this film as it relies on the audience gaining additional information about characters for the tension to rise. The development of Jacinto is particularly good as at the start he seems intimidating but relatively harmless however, as the film develops the audience realises the danger he could cause. His development is good however, i found his actions fairly predictable at some points as he is the clear protagonist. One of the mysteries presented in the film is the mystery of who killed Santi but I found this quite predictable as you find out that Jacinto is a killer so you assume he killed Santi before it’s even shown. His development is good as you realise he has bad intentions but it still comes as a shock when he blows up the orphanage as the audience isn’t aware that he has the ability to kill yet.

The bomb is a good addition to film as it present throughout the whole time and represents the civil war being present but not acknowledged the entire time. The bomb is placed in the centre of the orphanage to show that the war presence is still looming over the country but it’s still ignored. However, although it’s a good metaphor I felt that it’s presence was fairly unimportant as it doesn’t have any affect throughout the film. At one point Jaime points out that he can still hear it ticking which gives the suggestion that the bomb might be active however, nothing happens which makes the sub plot of the bomb seem unneeded.  There are also other reminders of the war, this is shown in a scene where the military shoot some people reminding the audience of the time that the films set in.

Another subplot of the film is the scenes with the ghost. This is where the film meets the genre expectation of Horror as the supernatural is present throughout. However, the ghost seemed unnecessary to the plot as if the ghost wasn’t there the plot wouldn’t have changed. The ghost seemed unrealistic and takes away from the suspense of the film as it doesn’t seem realistic. Most of the characters keep the audience immersed in the story line however, at times the ghost can seem fake and occasionally comical which can divert the audiences attention back to reality. The ghost is supposed to be scary however, due to bad CGI it fails to achieve this. The ghost never causes any harm which relieves the tension in all the scenes that he’s present in. One of the biggest jump scares with the ghost is show as a clip before the film starts. This makes the shot far less scary in the actual film as the audience already knows what’s going to happen which relieves all the tension it’s trying to create.

Tension is created quite well in the film especially towards the end when Jacinto causes the explosion.  The threat of Jacinto rises alot throughout the film rising the tension.  This is shown after he cuts Carlos’s face for the first time as there is a transition from Jacinto being a character the children are scared of to being a dangerous character which could threaten their lives.  The bomb looming over the orphanage creates tension throughout as the audience is always subconsciously think about it as a threat.  Although it never actually leads anywhere it still creates a lot of tension.  The ghost creates some tension although it lacks the power to make the audience on edge.  I didn’t find the scenes with the ghosts particularly tense however, the story line of how Santi became the ghost was quite good as it was fairly tense.

The film gave a very dark aesthetic throughout due to the setting.  The location has a lack of greenery which makes it feel very plain and gritty.  The location is a days walk away from the nearest town which makes everything seem isolated which adds to the tension throughout the film.  The orphanage seems plain with little decoration which adds to the dull aesthetic.  This fits well with the movie because the location reflects everyone’s moods very well as there are lots of empty rooms and corridors which could relate to how lonely the children feel during their time at the orphanage. 

A scene I particularly enjoyed was the scene between Dr Casares and Carlos where the idea of ‘the devil’s backbone’ is introduced.  This scene is very memorable and creepy as Dr Casares seems like an ordinary man up until this point however, at this stage his actions are shown to be quite disturbing.  I like this scene as Casares says that ghosts aren’t real to Carlos and instructs him to drink the drink if he believes in ghosts.  Carlos runs away frightened but then Dr Casares drinks the drink.  This is a really important part of the scene as it shows that Casares does believe in ghosts which relates strongly to the story line later in the film where he becomes one.

  I particularly like the link between the water source and the drink that Dr Casares makes.  Casares says that children with devil’s backbone should never have been born at all which is important as this can be related to Jacinto.  At first I questioned why the pool of water was yellow in the film but I think it relates to jars where the drink is kept as it’s the same colour.  When Jacinto gets dragged down in the water I believe it’s hinting that Jacinto should never have been born just like the children with devil’s backbone.  This would make sense as it would make the drink tie into the story a lot more as without this it just seems out of place and a random thing to name the film after. 

