All posts by Kristina

Action

John Wick: Chapter 4

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: March 25, 2023
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2023

Review

Saturday night has brought me to both the conclusion of my weeklong catch up of John Wick films and of the series.

I’ll be honest with you; I was a bit nervous going in after finding out in the morning that Chapter 4 had a runtime of 2hrs 49mins, making it the longest in the series. I didn’t know how I was going to get through it, and I was a little afraid of what to say to my friends who were fans of the series.

Watching it at the cinema, on a big screen, with lots of volume, and with an audience the film is targeted towards, certainly enhanced the experience. There were a couple of times that laughter broke out, mostly at audience reactions, and I found that I wasn’t the only one confused as to if the film is meant to be taken seriously or not. The vibe I got is that the audience found the “hilarity” of it.

In Chapter 4, John after being shot off a rooftop by Winston, continues his path to freedom from The High Table. But rather than following any threads already established in the first three films, we are introduced to new characters and plotlines in his quest.

While the franchise has come a long way from its first instalment with improved storyline and acting (albeit the bar was low!), I am left a little confused by how the ‘universe’ created has progressed. It seems to have gone from a secret, somewhat underground society living amongst civilians to now everyone being an assassin. That or the civilized society knows about the order and just doesn’t care. It’s never really been acknowledged, so it falls into one of the attentions to detail gaps the franchise is littered with.

What the John Wick franchise is widely well known for, are the clever and engaging action sequences and Chapter 4 is no exception. There is one absolute stand out sequence set in an abandoned building which uses an overhead shot that includes flamethrowers and is stitched together so seamlessly, you’d think it was a single shot.

And while it’s worth watching this film for that sequence alone, there are many other great action sequences to like.

In answer to the question is this the best in the series? I would have to go with yes. I liked Chapter 2 as well, however Chapter 4 has quite a lot of good action sequences. I do think it runs for longer than is needed, but it wasn’t as hard a slog as I thought that it was going to be. And again there were some clear scenes that weren’t needed to progress the story. There also aren’t really many call backs to the past films, so you could easily get away with not seeing any of them follow along in this last instalment.

If you are planning on seeing John Wick: Chapter 4, I would recommend going to the cinema as it does look great up on the big screen.

Most importantly, my friend who wanted to see it for her birthday, enjoyed it. It’s ok, she knows I won’t be watching the films again – once is enough for this cinephile.

Rating:  Alright

Action

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: March 24, 2023
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2023

Review

Friday night I returned to the world of John Wick in preparation for the latest instalment, which I was off to see on Saturday.

In Chapter 2, we left John Wick after he had broken the rules of The Continental by killing someone on the grounds of the hotel. He had been given one hour before being deemed excommunicado and that is where Chapter 3 begins.

As the clock strikes ten past five, it appears to have been an extraordinary long ten minutes, as New York has passed from a sunny day to a heavy rainy night. And that’s the kind of detail that this film continues with throughout its runtime.

The opening twelve minutes of screentime cover the remaining fifty minutes of the hour before John’s excommunicado status comes into effect, and a lot of that are time calls as to how the hour is progressing. Yet later in the film when there is a seven-day timeline, the audience is given no concept of how much time has passed. We just magically arrive at seven days.

One of my biggest issues is what happens once the hour is up. No scratch that, a few minutes before the hour is up. When we first met John Wick back in the first film, everyone who knows (of) him is scared of his reputation – you do not mess with this dude. A kid makes a mistake and kills his dog, setting off a chain of events where now hundreds of people are dead or severely wounded. He killed three guys with a pencil after all! So why is it now, that literally every person on the street wants to have a crack at killing him? Is John Wick not as scary for a $14M price tag? Is the price tag worth dying for on the off chance they can get to him? Honestly it just makes no sense.

I also can’t seem to work out if the film takes itself too seriously or is taking the mickey. It feels like some cast members have been told it is a drama, while the others to have a bit of fun with it. You’ve got some heavy hitters with Halle Berry and Jerome Flynn joining the cast who give straight, dare I say serious, performances in what are at times ridiculous situations. Then you’ve got Mark Dacascos, who was my favourite part of the film, bringing some whimsy to the table.

