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chrissatchell
Reviews
Revenge (2017)
It just can't decide what it wants to be
Whilst I absolutely love revenge films (I spit on your grave, john wick, etc), a film that calls itself 'Revenge' really should try and live up to the hype. After seeing the trailer I thought this would be a great b-movie gore fest with an exciting revenge plot but unfortunately it falls flat for a number of reasons.
'Revenge' just can't decide what it wants to be, some parts have a bizarre 80's blade runner/tron vibe, other parts have a revenge 'i spit on your grave' vibe and other parts feel like a college short film. The acting is sub par (the lead is probably above average) and if it had committed to being a true b movie revenge then it could have been decent. You could have over looked some laughable 'survivals' and people with (apparently) 4000 gallons of blood inside of them, but disappointingly it never feels like it truly commits to being one thing.
If you're expecting 'I spit on your grave', I wouldn't bother, it's passable as a Netflix time waster at best.
5/10
Williams (2017)
An emotional insight into a raging workaholic
I went into this expecting to learn more about the team 'Williams', but I found myself learning more about Frank, the man, and the family, than anything else, but don't misinterpret that as a bad thing.
I'm an avid F1 fan, I have been since the days of Michael Schumacher in a Benetton, but being of a relatively young age I didn't know an awful lot about the Williams team other than whom ran the time, who drove for them and that they were British.
The documentary touches on many insights into how the team came to form, struggles within the family and I think most importantly, the relationship between Frank and Ginny. It does a fantastic job of showing you enough of both sides to walk away from it with a much better knowledge of what it was like for everyone involved and it doesn't pretend to pull any punches.
There's comedic moments where Frank will recount something in such a blunt and unforgiving manner that you can't help but laugh but then there's moments where you feel great sadness for them.
It's beautifully shot and the score is excellent, I'd HIGHLY recommend this to motor sports fans, but I'd also recommend it to those who aren't, because it's a poignant reminder of struggle no matter who you are or where you're from.
9/10
24 Hours to Live (2017)
Poor script, tepid entertainment
I'll keep this brief, because frankly, that's all this film deserves.
Whilst the premise of a good revenge film has been masterminded in recent years by action packed thrillers such as 'Taken', 'John Wick' and 'Atomic Blonde', '24 Hours To Live' lands very much at the other end of the scale.
The story from the off seems like a convoluted concoction of 'Crank' and 'John Wick', by someone who's never actually seen either. There's plot holes galore, terrible acting (even Ethan Hawke, who is at least serviceable manages to pull off a poor, almost over the top, performance), what almost appear to be dubbed vocals half the time for 'Lin' and the script writing in general is pretty awful (every trope you'd expect, its in there).
The film does have it's occasional highlights, some of the action sequences are fairly well done, but in the end that doesn't come close to making up for this bargain bin DVD rendition of 'John Wick'.
4/10
Black Swan (2010)
Intense...uncomfortable at times, but foremost beautiful
After seeing the trailer for Aronofsky's latest release I expected nothing less than the usual fantastic uneasy viewing and a feeling of almost sickness, yet awe, at what I'd just seen, I've come to expect from his directorials. Disappointed, I wasn't.
The film encapsulates you instantly in the beautiful, albeit competitive, realm of ballet and the impressive aural accompaniment provided by the every present Clint Mansell keeps thing expectantly intense throughout.
Darren's usual chromatography style isn't lost in Black Swan although it isn't as prominent as in some previous releases such as Requiem For A Dream and The Fountain. Instead Aronofsky chooses to focus on attacking the sense with beautiful musical compositions and intense imagery.
The casting is superb all round but Portman is the stand out act in this screenplay, with a deftness to go from fragile to intense at a whim and the ability to make the audience care for her from the beginning, bring together an incredibly intense and consistent performance.
My only criticism of the film would be the over-use of far too obvious and blatant metaphors. It will become apparent upon viewing, but I believe Aronofsky may have chosen to take this route due to the under performance of some previous films i.e. The Fountain which are complex in nature, but understandable after repeat viewings, therefore making the film more accessible to the general public.
As a long time Aronofsky fan, it was always going to be difficult for this film to be a disappointment, yet at the same time I had very high expectations. But as with all of his films, the subject of the film can be irrelevant to most, you don't have to like ballet to enjoy this film, you just have to like beautiful, intense and incredible cinema.