The casting for the film was very good as all the children actors played their roles very well.  I particularly enjoyed Jaime’s (Inigo Garces) role as his development throughout the film was very good.  He acted suspicious and cruel which is played very well and throughout the film he became more friendly which made him more liked by the audience.  For a child actor this role is played really well as the audience has a connection to him towards the end as he is shown to be very heroic.  I also liked the role of Carmen (Marisa Parades) as she portrays her character very well.  Carmen is shown to be strict at the start of the film however, as it proceeds the audience finds out there is a lot more going on.  This is show during the sex scene between her and Jacinto showing that there’s a lot more going on that meets the eye.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Devil’s Backbone despite it’s flaws.  The build up throughout the film was very good and I think the character development also worked very well.  The language barrier didn’t take away from the experience and I think it makes an English audience concentrate more on the film as they have to read the subtitles as well.  I think the plot was done well as it keeps the audience gripped for the most part.  The film didn’t feel particularly scary however, I would say it felt very tense throughout. 

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – Review

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014) is a film set in the fictional country of Zubrowka during the 1930s and follows the life of Zero (Tony Revolori) and Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes). The story follows the relationship between Gustave and Zero when Zero becomes a Lobby Boy at The Grand Budapest Hotel.  The genre of the film is crime/adventure and it meets these genre expectations very well.  The movie is very fantastical due to the set pieces and Wes Anderson’s unique style.  The film focuses on dialogue to develop characters which it achieves greatly.

The storyline follows a story an author is telling of a story that is told to him by Zero. The story isn’t particularly fast moving however, the story line develops a lot throughout. The story starts with an introduction to the hotel and the two main characters. As the story progresses you follow their adventures as their friendship grows. The drama initially starts with the death of M. Gustave’s lover which ends in problems with her inheritance as the protagonist Dmitri (Adrien Brody) feels he and his family deserve it.  The plot revolves around Gustave and Zero stealing the priceless painting boy with apple and then trying to escape from Dmitri and his gang.

The character development is very good throughout this film as it follows the characters Gustave and Zero in depth.  The storyline relies on the character development to make the audience care about them and therefore make the situation they get themselves into more meaningful to the viewer.  The character development of Gustave is very good as you can see his personality change throughout the film as he becomes friends with Zero.  When you first meet Gustave he gives a negative impression however, throughout the film he becomes a character the audience can relate to.  Zero’s character doesn’t change much throughout however, you do get to learn about his back story that helps the audience sympathise and relate to him.  These are the characters that are developed most throughout the film however, Dmitri’s and Agatha’s storylines are also developed to some extent.

The genre for this film is crime/adventure which is present throughout.  The genre expectations are met as a large amount of the film is based around criminal activities.  This is shown as a large amount of the film revolves around Gustave and Zero stealing the priceless painting “Boy with Apple.”  Gustave also spends some of the movie in prison securing the genre expectations.  The adventure genre is shown throughout as Gustave and Zero spend a large amount of time travelling around and are presented with various problems that they have to overcome.  The adventure genre is very present in the scenes in the mountains.  It’s not stereotypically adventure however, the genre is definately present throughout.    

The settings in The Grand Budapest hotel are exceptional as they set up the feel for the rest of the film nicely.  When the viewer sees the brightly contructed sets it automatically sets the tone for the film.  This works well as many of the scenes are often violent and gory which is very contrasting from the assumptions the viewer has made.  My favourite settings were the mountains as they were such a contrast from the other sets.  Most of the sets had frames within frames and set boundaries where the action takes place to draw the viewers attention onto specific things, this is shown with the hotel and the train.  However, the mountains seem desolate and open which rises the tension as the risk to the characters increases. 

 A scene I particularly like is when Zero and M. Gustave are in a train and are made to show their documents.  This leads into a fight scene and into the iconic line “get your hands off my lobby boy.”  However, the reason I like this scene so much is because of the introduction to Henckles which lets the audience find out more information about Gustave’s past as it has been very limited until then.  This scene shows that Gustave does care about Zero as he was willing to get hurt to help him.  This scene secures their friendship and begins their relationship that is developed throughout the rest of the film.

