April - Short Reviews

2.4. She's Funny That Way (2014) - 9 / 10

I chose She's Funny That Way randomly in a rental store. It seemed like an easy, cute movie to watch. And I can't believe how much I actually love this!

She's Funny That Way has that weird yet charming atmosphere mostly created by the music and the dialogue. It's what I'd want from certain director's who are popular but whose films are actually very boring to the common viewer.

This film is hilarious because of the chaotic way everything just piles up and how many characters know each other and run into each other during the movie.

She's Funny That Way is an excellent and charming comedy, which I warmly recommend to everyone.

11.4. The Voices (2014) - 3 / 10

I've wanted to see this movie since it first came out, but only managed to see it now.

At the beginning the movie I thought it was gonna go two different ways. Either it's inappropriately hilarious, or it makes the viewer super uncomfortable. Well the movie was both funny and really distressing, but also it turned out to be completely different from what I hoped. and not in a good way.

There are many great elements to the story but eventually it just doesn't seem to live up to its potential. The story clearly needs something more, something different, to make it truly great.

Also there's the matter of how hurtful this movie is to those who actually suffer from certain mental illnesses where you hear voices. But of course I'm not the judge of that.

16.4. Velvet Goldmine (1998) - 5 / 10

We streamed Velvet Goldmine and it was hard for me to actually understand what was happening... The narrative was a mess, but there sure was lot of glitter.

23.4. Shallow Grave (1994) - 8 / 10

I'm not saying much since I need to see this again and write a longer review.

29.4. The Wolverine (2013) - 6 / 10

Even if it's been four years I still love this movie so much.

30.4. Hackers (1995) - 4 / 10

what

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 07

Day 7 - A movie that makes you happy: The Full Monty

It was hard to choose a movie that makes me happy, since so many do, and I don't think about that as much as I think about what makes me sad. Sadness is easier to notice.

But I chose The Full Monty because it's one of my favourite films, and of course one's favourite film tends to make one happy, unless it's a fucking miserable one. Also The Full Monty is very funny. 

Also I guess seeing my favourite actor to strip is one of the reasons this movie makes me happy.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 06

Day 6 - Your favourite comedy movie: The Legend of Barney Thomson

When I first learned about The Legend of Barney Thomson, it seemed ridiculous. Then I saw the trailer, and realised this movie is absolutely going to be ridiculous, but in the best possible way. Since this was the first film directed by Robert Carlyle, I had no idea what to expect since I hadn't read the novel, but Robert Carlyle definitely deliver. He's a talented actor and a great director.

I absolutely love this movie. The whole premise is amazing and the best part is the accent. The movie takes place in Glasgow and you can't understand a fucking word from anyone's mouth. 

It tells you something about my sense of humour if my favourite movie is clearly a dark crime comedy.

I actually ordered the novel after seeing the movie.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 05

Day 5 - Your favourite drama movie: Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

This one was really hard to decide. How many different choices did I have? I couldn't even begin to count them. Drama is such a big genre and most of the movies go to this genre in one way or another. And when I'm looking through the highest rated drama movies it's like trying to decide the best ice cream flavour when you like so many different kinds, and what you choose really depends on the day.

So how did I choose Birdman from the crowd of amazing drama movies? When I first saw it, it had a tremendous effect on me. Of course it's in a way pretentious, and it's very hard for me to like obviously pretentious movies, but there just is something about Birdman that speaks to me. It's mostly how it plays on reality and illusion, and it's never quite certain what is real and what's not. Also the struggle with ego. 

Obviously, like many movies about Hollywood, Birdman is in a way a self-wank but it's a wonderful self-wank with amazing dialogue, cinematography and soundtrack. It's tragic and funny at the same time.

Free Fire (2016)

Directed by: Ben Wheatley 

Written by: Amy Jump & Ben Wheatley

Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs turns into a shootout and a game of survival.

---

I found this movie almost accidentally when looking through the local movie theatre's website to see if they have a date for Baby Driver. I actually didn't check that, because I saw that Free Fire had its last show today. I hadn't heard of the movie, so I checked the trailer. I didn't even finish it, and truth to be told, I wasn't that intrigued. I just hadn't been to the theatre in a while and Free Fire seemed more interesting than pretty much any other movie they are showing right now. Also I kind of thought I would be there alone since Free Fire hasn't really been marketed here, and because they were showing the new Fast and Furious at the same time, and the new Guardians of the Galaxy 30 minutes later. Well, I wasn't alone. There were five of us. Anyway...

