First Man (2018)

First Man advertises as the first film to show the iconic astronaut, Neil Armstrong's mission to the moon. Which to be honest, surprised me a little. The amount of space films we have we don't often have ones based on the truth. In fact, bar the recent Hidden Figures (2016) off the top of my head none immediately spring to mind. That's a big part within this film, to show us something we've seen countless times but for real, for the first time.

It's a space film, it's science-non-fiction. There are some things that are always going to be interesting to shoot but that doesn't mean the director can get lazy with his work. Linus Sandgren is the cinematographer as he was for Damien Chazelle's Oscar winning La La Land (2016). There's a strong focus on natural organic shots. With at least 70% of the film taking place on Earth it still has to be natural and first and foremost dated. It's the 60's it needs to looks as such and it does. Hair and costume were good as were the vintage space equipment and vessels.

The editing went well with crisp contracts of locations. The muted almost somewhat warm offices and homes to the cold mechanical insides of the space shuttle. The cinematography was subtle. Used various handheld shots to mimic news reports, then used the same technique just slightly different to replicate home movies. Tying the shots with stationary views or image binded to the shuttle works well with the tranquility of space. The score was obviously beautiful. As expected Justin Hurwitz, who did the original music for La La Land (2016) and Whiplash (2014) delivers again for this. A lot of which is gentle but as the film goes on the score becomes more prominent as the frequency of space and moon shots. The mission itself has its own theme. Beautiful yet somewhat evocative. Manages to embody the journey, the sacrifice mixed with the accomplishments. Also big nod to the sound mixing, can't imagine that won't be recognised as award winning. The stark contracts were poignant and fitting as well as the use of real sample interviews. 

Now the cast sold me. When back when, when we were just told Chazelle, Gosling, Armstrong, I was in. To be fair, there wasn't a great deal to add to that. Gosling was fantastic as expected, he's getting the opportunity to flex his acting chops a little more and he's getting taken more and more seriously. The difficulty he had with the role was that he was playing a real person. It's not a character. And though Armstong is a world wide name he's not a world wide character. I think a lot of people would struggle to pick him out of a line up let alone know what his personality is. So yes Gosling can act, he's tern and quiet but speaks up when needed. He shows intelligences and interest as well as awe. All of which whilst mourning. He doesn't let his feelings overpower him except when he does. I imagine he may get an Oscar nom. 

Claire Foy on the other hand may actually win. She maintains the poise and authority that she's mastered in The Crown. She's herself alongside a wife and mother. She has some real powerful scenes with Gosling and it really makes you think about the pressure this situation would put on any relationship. The final wordless scene between the two of them felt so intimate and strong though it was just a small interaction between them. With no comparison to the real people I personally found Foy to be a more believable person.

It was overall a beautiful film. Well constructed story of a mans life during a period in which he made history. I wanted to like this more. I'm a fan of so many elements but I'm not jump to rewatch this as I did Chazelle's previous filmography. It's long. Towards the end of the film it kinda feels like the end of a long haul flight home, everything up to this point has been nice but you know whats going to happen next so you're just kinda waiting for the landing. 

Meticulously made, and deserves to be appreciated. Just not my favourite thing to come from any of the cast or crew. 7/10 

CINEMATES - A

A Star is Born (2018)

Everyone gets attached to a particular story more than others at some point. Everyone has a film that touches them more than they could ever expect and they leave the screening completely blown away, instantly looking for a way to watch it again ASAP.

I'm 23, bisexual, i love Gaga more than I love myself. I have a longstanding, secondhand perspective of the shit storm that can be created by drug and alcohol addictions. If it's got a queen in it, I'll watch it (even if it's only 10 minutes of Willam). So, for me - A Star is Born is that film.


That was a mouthful, right? But my point is, this film got me. I knew it could have a massive impact on me, but I didn’t think it actually would, especially not in the way it has.


A Star is Born, directed by and starring Bradley Cooper, and co-starring Lady Gaga is the story of Jackson Maine (Cooper) a famous country singer with attachment issues, a severe drug and alcohol addiction who is only certain of which spirit he is going to drink that night, and that his brother Bobby (Sam Elliott) is going to be there to clean up his mess.

He bumps into Ally (Lady Gaga), a small time singer and waitress who has always been told she isn’t enough, is too ugly, and doesn’t have the voice and so begins their bloody adorable, enticing, hectic, exciting, beautiful, horrendous, romantic adventure.