The narrative caused by the narrators add a lot to the film as it makes it more than just a stroy and makes it feel more real to the audience.  When you see the emotions on older Zero’s face it’s impactful for the viewer as it shows that the story has changed his life.  This makes the story seem a lot more important to the viewer as it seems more real.  The film has a lot of depth to it due to the amount of narratives as the story is based on a story that has been told to an author who has written a book about it.  It’s clever how you only get told about the death of Agnus and Gustave instead of seeing it as it would leave the viewer with  very negative image and would ruin the feel of the film.  It’s impactful to the viewer to hear about the deaths however, it would be too tragic of an ending if the viewer witnessed it as the movie is fairly light hearted throughout. 

Wes Anderson’s style is very prominent in this film as he is an auteur.  This is shown in this film due to the camera movements, the colour pallet, the props and settings along with many others things.  The shots are often very symmetrical and clean to be pleasing to the viewer.  This is shown by the scenes in the hotel towards the start of the film and the scenes in the train.  Anderson often uses colours to portray the mood of a place.  This is shown as the scenes in the hotel at the start are very bright to represent the success of the hotel and the positive atmosphere.  However, when the hotel is older the colours are bland and dull to show the negative atmosphere of the people there and that the hotel is no longer a success.

The film builds up suspension very effectively.  This is most successfully shown during the chase scenes where characters are often being chased by Jopling (Willem Dafoe).  My favourite chase scene in the film is one where Deputy Kovacs (Jeff Goldblum) is being chased by Jopling throughout a museum as the tension is built very well due to the confined nature of the building.  The tension is slightly relieved towads the end of this scene when Kovacs finds a way to escape however, this is just false hope for the audience as he then meets his surprisingly graphic death.  His death seems cartoonish and fake which is Wes Anderson’s style however, it’s still impactful as you feel an emotional connection towards the characters.  Another good chase scene is one taken place in the mountains between Gustave, Zero and Jopling.  This scene is intense as the audience has previously seen the danger of Jopling and the conditions of the setting also adds to the suspence. 

Overall, I really enjoyed The Grand Budapest Hotel due to the exotic and beautiful settings along with the amazing character development and the classic Wes Anderson feel.  The film’s detailed story line immerses the viewer and makes them feel part of a fantasy world and the lives of the characters. 

 

  

 

In Praise of City of God (2002)

City of God (Fernando Meirelles) is a crime/drama film based in Rio de Janeiro. The film follows many different characters and their lives in the slums which are presented to be very violent and dangerous due the the high amount of gun crime. As the film progresses you meet different characters and see them develop throughout their lives. Character’s storylines get tied into each other throughout which give additional information to the storyline. The protagonist is Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) who is an aspiring photographer who (compared to the other characters) is fairly innocent. He plays more of a role as a spectator than a criminal although he does occasionally attempt to break the law. He’s also the narrator which exaggerates his spectator role.

The aesthetic throughout the film is rough and grimy as it was filmed on film. this means the quality is slightly worse which adds to the effect. In the scenes that take place in the slums the colour gradient is quite plain which presents the bland lives the people living there have to deal with. A lot of the shots are hand held to give a rough and jagged effect which depicts the life in the slums. This also makes the film look more real as the audience can get into the action.

The character development throughout the film is very good as it follows characters and their lives for long periods of time. Many characters die which makes the audience emotional as they get to know them. This makes certain deaths very shocking for example Benny’s death was particularly shocking as it came out of nowhere after the viewer had learnt to like him. The character development of Lil Ze is very good as the audience grows a very strong disliking to him throughout. I thought this was very impactful as towards the end you are hoping to see Lil Ze’s death. Rocket’s personality stays the same throughout, this is good as the audience can rely on Rocket to stay in the role of the protagonist throughout which lets the viewer have hope for him throughout the film.

