Apostle (2018) - Netflix Review

Review:

*Originally written October 12th, 2018*

It's a rare thing to get a good Netflix Original film, it's even rarer to get a great one. Despite the inclusion of Gareth Evans, Dan Stevens and the atmospheric trailers, I had my reservations about Apostle. Netflix have the supreme talent of wasting excellent crews on films that end up being utterly mediocre. To my surprise, Apostle is one of Netflix's best films and one of the best horror films of the year so far.

Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) finds himself on a remote island populated by a cult run by Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen) as he attempts to find his kidnapped sister as he uncovers the more insane and disturbing goings on on the island. There's clear inspiration to The Wicker Man here, but with Evans kinetic direction, it feels like a Wicker Man homage on crack.

I was unsure at how Evans would do with horror after doing so well with action. Thankfully though, he is a very safe pair of hands, his direction reveals some shocking and horrific moments of brutality and he really knows how to build suspense and create an atmosphere. The design of the island is gorgeous, filled with some incredible cinematography. This is one of those Netflix films that actually looks like a film too, not a glorified, made-for-TV film with a budget. It also looks fantastic with Netflix's 4K output. I really wish they'd release some of their films on UHD. 

There's a slow build up to the action and gore heavy second half, but it's all worth the wait. Evans stretches every moment of tension out as long as he can without it feeling unwelcome. I could argue the film is a bit too long, but I was pretty engrossed most of the time to argue that. I just wish I got to see this on a big-screen and not at home. I imagine I would have loved this even more in a cinema.

Once things do kick off in the second half, it is extremely nasty and grotesque. When people die in this film, they die. There are some utterly vile and painful to watch kills in Apostle and it really justifies that lovely 18 rating it got the UK. Evans does not shy away from any of the brutality, even some of the close to martial arts stuff is pretty brutal. It's not quiet as frantic and choreographed as The Raid 2 for instance, but it's a very welcome addition to a horror film.

Where Apostle does falter a bit is with its characters, there's not really a lot there in terms of character. Dan Stevens does a wonderful job with his performance and with some of the more physical stuff, but I just there was more there with his character. His motivation is pretty sound and easy to get behind, but some forced flashbacks are a bit shoe-horned in to flesh out his character, but don't always work.

Some viewers might find things a little too weird and ambiguous with the goings on in the cult.  The final shot is bound to raise questions and leave the viewer wondering what the hell just happened (As it did with me), but it made me want to rewatch it again in the future. World building and mystery is definitely something Apostle does very right.


Apostle isn't without its problems, but for a Netflix Original film, it is damn excellent. A dark, brutal and involving mystery horror with gorgeous direction and a solid lead performance from Dan Stevens. I'll always just wish I got to see it in cinema though. 

8/10 Dans 

Apostle is streaming now on Netflix worldwide
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A Star is Born (2018) - Cinema Review

Review:

*Originally written October 9th, 2018*

I'd never seen a previous adaptation of this story, but with Bradley Cooper directing his first film and being very impressed by the trailers, I was intrigued, but nothing prepared me for a film of this maturity, honesty and craft. I was unsure going in, I just didn't expect to be this blown away going out.

I've got a real soft spot for these music set dramas. To my surprise this isn't really a musical in the traditional sense, there's musical performances, sure, but it all feels fluid and organic. No one just jumps into song and dance, which I honestly find a little grating and why I'm not the biggest fan of musicals. I much preferred the music being reserved for actual scenes taking place on a stage.

Instead this is just a powerful and honest story about an aspiring star getting into a relationship with a fading country singer. It goes to some very dark and uncomfortable places as Bradley Cooper's Jack starts to succumb to his addictions, putting Lady Gaga's Ally's music career in a compromising place.

I had this concern it might go to drama for dramas sake. Making the film over 2 hours was a really smart choice. We see Jack and Ally's relationship start as he discovers her singing in a drag bar and chooses to launch her career as it begins to overshadow his. Cooper's performance is incredible, an utter powerhouse of emotion and some of the best and hard to watch drunk acting I've seen. It was depressing and uncomfortable to watch, but it was effective. I'd be amazed if he doesn't get at least an Oscar nomination.

As a first time director, Cooper is also creating some of the best work I've seen from his career. He has the craft and care of a director who's been working for decades. I couldn't believe for his first film he managed to balance so many plates and deliver such a compelling and hard-hitting drama. He's a real talent and I cannot wait to see what he does next. He hits at relevant themes of fame, jealousy, depression and alcoholism in ways that feel shockingly real and honest. I can never see this one ageing badly.