Free Fire starts off well. Music is amazing and it gets you excited about the movie, and the dialogue works amazingly well. It's the perfect kind of dialogue. If you're an aspiring screenwriter it might make you think oh right, that's how you're supposed to do it. 

The beginning may feel  a bit stretched out, but when shit hit the fan, I almost started to miss that slow, dialogue-heavy beginning of the movie. Mostly because after that, most of the movie seemed more like just shooting without any kind of actual point to it. It desperately needs something more story driven there.

The entirety reminds me of Reservoir Dogs, but like a weird, simpler version missing the charm Tarantino put in his work - apart from the dialogue of course. The set-up is good, but the story isn't close to as great as it could be. There's so much potential that seems to be wasted since it comes to the weird part where the film is mostly shooting and throwing in bits of great dialogue every here and there. It's hard to keep track of, especially when most of the characters look the same and the names are thrown in there so casually you barely remember three of them. Also the structure makes the movie feel way longer than it is. 

Free Fire has potential, but it needs some better way to wrap things up, and better way to keep the audience invested in the characters. This way it's just watching and wondering who's going down next and what the hell is even happening.

☆☆☆☆☆

5 / 10

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 04

Day 4 - Your favourite horror movie: 28 Days Later

It was hard to choose between this one and 28 Weeks Later, which is also very excellent, but I guess since this one is directed by Danny Boyle. 

I'm choosing this movie, because I'm not a fan of supernatural horror, re: curses and ghost. That's because I saw Grudge 2 when I was twelve, and while of course it's not a good horror movie, and it's a poor remake, it's still really fucking scarring when you are 12 years old. 

28 Days Later didn't exactly take a unique approach to zombies, and the movie itself isn't exactly one of a kind. It's still well done, excellent and super thrilling. It's exactly what you need out of this genre, so in a way the perfect zombie movie. Or infection, whatever, it's all the same to me.

And let's not forget the amazing soundtrack and the way the audience all of a sudden realises how fond they are of the characters, knowing what usually happens to people in films like this. 

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 03

Day 3 - Your favourite action / adventure movie: Hot Fuzz

Another movie with Simon Pegg, yes. I think this is starting to give off the idea that I like him more than I actually do.

I still remember when I started watching "Cornetto Trilogy", Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End. I was really interested in seeing Shaun of the Dead and The World's End, but Hot Fuzz didn't interest me at all. I guess compared to Shaun of the Dead and The World's end, it didn't seem as interesting, since these two included zombies and aliens and shit, while Hot Fuzz seemed like a relatively normal buddy cop movie.

I probably should've known better. Hot Fuzz was super violent, which of course is something I like, but also far more complicated and fucked up than I thought.

From the "Cornetto Trilogy" I've seen Hot Fuzz more times than the other two. I also very much enjoy showing it to friends, who don't know what they are going to get.

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 02

Day 2 - The last movie you watched: Kill Me Three Times

Since this is a scheduled post, there's a good chance that by the time this is published, I've seen couple of other movies as well. I still think it might be better to schedule the post than write about a movie I wrote about the day before or worse - the same day.

Kill Me Three Times was an entertaining thriller comedy. It is filled with dark humour and action. Still it left me feeling a little bit empty, like I needed something else too. 

It's still definitely worth watching, especially if you like Simon Pegg. He certainly can make any kind of role work and look gorgeous while doing so. Another reason to watch is the wickedly cool music that makes you feel like you need to put on sunglasses and suit and go walk the streets like the cool motherfucker you are.

The Rules of Attraction (2002)

Directed and written by: Roger Avary 

Based on a novel by: Bret Easton Ellis

The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate.

---

The Rules of Attraction is definitely an interesting movie. One of the most interesting things about it was that my whole view of the movie changed after I had seen it and I saw on IMDb it was based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis. Everything weird about this movie suddenly made way more sense when you know it's written by the same guy who wrote Less Than Zero and American Psycho. Not that I'm an expert, I've only read American Psycho but also I've never managed to finish that novel. Also helped when I actually remembered ho Roger Avary is. 