This film uses violence as a tool to provoke emotion from the audience which is shown throughout the entire movie. This is shown during the scene where Lil Ze (Leandro Firmino) has trapped two children and is threatening to hurt them. The situation makes one of the boys cry which emotionally effects the audience as they feel sorry for him. When one of the kids is killed and the other is shot in the foot it provokes a lot of emotion to the audience which is mainly sadness for the children and anger towards Lil Ze and his group. Another scene where this is shown is where Knock-out Ned is mourning over a dead child in the streets this shows the implications of violence and the pain that’s caused as a result of this.

A sequence I particularly enjoyed was the first scene.  I thought it was particularly clever as it takes place towards the end of the timeline so the audience spends the majority of the film wondering how the characters end up in that situation.  This first scene also introduces you to the two main characters.  It uses close ups of a chicken to create a sense of speed and bustle through the street it’s running through.  People are chasing the chicken which adds tension as you don’t want it to be hurt.  At the start of this scene there are some shots of a knife which are edited very well to give a striking effect that engages the audiences attention.

The timeline is very interesting in this film due to the first scene being one of the last. The audience is waiting for this first scene throughout the film which gives a good effect.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching City of God due to the gritty and interesting story line. The use of gore is very effective as they use it enough to emotionally effect the audience without over using it and losing the effect. The performance of the characters is outstanding as you really feel that the film is real life and the characters are also real. The cinematography is also very good as it experiments with shot types yet still keeps a lot of the shots basic to keep the viewer mainly focused on the dialogue and action of the subjects as this is the most important thing.

Shutter Island (2010) – Review

Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese) is a mystery/thriller film which follows the adventures of Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he discovers the mysteries of the island.  This film is very good in my opinion as it keeps the audience attentive throughout due to its capturing and fast paced storyline.  I really enjoy the sense of mystery shown throughout as it never lets the viewer really get a grasp of what’s happening until the last minute.  The tension is built very well throughout due to the unknowingness of the situation and the constant uneasiness that’s present throughout.  

The story line of this film is very good as it’s fast paced and very gripping. The audience only finds out limited information due to the little information that Daniels has.  Because of this the blank sections are left to the viewers imagination before everything is revealed at the end.  This is good as the viewer can have very sinister and dark conspiracies throughout the movie that may end up to be completely different to the real outcome.  The twist presented at the end is very impactful and the scenes presenting the true story of Teddy Daniels is very shocking and much more disturbing than the viewer could have imagined before hand.  The development of the characters is very impactful as you watch how they change and develop throughout until all your expectations from that character are blown away as you see the true truth from within.  This is shown specifically with characters such as Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) who doesn’t end up being anything like he was presented throughout the film.  There are many twists and unexpected moments found in this film and each one is more shocking than the last which all lead up to the final conclusion which changes everything.

A character that I particularly like is Ben Kingsley (Dr Cawley) due to his character change and perfect fit into this role.  Kingsley is presented as a good guy at the start of this film as he takes in Daniels and as he is the protagonist you assume that Kingsley is good.  then through the film as Daniels starts to doubt the information that Kingsley has provided him with the audience starts to view him as an antagonist due to he untrustworthy and menacing behaviour.  Then at the end of the film the twist presents him as fairly neutral and the audiences view changes on him again due to there realisation that he hasn’t committed the actions he was originally expected to have done.   

Tension is created throughout the film in many ways but mostly due to the mystery of what’s happening on the island.  This is shown throughout the whole film as the truth is only revealed at the end.  Daniel’s doubts are shown throughout the film and therefore the viewer doesn’t trust many of the characters.  Because of this, scenes with particular characters can be very intense due to the threat the audience expects the characters to cause.  A particularly tense scene is one where Daniels and Aule are tracking down a prisoner in a warehouse.  This scene is made very tense due to its enclosed nature as the fight scene takes place in some caged flights stairs.  This makes it suspenseful as they have no where to escape.  The scene starts with a jump scare followed by a chase scene in darkness.  The character they are chasing is mentally ill and shown to be a threat which is presented to the audience by his dark and psychotic talk about the outside world.  This creates tension as the audience is unsure on what he will do due to his mental state. 

