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My Friend Dahmer (Cinema Review)

30th May 2018 By George Elcombe Leave a Comment

Starring: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche
Directed By: Marc Meyers
Running Time: 107 Minutes
UK Release Date: June 1st 2018
BBFC Certificate: 15

Our Score

Often I like to watch films that I know nothing about besides the title so that it doesn’t taint my viewing experience, but having seen this movie I feel that having prior knowledge of the protagonist’s horrific crimes would have enabled me to have gotten more out of this film.

Having grown up in England and not having an interest in serial killers, I had never really heard of Jeffrey Dahmer and the 17 men and boys he murdered between 1978 and 1991. I read his Wikipedia page after seeing this movie and it shed a lot of light upon things that were hinted at, both subtly and explicitly, throughout the film. [Read more…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche  DIRECTORS: Marc Meyers  

Mary and the Witch’s Flower (Cinema Review)

4th May 2018 By George Elcombe Leave a Comment

Starring: Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent
Directed By: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Running Time: 103 Minutes
UK Release Date: 4 May 2018
BBFC Certificate: U

Our Score

One Christmas afternoon a few years back I was surrounded by noisy nephews and other family members, so I retreated to the front room to watch a film that’s I’d heard very good things about called Spirited Away (2001). One by one my relatives came to join me and was captivated by what was on screen, even though they didn’t really understand what was going on.

This was my introduction to the wonderful films made by Studio Ghibli, and when I recommend any of their movies to those who have never heard of them I always say that they are the Japanese Disney. Since that Christmas I have seen pretty much every Studio Ghibli production and was saddened to hear that the studio was halting productions back in 2014, following the retirement of co-founder and director Hayao Miyazaki (although it hasn’t completely gone away).

But whenever one door closes another opens as Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura founded Studio Ponoc (Ponoc signifying midnight, for a new day) in 2015 with the aim to produce animated feature films with the look and feel of early Ghibli films. They have achieved perfectly with this their debut, Mary and the Witch’s Flower. For example, the Studio Ponoc’s logo at the start of the film has an image of the star of its first film, Mary, which is a homage to the image of Totoro used for the Ghibli films.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower is based on the book The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, and tells the story of a young girl named Mary (Barnhill), who moves in with her Great Aunt Charlotte in the countryside. Bored and restless, she befriends local boy Peter (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) and his cats, Tib and Gib, who leads her to a glowing flower, and later to a broomstick that whisks her high above in the clouds to the Endor Collage for witches and warlocks. There she meets headmistress Madame Mumblechook (Winslet) and Doctor Dee (Broadbent) who have a history with the flower and will try to get their hands on it no matter the cost to Mary or anyone else.

On the surface this movie can easilt be compared to Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) as we have a young girl with a black cat on a broomstick, and, unsurprisingly, this film has a lot of familiar trademarks associated with the Ghibli films. For example, we have a strong-willed female protagonist, a call to adventure from the mundane and boring real world, the use of magic, an array of strange and wonderful creatures, a moving orchestral score, and above all spectacular 2D animation.

None of this is a bad thing and it by no means feels like a tick box or simple imitation. It truly feels like a continuation of Studio Ghibli and its heritage, yet sets the groundwork for what I hope are many other films to come. Indeed, it’s a must for fans of animation in general.

Also unsurprisingly, Studio Ponoc recruited many talented staff and animators from Ghibli and you can tell by the character designs, how they move, the beautifully detailed static backgrounds and the fact that some shots within the collage contain so much activity that you will have to re-watch them multiple times just to pick up on everything. I also found it hard to differentiate if any shots had been touched up with CGI animation, and I would be surprised to know if they had.

I feel I can’t write much more about this film unless I give away a lot of the plot and events, but as per a lot of children’s stories not all is as it seems and the audience gets sucked into the world and mystery through Mary’s eyes. There is a lot of fun and wonder in this film but also a bit of darkness – nothing that would traumatize a child, though.

Like Spirited Away (2001) and a lot of other children’s stories the film’s overall message is not to take some things for granted, and to be thankful for what you have. All in all this is a great film to watch for young and old, and especially if you’re a fan of magic and Harry Potter. It says something that the kids attending the preview screening were quiet throughout, captivated by what was on screen.