My biggest question mark behind A Star is Born going in was Lady Gaga's performance. A tiny role in Sopranos aside, I'd only ever seen her act in American Horror Story, which was tacky trash. but she pulled off an over the top villainess in the context of the show, so I was interested to see if she could pull of a serious drama. And she does, she really holds her own and has real chemistry with Cooper, bringing natural emotion to the proceedings, making things feel real and making that ending so damn hard to watch. It helps she's also a natural talent when it comes to singing and she shines in the much earlier songs before her career turns to tacky pop crap. Which I assume was the point.

The earlier songs in the film are so great. This is easily the best original soundtrack of the year and I know I'll be listening to a lot of these songs again. I loved all the country and rock stuff in the first acts, but while I wasn't keen on the later poppy stuff, it was natural to the film. I was also surprised at how strong Cooper's singing voice was too, he really held his own and delivered some genuinely great songs.

I can't get over how beautiful this film was too. It's filled with gorgeous shots with incredible lighting that won't leave my head for a while. The cinematography was something being rightfully pointed out when the trailers first started dropping, but I was pleased to see the film was incredible to look at all the way through. I can't believe Matthew Libatique was the cinematographer on this and Venom released in the same week. What a contrast.


A Star is Born is a masterwork, a timeless and powerful tale that gets the best of everyone involved. It's a beautiful, bleak and depressing masterpiece and might just be the film of the year by the end of it. This one is gonna sweep at the Oscars. Deservedly.

10/10 Dans

A Star is Born is out now in cinemas in the UK
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A Simple Favor (2018) - Cinema Review

Review:

*Originally written October 9th, 2018*

Wow, what do I say about A Simple Favor? It's utter trash on every level, but at the same time it has so much fun with its mystery, concept and absurd amount of plot twists that I couldn't help but have so much fun with it. It feels like the Scary Movie spoof of Gone Girl, and it knows that, so it embraces it, while at the same time creates an oddly compelling mystery.

It always helps when you go into a film knowing nothing about it, apart from hearing the reviews were positive, I'd not seen a trailer or even known what the film was about, all I knew that is was directed by Paul Feig and stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. I had seen the poster, which for some reason gave me flashbacks to last year's Unforgettable....

Thankfully, this is much better than that, it's trashy and looks cheap, and it feels like it belongs in a different decade. I could easily see this made in the '90s adding to the list of films like Basic Instinct or Fatal Attraction. There's clear inspirations to Hitchcock and Fincher that Feig wears on his sleeve. At one point I genuinely thought the twist at the end was going to be Fight Club. 

Anna Kendrick is an actress I've never really liked, her presence just annoyed me and I don't know why, but here she is the best I've ever seen her, carrying along this mystery to find out what happened to her mysterious friend and dig up her past, finding increasingly insane and outrageous twists. 

The mysterious friend in question, I'm not sure quite how to feel about. Blake Lively completely dominates the screen with her presence and outfits whenever she appears, playing the most psychotic and deranged character of her career. Imagine Gone Girl's Amy if it was a Lifetime film directed by Paul Feig. Her performance goes a little over the top towards the end, but I'm sure that was intentional with the tone and how absurd things got. 

And boy do things get absurd by the end. There's a bit of a lag in the middle, but once that third act hits, it is full throttle chaos that spits a new plot twist at you every couple of minutes. I was shook at just how insane this got. It was utter trash and a lot didn't make sense, but it carried me along for the ride and I loved it for that. 

I was pretty surprised at how toned down the comedy was for a Paul Feig film too, while it is primarily a mystery thriller, there are a few genuinely funny moments to level out the tone of A Simple Favor, without sinking to the overly crude tone of his other films. I'm even pretty sure the absolutely atrocious performances from the children was intention for a quick laugh. I couldn't comprehend how child acting this bad made it into the final cut of this film.


A Simple Favor is a hard film to judge, it's trash and it knows it, but at the same time it has so much fun with it and so does the audience. Plus it's got one of the most interesting performances of Blake Lively's career. I hope Feig continues to make more films in the tone of this.

7/10 Dans

A Simple Favor is out now in cinemas in the UK
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Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) - Cinema Review

Review:

*Originally written October 9th, 2018*

We live in a society that now has 3 Johnny English films. Yes. 3 of these things. I'll admit, as a child, I loved the first one, I rented the VHS pretty frequently to the point of annoyance. I remember being so excited for the second one, but it turned out to be a piece of shit. Then I rewatched the first one a couple of years ago, and that did not hold up as well as I'd hoped. 