Chapter 3 also looks to give us more history into the world of the assassins and the layers to the character of John. Yet here too they have appeared to fail. There are multiple threads introduced, some interesting, but they ultimately go nowhere.

A positive from the last two films, was the addition of two new female characters.

Unfortunately, the scenes with Halle Berry didn’t add value to the plot. This section of the film could have been removed quite easily saving runtime with no impact on the plot. The included action scene however was one of the better ones, returning to the look of a video game and bringing back memories of playing laser tag.

The character of The Adjudicator on the other hand, played by Asia Kate Dillon, was of interest and something that I enjoyed. This character fit in well with the world that has been built and played off well against Ian McShane’s character of Winston.

In conclusion the third instalment of the John Wick series does move the story along and includes several more action sequences, building up to some good ones towards the end. There are knives, guns, horses, and dogs. So, if you don’t mind plot holes and a lot of action with one-liners, then this would be a film for you.

Rating:  Disappointment

Action

John Wick: Chapter 2

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: March 19, 2023
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2023

Review

If you’ve read my previous review for the first John Wick film, you may be surprised to find that for the second night in a row, I’ve watched the next instalment. What can I say, I’m committed to the cause. Plus, I didn’t have a lot of wiggle room in my schedule to have a night off.

Initially I was concerned as the runtime for the sequel is another 21 minutes longer and the opening sequence felt like it was going to be a rinse and repeat of the first. However, I am happy to report that I found Chapter 2 much more enjoyable than the first!

One could say a contributing factor may be that my expectations started off low and while conscious of this fact, I don’t think that’s the sole reason.

John Wick: Chapter 2 certainly followed some of the same patterns as the first instalment and for a franchise that make sense as you want to establish what your brand is about. The difference is this one feels like it has a little bit more going on. It’s a good example of a simple plot done right. They obviously had some learnings and/or more freedoms to do what they wanted in chapter 2.

There were improvements with the dialogue as well as the acting. Nice to see a bit of a Matrix reunion building with the addition of Lawrence Fishburne. At times I did find some of the dialogue ridiculous but there was more going on to district from these things which is why I don’t think I was as bothered.

I do have to make mention of the lack of women representation in the main cast that has carried over. One of the women is only included for a scene (don’t worry, not a spoiler) and the other cannot speak. I did like the idea of having a character in that world who signs, and she has a pretty high position. They could have easily cast another man in the role and I guess not many of the men in similar roles have that many lines. I’ll be interested to see how this may or may not change in the next couple of instalments, as there is room for improvement.

Now, onto the good stuff.

Again, this film is shot beautifully well. It has a very good look to it, so another kudos to the direction and cinemaphotography – it seems they have also kept the things done right! While I don’t play many video games myself anymore, these films do give off the feeling like the viewer is watching a video game play out. And I like it!

The action sequences were quite enjoyable with a wide variety on show including cars, guns, knives, and fists. Even the random explosions felt like they were done better in chapter two. Fans can also enjoy a return on the build-up of the killing three guys with a pencil story.

My last call out will go to a cameo with Peter Serafinowicz. The scene he is in has a lot of great word play and it is just a delight. Serafinowicz has a great many credits but I always remember him from roles in Black Books and Spaced. So I was happy to see him and that he was in a great scene.

This now leaves me in a tricky place on how I would rate this film. While I did enjoy it more than the first John Wick, I’m not sure that really makes it a ‘Good’ film either.

I would say that if these films are your jam, you’ll like this one but there are probably other films out there in the genre that would be better.

Rating:  Alright

Action

John Wick

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: March 18, 2023
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2023

Review

The John Wick franchise are a set of films that I haven’t quite gotten around to watching. Like many, I’m a Keanu Reeves fan and of action films but for whatever reason haven’t seen.