Some of my favourite scenes throughout the film are the ones in which you find out information about Daniels past life through vivid dreams or hallucinations.  These scenes are impactful as you get to find about the pain of his life previous to arriving on the island and get to understand why his personality is like it is.  The scenes are intense due to the violent nature of them and the pain and emotion that Daniels shows as the dreams seem very realistic.  The scenes where Daniels is hallucinating can be very unnerving and creepy due to the dialogue used.  This is shown during a scene where a prisoner is warning Daniels on the effects of constantly grieving and not getting over the death of his wife.  During this scene he hallucinates his wife talking to him in the background which becomes very intense due to the anger between the characters in the scene resulting in Daniels and the prisoner screaming at each other.  However, the reason why I like the scenes where you find out about his previous life and his wife’s death is because however bad it’s presented throughout the movie the reality of the death of his wife that you find out at the end is so much worse than what’s shown.  This is very powerful considering how bad the death was shown throughout the first part of the film.       

The last few scenes are very impactful due to the twist as it’s completely unexpected.  You get to find out the reality behind the characters and behind his gruesome past.  It makes the viewer look back at the movie and replay the scenes in their head with the new information which completely changes their outlook on the film.  It’s very impactful as you can see the pain and distress in Daniel’s face as he realises his past is a lie.  This is made very intense when he gets angry and refuses to believe what he’s being told and threatens the other characters with a gun.  This is followed by an important last scene which leaves a lot to the audiences interpretation.  He remembers his past in the previous scene but then in the next he seems oblivious to it and goes back to his mentally ill and delusional past that’s shown throughout the film.  The audience then assumes that the experiment didn’t work and they’re back to square one.  However, he then says the line “Which would be worse, to live as a monster or die as a good man.”  This line hints that he is pretending he has forgotten the truth so that he will be killed as he can’t live with reality but many people disagree as the ending is very ambiguous.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching shutter island due to it’s mysterious and exciting story line.  It fulfils it’s genre expectations very well and provides a great twist.  It has very good character development throughout which is turned on its head at the end of the film.  I think it’s good how the film doesn’t rely on the twist to make it a good film as without it would still be an excellent film.  The element of enclosure due to the setting is very affective throughout the film and rises the tension due the lack of ways to escape from the island.  The casting and writing is exceptional and makes for a very impactful film.                                               

The Usual Suspects (1995) – Review

The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995) is a crime/mystery film set in Los Angeles.  The film is about Verbal (Kevin Spacey) being interviewed and the story he’s telling of his past and of the dreaded Keyser Soze. 

The storyline of this film is very good as the first scene of the film is one of the last and therefore leaves the viewer intrigued for the lead up to the end.  The storyline consists of Verbal introducing us to the different characters and the plan for the main plot.  You get to connect to the characters throughout and believe in the storyline which makes the twist even better.

Kevin Spacey plays Verbal and he does it very well.  He often suits an antagonistic role however, in this film he plays the protagonist.  Despite this difference in role he plays it very well and makes you feel connected to the character.  The storyline mostly follows him so it important that the audience can relate and sympathise with him.  This is shown by his disability and by the other characters calling him names.  The connection to Verbal makes the ending even more shocking.

This film is a mystery which is shown throughout as you don’t find much information abut the backstory of Verbal which adds to the mystery of the protagonist.  The most mysterious character is arguably Keyser Soze.  This is due to his dark backstory which isn’t explained to great extents.  You never his face which adds to the mystery, also his current actions and where abouts is never particularly obvious.

This film has a grimy aesthetic as most of the story takes place at night on a boat.  Due to the setting there is lots of machinery and exposed metal adding to the industrial and dark feel to the film.  The darkness adds an eerie atmosphere to the film as it’s hard to see people’s expression.  Also the constant talk bout Keyser Soze makes you wonder when he is going to turn up as this happens late on in the movie so the audience presumes he will be there, this adds to the tension. 