Johnny English Strikes Again is at the very least better than the previous film, yet that doesn't stop it from being a low effort spy spoof full of lazy jokes and strange moments. That said, there is still the odd moment of creativity and a couple of genuine laughs that keep this from being a total dud.

Now retired from MI7, Johnny English Strikes Back finds Johnny English coming back into the game after a cyber attack on the government leaves every known agent exposed. It's a pretty easy story for them to come up with, it feels eerily similar to Skyfall. An analogue agent in a digital world trying to adapt to the modern spy life.

It's all just very serviceable, predictable and straight-forward. I can't be too massively harsh on this, I have to remember this is a kids film and not a character study about a clearly mentally challenged man who became a secret agent. I wasn't expected Mission Impossible: Fallout in terms of action, but everything felt pretty cheap and forgettable, but like I said, there is an odd moment of inspired genius. A scene involving Johnny going bananas during a VR exercise was a real highlight, as was a surprisingly creative scene of a car chase in a learner car.

Atkinson still does slap-stick humour really well, it's exactly what you'd expect. English is remarkably stupid and I genuinely believe he's mentally challenged. I just feel I've grown out this sort of thing and it starts to get pretty grating before thankfully ending after a brief 90 minute run-time. So at the very least, it barely outstays its welcome.


Johnny English Strikes Again is exactly what you'd expect from the third entry in the British spy spoof. I don't know what else to say. It's merely fine and an easy way to kill 90 minutes as a long as you can put up with some painful and outdated jokes (Someone actually plays Temple Run in this). I just hope Johnny English 4 is a more grounded character study about what it means to be a mentally challenged secret agent. 

5/10 Dans

Johnny English Strikes Again is out now in cinemas is the UK
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Venom (2018) - Film Review

Review:

*Originally written October 6th, 2018*

After the piss-poor marketing and universally negative reviews, I expected the worst from Venom. It had been described as this years "Fan4stic" and "Catwoman". After watching it, that is an absolutely absurd notion. It does very little to break new ground, but for the most part, it's a perfectly acceptable and watchable ride. I 100% guarantee if the exact same film had been made, but under the MCU logo, it would have got an easy free pass from critics. This is far better than half the Spider-Man films and a lot of MCU entries. 

We hit a lot of ground covered by several other films. Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock gets a new set of powers, has to deal with that, embraces it and then takes on a bad guy with the exact same powers. It's cookie cutter stuff, but it's done in such a competent manner, that's largely entertaining for the most part. 

By far the most interesting stuff going on here is Eddie dealing with Venom himself, who is an actual character within him. Venom really comes alive when it's just Eddie dealing with the sarcastic symbiote inside him. Some of the exchanges between the two are genuinely funny and something I've not seen done much before in comic-book films. We got hints of that with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, but devoting a whole film to a character's split personality works far better.

It's just a shame it takes so long to get there. I appreciate them taking the time to build up Eddie Brock as a character while we see him lose his job and fiancee (A thankless Michelle Williams), but they really should have fast-tracked this, as it takes a good 50 minutes or so to get going, or at the very least dedicated more time to Eddie being an actual journalist. None of this stuff is exceptionally terrible, but it is a bit of a slog. Once the action gets going in the second half, things are much more exciting.

I'm still trying to put my finger on Tom Hardy's performance. I'd seen people compare it to Jim Carey, which is just utter bollocks. There is definitely some comedic elements to his performance, particularly some slap-stick stuff towards the middle, but it's nowhere near as abrasive as people have made it out to be. Some of the absurd humour is when Venom actually feels like it has a voice of its own, it's very different to the lame cringe humour of the MCU films and works much better.

Where Venom doesn't work is easily with some of its action scenes and its villain. Riz Ahmed is a fantastic actor, so it was a shame to see him reduced to another cookie-cutter and disposable Marvel villain, he was so unbelievably bland and uninspired. A power hungry billionaire who eventually gets infected with a symbiote and has to go head to head with Venom. There is no time dedicated to actually making this character feel human, he's evil from the opening scene and never gets to do anything of note. Comic-book films have come a long way from 10 years ago in terms of villains, so it's annoying to see them backtracking at this point.