But knowing the minds behind the movie doesn't help me like it any more. 

I started watching this movie only because of Clifton Collins Jr and the fact that I haven't seen him enough - only in one TV Show and one movie, where he only has a small role. Since he was there for, what, three scenes, I didn't exactly get what I wanted out of this movie, and it didn't manage to surprise me positively. Ultimately there was a certain to this movie that I found interesting, something that reminds me of few of my favourite movies about people as old (or young) as these characters. 

However that was fleeting since most of the movie seemed to be annoying relationship, sex and romance drama that I didn't actually give a shit about. And still when the movie's summaries talk about a love triangle, I feel like it wasn't even about that. That had so little to do with everything else that was going on. I can't say if the novel is long or not, but I feel there is too much packed into this movie.

I liked many details about this movie. The soundtrack was good, the inner monologues were interesting, the cinematography... well it honestly made me think Clifton Collins Jr was going to jump through the screen and kill me, also I never knew I'd see James Van Der Beek's O-face that close... But the entirety just felt fake artsy and like a really weird mess. When you know who's behind it, it kind of explains that. It makes more sense, but it doesn't make it better

I don't know if there's a certain group of people I'd recommend this to. Fans of Bret Easton Ellis have probably already seen it, and there's a chance they don't like this adaptation. But if you decide to watch it however, huge content warnings for rape and suicide.

☆☆☆☆

4 / 10 

30 Day Movie Challenge - Day 1

I'm taking part in the 30 Day Movie Challenge. I asked on Twitter, whether or not I should do this challenge here, on Twitter or on Tumblr, and the blog gained the most votes on that poll. So of course I'm catering to my audience and doing this challenge here. 

Here's the list of the days and the challenges, in case someone else wants to do it too. 

Day 1 - Favourite movie: T2 Trainspotting

I went to see T2 Trainspotting when it came out here. I went to see it three times altogether, because it just had that kind of big effect on me.

We've been talking a lot about this movie with my other Trainspotting loving friends, and we've come to the conclusion that the movie's power lies in the way the movie is built. Many movies have that one particular scene that's the high point of the movie. You look forward to that scene and there are so many less intriguing moments. But with T2 Trainspotting, every scene is as great as the previous one and the next one. Every scene makes you think "Oh god, THIS scene!" Even when the scenes aren't thrilling or particularly memorable, they are still vital. There's nothing in this movie I would take out of.

Also the soundtrack is bewitching. Just like every scene is "that scene", every song on the soundtrack is "that song". 

And of course T2 Trainspotting plays with our need for nostalgia, but it isn't over doing it. There are actual footage from the first movie used, and it's used just the perfect amount. And of course there are the scenes mirroring the ones in the first movie. Since getting old is a big theme of the movie, this play on nostalgia is on point - for the audience and the characters.

Kill Me Three Times (2014)

Directed by: Kriv Stenders 

Written by: James McFarland

Professional hit-man Charlie Wolfe finds himself in three tales of murder, blackmail and revenge after a botched contract assignment.

---

When a department store was closing, they had a huge sale of course. My dad found the DVD of Kill Me Three Times, and it only cost one euro. He had seen The World's End and Hot Fuzz, so he knew I like Simon Pegg very much. He bought it for me, and I finally managed  to watch it.

Kill Me Three Times is off to a great start even during the opening credits. The music is catchy, the credits look amazing, and they don't take too long. And after the opening credits, the first lines are intriguing. All this ensures the viewer will stay to see what happens.

The theme song of the movie that already catches your attention in the opening credits is used throughout the movie. This is also taking a huge risk, because you could overuse that too much. However, in this case, that track is simple enough to use several times. It's exciting and perfect for an action comedy. Reminds me of the theme of Men In Black.

The story is funny (though the humour is dark), and it's just complex enough.Most of the complexity comes from non-chronological narrative. That's always risky, but when done right, it works, just like in this movie. The plot isn't just straight-forward and "as is", but James McFarland clearly did not try too hard to write some kind of artistic, complicated action thriller. The amount of complexity is just right when it comes to action comedy. You can be clever in other ways when writing a movie like this, mostly by plot twists that the audience cannot see miles away. Kill Me Three Times succeeds in that. 

