Battle of the Sexes

The battle for equality in sport isn’t a debate about which sex is better but it’s more a fight to get women’s sports receiving the same respect and attention as their male counterparts, and thus receiving equal pay for reaching the top of their respective sports. Granted, sometimes this simply isn’t possible especially when it comes to football where the attendance figures, and viewing figures, of women’s football are too small to sustain the wages that the men get but tennis is different altogether because both men and women’s single events sell out equally. Nowadays the tournament prizes are the same regardless of gender but in the 1970s this was not the case and this had to be changed.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Rebels are on the run from the powerful First Order who have them fleeing for their lives. However, as the First Order cast a shadow over the galaxy, Ray (Daisy Ridley) travels to the first Jedi temple where Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), has sought solitude and he might be their only hope. Ray must convince Luke to assist the rebels in the fight against The First Order.

The Disaster Artist

Everything is wrong with The Room from the dialogue to the acting, the lighting to the cinematography. Subplots are introduced and disregarded and character relationships are unexplained. All in all, it’s a terrible movie dubbed ‘the Citizen Kane of awful’. Despite this, however, people still talk about it as it has developed a cult status like no other. Midnight screenings are packed and Q&A sessions with director Tommy Wiseau are sold out as people ironically, yet lovingly, laugh their way through the stilted dialogue, terrible acting and nonconsequential plotting with a box full of plastic spoons in the arsenal.

Justice League

Production on Justice League took a tragic turn when Zach Synder had to step down and thus left the film in Joss Whedon’s capable hands (having directed The Avengers). The DC franchise did need a boost, which it received with Wonder Woman, and the only likely source it would come from would be Zach Synder whose cut of Batman vs Superman was far better received than the theatrical cut so it was sad, however understandable, to see Zach Synder leave the project.

Spiderman: Homecoming

Following events in Civil War, where Spiderman (Tom Holland) stole Captain America’s (Chris Evans) shield, Peter Parker is trying to adjust to life as a “normal” teenager. Peter finds this difficult as he desperately waits for a call from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) that will be the starting point of his career in The Avengers. Tony feels he is not quite ready and implores Peter to keep out of trouble, but when Peter discovers a group of criminals, led by Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes, selling alien tech weapons he can’t help but get stuck in the action.

Thor

Of late Marvel and Disney have been giving opportunities to up and coming directors to have a crack at the big time. Shane Black was given Iron Man 3, the Russo brothers were given Captain America: Winter Soldier (which would lead to Captain America: Civil War) and James Gunn was given both Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Due to the success of What we do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Kiwi director Taika Waititi was the next director given the chance to play with a big budget.

Geostorm

Jack Lawson (Gerard Butler) is the architect of Dutch Boy, a satellite system that allows humanity to effectively control the weather. This system was created when the planet’s weather began to spiral out of control. For years, Dutch Boy worked perfectly until it started to malfunction and Jack Lawson is the only man who can fix it.

Happy Death Day

Theresa "Tree" Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) dreads her birthday because it reminds her of her mother, (who shares the same birthday) who died three years previously. Her misery is further compounded when she is killed by a baby face mask wearing killer. However, Theresa “wakes up” again and quickly realises that the events of the day are the exact same as the one before. To break free from this never ending curse, Theresa must find a way to break it and perhaps finding the killer’s identity may do just that.

Blade Runner: 2049

It’s been 35 years since Blade Runner was released in the cinemas and during those 35 years we have had plenty rereleases and recuts of the same film. Some of these versions of the film had narration, some clearly showed Deckard to be a replicant, and some kept it very much ambiguous. And finally some 35 years later we get a sequel. The sequel is set in 2049, a world where replicants has integrated with society (kinda). One of these is K (Ryan Gosling) who is programmed to execute older replicants. However, on a mission he finds a body of a replicant who gave birth to a child. Ignoring instructions from his superior, K looks to find who that child is that can shake the foundations of the world’s society. 

Loving Vincent

A letter to the brother of artist Vincent Van Gogh (Robert Gulaczyk) falls into the possession Postman Roulin (Chris O’Dowd) who requests that his son, Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth), hands the letter to the brother, Theo. Armand discovers that Theo has also died, and travels to Auvers-sur-Oise, the site of Van Gogh’s death, to deliver the letter to Van Gogh's doctor (Jerome Flynn). In Auvers-sur-Oise, he discovers there may be more to Van Gogh’s death than initially perceived.

Thursday Movie Picks: Body Horror

I know I’ve been away for a few weeks, but I have returned to take part in my choice of Thursday Movie Picks about Body Horror movies.

Make sure to check out - http://wanderingthroughtheshelves.blogspot.co.uk/

Mother!

A man and wife (played by Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence) live in this grand house. It’s a little run down but the unnamed wife is planning to restore the house to its former glory. This is interrupted by the arrival of a doctor (Ed Harris) and his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) who quickly become unwanted guests.