I now have a very pressing reason to catch up – with Chapter 4 being released this week, I have a friend who would like to see it for her birthday. And while these types of films probably don’t require you to see them all, that’s just not how I operate. Plus, it gives me the chance to finally watch them and see what all the hype is about!

I also found it a nice tribute to the late Lance Reddick who sadly passed away today.

Now if you’re not the kind of person who enjoys senseless killings and a lot of violence as part of your entertainment viewing, this film probably isn’t going to be for you. I don’t mind these kinds of films as a way of switching off, so no issue for me to proceed.

I went into the film knowing the basic plot that has become a meme over the last decade – don’t kill Keanu’s dog!

However dear reader, after watching the film this evening, I have to tell you – that was tough to get through.

I guess I might be one of the very few people on the planet who did not enjoy this film and it’s one that I won’t be returning to in the foreseeable future.

The synopsis of the film on IMDB is described as:

An ex-hit-man comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog and took his car.

And that pretty much describes the whole film. Nothing really happens to progress the plot or characters any further. The film does try to be a bit creative by starting with the final scene, then going back in time and slowly releasing information over the course of the next 101 minutes.

It’s not too long before things get a bit tedious and repetitive. It’s rare that I’m conscious of the film’s runtime yet tonight there were a couple of times I found myself hoping the film was nearly finished.

There were little glimpses of interesting plot points that failed to develop, which leads to the film’s biggest weakness – the script. The dialog isn’t well written, which doesn’t give the cast much to work with. Even the scenes without dialogue were confusing. Two words for you: angry driving.

I also found some of the casting either misplaced or the acting just poor. While the script was poor some of the actors gave better performances than others.

On a positive note, I did enjoy a number of the action sequences and at times creative. Queue pinning a guy down while John changes the magazine in his gun after running out of bullets, before going on to shoot him.

The film also had a nice look to it and was shot very well. There were a number of camera angles that I really enjoyed.

So no, my issue was not with all the senseless killing and violence. I just didn’t find it as enjoyable as I do with a Guy Richie film for example. I think John Wick (the film) takes itself a little bit too seriously. Surely the poor writing and bad acting isn’t an attempt of humour is it?

For my tastes, I would say that Kingman: The Secret Service, released in the same year, is a far superior film.

While I do think that simple plot films can do well, I would prefer some layers and as well as wit.

Let’s see if any of the sequels get better…

Rating:  Disappointment

Biopic

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Date watched: January 16, 2023
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2023

Review

What do you get when two adults try to schedule going to the movies together? You end up going to an 8.30pm session on a Monday night!

So with our schedules aligned, a friend and I went to see the new Whitney Houston biopic: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. I wouldn’t call myself a huge Whitney Houston fan (in the true meaning of fanatical) but I do love her music and she features across a few of my playlists.

Like so many artists, when you get a chance for a deeper give you realise just how many hits they have and this film certainly shows not only how successful Whitney was but how many well-known songs are in her repertoire. I’m probably going to be listening to Whitney for the rest of the week. I may be listening to her as I am typing my reflections on the film – I’m highly influenced in that way.

For many of us, I think the story of Whitney Houston is a somewhat sad and troubled one which was ultimately tragically cut short. As the film is from the same creatives that brought us Bohemian Rhapsody, I thought this film would be done in a similar fashion where it won’t show us the tragic end and instead end on a high note of how we should remember Whitney.

And that’s certainly what happened. The film is a homage to the once in a generation voice Whitney had and the incredible legacy she has left behind. A legacy that includes seven consecutive No. 1 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the first woman to enter the Billboard 200 at No. 1.

That said, I was still preparing myself for a sombre experience. This however did not happen. For some reason I didn’t feel as if I got to know Whitney. It was like something was lacking, I’m just not sure what.

Given that White is no longer with us, it’s not her story to tell. It’s her life presented through the eyes of others. The film is said to have been authorised by the Houston family and I noticed that Pat Houston was listed as an executive producer in the opening credits – Pat is Whitney’s sister-in-law (which I found out during and post the film).

