movie reviews

6 Horror movies for halloween

 

Not exactly a review more a list of movies to watch and enjoy over the halloween period.

So settle in, grab a coffee and watch some highly effective, creepy entertainment.

 
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Train to busan

An exellent adrenaline fueled zombie apocalypse movie set, not surprisingly, on a train. In a lot of respects better than most hollywood movies that use a similar formula. Highly recommended.

 

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The babadook

A quietly unsettling thriller about a young widow learning to live with her 6 year old son. Trouble begins when the babadook creeps from the pages of a childrens book into the real world..

 

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The descent

A creepily effective survival movie where a caving expedition goes horribly wrong for a group friends when they unwittingly come face to face with an ancient evil.

 

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A quiet place

A creepy suspense thriller set in a post apocalyptic world where making a sound will be your undoing.

 

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The thing

John Carpenters haunting and effective monster epic. Often copied but never equaled. Still excellent gorey special effects by Rob Bottin.

 

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Eden lake

A couple unwittingly stumbles upon a group of wayward teenagers with evil intentions. A creepy, edge of your seat thriller.

 
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Alien resurrection movie review

 
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200 years after her death, Ellen Ripley is revived as a powerful human/alien hybrid clone. Along with a crew of space pirates, she must again battle the deadly aliens and stop them from reaching Earth.
— imdb

In a lot of ways the premise for Alien Resurrection is ludicrous. Ripley, burnt in a gigantic furnace at the end of Alien 3, has been cloned back into existence. Where exactly did they got her DNA from is anyone’s guess and the subject is wisely avoided in the screenplay.

Putting aside the fact that Alien 3 gave Ripley’s character a fitting end to her character - sacrificing herself to save humanity taking an alien queen with her - Alien Resurrection does at least give Ripley’s character an interesting wrinkle: how much of her is human or Alien after the cloning. They play with this in the script for a short time but it is jettisoned in favour of action and comedy.

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Written by Joss Whedon who would go on to make Buffy the vampire slayer and Avengers and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (delicatessen) as a dark action comedy.

It is probably fair to say that Alien Resurrection is the least interesting in the franchise of movies. It relies more on humour than atmosphere and dread which are the hallmarks of the alien series. Not as visually striking as the other movies in the series despite some nice sets and a bigger budget. Perhaps due to the choice of grungy aesthetics which worked better in the previous films. It’s a very mixed bag - heavy on gore and slime and weak on story and characterisation. The only character given anything to work with is Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) the others are slight and single dimensional.

Winona Ryder and Dan Hadeya should get special mention here, one playing an android like her charisma batteries had run dangerously low and the other auditioning for Spaceballs the movie - his death scene hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

Not to say that its terrible, it's not. It does have some interesting sequences primarily the underwater chase which is really good. The biggest issue besides the ott one liner approach is the fact that the movie isn't remotely scary or really that intense. Gone are the sweaty intense sequences being replaced by something more predicable and by the numbers. It feels more like a series of scenes cobbled together than a cohesive story.

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The ending where the ship is on course to land back on earth releasing aliens on an unsuspecting populace is halfheartedly explored almost to the point that we don’t care. It’s an after thought to get characters from set A to set B with a few wisecracks thrown in for good measure.

I read Joss whedons original screenplay before the movie even came out in the late 90s. There was some very interesting sequences that didn't make the cut: an extended chase through a biosphere where aliens were attacking left and right and the hybrid alien which was a bizarre, albino blood sucking spider Alien. The script had potential but it was constructed the same as the eventual film. So despite Whedon claiming that they (The filmmakers) ruined his screenplay I would wager that it is largely intact. The only notable change being the ending which was much better in the screenplay than the movie.

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Speaking of which the hybrid alien human match up when it is eventually revealed is very underwhelming. As a design it’s neither scary nor particularly articulate. Its a wonder this design wasn’t scrapped in favour of something better. The original screenplay called for something more interesting - a hybrid alien/human spider with distinct red markings.

Which brings us back to the budget - perhaps it was too expensive, jettisoned along with the other action sequences from the script. Taking with it a sense of originality. At its core there was an interesting premise: Ripley as a hybrid - part alien part human.