One of my favourite scenes is the line up scene shown early on in the film. This is an important scene as you get introduced to the main characters one by one.  They are all asked to read out a line and you see how they interpret it differently showing the difference in personality between them all.  most importantly the last person you are introduced to is Verbal who is the main character.  Shortly after you start to hear his narration which you now know is him as you’ve just heard his voice.  This is important as he is the narrator throughout. 

Tension is built throughout the film and especially towards the end due the explosive last few scenes.  This is shown as Verbal is finding the members of the group dead which builds up the suspension as the viewer is waiting for him to be killed.  Verbal’s story is rounded up with the explosion in one of the last scenes which is also shown in the first scene. 

After this final conclusion when the audience thinks that the plot is over one of the greatest twists in film history happens.  The interviewer realises that Verbal was just reading the wall behind him the whole time and was making the story up showing that he was the mastermind and the bad guy all along.  This is followed up with the very iconic scene of Verbal’s walk turning from a limp with a twisted foot to just a normal walk as he hadn’t been disabled all along.  This hits the audience hard as they realise that all the bad actions caused in the film were actually by him and he had used the story to cover up his tracks and to allow him to escape safely. 

Overall, this movie is very good due to the grimy and dark aesthetic and the excellent performance by Kevin Spacey.  The idea of a film that based on a story being told while in an interview is very unique and works really well.  The tension built throughout is created perfectly with the repetition of the danger of Soze without the audience ever seeing him or knowing much about him.  This adds to the perfect sense of mystery throughout which makes the ending even more shocking to the audience.  

                                                    

IT Chapter 2 (2019) – Review

IT Chapter 2 (Andy Muschietti, 2019) was definitely a step up to the original in 2017.  Although the first film felt more unique with the new cast and Pennywise I far more enjoyed part 2.  I think this was mainly because of how disappointed I was with the first film so my expectations were really low for this one.

IT Chapter 2 takes place in the town of Derry as the losers club gather again to fight against Pennywise.  I enjoyed the mix of the two casts from different ages as it showed the change of each character throughout time.  Although it is a step up from the first it still has many flaws. 

I have many critiques with this film similarly to the first one.  The main critique is that it isn’t very scary.  I did think this was more scary than the first one however,  I found myself laughing during scenes intended to be scary.  This is due to the exaggerated personality of Pennywise and cheesy effects. 

One of the worse CGI scenes is one of a nude women.  It looks very animated and fake and takes you away from the experience of the movie.  However, there aren’t many of these scenes and in general the CGI is far better than in the first movie. 

One of the more unrealistic scenes is towards the end of the film when Pennywise turns into a spider like creature.  The concept of this is good however, the execution doesn’t really pay off due to the obvious CGI.  This takes away from a really good and impactful fight scene.  Fortunately though this doesn’t take away from the overall experience and the scene ends up being quite good.

An impactful scene is the first one.  In this scene it depicts the true nature of Derry and how bad the people are.  There is a lot of homophobia shown in this scene  however, this is impactful as it shows that Pennywise isn’t the only reason why Derry is bad.  Derry is shown to be a horrible place due to the people and Pennywise just manifests of this.  The violence shown is very eye caching to the audience and gets their attention. 

Tension is built up well throughout this film and is quite impressive compared to the first chapter.  A scene that I found especially tense was one where a child was trapped in a glass box between Bill Denbrough         (James McAvoy) and Pennywise.  This scene is made very tense as they’re both trying to get into the box.  The child trapped in between is very young and innocent which makes the reader not want him to get hurt.  This makes his gruesome death even more impactful.

One of my favourite characters, like in chapter one is Richie Tozier.  His adult self is played by Bill Hader who fits perfectly into the role.  The resemblance between him and Finn Wolfhard is very close which is shown by their looks and personality.  This is important as it flashes backwards and forwards between the two timelines and then therefore they have to be very similar.

