First Man (2018) - Cinema Review

Review:

*Originally written October 16th, 2018*

I had really high hopes for Damien Chazelle's First Man. Whiplash and La La Land were some of my favourite films from the years they came out. There was high buzz, critical acclaim and Oscar talk for this, but when I saw it, I was sadly just pretty underwhelmed. It exceeds on a technical level, but a lot of the film is sadly just a bit of an overlong slog to get to.

I wanted to love this Neil Armstrong biopic, but I was just left cold, but I cannot deny some of the amazing craft that went into making it. With a title like First Man, it's pretty obvious what this is. A biopic leading up to Armstrong's successful mission to the Moon as he becomes the first man to set foot on it.

There's a ton of focus on Armstrong's relationship with his family. Opening with a heartbreaking event that the film just doesn't manage to come close to through its run-time. I have my problems with biopics, they often feel very Oscar baitey, especially the cradle to grave ones. Thankfully, this focuses on a very specific period in Armstrong's life, hitting all the things you'd want to see. 

I was unsure about Gosling's performance as Armstrong at first. He plays it in that same way he did Drive, where he does long pauses and stares before answering a question he's asked. Making him seem possibly autistic. But once I was informed this is what Armstrong was really like, it made a lot of the scenes a lot better in reflection. A particular scene where he has to tell his kids he's leaving and the way he goes about telling them is a huge highlight. I'm gonna be very surprised if Gosling doesn't at least score a nomination for this.

Claire Foy also does an excellent job alongside Gosling as Armstrong's wife, who has to go through the emotional ringer as an astronauts wife, wondering if he'll ever come home and dealing with emotional distance he keeps while training for the history changing mission. Making her such a prominent focus in the story was a smart move and brought a lot more humanity to Gosling's stoic performance. 

I'd mentioned the technical aspects of First Man, and once those moments in space and the training hit, they hit hard. Chazelle makes space seem so cold, empty and terrifying. It's helped by the use of amazing camera work that rarely leaves the from the viewpoint of the Astronauts, making the shuttle seem claustrophobic and scary, especially with the incredible sound design. I'd recommend seeing this on the biggest and loudest screen possible. 

I'm sounding hugely positive towards First Man, but in all honesty, it is let down by some really poor pacing. This thing feels extremely dragged out, you feel every moment of the 140 minute run-time and I'm ashamed to say I did nod off for a brief few moments, which is probably my fault for going to see a film like this on very little sleep. But I just can't help but feel this could have been much tighter if they cut out a good 20-30 minutes of footage.

The buildup to the event itself is honestly worth the wait though. Once they get to the moon it really is some of the most spectacular sights cinema has had to offer in 2018. Everything felt genuine and real, this only could have felt more realistic if they actually went and filmed on the moon itself. It's even capped off with a scene of genuine emotion as Armstrong pays tribute to the opening event of the film that turned him the way he was. 


First Man isn't the masterpiece I wanted it to be, it's too long and a little dry, but it more than makes up for this in the technical department and I'm sure it'll sweep up at the Oscars. It might be something I'll enjoy more on a rewatch, but for now I'm both a little disappointed and impressed. Can't wait to see what Chazelle and Gosling do next.

7/10 Dans

First Man is out now in cinemas in the UK, with a 4K UHD Steelbook available to pre-order from HMV
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Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - Film Review

Review:

*Originally written October 6th, 2017*

"More than Human"

The original Blade Runner is a film that took me far too long and multiple viewings in order to appreciate it. It's a classic that is beloved by many, so obviously the prospect of a 35 year later follow up is one that will obviously be met with cautious and intrigue. Ridley Scott not directing would once be a strike against it, but based on his recent filmography (The Martian aside), I am so glad Scott was nowhere near the directors chair here. His replacement in Denis Villeneuve is an inspired choice, as he's responsible for some of the best films of recent years, including, Sicario, Prisoners and Arrival. Needless to say, he's made a modern classic and one of the greatest sequels of all-time. One that may even surpass the original. Which seems like an outrageous thing to say, but my god, the man has talent.

2049 takes place 35 years after the events of the original and finds a new Blade Runner 'Agent K' (Ryan Gosling) involved in a mystery that leads him to Deckard (Harrison Ford). That's all I really want to say about the plot. There were so many surprises to be found here. So much stuff was kept out of the marketing material, it was so rare for a film to surprise its audience from its incredible opening scene alone. I will not spoil anything, but while 2049 stands on its own as a separate film, the original is integral to the plot of this one.