Which sort of sums up the movie really. A watchable mess that has interesting elements coupled with eye rolling moments.

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BLUE STEEL 1990 MOVIE REVIEW

 
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A rookie in the police force must engage in a cat-and-mouse game with a pistol-wielding psychopath who becomes obsessed with her.
— IMDB

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Point Break) and written in partnership between Bigelow and Eric Red(The Hitcher, Body Parts). Blue Steel is an action thriller from the 90’s echoing movies like The Hitcher, in particular, where a deranged psychopath takes a liking to an innocent and proceeds to make their life a misery by any means necessary.

Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a brash, rookie police officer, fresh out of the academy. On her first night on the job she witness a robbery in progress in a store. While her partner is taking a leak in the can she decides to tackle the robber. When the robber refuses to cooperate she guns him down, emptying six rounds into his chest sending him through a window pane onto the sidewalk. When the robbers .44 magnum goes missing, Megan is put on suspension for using unnecessary force. From here Megan’s problems escalate when her name is etched into 44. bullet casings used by ‘the 44. magnum killer’ on innocent victims..

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Opening on extreme close ups of the cold steel of a weapon, Blue steel is a stylish thriller. Tinged with a cast of blue Bigelow paints each scene with shadows, highlights and smoke filled interiors. There is a gritty visceral feel to the action. Hyper real slow motion shots punctuated by effective sound design. It’s a precursor to the superior Point Break, a honing of Bigelows muscular style in the 90’s.

Megan is the lonely female surrounded by her male counterparts; a subtle sexism underpins the movie. She is continuously asked ‘What made you become a cop?’ insinuating that she isn’t best suited for the job because of her sex. Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent in the role, at times vulnerable and others brash.

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The late great Ron Silver plays Eugene Hunt, a stockbroker cum .44 magnum killer. The stolen .44 caliber weapon becomes like a god to him. A twisted fetish, treating this cold hard steel like it is an extension of his person. At one point he accidentally ‘exposes’ it to an innocent man on the street. Possessed by the urge for gratification he guns him down in cold blood. Indeed his need for power and control would grow from there. Killing a prostitute bathing in her blood for pleasure. Seemingly a god, killing without reproach, untouchable by the law.

It’s a great turn by Silver. He is an intelligent psychopath playing a cat and mouse game with his prey. The cold blue steel of a weapon the twisted toy between them. Indeed the movie somewhat glorifies weapons. Filling the screen with glossy close ups; a fetish of hard steel.

The interaction between Eugene and Megan is the saviour of the movie, the other characters are stereotypes there to fill plot conventions. Not that the movie is perfect, it’s not. The biggest glaring mistake being the fact that a 44. Caliber weapon doesn’t eject shells yet they are found at every crime scene with Megan’s name on it. That in itself is quite a big gaff.

Arguably the first half of the movie is the most interesting with the slow descent of Eugene into madness. The second half becomes a little disjointed asking you to suspend disbelief a few too many times.

The inclusion of a sex scene 20 minutes from the end, at first seems odd but it descends into an effective albeit nasty power play between Megan and Eugene. Not only has Eugene to control her but he has to also take away her sexual power. It is a creepy and effective scene utilising sound effects in a very potent way. Eugene has completed his metamorphosis into a fully fledged monster. The only recourse for Megan is to give him what he most desires to die at her hands in a duel to the death.

In the end Blue Steel is far from perfect but it is for the most part entertaining. A quick moving gritty thriller from the 90’s.

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THE HUNT MOVIE REVIEW

 
the hunt poster - movie review blog

the hunt poster - movie review blog

Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt.
— imdb

‘The hunt’ is based loosely upon Richard Connell’s 1924 short story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ which incidentally has spawned many other movies such as Jean Claude Van Damme’s ‘Hard Target’ .

Given it’s well documented troubled release it finally landed on March 13th straight into a world wide pandemic and perhaps overly high expectations - although having watched the trailer I was less interested, it seems, than most.

