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Film Review – Smile 2

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on October 23, 2024 by Reel Review Roundup

Smile 2 (MA)

Directed by: Parker Finn

Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

The creepy grins are back to psychologically torture another unsuspecting woman, and audiences, in Smile 2.

Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is a troubled pop-star preparing for a big comeback world tour.

A year after the height of her drug addiction and surviving a car crash that claimed the life of her actor boyfriend Paul Hudson (Ray Nicholson), Skye is still haunted by the experience.

Rehearsals begin to unearth chronic injury pain, so she heads to her Vicodin dealer Lewis (Lukas Gage), who freaks out and flashes Skye a creepy grin before killing himself in front of her.

And so begins Skye’s descent into madness spurred on by a grinning presence.

Finn certainly tapped into something that really gets under your skin with Smile (2022) – when sinister vibes lurk behind such a warm and joyful expression.

For his sequel, he gives us a larger scale and higher stakes, with the pressures of being a popstar, playing out like a warning to any wannabe singer.

While audience reactions and critics reviews are glowing, Smile 2 takes a long time to reach its conclusion.

Finn definitely knows how to build dread and tension, but his recycled set ups seem to be on a loop without intention of progressing the plot.

Ultimately, it is just a series of scenarios of Skye being terrorised in various locations – her apartment, a fan meet and greet, green room, and back to her apartment.

Perhaps it was Finn’s intention to drive us as batty as his protagonist.

If only he were as adept at editing as he is at getting under our skin.

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Film Review – Memoir of a Snail

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on October 16, 2024 by Reel Review Roundup

Memoir of a Snail (M)

Directed by: Adam Elliot

Starring: Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Eric Bana

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

Prepare for an emotional roller-coaster ride all played out in eye popping stop-motion animation.

“Plain Jane” Grace (Sarah Snook), a young woman from Australia in the 1970s, narrates the highs and (mostly) lows of her turbulent youth.

Her gentle voice guides us through her fascination with snails borne out of her mother’s death, home life with her twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and widowed, alcoholic father Percy (Dominique Pinon), his death, the twins’ separation and living with different families on opposite sides of the country.

Grace finally finds an ally in Pinky (Jacki Weaver), an elderly free-spirit with a few quirks of her own.

Memoir of a Snail is at times almost unbearably tragic, and others, hilarious to the point of side-splitting.

As dark and hopeless as Grace’s experiences get, there is a sweet innocence and nonchalance about her, making her experience and her reactions to them even more astounding.

As jaw dropping as the artistry is, the unpolished look of the stop-motion material adds to the melancholic atmosphere.

Writer/director Adam Elliot’s beautiful film is so richly detailed, from the script (story, characters, emotions, dialogue) to the visual (production design), that it demands a second viewing.

Not a single inch of frame is left unfilled with handmade furniture, props, background visual gags and more, and yet, it never feels cluttered or the tone shifts ever jarring.

Elliot’s masterful achievement is kooky and quirky in the best way – its slightly unhinged take makes for one of the freshest and most endearing films you will see this year.

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Film Review – Joker: Folie à Deux

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on October 3, 2024 by Reel Review Roundup

Joker: Folie à Deux (MA)

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Catherine Keener

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

One of DC’s biggest and boldest adaptations takes another bold swing with a courtroom drama/musical centered around the controversial character Joker.

After murdering six people, including one on live television, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is locked up in Arkham Asylum awaiting his trial.

When newly elected assistant district attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) announces his intention to argue for the death penalty, Arthur’s lawyer Maryanne (Catherine Keener) mounts a defense: Arthur has a split personality and requires psychiatric help.

Meanwhile, Arthur crosses paths with fellow patient, the supportive but mysterious Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga) who idolises Arthur for his horrific televised actions, and the two emote via song in their love-haze.

After copping criticism for churning out humourless superhero films, DC doubled-down with the super serious and steeped in realism Joker (2019), which was heavily influenced by Taxi Driver, even down to the casting of Robert Di Niro.

Not only was the tone a risky move, but they put it in the hands of director Todd Phillips, whose resume leaned heavily towards bro-comedies, particularly The Hangover trilogy.

It paid off at the box office, and Academy Awards (winning two gold statues among a slew of nominations), so the team have returned to the well.

The boldness in their storytelling has not waned, but their intentions seems to.

This long (two hours and 20 minutes), drawn out courtroom drama offers little in the way of stakes, Arthur’s state of mind is heavily debated – but the answer is clear, musical numbers are introduced, but are fairly low-key (there is no freeway flashmob à la La La Land here), Gaga is brought on board as who will eventually be Harley Quinn, but is mostly relegated to the courtroom’s public gallery.

It makes it difficult to uncover what this sequel’s point is.

The film looks great, Phillips and his team can definitely frame arresting imagery, and it is certainly interesting to watch.

Leigh Gill returns as Gary in a beautifully performed and heart-breaking scene – a highlight.

But Joker: Folie à Deux is a big, bold a swing with only a handful of hits.

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film review – Fly me to the moon

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on July 22, 2024 by Reel Review Roundup

Fly Me To The Moon (M)

Directed by: Greg Berlanti

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Review by: Julian Wright

How about a good old fashioned, feel-great Hollywood romance with a large scale, historical backdrop to warm you up this winter.

It is 1969, and the race between the USA and Soviet Union to be the first in the moon is heating up but the enormously expensive competition is quickly losing support from the public, who are being confronted with footage from the Vietnam War.

It is hard to support the spending of billions to send men to the moon when there are atrocities happening on Earth.

When NASA hire a spunky marketing wiz Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) to “sell” the moon landing to the American public, she and her methods immediately clash with by-the-book launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum).

To make matters worse, Kelly is ordered to mock up a fake moon landing just in case the real one does not work out.

Johansson is having the time of her life with a progressive and feminist role among men and an era with traditional values.

She brings intelligence and wit to her role and is clearly having a fun with the feisty dialogue she is gifted by scriptwriter Rose Gilroy.

No only is Johansson’s charm factor ramped up to 100, but she is matched by Tatum’s big screen appeal.

The two spar and sparks definitely fly, creating one of the most entertaining dynamics on-screen at the moment.

The scale is huge and the stakes are high, so by the time we get to the third act, this fun rom-com has slowly morphed into a mega-blockbuster affair – but director Greg Berlanti ensures the story is about emotion as it is action.

The cast and crew beautifully re-capture the charming look and feel of movies of the era this story is set, creating a nice breath of fresh air for the cineplex.

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