Ryan Gosling continues his incredible career path in one of finest performances yet as Agent K, playing him as cold and heartless, but also providing him with a heart due to the relationship with his AI girlfriend Joi (Ana De Armas). It's a similar side of Gosling we've seen before in Drive and Only God Forgives, where he conveys a lot of emotion without really saying much. I was also very pleased to see they didn't just update Deckard for a modern audience. K is very much his own character with a compelling story and character arc. 

It was insanely refreshing to see a mainstream film with this kind of budget that was completely focused on character and story. While there is a couple of set-pieces and action scenes, this is mostly a very talky thriller that uses its budget to create incredible sets and special effects that served the narrative. 2049 has a compelling narrative that packs a genuinely emotional punch when it wants to. It's so, so rare that a film this expensive spends it budget it things that actually matter to the experience, rather than mindless, never ending scenes of explosions and gunfights.

Even at a bordering 3 hour run time, I was never bored once. In fact, I can't wait to see it again. My biggest regret was the two minutes I left the theatre for in order to take a piss (Must stop drinking Coke Zero Vanilla). It's slow-paced, but so wonderfully worth it. I imagine mainstream audiences finding this hard to get through. I'm interested to see the what the general public consensus is and how this does at the box-office overall. My biggest problem with blockbuster films these days is their bloated length. So I'm so happy to see such a long film make every frame worth it.

Speaking of every frame, Roger Deakins really is the man. He is working overtime here in order to create one of the most beautiful films of all time. Every frame is a goddamn painting, he really is gunning for his Oscar and I hope he gets it. I can't imagine a more gorgeous film coming out in 2017. Hans Zimmer's score is also fantastic, perfectly complementing the gorgeous world on display here. It's not your typical Zimmer either. In fact, I didn't even recognise it, which is a good thing. Zimmer is a composer who has really started to repeat on himself lately, so it was sweet to see him mix things up a little bit.

As a sequel, 2049 still feels like a massively original film. Expanding on the world the original set up while being unique to itself. There is so many minor cool things here that Villeneuve throws in. It feels like the original Blade Runner too, that smoky neon look of a polluted futuristic city is left intact. Although there is a lot of incredible CGI that blends into the film perfectly, there is a massive amount of built sets that only look perfect. This is all some of the best stuff I've ever seen put on screen. I know I sound hyperbolic, but trust Dan.

The original Blade Runner covered a lot of ground and philosophy on what it means to be a human and 2049 further expands on that. Putting Agent K and an older Deckard on a massively engrossing journey that really does that emotional. Harrison Ford also does a wonderful job as a more weary and older Deckard. This isn't a lazy, phoned in Ford performance, he is on top form here reliving an older character from his glory days. In some ways it reminded me of Sylvester Stallone's role as Rocky in Creed. 

While I loved every second Blade Runner 2049, I'm not saying it's a perfect film. There are definitely things I missed on a first viewing and multiple viewing will definitely enrich this experience, but there are some minor things that's can't be saved by re-watches. I think you all know where I'm going with this... Jared Leto, in the "Villain" role. I was actually pleasantly surprised by Leto in this. Not because his performance is good, it's the opposite, but because he is barely in it. His screen time amounts to around 2 scenes. Less Leto is always good Leto. I still can't help but wonder how the late David Bowie could have done in this role though. I'd argue 2049 didn't really need a clear villain though, the character journeys on their own without an antagonist works. I can't help but feel I wouldn't be saying this if Jared Leto wasn't in this though. 

As we come up to the end of 2017, which has been an incredible year for cinema, my number one spot for film of the year is beginning to look blurry. It's going to be a hard year for my top 10. I feel I've given a lot of 10/10 scores this year, but I'd argue they've all been earned. 2017 has been the best year for cinema in the entirety of my existence. I like to say "Cinema is Dead" a lot, but with films like this, my faith is restored in this industry. This is the sort of visionary film making that makes me want to work in the film industry one day.

Blade Runner 2049 is a near perfect sequel. A masterpiece that more than lives up to its predecessor and maybe even proceeds it. A gorgeous, engrossing and emotional sci-fi epic that will go down in history as one of the best sequels ever alongside Terminator 2, The Godfather Part 2 etc.

10/10 Dans

Blade Runner 2049 is in cinemas now in the UK
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Only God Forgives (2013) - Film Review

Review:

*Originally written May 2nd, 2016*

"Time to meet the devil"

I have a weird history when it comes to "art" films. They either rub me the wrong way and I see them as pretentious nonsense, which is what happened that first time I watched this, then I rewatch them and end up liking them more.

I still don't love Only God Forgives, but in terms of art-house films, this is still one of the more simple and accessible ones. Sure, compared to Drive, it's a complete shock in terms of difference, but a lot of elements that made Drive great are still here.