Opening on a charter flight we are briefly introduced to a series of one dimensional ‘Elites’ who are carrying a special cargo for their hunt. A heavy handed revenge on a bunch of so-called ‘deplorables’ - 12 one-note men and women - equally one dimensional as the elites. This opening scene already a misstep ultimately adding nothing of real value bar setting up a mystery that isn’t a mystery involving Hilary Swank’s character. Which is bizarrely spoiled in the trailer for the movie.

I would argue that it would have been better to open the movie on the 12 ‘deplorables’ waking up in a field, tied and gagged trying to figure out what is happening to them. But I guess that would mean you would have to imbue some character beyond stereotypes to the individuals which unfortunately is sorely missing. Instead they are cannon fodder killed, in some instances, without uttering a word to camera.

As a result the writing comes across as lazy and uninspired. Not funny or satirical enough trying too desperately to draw parallels between itself and animal farm. Although there are moments of dark comedy mostly within the first 30 minutes of the movie. It is left to Betty Gilpin to give the movie interest - she is the highlight of the movie for me and her performance is very good it’s just a shame the movie around her isn’t up to the same level.

Structurally, the movie felt very disjointed. Flashbacks happen at inappropriate moments and there is very little in the way of tension or suspense. Perhaps that’s due to the fact that I’ve seen so many other movies in the the same ilk and it didn’t really add anything new to the mix.

The trailer and advertising would have you believe that the movie has some radical view point. Red state versus Blue state. In reality it didn’t take any stance at all trying to be edgy and apolitical at the same time. A sanitised product dressed up as something more.

The finale is a disappointing extended cat fight that tends to repeat itself until the silliest death in history leaves you thankful that the movie was only 90 minutes long.

When all is said and done The Hunt is average at best.

 
 

'The invisible man' movie review

 
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When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
— imdb

‘The invisible man’ is written and directed by Leigh Whannel who wrote the original Saw movies and is now firmly in the directors chair for this and his previous outing ‘Upgrade’. I initially caught a short ‘TV SPOT’ advertising the movie a while back and I really wasn’t drawn to it at all.

Thankfully the movie is a lot better than the TV SPOT for it. A twisted take on ‘Sleeping with the enemy’ it opens on Cecilia (Elizebeth Moss) as she tries to escape the clutches of her abusive husband. Silence playing a key role as she creeps around her husbands impressive mansion in her bare feet trying desperately to be quiet. It’s a creepy little scene and foreshadows what is to come after.

Cecilia is damaged by the relationship and slowly tries pick the pieces back up of her shattered psyche with the help of her friend and police officer James (Aldis Hodge). When Cecilia is notified that her Husband has taken his own life and she is entitled to five million dollar endowment from her late husbands estate she is invited to meet with Tom (Michael Dorman) her husbands estranged brother.

From here the movie is all about the slow deconstruction of Cecilia’s mind as she is seemingly haunted from the grave by her late husband. To say anymore would spoil the movie suffice to say that there are a handful of very effective scenes. My advice would be to see the movie without looking at any trailers.

Produced by Blumhouse pictures with an estimated 7 million budget its a mostly effective partially self contained movie. Not everything is perfect nor does it make perfect sense but when you are in the flow of the movie you don’t really pay too much attention.

It’s all about Elizabeth Moss’ performance as the fragile Cecilia. She makes her sympathetic and likeable. A trodden upon wife who happened to have the misfortune to hook up with a husband whose only desire was to control her completely. From her sense of dress to her hair style and everything else in between.

Even though the ending is telegraphed earlier than intended it is still enjoyable and a fitting conclusion to the movie. Overall worth a watch.

 

Bad Boys for life Movie Review

 
MD Movie review blog - Bad boys for life

MD Movie review blog - Bad boys for life

The Bad Boys Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are back together for one last ride in the highly anticipated Bad Boys for Life.
— imdb

The 80’s and 90’s were chock full of buddy cop movies, from Lethal weapon to Tango and Cash and every other flavour in between. Some we’re excellent (Lethal Weapon) while others just hopped on the popularity train for a quick buck.