The story itself is enough, it’s a beautiful story and for a sucker like me, it’s perfect. It felt real, I mean obviously not all of us are mad talented and bump into famous, delicious looking men that want to whisk us away and get our career going, but it showed how difficult things can be, and if you want them bad enough, and if someone believes in you enough you’re going to be able to do it. One of the best things really, was the fact that crucial parts of the story are hidden from the trailers, there are a couple of things I didn’t think were going to happen so they were nice (maybe not the best word when you know what they are, but you get my point) additions when I actually watched it.

The writing is simple, but effective. There are some twists and turns in this, some events that do not pan out how you’d expect, but the simplicity of how they are presented is what makes them phenomenal. This is compliment to the acting and editing really, it shows that a hefty script isn’t always needed, sometimes the talent that is there can be enough.

The casting for A Star is Born is spectacular. I can’t explain enough how perfectly chosen each person was.
Gaga gave me chills, she exceeded every expectation I had before going into this screening. I knew I was PUUUUMPED before the film even came out, but that is simply because I felt proud to see her face for this movie on a billboard, and because I love her so much whatever she does. This is the same for Bradley Cooper, he is such a badass (dish), and I was buzzing that this was his directorial debut, I was ready to see what he had to offer and he didn’t disappoint.

As soon as the film started I had extreme goosebumps, the dedication from Cooper to make this a masterpiece is insane. Knowing the months of rehearsal and coaching he went through to make his vision come to life shows that he actually gives a shit about what he is putting out there to a massive audience. His performance was stellar. As I said above I know the shit that can come alongside alcohol addiction, and he did the role justice. It even brings tears to my eyes now writing this, just remembering parts of his performance that resonated with my life so well. I felt his happiness, his excitement, his genuine love for Ally, and I understood his escape through music. Credit where credit is fucking due. This felt like a different role for him, but one he should be proud of.



Where do I begin with Gaga... she wasn’t acting, she was her character. You can see that she put so much from her personal experiences into this role. She knew the story, she knew the meaning, she became her character as soon as the cameras were rolling, and it shows. I cannot see a more perfect person cast for the role of Ally. I just forgot it was Gaga, someone that has the power to make you forget that are someone other than the character they are playing has a talent that deserves to be talked about. As well as that, her voice is unbelievable, anyone that denies that is lying - whether you are a fan or not, you can’t deny that talent. Even down to her writing for the film, just an absolutely beautiful, perfect performance.

Both performances from Cooper and Gaga were genuine, and my god were they memorable.

So, the score... I have heard it in my head since the second I left the screening. It was so powerful, it complimented the script and the whole story so well. The whole score was so pure, and different and just helped to tell the story better than I could have expected. The story of these two characters wouldn’t have evolved so well without such powerful writing, and flawless musical performances.

Visually, I think it was great. They were lucky really that they were in pretty places. You can’t say a sunny landscape on a motorbike is unattractive, that Gaga and Cooper kissing is unattractive, that a drag bar is boring, that a montage of different stages, and set ups are boring, it was great to look at.

I know i’m not the person anyone should trust when it comes to films - I mean my film of the year for 2017 was The Disaster Artist... my opinion is just one, but this film is my film of the year. It’s only September as i’m writing this but A Star is Born is it for me. 



This is a must-see film, if you disagree with this that is okay... but for me, this film is spectacular. It is fuelled by excellent chemistry, and is a moving and exhilarating story

I’m sure there are flaws, but when you find a film with an average story that is made into something incredibly above average, it it flawless. I haven’t had this feeling about a film for a while, and i’m so happy this film was the one to bring it back for me.

What we thinking, I’ll watch this 5 times on the big screen and wait a week to pre-order this??

Congrats Bradley Cooper, it was the success you’d hoped.


8.5/10

CINEMATES - S






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Whitney (2018)

I find it surprising that people on earth still have never heard of Whitney Houston, but are old enough to buy alcohol and are supposedly responsible enough to drive a car… what is that about?

Since her death in 2012 there have been a handful of documentaries and different accounts popping up all attempting to tell Whitney’s story, but to be honest none of them have done anything for me. They either make her life seem ‘meh’, or present her as an awful drug addict.

 I love Whitney a hell of a lot, so for me badly made documentaries don’t change my opinion of her, but for those that are either not familiar with her, her life or work they don’t seem to make the best impression. 

Kevin MacDonald also has a go a this, and does her life and body of work some justice and attempts to make the world realise that you can never stop learning about someone’s life even if the film industry appears to have rinsed anyone and everyone of all the information they have.

This film hooked me in right from the beginning because of how much detail was paid to the editing. Throughout the film we are given a bit of an idea what era we are in by there being a montage almost of Whitney’s most popular music at that time mushed in with a series of flickering political events. It was such a perfect contrast and made you really think about the great escape Whitney created for her fans. 

