Film Review Club

The Logan family are known for owning the biggest media and entertainment company in the world but their world changes when their father Logan looks to step down from the company. There is no doubt that Succession is the latest HBO show to take the world by storm, with its impressive writing and captivating performances from its entire cast. It’s the hottest commodity right now and rightly so! However making the bold decision to end it all on season 4 is the true definition of finishing at the top of your game. The genius of Succesion is its realism, it’s so incredibly written that it literally feels like we’re the fly on the wall of a top multibillion dollar company! Then you have the documentary style camerawork which just emphasises that point. It doesn’t feel like it’s a big expensive hollywood set, it feels real and authentic, almost like the cameras have just snuck their way into these characters lives. Now I want to speak on the performances because each and every character was

An Astronaut embarks on a dangerous mission across the solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and a series of strange power surges effecting Earth. Ad Astra is so much more than the usual sci-fi space epic. It takes us on a psychological exploration into the mind of Roy Mcbride, portrayed brilliantly by Brad Pritt, whilst illustrating the beauty of space with magnificent cinematography that combines art and film perfectly into each frame. For those who are expecting exhilarating set pieces all the way through, this is not that kind of sci-fi, it has those moments but that’s not what the movie is centred around. It can be slow paced at times, focusing on the psyche of its lead protagonist but that’s an aspect of the movie which I appreciated a lot.  The central story that runs through the spine of the film basically tosses back and forth on the idea that Roy’s ‘Hero’ father, is actually quite the opposite and the audience is taken on the ride to the truth right along

Jess, a middle-school teacher, answers a room ad in LA and decides to move in with three men after her boyfriend cheats on her, bringing a new dynamic to the apartment. I’m going to go out on a limb and declare New Girl as the most underrated sitcom! Why? Well it seems like those who have watched the show, absolutely love it, but the problem is not enough people have seen it. Of course it holds some of the usual sitcom tropes that are present across all of your popular shows, the central apartment, the local bar and a will they won’t they relationship story. However the characters are certainly unique, at least in my opinion anyway. The comedy is hilarious and the dynamic, especially between the male characters is definitely one of my favourites in TV. Jess is the lead character of course, played brilliantly by Zoe Deschanel, who you can’t help but love! But I’d have to say my favourite character is Winston, followed closely by Nick and Jess. Lamorne Morris just hits every single punch

Dominic Torreto is forced to defend his family once again as a new foe, fuelled by revenge, vows to make Dom suffer for his past actions. But are his family strong enough to make it through their deadliest villain yet? Fast X certainly exceeded my expectations, yes it still included the franchises trademark silliness, defying the laws of physics, but I felt like this instalment had much more going for it. Jason Momoa stole the show as Dante and his flamboyant portrayal of the latest antagonist felt like a breath of fresh air, a contrast from the grumpy, brooding villains that we have witnessed over the past few years. He still poses a huge threat, possibility the biggest yet but he also entertains and is one of those antagonists where you can’t help but like him, despite his actions. Fortunately Momoa was one of the few characters with solid dialogue, whereas Dom, Letty and a couple of others were incredibly cheesy, the dialogue was so poor that it actually made them look like bad acto

A series of mishaps and misfortunes come Beaus way, starting from a missed flight and news of his mothers passing. The anxiety ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on a journey back home. It’s films like this where we need to call it for what it is, a bizarre mess! My only assumption is that Ari was on hallucinogenics whilst writing the entire script, it’s the only logical explanation. Unfortunately the amazing cinematography and even Joaquin Phoenix himself, cannot justify a plot such as this. At its very core, it’s a deep dive into codependent guilt and the constant fear of an anxiety ridden mind. However to get to that conclusion you have to sit through three hours of confusion, bizarre events and utter nonsense. From large penis shaped monsters to a half an hour play narration that is enough to have you questioning your own sanity! A24 can, at times, receive criticism because fans tend to witness their movies artistic approach and brand the film a masterpiece when a

Tech Billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends on to his island for a weekend of festivities but when someone turns up dead, detective Benoit Blanc is on the case. Glass Onion was a pleasant surprise, I had seen quite a lot of negative reviews amongst the community and it’s why I had put it off for so long. However I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, so the low expectations helped me there! It has a much lighter and more humorous tone compared to the first instalment, I’m not sure I preferred that approach but I respected the attempt to create something different. The twist was great and completely unexpected, it elevated a usual whodunit movie and actually provided a conclusion that I didn’t expect! It’s not the greatest movie in the world but an enjoyable one for sure. Overall (7.5/10) Thanks for reading. Callan

Carl and Yaya, a pair of influencers, are invited on to a luxury yacht with a group of out of touch wealthy people when things take an unexpected turn as a storm hits. Triangle of Sadness requires a lot of patience from its audience, however if you stick with it, the satire take on how the world prioritises wealth and beauty is really enjoyable. I think Harris Dickinson is brilliant and his performance perfectly matches to the tone and intention of the movie. The themes explored by director Ruben Ostlund are areas that I have such strong opinions about, from the argument over the bill to the peacock behaviour of the rich and it’s all approached in a really interesting way, subtle humour at its finest! The biggest fault is it’s pacing, it is rather slow and I think that restricted it’s score for me.  Overall (7.5/10) Thanks for reading. Callan

The lives of two people become toxically intertwined as they have an altercation over a road rage incident, both rising to new lengths to get one over on the other. Beef starts off slow but really hits its stride in the second half of the season, with its amazing performances front and centre from the lead protagonists Steven Yeun and Ali Wong. The concept, on the surface, is pretty simple, however once the lives of these two people are revealed to the audience the complexity of these characters go far beyond simple road rage. I loved how the show ended, you could almost see it going that way but nonetheless its chaotic execution was certainly unexpected. Let Beef serve as yet another example of A24 producing stellar content! Currently streaming on Netflix, I’d certainly recommend. Overall (8.5/10) Thanks for reading. Callan

As Peter Quill deals with the loss of Gamora, he is forced to rally the Guardians as they are attacked, they must dig up past horrors in order to save one of their own. James Gunn executes a fitting conclusion to his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy! Utilising the emotional core of Rockets past with the trademark humour of his writing, to create an extremely enjoyable movie. There is no doubt that selecting the High Evolutionary as the central antagonist for the final film was a stroke of genius and Gunn was right in declaring him as possibly the MCU’S cruelest villain yet! Chukwudi Iwuji was absolutely brilliant and he ignites a feeling of hatred from the audience with his performance, assisted of course by the tragic storytelling of Rockets origins. It gave the furry fan favourite the spotlight, which he absolutely deserved.  There is no doubt that the visual effects within the MCU as of late has been mediocre at best but this third Guardians instalment is a sign that things could be