It’s a seminal genre that gets rehashed every once in a while and occasionally comes up trumps. I remember very little of the original Bad Boys other than Michael bay directed it and it had a lot of low angle slow mo shots. Produced by Don Simpson and Gerry Bruckheimer who created a glossy action picture empire in the 80’s & 90’s with high concept stories, buddy comedy and multiple (Ghost) screenwriters.

Bad Boys for Life in a lot of ways is a throwback to a 90’s movie, trawling out action movie cliches such as Pepto Bismal chugging Captain screaming at his subordinate police officers or cops getting ‘too old for this shit’ and needing to retire. We’ve essentially seen it all before story wise. In this regard Bad boys for life offers very little in terms of ingenuity. Once again its drug lords against cops with retirement thrown into the mix and a pretty obvious ’twist’ that is telegraphed from about two minutes into the picture.

The movie relies almost exclusively on the chemistry between Lawrence and Smith. They have a likeable appeal, slipping easily into their personas like twenty years hasn’t passed. The only caveat being that Lawrence seems to have worn the mileage a little heavier than his counterpart Smith. It is noticeable that Lawrence doesn’t feature as much in the action stakes, taking a somewhat more leisurely approach favouring him to deliver one liners instead.

Occasionally the movie is a little flat unnecessarily doling out exposition and needless multiple phone calls essentially saying the same things over and over. The action scenes aren’t as crisp or interesting as the first movie, retreading the same territory but handled with less aplomb.

Not to say that the movie is bad it isn’t. There are moments of banter between Lawrence and Smith that are funny. It moves relatively fast and doesn’t overstay its welcome. But will it be considered a classic of the genre ten, twenty years from now? It’s unlikely. As a diversion for two hours you could probably do worse but don’t go in expecting anything more than that.

 

'the gentlemen’ movie review

 
The gentlemen - MD movie review blog

The gentlemen - MD movie review blog

A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.
— imdb
 

‘The Gentlemen’ is Guy Ritchie returning to his gangster roots again. A gentrified cousin to ‘Lock stock’ and ‘Snatch’ it features once again a motley crew of eccentric characters, double deals and a sleight of hand.

Opening with ‘Fletcher’ (played by Hugh Grant) a sleazy investigative journalist, who seizes an opportunity to try to blackmail Mickey Pearson (Matthew Mc Conaughey) for a cool twenty million regaling his ‘Fixer’ Ray (Charlie hunnam) about Mickey’s clandestine drug business which he intends to air publicly on the front page of a sleazy rag headed by the ruthless editor ‘Big Dave’ (Eddie Mardan).

Told in a slightly muddled flashback we follow Mickey and Ray as they try to negotiate an uneasy sale of their ‘weed business’ to ‘Matthew’ (Jeremy Strong) when a young gangster called ‘Dry eye’ (Henry Golding) interferes causing mayhem.

There are quite a few subplots to the movie. Initially when we open with Fletcher (Grant) telling us in unnecessarily Tarantino-esque dialogue about his master plan I thought I was going to be in for a very long viewing experience. Charlie Hunnam really didn’t inspire me with confidence either, his performance in these early scenes slightly wooden, unsure himself of what exact way to play his character. It is fortunate for the movie that he eventually settles into the role and gives a decent performance. Grant on the other hand plays his socks off, enjoying the chance to play a vile newsman especially timely considering his recent run-ins with newspaper publications.

The dialogue exchanges here giving the movie an unintentional 90’s feel copying Tarantino’s lilt without his timing or sense of style. McConaughey fairs better but it is an easy role for him, never stretching him in any way, he glides through the movie giving him a somewhat uninspired if enjoyable character. The same could be said for Michelle Dockery who gets the least to do and is only there to be used as a ‘female in jeopardy’ otherwise her character is forgettable and could have been played by anyone. Indeed it could be said that their relationship together gets somewhat sidelined and underserved.