There is a lot of content which is covered in the two and a half hour run-time but ultimately the narrative presented is somewhat confused. Rather than focusing on one or two plot points to develop a richer story, the film attempts to explore too many relationships across her lifetime leaving the viewer with too many unexplored threads.

Setting aside the story the film is trying to tell, there is a lot to like here.

Firstly Naomi Ackie in the lead role did an incredible job with her performance, showing the rollercoaster life Whitney had in such a short period of time. Ackie portrays each stage of Whitney’s life from teen up until her last day and you can tell she gave a lot to the performance. I would have loved to see her given scenes with more grit, I saw glimpses and this might have given the film what it needed.

While Ackie provides some vocals on the soundtrack, most of the singing used was of Whitney’s actual voice. Quite simply there is no one with a voice like hers.

I really enjoyed the process shown for how Whitney selected what songs she wanted to record (as she wasn’t a song writer) and loved the way the music videos were recreated as part of this.

The costumes were stunning adding a lot of joy and glamour to the film. And stick around for the real life photos and videos that the film recreated – I love it when biopics have real footage included as part of the credits.

It would have been impossible to show case all of Whitney’s back catalogue and while you always want more, the choice of songs used were great. I thought the way each number 1 hit was show via a champagne bottle (which was a stipulation in her contract) was a clever technique but I wish they had of made it clearer what each song was in that sequence.

While I do tend to take these kind of films with a grain of salt, as there is always an element of embellishment or timelines being changed to help with pacing, what I will take away from the film is a great appreciation of the incredible voice that Whitney had.

I would have liked to seen more about Whitney but perhaps we just don’t know how she felt and worked through those periods in her life.

Rating:  Good

Action, Drama

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: January 7, 2023
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2023

Review

The Robin Hood story has always been a favourite of mine and I grew up watching the Disney version from 1973 (yes, the cartoon one) and Mel Brook’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights. In later years the BBC version in 2006 also became a favourite.

Yet despite Men in Tights being on high rotation, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen Prince of Thieves and after Netflix flogging the fact it’s now available in the UK and Ireland, I succumbed, found another streaming service it was available for in my region, and gave it a go.

So first off, Men in Tights is such a great parody. Even though I haven’t watched it for years I could clearly see what character traits and scenes were used. It’s so well done; I can’t wait to re-watch Men in Tights again.

Which now brings us back to the focus of this review. If I had to describe the film in one word, it would be; Trashtastic.

I found it so camp and over the top. By the amount of laughing, you would think this would be a comedy.

The writing was poor, as were many of the action scenes, and I found the camera angles to be quite odd at times (take a look at the scene where the Sheriff is threating to cut out Will’s tongue). I’m not sure if there were going for something creative in that regard but it was just off putting with everything else going on.

Kevin Costner in the lead role of Robin doesn’t even attempt at an English accent, so I guess that it makes sense that in the casting of King Richard they would look no further than the master of accents, Sean Connery.

I would have liked to have seen more of Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Maid Marion. When we are first introduced to her there is promise of a stronger role however as the film processes, the female lead mostly ends up screaming for help from her lead male actor. This is more a reflection of the time the film was released and I’m glad to see in more recent adaptions Marion having more grit.

As for other casting notations I enjoyed the casting of Michael Wincott as the Guy of Gisborne. He is a favourite of mine from other classic 90s films such as The Crow and The Three Musketeers and Christian Slater as Will Scarlett is the perfect addition of eye candy. I wonder if this is the trend that started of Will always being the hot one? If you know, leave me a comment.

However, there is only one reason that you need to watch this film and his name is Alan Rickman. The eccentric performance he gives this film gives the impression he had a lot of fun with the role. He brings a camp, horny, over the topness energy and has most of if not all the best lines. From cancelling Christmas to threatening to cut your heart out with a spoon!

It doesn’t really bode well for a film where Morgan Freeman doesn’t get a mention here and one of the best features is a Bryan Adams song.