2017 Catch Up

Let’s face it, horror movies that pertain to be based on real life events are a little crass, but they don’t go over the line by not using the actual names of those involved as they’re more inspired by the event than actually based on it. Wolves at the Door is also “based on” a true event but what the film does that so crass and repugnant is it uses the "based on real events" card as some sort of shock value right at the end of the film where its revealed its not based on, but an actual retelling of a true story. What appears to be a film that’s only simply based on the Charles Manson murders is actually retelling the Manson family murders of actress Sharon Tate.

Insyriated

The civil war in Syria is the most brutal conflict raging today, so much so it has dominated headlines across the World for the last few years. Such is the disregard for human life, Snipers are paid $100 if they kill a man, $60 for a woman, and $40 for a child. Its all a fun game to some. 

IT

The town of Derry has a dark secret; adults are vanishing at a rate well over the national average. However, kids are worse. Much, much worse. What’s taking all these kids of the streets? Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) finds himself at the heart of Derry’s dark secret when his younger brother, Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott), also goes missing. Bill and his ragtag group of mates, dubbed The Losers, spend much their life avoiding bullies and trying to find out what why the children of Derry keep vanishing.

Detroit

 

Set during the Summer of 1967, Detroit focuses on a small, but infamous, event that took place during the 1967 Detroit riots. The event in question occurred at the Algiers motel where shots fired from a starting pistol were met with a heavy handed, and racially motivated, police response. We follow several characters, including musician Larry Reed (Aglee Smith), racist police officer Philip Krauss (Will Poulter) and onlooker security guard Melvin Dismukes (John Boyega), on this fateful night.

Valerian and the City of Thousand Planets

Valerian (Dane Da Haan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a pair of space travelling agents who are drafted into finding the source of radiation in the city of Alpha (home to several millions of alien species). En route to the mission, Valerian dreams of an incredible paradise populated by an intelligent and advanced race of aliens who are eventually destroyed by an unseen race. As the mission goes on, Valerian discovers that the dream and reality are connected.

Frightfest: Day Five

The final day featured morbid Instagrammers, a twisted Christmas thriller and revenge tale set during Halloween.

Frightfest: Day Four

Day four includes a violent Australian horror movie, an addiction of which the students are certainly not in control and a bad day at work. Missing is a film called Our Evil which I could not focus on because of fatigue so it is not reviewed here. Sue me.

Frightfest 2017: Day 3

Day 3 includes a local vampire feast, a chilly thriller and the most bloody game ever.

Frightfest: Day Two

Day 2 of Frightfest featured a creepy film about a unknown lodger, an evil video game, and two dysfunctional but highly loving families. Reviews of Frightfest's films of day 2 are here:

Frightfest 2017: Day One

Frightfest is the UK’s leading horror and genre film festival. It features of wealth of films that encompasses several different genres and the organisers work hard to highlight the lesser known films that would have otherwise flown under the radar. Despite the room being filled up with gore hounds who like watching people’s heads blow up we are all very nice people and that, coupled with easy access to directors and actors, makes Frightfest one of the best film festivals in the country.

King Kong: Skull Island

The giant ape King Kong has made numerous appearances on screen and found a home among the most legendary beasts of cinema. Kong first appeared in the iconic 1933 film and since then Kong has trashed New York City more than once and battled Godzilla frequently too. Jordan Vogt-Roberts' version of the story of the giant ape is set in 1973, with the Vietnam war providing a suitable backdrop. The imagery used in the film, such as the fiery explosions and shimmering images, mirror the pictures regularly seen in Vietnam War films such as Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket.

Against the Tide 2017

 

This blogathon is hosted by Dell On Movies. I also know the font changes in the post. Blogger is so rubbish I no longer care. 

The rules are:

1. Pick one movie that "everyone" loves (the more iconic, the better). That movie must have a score of 75% or more on rottentomatoes.com. Tell us why you hate it.

2. Pick one movie that "everyone" hates (the more notorious, the better). That movie must have a score of 35% or less on rottentomatoes.com. Tell us why you love it.

3. Include the tomato meter scores of both movies.

4. Use one of the banners in this post, or feel free to create your own.

5. Let us know what two movies you intend on writing about in one of the following ways:

• Comment on this post
• Comment on KG's Movie Rants
• Tweet me @w_ott3
• Tweet KG @KGsMovieRants1

6. Publish your post on any day from Monday August 14 through Friday August 20, 2017.

Thursday Movie Picks

Summer blockbusters tend to be big, expensive, and full to the brim with major stars that get audiences flocking to the cinema, even a rare appearance of the Sun on British land may not stop a cinematic juggernaut. 

Nowadays blockbusters are made up of the tenth film of the franchise, and the odd original film (which risks the chance of financial failure) which is a shame.

Dunkirk

In the closing week of May 1940 the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and many thousands of allied soldiers were left standard on the beaches of Dunkirk entirely surrounded by the German Army. Facing a highly organised and efficient army and bombs dropping from the air, the Allied troops waited for rescue. Dunkirk is the telling of Operation Dynamo, which led to the rescue of over 300,000 Allied troops.

War for the Planet of the Apes

Led by the brutal Colonel (Woody Harrelson) the last remnants of humanity look to save their species and destroy the apes, before the apes win the war and take over. The war heavily hits Caesar as he loses something dear to him which sends him on the path of revenge.