Part of what people seem to love about Venom is the fact he's an anti-hero. This was a big part of the marketing. Which turned out to be a huge lie, he's another superhero, but he has homicidal tendencies as he needs to consume living flesh to survive. We see him eat a couple of people, but never anyone good, it never goes far enough with the "Anti-hero" vibe it so wants. 

While the action is completely serviceable (The motorbike chase is the only standout I can think of) it is completely butchered by editing. Things come to a climax in one of the most spectacularly bland finales I've seen from a superhero film in a while. We get two characters with the same powers come head to head in a fight that I can only describe as "Two blobs of CGI ink smashing against each other". In terms of CGI, it all looks very good, I sorta love the design of Venom and there's no absolutely awful special effects that stood out. Good job.


This was also clearly shot with an adult rating, but they got cold feet at the last minute and cut it down. It's hugely noticeable. People are eaten and dismembered to bloodless results, it sticks out like a sore thumb and I'd really like to see an uncut version for home video release. I have to slam the BBFC for rating this a 15 too, aside from some mild moments of body horror, this is a 12A through and through, there is nothing about this to earn its adult rating in the UK. It's embarrassing that it was even considered for this rating.


Venom is not the disaster you expected, nor the great definitive film of the Spider-Man villain you wanted either, it's somewhere in the middle, joining the long list of Marvel films that are perfectly watchable entertainment. There is definitely room for improvement and I'd love to see the cut with "40 minutes of Brock and Venom" footage cut from the film, but for now, it is utterly fine.

6/10 Dans

Venom is out now in cinemas in the UK and a 4K UHD steelbook is available to pre-order from HMV

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Halloween (1978) - 4K UHD Review

Review:

*Originally written October 3rd, 2018*

John Carpenter's Halloween is always one that impresses me. At its core its a very simplistic and basic slasher, but one that works far better than most do. I finally watched all the sequels I'd never seen before last year and returning to the original before the release of the "Official" sequel this month was an interesting experience.

The sequels are plagued in that way a lot of horror film franchises are, it tries to explain the villain. Giving him an overly convoluted back story that completely destroys the mystery behind them. I'm a little fuzzy on what happened in the sequels, but if I remember right, it was something to do with a cult? I'm having trouble remembering, but I know I hated whatever they tried to do.

Thankfully, despite the awful sequels, Halloween still holds up. Michael Myers is an absolute force of nature. A completely psychotic monster incapable of any empathy or remorse. He never speaks and his motivations are unclear, aside from his desire to kill whatever gets in his way. From the effective POV opening of Michael as a child as he stabs his sister to death is still one of the best openings to a horror film ever. It's brutal and unsettling. Made worse by the reveal that the person behind these acts is a small child. It's a ballsy move and one that still really works. 

The use of POV shots really works. As Michael doesn't say anything, we're put in his shoes, only hearing and seeing what he sees. It's dark and unsettling, but really creates an atmosphere. One that the sequels failed to capture. Carpenter's direction really brings things alive. It's only 90 minutes, things go very quickly, but everything is set-up neatly and the stakes are all set from the get-go.

Donald Pleasance's Dr. Loomis let's the viewer know what Michael is like. There's a lot of unspoken history between Loomis and Michael. You know he'd spent years of his life ensuring that Michael reminds locked up, as he knows what he is capable of and stops at nothing to see him captured or killed. It's a performance of unexpected gravitas and easily the strongest the film had to offer.

That's not to say the performances are bad, but aside from Pleasance and Jamie Lee Curtis, everyone else is, well... not great... Most of Michael's fodder are just annoying teens that you sort of want to see die. It's a genre formula that works, but I couldn't help but feel I'd care a bit more if I'd invested a little more time in this characters. 

I also miss when films actually had iconic theme songs and the Halloween film is absolute gold. I always forget Carpenter was also the composer, fair play to him to creating one of the most iconic theme songs of film history. Modern films really need to step up their game and make some memorable theme songs for there films. Honestly, can you name the last film that actually had a memorable theme that will be remembered in time like they used to?

In terms of villain design, Michael Myers is still one of simplicity that still delivers an unsettling feel to this day. A completely white and faceless mask that does little to hide the fact there is something behind it with absolutely no one. You all know the history behind Myers mask, but it's still great to see. Despite getting an 18 rating, I'm always taken back by just how tame Michael's kills are too, it's more the manner of how callous and methodical Michael is with his killing, rather than going for grotesque kills, it instead goes for pretty straight forward strangles and stabbings that feel more real. While it's fun, I do sort of hate the horror franchise mentality of having one up the previous film by getting more and more absurd with each film, I much prefer the simplicity of the original.