However when it comes to the plot twists it feels like maybe this movie won't be as great when you see it the second time. It feels like while the movie is very charming and somewhat unique and funny, it's not as clever as you'd like, or as thrilling. But can I be sure before I actually rewatch it?

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

7 / 10

Trailer Thoughts: The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) & Atomic Blonde (2017)

It's been a while since I've talked about trailers, but it's time to return to this. First trailer is for The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017), directed by Patrick Hughes, who is a completely new director to me. I have never seen any of his movies, and I've heard of only one of them.

Put shortly, the story is about a bodyguard (Ryan Reynolds), who's job is to protect a hitman (Samuel L. Jackson) who is supposed to testify at the International Court of Justice.

The trailer fails to give a right image of the movie. There's like no information abou the story there, it's just action, explosions and swearing. But from browsing Patrick Hughes' filmography, The Hitman's Bodyguard might be exactly that. My favourite thing about the trailer is the play on the song I will always love you. 

But it does seem absurd and hilarious that Samuel L Jackson would be protected by Ryan Reynolds. 

The whole movie just seems like mindless action comedy, and that's about it.

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Now the other trailer I'm going to talk about is for Atomic Blonde (2017). It's apparently based on a graphic novel, and it's directed by David Leitch. According to IMDb he's also going to be directing Deadpool 2, and he has directed some scenes in John Wick. Leitch seems to be best known for being a stuntman.

Atomic Blonde is about an MI6 agent who goes to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate a murder of a fellow agent.

I had seen some parts of the trailer before, but not the whole trailer. Those small pieces had already made me interested, because the movie seemed like it's going to be amazing visually. Also the cast seems incredible, if a bit white.

The trailer is extremely well done, the music has been chosen well, because it already captures the viewer and makes them think that shit,, I want to see that movie. 

While The Hitman's Bodyguard seemed kind of mindless, Atomic Blonde seems like it's going to be a surprisingly clever. I'm definitely going to go see this once it comes out.

Ravenous (1999)

Directed by: Antonia Bird 

Written by: Ted Griffin

In a remote military outpost in the 19th Century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.

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Again, I can start my review by saying that this movie was recommended to me by my dear friend Rose. Ravenous was probably the first movie she told me to watch after she found out about how much I liked Robert Carlyle. I was starting to grow suspicious of these recommendations though. Annie suggested Eragon knowing it was awful, Rose suggested 28 Weeks Later, which was good, but Carlyle's role did kind of frustrate me. ... So I started thinking what would be wrong with this one.

Ravenous seemed interesting because it deals with cannibalism. Cannibalism is an intriguing theme considering how dark it is, and it is a trusted way to give your horror movies or thrillers some kind of shock value. However in Ravenous it's not just there to shock you, it's what the whole story is about, it's one of the major themes. That is a refreshing change to how cannibalism usually is in thriller and horror genres: a fleeting detail, barely worth mentioning few times, but too disgusting to actually make a movie about that, and the wendigo myth. 

Wendigo myth has been quickly tapped into TV shows like Hannibal, but since the show doesn't have actual fantasy elements to it, it's not that important. The myth has been always interesting to me, but I do sometimes what the Native American people whose culture the myth is part of think about movies like this one. 

I expected this movie to be scarier since it's listed as a horror film, but the story is still intriguing and thrilling. It may start slowly but there's just enough mystery to keep you interested, when the plot starts to thicken. The plot and story just seem to go on when you think this is the story, this is what's important. That makes the movie feel longer than it is. 

The story isn't close to perfect. There are many ways the plot could be improved, but this is the story the filmmakers wanted to tell, and it is good. 

There are few things that made this movie seem a bit odd. It is hard to grasp the atmosphere at first, what the movie is like and what it is about, though it does clear up eventually. But there are few details that make this sometimes seem almost comedic. That weird comedic feeling that doesn't exactly belong to the film is mostly created by the soundtrack. The music is brilliant most of the times, but there are times when you can't help but wonder if they truly chose the right tracks. 

Ravenous was surprisingly good, while I thought it might be a simple slasher B-movie. It's thrilling, intriguing and most definitely worth watching if violence and blood and guts won't bother you.