The film then works chronologically and doesn’t just go from baby, to star, to dead star like other portrayals seem to have done before this. We get an idea of what her childhood was like, then we grow up with her, so to speak – throughout this film. Cissy Houston (Whitney’s mother) doesn’t seem to be someone you see being interviewed a lot, (well at least I don’t think I have and I have gone to some deep, dark corners of the internet when it comes to Whitney) but hearing her side of things really brought such a personal element to this film and tied things together as best as could be done for this type of production. We also heard accounts from other family members such as Whitney’s brothers – Gary and Michael, her sister in law – Pat, and close friends. As well as this we get a brief appearance from ex-husband, rapper, Bobbi Brown.

There are some parts of this film that just created goose bumps all over my body. For starters, the sound is fantastic – that’s a given, it’s Whitney Houston. Second, in some of the accounts from her family members you learn much more about her drug habit and how this began, and progressed – well at least I did. And finally, you get to the time surrounding her death which just gets me personally every time.

It really is a touching, heart-warming, upsetting, brave, considerate, and respectful piece of film.

Whether you are a Whitney fan or not, you should give this a go – I mean I took a friend who half forgot that she had died and they enjoyed it, so if that’s not giving credit I don’t know what is.

6.5/10

CINEMATES - S

Book Club (2018)

Four friends meet regularly for a book club and have been doing this for 30 odd years. They all have different relationship dynamics, and different lifestyles but everything seems to centre around their longstanding friendships. They then start reading the Fifty Shades trilogy and start to re-evaluate their lives.

The story behind this film doesn’t develop too far from this. I went into it with very low expectations but it was surprisingly better than I thought. It had some depth, and it wasn’t too wishy-washy so that it felt like you were chasing pointless characters. We get a rough idea of what all of them are doing and how they got there, but it goes no further than that in terms of character development – and it was just the right amount.

I didn’t understand how a film about a book club could be interesting or have anything to it, but really it was quite well done. The comedy in it was a bit meh in places, but there were also some chances to squeeze out an absolute belly laugh. However, I am not a middle-aged woman so some of the comedy may have been funnier if you are older? I don’t agree with that though really. I think it was made quite well for audiences of younger women upwards. I mean, I could possibly watch this with my Grandma… at a push, but it’s definitely something you could watch with your Mum.

The pacing was a little bit off, as some parts really dragged, and it seemed like they really wanted to put emphasis on the fact that ‘funny women are serious too’. There was a focus on some characters more than other – as you would expect, because from the off you know who the main character is. Some parts were just eye rolling kind of stuff.

I can’t say I noticed any kind of a score, I’m sure there was music it was just obviously not memorable enough, and wasn’t complimented by editing.
For me, the stars of the show – as I had anticipated were Jane Fonda and Diane Keaton. They are funny ladies. The cast was well chosen really, they all seemed to complement each other and you could believe that they had a relationship that meant something. It seemed like the kind of friendship you want in your 60’s.

Overall, it was incredibly average really. I wouldn’t buy it but I would recommend it to the mums of the world.

4.5/10

CINEMATES - S

Breaking In (2018)

Smart home, invasion. Gabrielle Union stays in her deceased father's home with her two children when a group of criminals break in to steal what's in her fathers safe. They only learn upon arrival how smart the house is. 

Seeing the trailer I thought this was just going to be a fun actiony thriller thing. And I was right. The children get trapped inside with the criminals whilst mama Union tries to finds her way in. So the house is kitted out. When we arrive the son finds all the surveillance, every room, every door, motion activated sensors, control panel to watch and cover that and lighting and speakers. Oh and a drone, cos why not. If this was ten years ago it might have been seen as a little stretch but now you accept it easy. And you accept how easy it is to control. 

When the family first arrive Union's character Shaun notices a few out of place things, things we find are due to the fact there had been people in the house. Pairing that with the fact it's the house she grew up in mixed with a little desperation her quick wit seems pretty believing. The four intruders were done reasonably well though one was a little excessive. The ring leader, Eddie, played by Billy Burke, means business and respects Shaun somewhat. Though underestimating her he isn't entirely surprised by her progress and successes. One of the intruders isn't really given a character but the other two work well off each other. One is s murderous and impulsive and the other already regret the decision when the kids are involved. They rock back and forth, pushing each other closer and further from redemption. We see the daughter pick up traits from her mother and help her and her brother survive. We're not given a great deal of intro other than that and that's all we need. 