Taking place in the hazy neon lit streets of Bangkok, Only God Forgives is about a family that run Thai boxing club which fronts as a drug smuggling operation. One of the sons decides to kill a young girl and a cop with supernatural powers lets the father of the daughter to get revenge. The brother isn't too upset about the death, seeing as he deserved it, but their mother decides that revenge must be taken.

The story is mostly fuelled by imagery. The dialogue is kept to a minimum. The lead character played by Ryan Gosling only speaks "17 lines" according to the internet, which is probably accurate. His performance was fine though, a lot of his emotion is conveyed through facial expressions, which works most of time, although it can get a bit frustrating.

I will say Kristen Scott Thomas's performance was excellent as the terrifying crime mother of the piece. She gets given the most vicious and horrible lines to say.

There's a lot of background to these deplorable characters that we get hints of through odd throwaway line. It's implied Ryan Gosling's mother and his brother had an incestuous relationship that he was jealous of and something happened that led to him beating his father to death and fleeing to Bangkok.
It's all so strange. The story is very straight forward, but told through such an abstract way. There honestly is not a lot of development out of these characters. The closest we get to this is a change of heart Gosling's character has at the end.

This feels more of a mood piece than an actual story led experience. It terms of visuals, this film utterly shines, we get the red neon lit streets of Bangkok and the backrooms of the city. Honestly, this is reddest film you will ever see, half the budget must have gone on red bulbs. Cliff Martinez' ambient score also bought a lot to the mood, with an almost fairy tale and unsettling soundtrack.

 
The biggest problem is I feel the film thinks it is more deep than it actual is. If you've ever seen an interview with Nicolas Winding Refn, you see he is one of the most pretentious pricks ever to grace this Earth and his filmmaking here shows. He likes to add weird imagery that seem to have some "deep" and hidden meaning, but it's all just actually really simple, just strangely told.

Only God Forgives is what it is. Certainly not for everyone, but if you take it for what it is, an abstract mood piece with a simple story and gorgeous visuals, it's just a bit full of itself.

7/10 Dans

Only God Forgives is out now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK
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La La Land (2016) - Film Review

Review:

*Originally written January 12th, 2017*

I'll put it out there, I'm not a fan of musicals or even jazz music, but I did love Damien Chazelle's previous film 'Whiplash'. I also love Ryan Golsing and Emma Stone, so I was looking forward to this, and it exceeded those expectations by an insane amount. La La Land is one of the most beautiful, electric and emotional experiences I've ever had from a film. I don't want to hyperbole, but this might be one of the greatest films I've ever seen. I know it's only January 12th, but I really can't see much else topping this as my film of the year of 2017.

This was clearly made by someone who loves his craft, Chazelle really has a love for jazz and all things nostalgic, which shows. The music is great, the set design is wonderful. It creates this feeling of a classic film set in the '50s, despite being set in the modern day. It's a strange combo that works. Remove smartphones and the internet from La La Land, apply a black and white filter and this could easily be made in the '50s. That's not a knock.

A Lovely Night

Everything in this film is so beautiful. The direction is pure precision. Chazelle creates an electric film packed full of emotion and heart. It's a film aimed at people to follow their dreams and it was perfect. It made me want to pursue and be passionate about what I love and never give up. This is the sort of film that makes me want to be a filmmaker, if I wasn't so damn lazy.

At the centre this is a love story between a jazz pianist and an actress trying to achieve their dreams in LA. Both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are seriously amazing, my favourite film of all-time is Drive, but I think Gosling gives the best performance of his career. Much to my surprise though, despite both being amazing, I found Stone to outmatch Gosling most of the time, especially in the musical numbers. Stone has a much better singing voice than Gosling, which isn't a problem considering most of his stuff is based on his amazing piano skills.

Despite looking like a bright and colourful film, the film does take some really emotional turns that lead to a heartbreaking and bittersweet ending that hit all the right notes. We see Gosling and Stone's relationship start to fracture as they realize the compromises they have have to make in order to achieve their dreams or whether or not you should even follow your dream.

City of Stars

As a musical, aside from the opening scene which had me a little worried, everything after that was memorable and made me want to listen to it all day long. There was an insane amount of talent that came to making some of the music here, especially 'City of Stars' and 'The Fools Who Dream' which were easily my highlights. There's also a great scene of some '80s music that I didn't expect, but I loved it.

La La Land was pure magic, a sense of wonder and passion that I've not seen from a film in a long time. Beautifully directed, powerful and endlessy memorable. One of the greatest films of all-time.

10/10 Dans

La La Land is out May 15th on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD now in the UK
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