If you are a fan of Men in Tights but haven’t seen the source material, it’s worth a one time watch to see how good a parody it is. If you are an Alan Rickman fan, same thing, good for a one time watch for the performance alone.

And if you are a fan of Robin Hood, there are better adaptions out there.

Rating:  Alright

Comedy, Drama

Love Actually

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Date watched: December 11, 2022
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2022

Review

Love Actually is another of those ‘modern classic’ films that is universally much loved and for whatever reason, I haven’t gotten around to seeing yet. I did know about some of the storylines and scenes due to the film’s mass appeal and it being nearly a couple of decades on! I had just never taken the time to sit down and watch it.

So in Christmas 2021 all that was going to change. I was committed to setting time aside to finally watch the film…then stuff happened. I got busy, other films popped up, and then Christmas passed. Therefore, I was adamant to try again in 2022 but still having to find time amongst a busy schedule.

Luckily, I noticed that my local cinema had a special Christmas screening of the film playing that also happened to be on a weekend with nothing planning. Seeing as I was already committed to watching the film, why not see it at the cinema?

I reached out to a friend who was distressed to recently hear that I hadn’t seen Love Actually before and she excitedly agreed to come along with me.

The cinema was filled with many people who had seen the film before, and it was clearly a favourite (particularly of the person sitting in front of us) but I did spot a couple others in a similar position to myself. I always love seeing films at the cinema, there is something about sharing reactions as well as seeing how others respond that enhances the experience. Much better than sitting home alone laughing out loud, or worse, pointing at the screen remarking “that’s funny”.

At this point you’re probably thinking, spare me the build-up, what did you think of it? So here it goes…

My initial reaction to Love Actually is that there were a lot of laugh out loud moments and that it was well written. All the independent stories which are running concurrently have a good pace to them, switch focus at the right time to give enough coverage between stories, and by the end all the stories wove together, what feels to be, seamlessly. No easy feat to achieve with such a large ensemble cast.

My favourite storyline of the couples from the film would be the relationship between Jamie (Colin Firth) and Aurelia (Lucia Moniz). Despite the language barrier between the two and the clear attraction, the fact they are on the same wavelength I just found adorable. They were practically having a conversation together or saying the same things to each other but just didn’t understand. And while I wasn’t a fan of the hasty marriage (come on guys just go on a few dates first) I do find it pretty romantic they both started to learn each other’s primary spoken language. Urgh that made me sick to admit!

I’d be here forever if I started to comment on each of the cast but before I make a quick couple of mentions, this is my blanket statement to say that I thought the cast was really well put together and all delivered equally good performances. By not making a specific comment, is in no way a negative reflection.

All the American actors that were chosen were a perfect fit. From Billy Bob Thornton as the American President to the girls the character Colin brings back home, Shannon Elizabeth and Denise Richards.

Then there is Rowan Atkinson as the jewellery salesman, who for me stole the scenes he was in. This just gave an extra lift to the film that I really enjoyed. Especially his distraction tactic at the airport towards the end of the film.

Hugh Grant has a typical performance from the time the film was released, that bumbling romantic fool. It works for him and it works for the film. I now live for the scene of him talking to a picture of Margaret Thatcher on the wall and calling her a saucy minx!

There is a scene however where his character as the UK Prime Minister takes action to speak out against the American President at a press conference, after a rather grotesque display of power against the girl he fancies. I would have hoped that the Prime Minister would have down the same thing for anyone who found themselves in that situation, not just the girl he likes.

That’s sort of when you think about a few of the stories having similar things that are a little uncomfortable or cringey that I didn’t much enjoy. While some of those moments have a place within the film, there is also quite a lot of questionable behaviour that doesn’t. For example, I found there to be a lot of fat shaming which really felt out of place. This might be something that just hasn’t aged well, like the sitcom Friends.

Putting aside some of the negatives I experienced, I found myself enjoying the film. And while it hasn’t become my favourite Christmas film, I can see it being added to the rotation of movies that I have playing in the background while putting up the Christmas tree in years to come.