James McAcoy gives a very solid performance as usual as he displayed the character of Bill Denbrough very well while keeping the persona that was originally displayed by Jaeden Leiberher. The audience feels very sorry for Bill as they’ve seen his past and they can relate with the pain he’s had. The audience especially sympathises with Bill when he is at the drain where his brother got killed and he trying to help Georgie out. Because the audience knows his past they know the emotional impact that Georgie’s death had on him so when it turns out to be one of Pennywise’s illusions it makes it even more emotional.

                                          

        

One of my favourite scenes is when Bill Denbrough is buying his old bike and Stephen King has a cameo. This worked well as they are referenceing the original writer and he fits well into the role. Another good refference was a Shining reference where someone busts through a door and said “Here’s Johnny,” this was funny and worked well with the film even if it was a bit obvious.

Overall, I think that IT Chapter 2 is a much better film than the original due to the extended cast and scarier scenes. Although it didnt fix all the problems with Chapter 1 it fixed alot of them making it worth a watch. It’s far more tense and not as cheesy and the adult cast as well as the child cast balances it out. It’s not as good as other recent horror films but it’s surprisingly good compared to the first one.

IT Chapter 1 (2017) – Review

IT Chapter 1 (Andy Muscheitti, 2017) is an adaptation of the original book by Stephen King written in 1986.  This is not the first adaptation of this book as there was a two part mini series released in 1990.  I do believe the newer film is a step up from this original however, it does have it’s flaws.

IT was set in 1988 and is the story of a group of loser’s experience with Pennywise the clown.  This movie takes place in the town of Derry and shows the development of the children as they adapt to their struggles.  

Back in 2017 I watched this film with high hopes and expecting to be scared.  However, it disappointed in that category.  There a some okay jump scares and gory scenes but the film fails to build the tension that should be created throughout.  The film’s genre is Horror although it’s hard to say they met these genre expectations when the audience is laughing more than screaming.

While watching IT you an tell it’s made to be a softer Horror for the masses to enjoy.  However, there almost seems to be too many jokes in the film for the tension to rise.  This isn’t the main problem though, many of the scenes that are supposed to be scary end up being so ridiculous that the audience can’t help but laugh.  Pennywise is supposed to be quirky but not to the extent that the most intense scenes become funny. 

However, although it’s not a comedy, the scenes that are intentionally comedic are funny.  One of my favourite characters in the film is Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard). This is due to his sarcastic and witty humour which creates a comedic atmosphere that takes away from the darkness of the rest of the film. This does a good job of relieving the tension. Comedic relief is used in many films however, it’s over used in IT as it takes away from the overall atmosphere of the film.

The comedic effect shown by Richie Tozier is good however, most of the comedic scenes come from the quirky and unrealistic nature of Pennywise. In many Horror movies in the past physical effects have been essential to create gory and disturbing effects. However, as expected of the time IT utilises CGI. CGI is good but only when it’s done well. Unfortunately in IT’s case it’s not.

Bad CGI is shown at many points throughout the film but notably during a scene where a headless zombie like creature is chasing one of the characters. This scene looks so fake and animated the audience in the cinema was laughing. This is disappointing considering this was supposed to be a tense and scary scene. Another scene utilising bad CGI is one where Pennywise takes the form of a painting. This looks extremely unbelievable and takes the audience away from the film due to how unrealistic it is.

A scene with notably good CGI is one where Pennywise climbs out of a box. The way he unwinds looks really scary and unique. The CGI is this scene works very well as it look creepy but still realistic. Another good use of CGI is during the first scene of the film where Georgie gets his arm eaten by Pennywise. This scene is very gory and intense and CGI helps achieve this effect. This Scene starts the movie on a very good note however, it goes down hill from here as the CGI gets worse.

One of the most important characters in the film is Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher). This character is very important to the plot as it’s important for the audience to feel sorry and sympathise with him so that they can understand his actions later in the plot. The audience need to be able to see his struggles and relate with him as he is the main character.

Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) plays his role very well as he gives a unique and interesting outlook onto the character. This is shown due to Bills unique face and personality that he portrays in IT. Tim Curry played the original IT and although I do prefer his performance Bill Skarsgard did a very good job at living up to the role.