The action was decent and well thought out. Stayed interesting throughout and kept tensions high during quite a few scenes. Didn't fall victim to 'she should have gone that way' or 'why didn't she do that'. Partly because the whole situation is on a time limit, The security company call 911 if systems aren't back online after the mains were cut. And partly because she's just smarter than the audience. And I'm okay with that. There were a few parts where she seemed to be able to take more hits than I would have expected a human to handle and still stand afterwards. And it definitely reminded me that hollywood mums are just fitter than real life mums, because how many other 45 year olds can fight strangers and climb onto roofs? 

The script was alright though some of the dialogue was a bit lacking. By some I mean most, most of the interesting parts of the film involved silence and action. Yes it did lean on the mama bear protecting cubs thing, which wasn't as annoying as it could have been, but was still pretty cliche in doing so. Though Union and Burke were great a cast can only go so far with what they're given. 

Had surprisingly smart scenes, would watch again/would have in the background. Just slightly more original than the standard home invasion but not by a great deal. Passable but not an urgent watch 5/10

CINEMATES - A

A Quiet Place (2018)

I was intrigued on the trailer, those few minutes made me quiet and hesitant and the whole film is exactly the same. John Krasinski stars in his directorial debut with his wife Emily Blunt in arguably the best horror of the year, and it's only just April. Set in a post apocalyptic world where blind monsters hunt by sound alone and very few have survived. Krasinski, Blunt and their children live on a farm communicating via sign language. Their daughter, Regan, is deaf and confident, their son, Marcus, less so. We learn the family has grieved early on and that they are expecting a new baby soon. 

Right let's talk about sound cos hot damn. Adored the sound, as soon as it finished I thought this could be it this could be the first horror to get an Oscar nom for sound mixing and or editing. With Regan being deaf we alternate to be given her perspective. The sound goes from suspenseful, quiet footsteps or breathing to absolute silence. It's odd how you almost feel like you can relax your breath in complete absence of sound, you almost feel safer not hearing the creatures creeping about or the potentially too loud stumble. It becomes understandable as to why she has more confidence than her brother. 

The score was perfect, gentle yet pulsating, the monsters were raw as was the rest of the sound used. With the farm location there's a lot of open space for sounds to sit, as with the forest and river scenes. The cinematography was good, the same, natural and unclean as the world is now. We get a lot of intimate shots to emphasise the expressions on our ensembles faces, Krasinski's Lee is sternly animated, think sexy Wreck It Ralph. Great wide shots to contrast, stationary shots to ground the scene with more movements to show haste. 

One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed was the visual storytelling. There's no flash backs, there's no, hey remember what happened that time, no vocal spoon feeding. We get a great deal of newspaper clippings to show a how time has passed. 'YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN' titles a front page to show just how far things have gone. We don't have another family to compared to so the old news is new to us, it gives us scale. The basement in the framehouse has Krasinski's work, off limit to the kids. This again gives us an idea of time frame, the amount of research he has put into hearing aids and radio signals. The collection of materials and resourcing weighs the room down without telling us directly. Same with the baby proofing or hinting at later scenes, they place them in the frame and let you take it in. 

Another thing worth noting is the monster. We see it! We see the monsters a lot. And clearly and well. It's not a big secret with a huge reveal at the end that becomes disappointing. They're gradually shown and introduced more each time, I respect them so much more for giving us that. They're interesting to watch, fascinating to see gravitate towards sound and actually kinda scary. I think they were perfectly designed for the story.

The cast was spectacular, I walked out of the screening just thinking about what a great father Krasinski is and learning after that he felt this was an ode to his children is it becomes obvious. Blunt again was fantastic, both natural parents and great actors so I would have believed they were married on film even if they weren't in real life. The kids were also great, Millicent Simmonds is a great sister and teenage girl, she handles herself well. Noah Jupe was sweet and terrified, you see him give in a little and trust his parents even though he's frightened of just being alive at this point. 

The only flaw for me, no spoilers, is the conclusion. Not because I didn't like it, I did. But because it wasn't sooner. Not in the film but within the world they've created. I struggle to believe with how much work they put into surviving and learning about the creatures that they wouldn't have come to this conclusion earlier. Other than that great pacing for a horror, maintained itself well.

I adored this, I'm completely ready to watch this in complete silence in my own home on blu ray later this year. Refreshing storytelling, must watch for horror fans, good amount of heart in there. 8/10

CINEMATES - A 

Mom and Dad (2018)

America has gone mental, parents are trying to kill their kids. That’s it, that’s what Mom and Dad is about. I think this is a brilliant idea, if you’re into that sort of thing of course.