Not to say that the movie is bad, it’s not. It’s an enjoyable caper if somewhat muddled at points. The eccentric side characters making far more interesting viewing no more so than Colin Farrell’s ‘Coach’ who teaches boxing to a rag tag of borderline degenerates. His scenes are entertaining and witty, played with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

It sometimes, however, gives the feeling that the whole movie is a little incoherent as the main plot of the story gets somewhat sidelined in favour of more interesting things. Jeremy Strong’s character ‘Matthew’ a case in point where he had potential to be an interesting villain, he gets relegated and diffused to the point where he doesn’t seem very important at all. This gives the ending a somewhat anticlimactic feel.

Overall ‘The Gentlemen’ is an enjoyable movie. It’s not perfect nor would I say it is better than ‘Snatch’. It’s different but the same. A slightly less chaotic Ritchie gone are most of the speed ramping effects which I’m thankful for. A slightly more sedate entry into his ‘mockney’ crime filmography but enjoyable nonetheless.

 
 

'Alien' movie review

 
Alien poster - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

Alien poster - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

 
After a space merchant vessel perceives an unknown transmission as a distress call, its landing on the source moon finds one of the crew attacked by a mysterious lifeform, and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.
— imdb
 

I came to the party late watching ‘Alien’ initially in the early 90’s having watched ‘Aliens’ many years before it and thoroughly enjoying it’s action and tension. Perhaps this coloured my opinion as I was initially a little underwhelmed by ‘Alien’ when I first seen it. I did appreciate it’s dense visual tapestry something all Ridley Scott’s movie’s have in common but it lacked something in terms of character - a type of distancing approach which counterpointed ‘Aliens’ in your face aesthetics. (By that stage there had been any number of inferior ‘copies’.) Indeed you could say that the characters themselves are mostly one-dimensional bar Dallas and Ripley who play off one another with equal love and tension.

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What mostly got me was the sense of claustrophobia and gradual build up of tension. It practically drips with it. Every scene a mixture of elements and atmospherics. Light and darkness, smoke and hidden shadows. It is a potent mix designed to draw you into this grunge-filled world. No more so than in the final 20 minutes where you can literally feel the sweat dripping down Ripley’s face when she comes face to face with her nemesis. This scene would be less impactful had there not been such a long build up introducing mundane tasks and underlying tensions amongst the group of space truckers. The cinematography is brilliant, designed to be looked at on the biggest screen possible and perfectly captures the claustrophobic feel.

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As a designer Ridley Scott is unparalleled. He has spawned many copy cats but none have been quite able to match him in terms of aesthetics. ‘Alien’ was considered a hackneyed B-movie by executives and perhaps it could have been in another directors hands. Indeed Tom Skerrit was initially skeptical about the project citing issues with the budget. The initial budget for the project was projected at 4 million which gave you an idea of the thoughts of Fox executives. Make a low budget ‘Corman rip off’ and release it on the cheap to capitalise on the success of ‘Star wars’.

Ridley had other ideas creating a world filled with a terrifying monster from the twisted mind of H.R Giger. A creature that is silently menacing, stalking its prey in the shadows. The scene where Dallas is trapped in the airlocks a particular highlight.

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Thankfully the budget increased and finally settled on 14 million. It’s small wonder what it would have been like had Fox not bought Ridley Scott’s vision for the project. What is quite clear is the fact that we wouldn’t be talking about the movie 40 years later nor have it appear on ‘best of’ lists.

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Not that the movie doesn’t show the occasional minor flaw grown from the use of a man in a suit. Mostly these exchanges are clever punctuated by quick cutaways which hides the suit only occasionally can you see the alien in its entirety. But these are few and far between.

For the most part it is a slow burning ride, gradually building in tension and suspense. In space no-one can hear you scream.

 

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Rambo last blood movie review

 
Rambo last blood poster - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

Rambo last blood poster - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

 

Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission.
— Imdb
 

The movie First Blood was one of the seminal action movies of the 80s. Directed by Ted Kochef it brought to life the character of John Rambo, a traumatized Vietnam vet shunned by society, spit upon and denounced. A seething ball of pent up aggression unchecked by a greedy army general whose killing machine has malfunctioned into a wandering hobo in search of a home and finding none.