Rating:  Good

Comedy, Drama

Sideways

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 6 minutes

Date watched: October 30, 2022
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2022

Review

Sideways appeared on my radar in an unusual manner. It normally wouldn’t be the type of film that would necessary spark my interest, especially when it was released back in 2004. I could have deprived myself of what is a beautiful and very funny film all because I am not a wine drinker.

So how and why did I end up watching Sideways? It was thanks to a podcast and a comedy festival I went to a month ago! Peter Helliar hosts a podcast called ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet’ where he talks to other comedians and friends about a well-known film they haven’t gotten around to seeing yet.

If I also haven’t seen the film the episode is about, I like to watch it first in preparation before listening. So when it was announced that the film for the live episode recording I was going to at the Grapes of Mirth festival was Sideways, I had planned to watch it in time for the recording. Unfortunately that didn’t happen (apparently you get quite tired doing a 10 hour drive) but I did watch the film the night after the recording. Luckily for me, most of the audience hadn’t seen the film either, so Pete did try to steer away from too many spoilers.

I highly recommend checking out the podcast, as there are some great insights to the film. For me, it really enhanced my viewing experience.

When it came time to capture my thoughts on the film, I didn’t want to do so that night. Partly because I didn’t have the time as I was driving back home the next day but mostly because I wanted time to develop my own thoughts on the film. I’ve now had the time to process and just watched the film for a second time to take stock of what connected for me. There are still things that I agree with that were spoken about in the podcast, which I will call out when making reference to in this review.

Second time around, I really enjoyed the film just as much as the first time and can easily see watching it multiple times in years to come.

Sideways follows the story of Miles and Jack, two middle aged men who are spending a week visiting vineyards across California before Jack’s wedding on the weekend. Miles has arranged this week getaway for the two friends, to share his vast knowledge of wine, hang out, and play golf together. Yet both are battling their own form of an existential crisis which adds friction between the two on the trip.

Jack is an once popular TV star turned voiceover actor and as the week progresses, is having a dramatic case of cold feet. Does he really want to get married? He sees this week as his last week of freedom and wants to use it as a chance to cut loose and party. Aka sleep with other women.

To me, I don’t think it is crystal clear when Jack makes this decision. It was obvious that he was very keen to start this trip and whether that started off as just wanting to get some air to think if getting married was the right move or if he have a very clear goal from the get go, I’m not sure about. The way things escalate, I would suggest there is no plan as Jack reacts rather impulsively.

I find the character of Jack insufferable, difficult to empathize with, and a lot of the time pretty cringey. Kudos to Thomas Haden Church on the way in which he plays the role. For anyone else of my vintage you may also remember him from his role of Lyle in George of the Jungle, another insufferable type character!

Miles on the other hand, has been divorced for two years and has yet to start another relationship. Despite the fact his marriage was an unhappy relationship and that his ex-wife has moved on, he is stuck in the belief that they may get back together some day. He works as an English teacher, has written his own novel, and is waiting on news if it will be published. Of the two men, I think Miles is the one with the more redeemable qualities and who I found myself relating to on a few levels.

Enter Maya and Stephanie, the two women which Miles and Jack spend most of the week days with. Miles already knows Maya as a waitress where he frequently dines when on wine tastings and Stephanie becomes the subject of Jack’s lust. The (un)published novel is something that Jack uses as the excuse to tell the women he is attempting to woo for the reason of their trip. You know, because mentioning he is getting married on the weekend would be awkward.

Maya is a fellow wine connoisseur with a sharp palate, the perfect pairing for Miles. She is intelligent, measured, and provides a lot of light to Miles’ shade. Her character has some beautiful ways of talking about wine and life. They also share a similar experience in their marriage breakdowns. Virginia Madsen brings to life the character of Maya, giving her some complexities and a real part of the film.

Stephanie on the other hand, while also having a good knowledge of wine, is quite impulsive. After meeting a man for 24 hours, she is having conversations about moving in with him and introducing him to her child. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Jack is innocent in anyway, it just seems to come across as moving very fast. While they share this attribute, unlike Miles and Maya where their commonalities compliment each other, the similar behaviour of Jack and Stephanie works against them.