Overall Verdict: A strong debut from Studio Ponoc with all the elements that fans of Studio Ghibli know and love. There’s a captivating and magical story, great pacing and absolutely stunning 2D animation. This film is a must see for fans of Anime and Studio Ghibli, and a great introduction for those new to the genre.

Reviewer: George Elcombe

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent  DIRECTORS: Hiromasa Yonebayashi  

Isle Of Dogs (Cinema Review)

29th March 2018 By George Elcombe Leave a Comment

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton
Directed By: Wes Anderson
Running Time: 101 Minutes
UK Release Date: 30 March 2018
BBFC Certificate: PG

Our Score

Feature length stop-motion films are a rarity these days, partly because CGI movies are quicker to produce and are seen as better box office propositions – as well as it being easier to amend a scene or use an alternative camera angle if it’s been generated on a computer.

However, there is a certain charm that you get with stop motion that CGI will never have.  It’s the same way that CGI monsters in horror films are never as scary as animatronic ones because the audience is enticed by something real and physical presented on screen. The films of Ray Harryhausen are prime examples of how effective stop-motion can still be. Many of us in the UK grew up with Morph, Wallace and Gromit and several other stop motion animated character, and the meticulous work of the animators comes across on the screen, for which I respect and admire their level of dedication. [Read more…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton  DIRECTORS: Wes Anderson  

Journeyman (Cinema Review)

24th March 2018 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Starring: Paddy Considine, Jodie Whittaker, Paul Popplewell, Anthony Welsh
Directed by: Paddy Considine
Certificate: 18
Running time: 97 minutes

Our Score

Does the world really need yet another boxing movie? Yet another tale of redemption, with a plucky outsider who has little chance of winning, discovering his mojo through meeting the right partner, turning around his life, punching sides of venison at dawn and lifting the belt in a blaze of glory? No, of course it doesn’t – I’m looking at you Stallone with your countless, increasingly ludicrous Rocky films, but as films like The Fighter showed, there is some life in the old puncher yet.

And this is Paddy Considine we’re talking about here. Now approaching something like national treasure status, Considine has almost become a by-word for gritty authenticity, an actor who never cheats, never uses tricks and always seeks that most elusive quality in films – honesty. [Read more…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Paddy Considine, Jodie Whittaker, Paul Popplewell, Anthony Welsh  DIRECTORS: Paddy Considine  

A Wrinkle in Time (Cinema Review)

22nd March 2018 By George Elcombe Leave a Comment

Starring: Storm Reid, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine
Directed By: Ava DuVernay
Running Time: 109 Minutes
UK Release Date: 23 March 2018
BBFC Certificate: PG

Our Score

Disney are having a huge amount of financial and critical success with live action remakes of their classic animated features, but not so much with original properties. For example, I was hyped at the prospect of Tomorrowland (2015), but was disappointed with the result and, unsurprisingly, it was a flop. This is a shame as big studios with big budgets need to take risks in order to bring fresh stories to the screen. There are successes such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), but also some misfires along the way and unfortunately this movie is one of them. [Read more…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Storm Reid, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine  DIRECTORS: Ana DuVernay  FILMS: A Wrinkle In Time  

The Shape of Water (Cinema Review)

14th February 2018 By Mike Martin Leave a Comment

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Running Time: 123 mins
BBFC Certificate: 15
UK Release Date: February 14th 2018

Our Score

Guillermo del Toro is a frustrating, baffling director at times. But boy, when he gets it right… and this loving tribute to b-movies and monster pictures of the 1960s is right up there with his considerable best.

Even his most hardcore fans would admit it’s easy to spot when his heart isn’t in a film. Pacific Rim was his attempt at a blockbuster movie, but it was as hollow as a child’s toy and had about as much longevity. Crimson Peak was a partial return to form, but still lacked heart. Here though we are firmly back in Pan’s Labyrinth and Devil’s Backbone territory. It’s beautiful, structured, detailed and very moving. [Read more…]

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg  DIRECTORS: Guillermo Del Toro  
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