It’s a normal, quiet day in the setting of a typical horror film - a suburban town in America. We meet our main characters very early on, Mom/Kendall (Selma Blair), Dad/Brent (Nicholas Cage), and our 2 kids/main victims; Carly and Josh (Anne Winters and Zackary Arthur).

The family set out to complete their normal, routine day consisting of Kendall going to classes, Brent clocking in at work, Carly going to school, and Josh staying at home with what seems to be a cleaner, or Nanny… or chef? (this was never really explained, but you get the drift). Suddenly, parents are at the school gate trying to get to their children, but no one knows why. Seconds later, there are news reports of parents trying to kill their kids. Before they know it, Carly and her friend Riley are charging away from the school trying to get to safety. Parents are roaming the streets like hungry zombies, armed with bloody baseball bats, and knives, and soon enough one of the girls ends up being killed by their parent.

That was the final point, in which this film held my attention. Then my attention started to drift, because it all became a bit of something and nothing. The build up was so much, that when it all started to calm down I was constantly on edge expecting something really big to happen. Nothing big happened.

Mom and Dad is described as a dark comedy, and I agree that it fits into that category. Although a little bloody and grim in parts, this is not a classic horror. The way the characters have been written really helps lighten the mood of this film, as much as this can be done. I mean, it wasn’t funny per se, but there are moments that amused me. It didn’t cross the line between being comedic, and being silly. It sat somewhere in the middle. It was utterly ridiculous, as an entire film, but it wasn’t unbearable.

The strongest thing about this film was Nicholas Cage. I can confidently say he was one of the only members of the cast I was interested in watching once the film kicked in. I have never really been over, or underwhelmed by Cage (except for in National Treasure, sick film). Initially I didn’t really care for his character, but he really brought the role to life, and made me wonder whether it was the fact that he had been brainwashed by the media – which is what we were being told was happening during this film, or if he was genuinely a psycho dad, who was in the midst of a midlife crisis that genuinely wanted to kill his kids. Honestly, he freaked me out a bit and I’m glad that this film had something to hold the darkness there.

I didn’t really understand Selma Blair’s character in the same way (not that I relate to a child killer), I just feel like her change was just so random. To be honest, I still don’t fully get why everyone wanted to kill their kids. Kendall for example was strong as anything one minute, and fighting off this urge, then next minute she wants to stab her daughter in the head… but her personality didn’t change, Kendall seemed incredibly monotone throughout.

We didn’t see much of Zachary Arthur (except that he’s cute as a button), and Anne Winters was as good as she could be, it just wasn’t show-stopping. She spent most of it running and surviving.

The script for this film seemed like a giant mish-mash of events. It’s like they had it all sorted, then it came to editing and with the looming deadline it was going to be easier to randomly plop bits together. It felt messy, come on - it ended half way through a sentence! The script is what really let the film down. If it wasn’t so jumbled, something good could have been produced. 

One thing that was done nicely was the lighting. The mood was very sombre throughout, like something bad was going to happen. I wish I could say the same for the score, the pacing, the rest of the cast, or anything at all, but nothing else was memorable.

This film was absolute chaos, which fizzled into nothing. Such a huge disappointment.

4/10 

CINEMATES - S

Tomb Raider (2018)

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. Honestly. Lara Croft is back, Alicia Vikander stars as daughter of missing adventurer who ends up on the island where he had disappeared. 

Video game adaptations have a certain stigma, of course they do. There's some great games with some great stories but they're playable. The characters are empty so you can play them. This is why if you think about Jolie's performance, chances are you remember her look (and her accent) but not so much who the character is. Tomb Raider (2018) does surprisingly well in making her an actual person and not just a pair of pointy boobs running around in a forest. Vikander is great, as expected, the Swedish actress already has one Oscar under her belt. Though more of an action role than she has played before she was believably strong, great physique and showed determination. 

The action is good if you include chase scenes, if you take them out then there's not really any action left. There's 3 main chase scenes, in London, in Japan and in the jungle on the island. Different terrain different reasoning but all well shot and paced. Though the film itself was still quite long. The cinematography was decent though it did have the luxury of having some great looking locations. You notice in a few scenes they do emulate the perspective of a video game, following closely behind Lara as she shoots and runs and ducks from cover. The 3D is not terrible. Same as a lot of more recent 3D movies, nice touch for standard shots, well composed rooms etc, adding depth. Not the cleanest thing, definitely had some stereotypical video game cutaway shots but of course it did. Sound wasn't anything to write home about, was alright, nice to have some actual songs and not just a score. 