The scene were the four go out to dinner together for the first time, really shows the differences between Jack and Stephanie vs Miles and Maya, as well as between the two women and two men, just from the types of conversations we see them having.

It’s probably the reason why I have connected with the film, I do adore this type of story telling. There is so much that you could unpack from each of the characters and their relationships with each other.

Having good material is one place to start, having the strong cast to bring it to life is the other part of the equation. Paul Giamatti’s performance is what really makes this film for me. His facial expressions alone add so much to each scene, really conveying the way in which Miles is thinking and feeling. It’s a strong cast however without Giamatti, the film wouldn’t be what it is.

Apart from the quality of the story, the film also has a great quality in how it has been filmed and the way in which it flows.

One of the things that was mentioned in the podcast I attended was about the level of detail in each shot. It was said that everything is included in the film for a reason and I really agreed with this comment. One such example is when Miles and Jack stop at Miles’ mother’s house on their way across California.

Miles says they are just stopping in to wish her a happy birthday. Yet when they get in the house and are asked if they are staying for something to eat, Miles says yes. Jack gives him a look of ‘what do you mean, we should get going’ where Miles’ response is “just a snack”. Cue the next scene which shows the three of them sitting at a table, much later in the evening, with a fully cooked meal on the table. That is just one small example that the whole film is filled with.

Sideways is a really well written comedy-drama. It has top notch acting from a great cast. The sequences and the way it is filmed I found quite charming. And let’s not forget about the soundtrack, which is beautifully scored, adding yet another layer to this film. Again I find myself listening to the soundtrack as I put my thoughts together.

Don’t worry if you aren’t a wine drinker, that will not prohibit any enjoyment that Sideways has to offer.

Rating:  Great

Comedy, Drama

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: November 27, 2022
Date Reviewed: December 04, 2022

Review

I’m mixing things up a little bit today, as I write this review, I’m sitting at an airport terminal waiting to board my flight in an hours’ time. It’s the first time being back on a plane since the pandemic hit and seems an appropriate time and place to reflect upon this film.

Last Sunday evening I ticked off one of the films I’ve had on my ‘trailers I’ve seen at the cinemas’ watchlist for some time now. Something a little different and after a busy few weeks and a packed weekend, it was a nice way to relax into a Sunday evening.

I’d also arranged with mum we’d go see this film together a few weekends ago, as it was the next available day in the calendar!

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a gorgeous film and at its heart, is the story of an underdog overcoming the odds.

Set in post WWII London, Mrs. Ada Harris works as a domestic house cleaner for many well-off clients, living in hope that her beloved husband Eddie will return to her from the war. She is a woman who works hard with a small yet strong support network and who believes in a bit of luck.

As she fears, Mrs. Harris soon receives confirmation that her husband is presumed and declared dead during an accident that occurred in the war. This news sets off a chain of events, which ultimately leads Mrs. Harris on a journey to Paris to buy a couture Dior dress.

It’s a relatively simple story with no major twists and turns, which I don’t mean in a negative way. Mrs. Harris is the underdog that we are cheering on in her seemingly small dream. While the film doesn’t portray being ‘nice’ or ‘good’ to getting what you want, it does show that kindness can go a long way.

It also demonstrates that you should never judge a book by its cover, which can be said about all the principal characters in the film. At surface level it is easy to make assumptions about who a person is, however, people are getting by the best they can. This is especially the case in the period the film is set, after the war.

A couple of things that stood out for me in this film was firstly the soundtrack. It is beautifully scored, accompanying the film superbly. It’s one of those scores that at times you don’t quite realise it is there as it does its job so well. I’m actually listening to it right now as the background to writing my thoughts.

The second would be the use of cinematography when Mrs. Harris first sees a Dior dress and then again when she goes to view the collection, finding “the one”. The way the film captures how she is taken aback by the dress, gives the appearance as if she is floating as the rest of the world melts away. It is a great way to accentuate the moment you see something that you desire and have an instant must have feeling. Whether that be for a dress, a car, another person, or perhaps even a lego set!