The first outing a chilling indictment of Vietnam a war no-one wanted, scarring the lives of those who entered it leaving them shell shocked and weary misfits. Stallone's portrayal of Rambo a career highlight.

We zoom forward 40 years or so later to Rambo: last blood a pale, almost unrecognisable photocopy of a Rambo movie. An ultra violent cartoon with some genuinely shoddy acting and unconvincing direction.

Here John Rambo is living a hermits existence at his father's ranch. Hiding himself bizarrely in a set of underground tunnels constructed around his desert home living like a tunnel rat. In this outing Stallone is subdued, seething with barely contained anger, traumatised by visions of the dead kept at bay by a cocktail of prescription drugs and clean honest graft. His love for his pseudo daughter Gabriel played by Yvette monral is tested when she crosses the border into Mexico to find her estranged father.

While there she is Groomed and sold by her supposed friend Giselle to a ruthless gang of traffickers who kidnap Gabrielle, forcing her into a life of coerced prostitution.

Once Rambo learns of this he must embark on one final mission to find and retrieve his adoptive daughter. Things however, do not go to plan finding himself initially outgunned and beaten to bloody pulp to be strangely 'let go' by these gangsters, branding him instead like cattle. Chillingly they inform him his 'daughter' will also pay a similar price and leave him to rot in the barren streets of Mexico.

Gabriel meanwhile is being hooked on Heroin and forced into grisly sexual acts with nameless patrons in the dingiest brothal ever invented. John Rambo must unleash his inner warrior once again and rescue her.

In a bloody-minded rescue Rambo escapes with Gabriel to have her die of an overdose setting in motion revenge of the bloodiest kind.

Contrived and at times poorly executed Rambo: last blood is a mixed bag filled with weirdly stilted acting and ultra violent deaths.

Initially the concept of a ‘Rambo western’ was intriguing but this concept was jettisoned in deference to a clichéd gangster setup and contrived story beats. When all is said and done Rambo: last blood isn't a very good movie. It's a shameless cash in with strangely TV aesthetics; instead of a fitting end to a franchise we get a damp squib that fails to excite, going through the motions like the story itself ticking boxes until the blood-letting begins.

When the inevitable finale in the underground tunnels comes round there is some flashes of interest but it reeks of repetition. Once you've seen one gruesome death you've seen them all. Which is a shame because there was potential to make this sequence interesting and filled with tension.

Ultimately Rambo: last blood is forgettable. A less than adequate ending to a classic character who was given short shrift by a poorly written script and lifeless direction.

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The Irishman movie review

 
The irishman - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

The irishman - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

 

A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
— Imdb
 

An understated and 'mature' Scorsese, gone are the crashing zooms of frenetic energy of youth in favour of control and precision mastering the best of both worlds savouring moments of character and humour, delivering a 'character study' of regret but not remorse echoing the phrase 'it is what it is'.

Its strength coming from the understated performances of DeNiro (Playing Frank Sheeran) and Pesci (Russel Bufalino) whose friendship spanning decades of quiet understanding and chilling understated menace. A simple almost wordless exchange meaning far more than anything that could be spoken. Pesci embodying a gentle underlying threat to his usual portrayal of manic sociopaths. It is a measured performance as is DeNiro’s who hasn't been better in a very long time. Neither performances are showy rather they ground themselves in melancholic strength underlying the truth that power isn't about who can scream the loudest.

Pacino plays Hoffa at his megalomaniac best, acting to his strengths as a brash overly confident control freak that never feels false. A pitch perfect performance that lends a frenetic energy counterpointing the control of DeNiro; a seemingly unlikely friendship that feels real and organic. A lunch time meeting between Hoffa and Provanzano (Stephen Graham) brilliant and darkly comedic, seething with underlying menace.

There are lots of little pockets of humour; Sheeran disposing of his revolver in his favourite spot in a river after a hit. It joining hundreds of others there he coolly states if they ever sent divers down there would be enough weapons found to ‘arm a small country’.

A cringe-worthy phone call between Sheeran (DeNiro) and Hoffa’s estranged wife perfectly encapsulates Sheeran’s Character: His awkwardness and apathy, struggling to communicate on any emotional level with her. He’s done a bad deed but he can’t be remorseful about it so he has to try to fake it.