The Bequiled

Shortly after Sofia Coppola’ success at the Cannes Film Festival (where she won best director) her latest effort was the target of criticism for the removal of a black slave character from the story (the character featured in both the 1971 original and the novel). Sofia’s defence was that she didn’t wish to half arse such a serious topic (slavery) and thus focused on the isolation white Southern women felt during the years of the American Civil War. It does seem questionable that a black character would be excluded entirely from a picture set during a war where slavery was the main reason for the fighting, but Coppola’s view of the novel does not deal with that aspect of the war.

It Comes at Night

It seems to be the case that every year a horror movie is released to much critical acclaim but a lot of audience distain. Granted there might be a sense of an audience unwilling to be tested or broaden their horizons but mostly it’s because the studio incorrectly advertised the film and sold a different product to what the audience got. It happened with The Witch and now it happened with It Comes at Night. It perhaps does the film a disfavour even if the box office proceedings were boosted by the film’s questionable advertising.

2017 Catch Up

Claire (Teresa Palmer) is an Australian tourist taking pictures of Berlin’s GDR architecture. She meets a dashing Berliner named Andi (Max Riemelt) and the pair immediately hit if off. Claire goes out looking for Max the next day, and the pair have a one night stand. After the night of passion, Claire wakes up to find her locked in his apartment. She stays another night, assuming being locked in the apartment was an accident, but when it happens a second time it turns out Andi has dark motivations. With no means of contacting the police or shouting for help, Claire must outsmart her captor.

Baby Driver

Baby (Ansel Englort) is a getaway driver for criminal King-pin Doc (Kevin Spacey), and he only needs one more job to be straight (Baby stole Doc’s car several years back and has been in his debt ever since). After completion of the job that’s set him straight, Baby tries to cope with normality. He finds a job and quickly falls for the lovely Debora, but it transpires being straight doesn’t necessarily mean he is finished as Doc needs Baby to do another job.

Okja

There’s a great number of people in the world who are very much set in their ways and, in the film industry, this is no more pronounced that at the Cannes Film Festival. Okja, the Netflix produced film which was in competition at the Cannes film Festival was booed when the Netflix logo appeared on screen (though eventually the film received a standing ovation). As much as I appreciate the French film industry for its quality pictures and being the birth place of cinema I feel the 36 month limit placed on streaming service serves is as much as a refusal to get with the times as it is a bid to protect the industry and the country’s spectacular reputation for theatres and cinema.

Sports documentary double bill

Currently, the McLaren Formula One is at the foot of the Championship table with engine problems being the woes that fall upon the team and drivers. So, with the McLaren team is such a dire position it seems ideal to go back to a time when the iconic McLaren name was in the ascendency. Directed by Roger Donaldson, McLaren follows Kiwi racing car driver and designer Bruce McLaren from growing up in his small town in New Zealand to designing World Championship winning racing cars.

Bruce McLaren is painted as a determined, hardworking and talented figure in the world of motorsport, finding success in many different formulas and racing categories. The time he devoted to the sport was so great it must have impacted his family life though the movie does not investigate this. Whilst, a look into the man’s family life may have opened him up on an emotional level (thereby adding more depth to the film) the areas that film does investigate is very interesting even if some understanding of engineering may be required.

Due to the limited resources available (the sport was still in its infancy in the 60s) director Roger Donaldson combines reconstructive footage with archival footage and interviews, this works reasonably well but the reconstructive footage does feel like it served more as padding than anything greatly informative. What’s also interesting to note is how the drivers and mechanics shrugged off the death of fellow racing drivers. This inaction and belief that death was part of the sport contributed significantly to the high number of fatalities in the era. Sadly, however, the film doesn’t go into great depth regarding the effect the high death toll had on Bruce McLaren.

The climax of the documentary is undoubtedly high emotional, but thrills and quality of material available means McLaren isn’t on a par with Senna.

3/5

George Best was football’s first celebrity, many dubbed him the Fifth Beetle for his supreme good look and massive female fanbase. Not only was he supremely good looking but he was an incredible football player, one of the best of his generation, a generation that included the likes of Pele and Eusebio. The documentary, simply titled Best, speaks admirably about the talents of George Best, but it’s not a documentary that spends the entire timewaxing lyrically about how the ball was glued to his feet. Instead it’s a very honest and very moving documentary about a sportsman who threw away his talent because of deadly addiction to alcohol. What’s striking is the friends of George Best not only blame the man himself, but themselves, they feel they did not do enough to turn him away from drink.

Comparisons to the Bobby Moore, whose life was also discussed in a documentary could easily be made, and both are refreshingly honest, yet respectful documentaries. George Best is an endlessly fascinating subject, a great talent ruined by drink and a celebrity lifestyle and the film serves as a warning to celebrity culture and the hounding by press and fans. Making use of archival footage and talking heads, the Best documentary lives up to its name becoming one the finest documentaries on the sport. People can chuckle how George Best may have spent his money on booze, birds, fast cars and squandered the rest but it was a lifestyle never made him happy. A sad documentary about a wasted talent.

4/5