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is more than a film just about a dress. It’s about finding your way in the world and sometimes that means looking at things from a different perspective. It’s about holding onto your dreams, for you never know what is around the corner.

It may not be a film you immediately find on your radar but I promise you’ll have a smile on your face by the end.

Rating:  Good

BONUS TRIVIA: I did also want to mention that in my research of the film I found that in other adaptations of this story, there was a 1992 TV movie made starting Angela Lansbury and Omir Sharif with the title ‘Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris’. I might have to have a look for a copy as that sounds like it would be delightful!

Horror

Halloween Ends

Leave a comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Date watched: October 16, 2022
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2022

Review

If you’ve read any of my previous three reviews of the Halloween series, you’ll know that I am a big fan of the spooky season and that this film series is one of my favourites for this time of the year.

I had put off watching the last two films once I found out the new series were to be part of a trilogy and watched them all within a 24-hour period.

While I wasn’t totally satisfied with Halloween Kills, the ending did feel like it was going to set up for an epic conclusion. Coupled with all the interviews and media coverage building up to Jamie Lee Curtis’ last screen portrayal of her iconic breakout role of Laurie Strode in an epic battle with Michael Myers.

I’m sorry to say fellow cinephiles, this film has not lived up to the hype.

I can sum this film up in a few words to give any Halloween fan an idea of what to expect: Michael Myers does not appear in the film until 40 minutes and has a kill count lower than the original 1978 film.

That may be all the information you need to know but let’s dig a little bit deeper.

Halloween Ends begins by taking us back to the night of Halloween 2018 (where this new timeline started) and introduces us to a new character, a babysitter named Corey. After a prank goes wrong, Corey accidently kills the boy he is looking after, just as the boy’s parents arrive home.

Flashforward to four years later, the town of Haddonfield is still recovering from the events of Halloween Kills and it is reported that Michael Myers hasn’t been seen since he was almost killed by the vigilante mob that he overpowered to escape from.

Allyson is now living with Laurie, who is writing a memoir and embracing life compared to where we found her in 2018. However, as the time has passed, facts again become muddled to those not directly involved. There is a fair amount of victim blaming with people lashing out at Laurie for Michael’s actions. It comes from a place of fear and without having justice served, the people look to who is left to process their emotions.

Corey is also marginalised by the community for his actions with people drawing their own conclusions of what happened, again without knowing the facts of the case. The way both Laurie and Corey are treated creates a kinship between the two. Eventually resulting in a developing relationship between Allyson and Corey.

The first interaction Michael Myers has is with Corey and that’s where things get a little weird. Corey is being bullied by some teenagers, who end up throwing him off a bridge. He somehow manages to survive, to only find himself in a sewer where Michael has been hiding. Michael is in a weakened state and ends up sparing Corey’s life after they see something by looking into each other’s eyes. It appears to be a transfer of evil occurring for Corey to take on Michael’s legacy.

The opening sequence with the jack o’ lanterns does give hint to this as they morph to reveal another pumpkin within, like a Russian nesting doll. Then again, perhaps I might be reading too much into things!

Much of Halloween Ends is about Corey’s story and while the film definitely puts an end to the series, I’ll be honest with you. I was left confused. Not really sure if I liked it or what the film was trying to say. Again, I didn’t have any fear, suspense, or jumpy moments. Just gory death scenes that I was looking away at when I didn’t want to see what was happening.

I went in hoping for an epic conclusion between Michael Myers and Laurie and for me the whole Corey storyline was a big letdown. This film seems to have divided the fans and at the end of the day, I don’t really have a desire to watch it again.

If you haven’t seen any of the films in this trilogy, I would recommend giving it a miss, especially if you are not too fussed about the franchise. If you are a Halloween fan, you are probably going to watch these films at some point and to you I would say, lower your expectations.

Rating:  Disappointment