As I said Vikander was great, the younger verisons of Lara aren't quite as good but they each don the french plait in tribute to how we see Croft in most cases. No spoilers but there's a particular scene of her in the rain where she has a fight with someone on the island that is great. Her reaction shows how far she's come from the start of the film and not just how she's changed but that she's surprised by the change as well. It was handled well. Daniel Wu looks great as Lu Ren, drunk captain that helps Lara on and off the island in Japan. I'd keep an eye out for him, he's fun to watch, it would be great to see what he could do with a role that had a more realistically fleshed out arc. For the most part that was the issue, how real some things were, most of which you have to leave at the door anyway because it's fictional, so come on. There isn't too much disbelief. Walton Goggins is a somewhat believable villain who, to be honest, has an interesting enough story to tell alone. We don't see how his character comes to be we just get the end result which is a bit of a shame but isn't necessary for the film so understandable. 

The mystery aspect to it was fun, it's easy to forget that that is how games work, it's a giant puzzle with puzzles in the middle. It's been a while since I've watched something similar, especially with a strong female lead. To be fair the film does well to leave most of the iconic imagery from the previous films alone. And the times we do see what we're used to is at the end of the film, which makes perfect sense, let's us get to know this Croft without the pretense first then hit those I guess satisfying points. Ends with the assumption for a second and potentially third installment though I'm not sure whether these would follow the game cannon or manage to justify it's own original work. 

If you a fan you're already gonna watch it, if you're on the fence I'd definitely try it. Is it long, yes. Does it completely redeem video game adaptations? No, not quite, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.  6/10 

CINEMATES - A 

Don't Knock Twice (2017)

Hey guys! Before I get started, I just wanted to introduce myself! My name is Isabelle (you can call me Izzie) and I am the fangirl who writes over at Fandom101.com! Today, the lovely ladies here at Cinemates have been kind enough to let me write my very own review in this guest post! So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Warning: There are some minor spoilers ahead. There are some bits of the plot that really need to be addressed when discussing some aspects of the film which I'll be talking about, but I'll try not to give the whole plot away!

Right, so let’s start with a brief synopsis: Jess is an American sculptor (and recovering drug addict), who, after finding success in her career, moves back to the U.K. with her wealthy banker husband to try and reconnect with her estranged teenaged daughter who has unknowingly attracted the attention of a child-eating witch.

It’s set supposedly in London, and at a large estate in the English countryside (which I suspect is in Wales, but I could be wrong, and in any case, is a gorgeous location).

This film is a perfect example of something that could be really good in theory, but goes wrong when executed.

Although based on an interesting horror-mythology premise, and backed up by genuinely scary creature design and spooky imagery, Don’t knock twice is let down by choppy editing and a sketchy storyline.

Going into the movie, I had a slightly higher expectation than I would with other free-to-stream horror flick, partly because of Katee Sackhoff starring and partly because of some comparisons I read that likened it to The Babadook.

Katee didn’t let me down on the acting front, but the film never really seemed to come together.

I have to say, it delivered some lovely atmospheric visuals throughout the 93-minute runtime. The country location was perfect, and the house they chose really gave you a sense of isolation and an underlying insidious, creepy tension, especially in the church-like art studio.

It also didn’t fail in delivering some actual genuine scares. The entire movie had me feeling quite jumpy, and the witch (who actually reminds me of the main antagonist in Lights Out), although possibly a bit clichéd, still absolutely scared me. Honestly, I wish they had featured her more often.

Where the movie falls apart though, is the storyline itself.

It bases its premise off an urban legend, which in and of itself, is quite interesting, but the problem is that it fails to stick to it. The further into the movie I got, the harder the plot became to follow. One minute the creature is from a door forest, another the next she’s actually an old lady getting revenge, then she’s back to being the door witch.

One minute the detective is decent, the next he’s dodgy and staring weirdly at an old house, then he’s back to being decent again, ect. I think you get my point.

The sad thing is that I would be willing to put up with that, if not for badly put together and edited ending. (A couple spoilers coming)

Some things just made absolutely no sense.

Why did the weirdo detective go and stare at the witch’s house for seemingly no reason? How come Jess’s daughter Chloe just magically happened to knock on the door just after Tira starts trying to set Jess up to take on the curse? Did she know that Chloe would do that? Also, why did Tira kill Jess’s husband? Were they having an affair? Oh, and if the Detective Boardman was such a great person, why did Chloe leave him to die? How did Tira get the curse?

(Spoilers over)

The questions go on and on. There was just too much left to the imagination to set up an even remotely satisfying ending.