Halloween's Blu-ray release in the UK was one I was always pretty fond of, it was one of the first Blu-rays I owned in fact, so that may have had an impact, but this new 4K UHD transfer is pretty damn good. There is so much more detail in the night scenes and it still retains a natural amount of grain. I was a little worried about this transfer going in, but it looks damn good. 


Halloween is a definitive slasher, one that still holds up today, it's not adverse to cliches you've seen today, but you gotta remember it was one of the first to make these dents in the genre. It's a stripped back, bare bones and iconic slasher. The best of the series by far.

9/10 Dans

Halloween is out now in the UK on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD
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Fight Club (1999) - Film Review

Review:

*Originally written October 3rd, 2018*

There's not a lot better than seeing one of your favourite films on the big screen and while it was a struggle for Fight Club to get to that position for me (I found it a bit just angry and pointless when I first watched it, but it grew on me with each watch). It's easy to see why Fight Club has endured the test of time and is still a benchmark with film students all over the world. 

I will argue that the fanbase of Fight Club have completely got the wrong message from this film. Despite clearly being a satire on toxic masculinity and the dangers of blindly following a charismatic leader, some people seem to have taken this as a hate-fuelled rampage on capitalism and lack of freedom in your life. Which is true, the film does tell audiences what they want to hear through Tyler, but by the end of it, if you're smart enough, you see it as a take-down of nihilistic idiots who thing the stuff they do is cool. 

It's probably due to Brad Pitt's utterly charismatic and infinitely dickish Tyler Durden. A rebel who lives on the outskirts of society and ends up changing the lives of the working men around him, telling them exactly what they want to hear and how meaningless their lives are. I know Durden is a completely smug, self-important dick, but there's something about him I like. I find it easy to understand why anyone would want to do the things he asks of them. Or maybe I'm just shallow and would easy be won over by Brad Pitt in his sexiest '90s prime.

While Brad Pitt's Tyler Durden is easily the talk of the film, Edward Norton's unnamed narrator and Helena Bonham Carter's performances both excellent too. Norton takes the role of the audience, carried along by Durden's insane. He's the every man who is frustrated with his boring 9-5 job, meaningless attachments to designer furniture and suffers from insomnia. His evolution from every man to accidental terrorist leader is a fascinating one and Norton nails it scene to scene. 

Bonham Carter also easily gives the best performance of her career. There's something about Marla Singer I've always liked, she's the manic, unlikable love interest carried along for the ride and eventually has no idea what's she getting into. But there's something oddly charming about her performance, making her watchable, I've never liked Bonham Carter as an actress, but she really works here. Plus she's responsible for the best line of the entire film. " I haven't been fucked like that since grade school".

As a satirical crime drama, I always forget how much black comedy there is here, it's genuinely one of the funniest films ever made. From the opening scenes of Norton attending self-help groups made for people dying of cancer, to the utter insanity of and reach of Tyler's actions, it's incredibly funny and I love every second of it. I was upset none of my friends noticed the cock shot spliced in during the final scene though.

David Fincher is also one of my favourite directors and this is by far the best of his work. It's incredible how much CGI is involved in Fight Club and how much it sill holds up. Fight Club is an ugly film to look at, but that works in its favour, it's dark, grimy and extremely violent. Fincher wanted to deliver an ugly look on America and it works. I'd love to see this remastered in 4K at some point. Fincher's direction keeps everything going and while being nearly 2 and a half hours long, it's constantly engaging and moves at a fast pace, packed with creative film-making and style. While it is ugly, there are some gorgeous and iconic shots littered throughout, that final scene is still beautiful. 

I have to mention the score from the Dust Brothers too, from the opening moments its a pulsating score that matches the films aggressive tone perfectly. Even the opening titles are loud and in your face. It is perfect. I wish they had scored more stuff outside of Fight Club. Great use of Pixies at the end too.

I understand that people don't love this film and I get that. For some people it's either too angry, violent or grotesque for them to enjoy. Or they get the wrong message from it like I did when I first saw it. But for me, Fight Club ranks easily as one of my favourite films ever. I love it more and more with every watch, everything just clicks with me and I'll continue to watch it for years to come. Long live Tyler Durden. I'm gonna go petrol bomb a Starbucks or something.

10/10 Dans

Fight Club is out now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK

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