As this was an adaptation from the book I  appreciated all the references. Little thing from the Lego turtle in Georgie’s room to the original Pennywise doll in the well house made the movie more interesting. However, considerable differences were shown from the book to the original. For example it didn’t show the amount of abuse Henry Bower had from his dad to make him as twisted as he was. It also never showed the sex scene with the losers depicted in the book which is understandable.

Overall, IT is fine. It’s not a good Horror movie but it’s not bad.  If you’re expecting to be scared you won’t be however, if you like Stephen King it’s probably worth a watch.  Many people like this movie which is shown as it has the highest ever box office for any horror movie.  However, in my opinion it’s not great and did not live up to my expectations.          

Fawlty Towers (1975) – Review

I’ve had this show as a recommendation for me for many years now and due to it’s recent addiction to Netflix I watched both seasons. Fawlty Towers (John Cleese, Connie Booth, 1975) is one of the funniest television shows I’ve ever seen. This show may be old however the humour still holds up to this day. 

Mr Fawlty (John Cleese) is the main character from this series who has a very funny and unique personality which captivates the audience throughout all the episodes.  It’s Cleese’s witty sense of humour that creates the hilarious atmosphere shown in each episode.  The situations that the character seem to get himself into are always funny yet always different from the previous one.

Each episode is unique and different from the last making each one memorable and funny for individual reasons. My favourite episode is The Germans (1975) as the progression throughout the episode is very humorous.  This episode must have been even more funny at the time as it would have been very relatable to the current time.

As well as Mr Fawlty being a key role in the series I particularly like the character of Manuel (Andrew Sachs).  I admire how Sachs can do so much with a character that doesn’t speak English and relies on reacting from other characters and physically acting to create a truly funny character. 

Overall the jokes may be simple but they are still hilarious in today’s world making for one of my favourite shows. The casting and characters are chosen perfectly to create a hilarious and relatable show that lives past it’s time.            

       

Scarface (1983) – Review

Scarface (Brian De Palma, 1983) is a movie that I’ve  recently just watched for the first time.  This is an very iconic film which I’d heard a lot about before watching including the very famous line “Say hello to my little friend.” 

One of the reasons why I love this film is because of the transformation that you can see of Tony Montana (Al Pacino) throughout his life. This film is 2 hours and 50 minutes and due to the length in leaves plenty of time for character development.  You can see Tony’s personality change as he becomes more successful and see how this affects him and the people around him.  Because of this change in character the audience feels sympathy for him while also disliking him because of his actions. 

Seeing his rise and fall makes the audience feel very connected to him.  However, when you are first introduced to Tony you experience him in a very shocking way where his actions could be seen as unjust.  In this scene he kills a man before the audience has got to know Montana.  Because of this the audience has an initial negative reaction to him and his actions. However, throughout the film you learn of his tragic backstory which makes you sympathetic towards him and makes his actions understandable.  The audience learns how trapped Tony was and the actions he would take to get out of the situation. This puts Tony in a positive light and puts the audience onto his side.         

The movie builds up with Tony of top before the climax where everything breaks back down. This is where his wife leaves him and he ends up killing his best friend and because of this action ends up getting his sister killed as well.  After this the final down fall of Tony Montana is shown through an epic gun fight where he manages to kill dozens of attackers and say is iconic phrase. 

This all ends with a shot from behind and the end of the film.  This series of events at the end of the movie is one of the greatest finales in cinema history.  The amount of gore and violence that’s shown in this movie is a spectacle to see and I advise anyone to watch it.            

I love action films however, in many modern films the action takes priority of the character development. But in Scarface it has the right amount from both side making for an amazing film which will leave you shocked from the violence but still sympathising with the characters that you’ve grown to love.  In this film almost every main character throughout either leaves or dies making this a fairly emotion film at the end.

Overall I rate this film very highly and consider it one of my favourites due to it’s long length and in depth character development. The levels of violence and gore are high and impactful making this film entertaining throughout with very little dull moments.  Even the talking scenes are entertaining because of Al Pacino’s excellent acting and interesting take on the character.