Oh, and the acting was a bit bland at moments too. If it weren’t for Katee’s convincing performance, I don’t think there would be much to miss on that front.

Overall though, I’m not sad I watched it.

I would still recommend it if you’re looking for a horror film on the weekend and are willing to overlook some obvious inconsistencies for the sake of a decent scare.

Guest Author: Izzie McKenzie

I share thoughts, roundups, reviews, and tutorials for fans like you, based on awesome films/shows, books, and more.

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The Shape of Water (2017)

The Shape of Water, where to begin. Again we were lucky enough to catch this early at an Odeon Screen Unsceen a few weeks ago. A Del Toro picture about a mute woman that forms a relationship with an otherworldly creature kept in a research facility in the 50's. When this first got a bit of buzz all I remember hearing was, a woman has sex with a fish man. That is a bit odd right? We'll get back to that but it's Del Toro so get over it.

Guillermo del Toro is known for his fantasy characters and settings and his peculiar stories. As per usual he has a story which embellishes the use of intricate costume and make up. And this is no exception. 

The 1950's setting is pretty perfect for the story, though we were given odd reminders. It's an interesting take that in the 50's two of the characters that have the most dialogue are a closeted gay man and a black woman. But in return the film handles the stigma towards each of them in an odd rashness that just isn't necessary to the narrative. Yes it happened and yes it should be accurate but was less than subtle on occasion and felt out of place at times. 

Now Oscar nominated Sally Hawkins plays our mute leading lady Elisa Esposito. She comes across quiet, not just because she can't talk but because she lets others do the talking. She has a routine and as we find out, a tragic backstory. She's quite quirky and has long accepted she can't speak but not quite accepted that people treat her differently. My gal Octavia Spencer is of course nominated for Best Support as Zelda, one of Elisa's two friends. Used to having a silent friend she does a great job in talking to herself and reacting to Elisa's lack of vocal reaction. Her other best friend relies on Elisa more than he realises, Giles, who lives next door though it may as well be together. Again Oscar nominated, are you sensing a theme? Richard Jenkins plays an older man who is struggling to get back into selling his art to advertisers. Struggling to be true to himself he, like Elisa, sees a part of him in the Amphibian Man and his treatment. Michael Stuhlbarg is fantastic, plays a character with a developed backstory and earns his likeability. Feels like he's the only aspect of the film to not get recognised by the academy, which is a shame as he really was great to watch. Michael Shannon is pretty damn engaging. He's pretty awful, pretty extra. Great character, power hunger aggressor in and out of work. Being the person that captured the Amphibian man he holds a level of possessiveness. 

The amphibian man, who is never named (not even when Elisa brings him home) is played by Doug Jones. At this point Doug must be bessie mates with Guillermo, his most well-known parts include, Abe Sapien from Hellboy (2008) and Fauno/Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth (2006). Outside of Del Toro's work he's played a lot of roles which are alien or monster or mutant, I hope he doesn't take that personally. But he's good at it. The creature begins just that, a creature, an animal, regardless of its potential intelligence we can't communicate. After Elisa begins to teach him basic sign language we see that he is capable of learning and remembers the humane habits she keeps. That's kind of the extent of his character development, anything further than that is more Elisa's feelings projected onto him. 

The relationship between Elisa and the creature is okay, you don't entirely buy into it but you kinda do. She has a thing for water so connecting that to sex isn't a great leap for her somehow. The distance put between her and most people due to her muteness isn't there with him as he's in the same position. And regards to the sex thing she very briefly discusses how it works, only see lady body parts I'm afraid. Though we see their relationship we see a biased version from her perspective and don't get to see how he feels throughout. But that's likely the point.

Racking up 13 academy award nominations the costume and makeup have got to get some attention. Both work well with the environment, Del Toro's use of practical effects comes as authentic and true. The artistic element to it is emphasised with the music and score, rightly so, has received many nominations. Beautifully fitting to the narrative and each scene, the highlight of the movie for me personally. 

I thought the ending was fitting. I felt oddly satisfied when the credits rolled which is all I want from a film. It is a good film, maybe a great film but 13 nominations feels almost excessive for something that isn’t quite timeless yet, but hey time will tell. Beautiful film worth a watch 7.5/10

CIINEMATES - A

I, Tonya (2018)

As a young girl, Tonya Harding is pushed by her Mother to do better. She goes through life being told she isn’t a good skater, she hasn’t got any style, she isn’t typically attractive, and battles with the feeling that she isn’t good enough. This doesn’t make her any less determined to succeed though.