Clocking in at around three and a half hours, there are patches where I felt the running time, particularly at the start. Perhaps that was due to certain de-aging scenes taking me out of the movie. Some were done really well and others just looked fake - in particular Pesci fares the worse of the two leads his digital make over leaping out at you to the point you’re paying more attention to his ‘digital face’ than what he’s actually saying. I couldn’t help but think what the movie could have been like in the 90s without digital interference and played for real.

Thankfully you settle into watching the movie, especially when Hoffa enters the fray. His manic energy a well needed boost to counterpoint the sedate even keel of Sheeran and Bufalino. When the trio do interact there is moments of magic highlighting why they are some of America’s greatest actors.

When all is said and done, ‘The Irishman’ is a great movie with a few slow patches but not enough to curb your enjoyment.



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Terminator: Dark fate movie review

 
Terminator: dark fate - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

Terminator: dark fate - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

Sarah Connor and a hybrid cyborg human must protect a young girl from a newly modified liquid Terminator from the future.
— Imdb

I'm a huge fan of Terminator and Terminator 2. They we're ground breaking, had interesting stories and exciting action with characters you actually cared about. Now in its sixth outing Terminator: dark fate is a frustrating mess echoing these previous movies and plot, gender swapping this time in a lazy attempt at updating the franchise.

In this iteration Grace (Played by Mackensie Davis) is our lone warrior, an augment, sent back through time to protect Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), a mexican worker who has no idea that she is the future savior of mankind.

There is a trend in attempting to rewrite existing franchises to shoe horn in female characters, who are woefully underwritten for political reasons and not because it makes for a great story. Take Dani Ramos for instants, her character is almost non-existent, a cipher, forceful but single dimensional. It perhaps didn’t help that I thought Natalia Reyes seemed a little out of her depth, lacking the spunk of Linda Hamilton, her turn bland and uninteresting.

Mackensie Davis doesn’t fare much better, hampered with stilted dialogue like ‘come with me or you’ll be dead in thirty seconds’ an obvious throwback to Kyle Reece’s ‘Come with me if you want to live’ only this time rote and contrived. The movie is chock full of throwbacks some that work and others not so much.

Much of the dialogue feels forced and without character. Scenes without action are tired, lacking in chemistry almost like Director Tim Miller had only a passing interest in them, preferring to focus on the action instead. Which leaves the characters exposed, Linda Hamilton struggling to revive the intensity of Terminator 2’s Sarah Connor, leaving a faded copy xeroxed until faintly recognisable. Which is a shame as she was a seminal female character of the 90s. In this she is given short shrift in favour of introducing new ‘characters’ that don’t really work. There is an uneasy alliance between the three that feels unnatural and forced. As a result the acting is laboured and devoid of chemistry.

When Arnold appears the movie picks up, his familiar turn as the T-800 a welcome (And funny) reprise even though his presence doesn’t really make much sense. In an opening prologue we witness (Spoiler alert) the T-800 gun down John Connor after they have supposedly saved man-kind from Skynet. Throwing the first two movies under the bus to reinvigorate the franchise in favour of female empowerment to the detriment of story and everything else. It feels badly contrived and Natalia Reyes performance doesn’t sell this idea at all effectively, seemingly miscast in her role. The story involved a bad case of word swapping, the world essentially the same, Skynet replaced by Legion, Dani Taking over from John Connor. You get the idea.

The action is frenetic but without tension or a distinct style. CGI overload, rinse and repeat. Gone are the physical effects bypassed in favour of acrobatic maneuvers that look completely fake. There isn’t a successive build up of escalating tension that is characteristic of the first and second Terminator movies. Now it is a desperate case of throwing as many things at the screen as possible in the hope that something sticks. None of the action scenes are particularly memorable or for that matter involving. Perhaps in part to the fact you don’t really engage with any of the characters - they don’t exist in that realm, cynically substituting male for female without introducing ‘character’ within them.

Overall a disappointing mess.

** out of *****

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