At the beginning of the review I said I wondered what was wrong with Ravenous. So was there something wrong? Well, let's just say that this is yet another really interesting role of Robert Carlyle's in the list of the roles I've seen him play.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

7 / 10

The Legend of Barney Thomson (2015)

Directed by: Robert Carlyle

Based on a novel Long Midnight of Barney Thomson by: Douglas Lindsay

Written by: Richard Cowan & Colin McLaren

Awkward, diffident Glasgow barber Barney Thomson lives his life in the most boring, mediocre way possible, until he accidentally enters the macabre and absurd life of a serial killer.

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I found this movie accidentally when looking through Robert Carlyle's filmography. I don't know if I would've paid as much attention to it, if I hadn't noticed it was also directed by Carlyle, who is currently taking his place as one of my favourite actors. I ended up watching the trailer and this movie seemed absolutely hilarious. It reminded me of Filth (2013) directed by Jon S. Baird. If you didn't know this already, I highly value Filth, and it had a great effect on my taste on movies - and novels, since it's the first novel by Irvine Welsh that I read. 

Also I was curious, because I hadn't seen a movie taking place in Glasgow before. I don't know much about Glasgow, apart from two things that I learned from my friends. 1) No one understands the Glasgow accent, except for people in there. This was told to me by my friend Danny and I had to agree, because I only need subtitles for Robert Carlyle when watching Trainspotting. 2) My friend Annie told me she has never met a person from Glasgow who was happy.

So because of the resemblance, and because of Scotland and Robert Carlyle, I decided to watch The Legend of Barney Thomson. 

It's almost hard to believe how good the story is. The trailer already tells it's going to be a very interesting crime comedy, but at least for me the trailer didn't exactly give a clear picture of the story., and it turned out to be a lot different from what I expected. The film is filled with many exciting twists and turns that keep the viewer on their toes. The dialogue is also amazingly funny, and a clear sign of amazing writing.

There's just something especially detailed about this movie. It looks and sounds like every part was so carefully planned. Of course that's the case with most movies, but in some movies with casual, uninteresting cinematography it's not as visible. The cinematography in this film by Fabian Wagner reminds me of Wes Anderson's movies, and Filth (2013). 

I especially loved the beginning, and how the music created such a calm, chill atmosphere, which was then wonderfully conflicting with what was going on with the murderer. 

The Legend of Barney Thomson is extremely skillfully made movie, with hilarious yet intriguing story. The most important thing to remember though is to be prepared with subtitles, if you have trouble understanding people from Glasgow.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

9 / 10

The Crow (1994)

Directed by: Alex Proyas

Written by: David J Schow & John Shirley

Based on a comic book series by: James O'Barr

A year after he was murdered, Eric Draven comes back to avenge the deaths of him and his girlfriend.

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I think I was about eleven or twelve year old when I went to a video rental store with my dad, and The Crow from 2005 caught my eye. My parents never let me see movies that weren't meant for my age, but I always liked to read the back covers and summaries of the movies I knew I couldn't watch until I was old enough. I guess it was the goth aesthetic of the Crow that drew me in, and the plot did seem very intriguing even then. 

Years went by and I didn't exactly forget about The Crow, but lost interest in the 2005 version because I learned about the mishap that caused Brandon Lee to die on set. It was clear the movie was to be tragic anyway, and that just made it even darker.

I've watched a lot of movies that are about revenge, and most of them are just action movies that don't really capture the darkness of revenge and the human soul in those kind of movies. The Crow is one of the very few revenge themed movies that is as dark as needed, and it doesn't exactly make revenge seem more glorious than it is. The Crow is brutal and violent, but there are also some really beautiful, comforting parts, which make the film stand out from the typical films of the genre.

The cinematography is amazing, it's like a beautiful comic book. There's a lot of contrast, loads of black, but still surprisingly much colour. The palette is breathtaking. The cinematography is gruesomely beautiful, considering what they show and what they don't show, and how it's shown.

The soundtrack is great, but a bit surprising here and there. Then again, of course such a goth classic would use The Cure in the soundtrack.

The Crow is an enchanting, beautiful yet brutal movie, and it's definitely worth watching. Even if you don't care about the genre or a story, what happened to Brandon Lee should be enough to pique your interest.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

10 / 10