I, Tonya tells the story of Tonya Harding’s controversial career, and focusses on her traumatic past. The film pays attention to her relationship with her ex-husband Jeff, and the attack that was carried out on her main competition – Nancy Kerrigan. I, Tonya focusses on her point of view, and how all these events ended up being the thing that determined how she would be remember, and how her career would pan out.

The tone of this film is established right from the beginning. We get to understand immediately that this is going to be something that tries to make no specific truth claims, and incorporates the different stories of 3 key characters. For me, this was perfect. I don’t think it could have been done in a better way.

My biggest issue with biographical productions, is the fact that they are always going to be far from the truth at some point, but this is never acknowledged. I, Tonya makes this account of Tonya’s life comical. Any claims to events were knocked down straight away by sarcastic, on the nose comments along the lines of, ‘that’s how I remember that happening’, and ‘what that person is saying is probably not true’. The mockumentary style that this film takes on suits in perfectly, and really helps ensure this film holds its own style, and has decent pacing.

Aside from the screen writing being spot on for the direction this film is going in, the reason for this film’s success is without a doubt the cast. Margot Robbie portrayal of this character is brilliant. Even though Tonya is portrayed negatively in some scenes, the dark comedy manages to lighten the mood, and doesn’t make her seem like such a monster. It was inspiring to see Robbie playing a role that seemed different from other roles she has previously taken, and do it well. 

                           

Alison Janney presents Harding’s mother as a witch, but a good witch, I guess. Yes, we see that she is nothing but harsh towards Tonya, and I imagine at some points she was. But again, the dark humour just gives the character a different edge. If LaVona really did throw a knife at her teenage daughter’s arm, you can at least try and empathise. Of course, this account isn’t displayed as one given by a Mother who would drown her daughter in obvious love and affection, but what parent hasn’t acted in an unreasonable (maybe not AS extreme) way to show they care!?

The score for this film was thoughtfully selected based on the music of Tonya Harding’s choice for competitions. Similarly, this really suited the mood throughout the film. Really, although an amusing film, there were some difficult real issues in this. It was a film about an angry, disregarded teenager, who spent a chunk of her life getting beaten and songs such as ‘The Passenger’, and ‘Free your Mind’ were incredibly suitable. It is hard for figure skating to look bad, and of course, the editing had to play a part here, in making sure everything was as perfect as it could be, and team on this film did a pretty stellar job.

Of course, this film is not perfect, but it was entertaining. It had such potential to be a lot worse than it was – ‘cringe-worthy’ even, but it was far from it.
I would happily watch this again, and believe it is deserving of the academy award nominations it has received.

7/10

CINEMATES - S

Coco (2018)

Miguel’s family have a very different view on a career as a musician compared to him. He dreams of becoming a star, and perusing his dream to be a musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. He disobeys his family, and enters a talent competition. Miguel end up finding himself in the Land of the Dead. After meeting Héctor, who agrees to help him do what he needs to, in order to get home. The two of them start their journey, and start to discover the true history of Miguel’s family.

This film is stunning. It is a beautiful new addition to the Disney Pixar universe. The characters are so different to previous Disney films, and it was so refreshing to watch. Of course, there are always going to be some similarities in an animated film, but this one managed to stand out from the crowd.

Visually, this film is beautiful. There is definitely serious attention paid to detail in this film, this was down to the little things like the strings of a guitar, the bridge of marigolds, the intricate details like the bones of a skeleton, to the widepan views of the land of the dead, or the village that Miguel lived in. They got the visuals spot on, and even if you thought the story was crap (which would be difficult), you’d be hooked because of the fact that it is so visually appealing.

Another thing about Coco that got me, was that it was even more appealing because Disney really embraced the darker side of the world. They tackled the topic of death, but still kept it light, and enjoyable – because after all this is a kids film. This film manages to pack in an interesting, and tense adventure, yet manages to keep the moving story with such an important message in it.

The characters were what got me the most. It was paced well enough that the audience is given a chance to connect with more characters that just the main characters. We had moments of being able to empathise with characters, who were all in different situations.

                                         

The original score for this film was of course, going to be great, its Disney, of course the score would be great. Don’t get me wrong ‘Remember Me’ is no ‘I Just Can’t Wait to be King’, but it’s catchy, and I imagine kids all over the world are singing together.

It feels like there isn’t enough to say about this film, considering how good it was, but it is definitely worth the watch.

Stunning, fun, film. It’s funny without being bad, it’s happy, and emotional but without making you cringe, or roll your eyes. It will probably make you cry, but I’m not sure if it’s a sad cry, or a happy cry.

7/10

CINEMATES - S