Film Review Club

A young and talented chef from the fine dining world returns to Chicago to run his families sandwich shop, after a tragic death in the family. Season 1: The debut seasons finds a fantastic balance between anxiety inducing, intense scenes in the kitchen and amazing character work. Revealing so much about the characters without really showing anything from their life outside of the Beef restaurant. We see glimpses here and there and that adds to the development nicely but other than that, most of the show is set in the small Chicago restaurant. The performance are subtle, yet amazing and I mean that in the best way! They feel so real and authentic and that just pulls you into these characters, where you’re rooting for each and every one of them. The sound and editing is vital to the atmosphere in the show, knowing went to have fast paced cutting, with sharp, abrupt and intrusive bursts of sound to really have the audiences heart racing. That feeling isn’t always maintained in the first s

Nicky Fury is back and discovers a secret invasion of earth by a group of shapeshifting Skrulls. Forced to fight from the shadows Fury utilises what allies he has left in an attempt to save humanity and Earth. Secret Invasion provides a welcomed shift in tone for Marvel and the MCU, incorporating darker themes in this spy thriller themed Disney+ show. Now this is no R rating but there are a few moments which certainly separate it from projects that we have come to expect from Marvel. Samuel L Jackson portrays a more emotionally complex Nick Fury, one who we see is vulnerable and lost after the blip. However upon finding out just how deep the skrulls have infiltrated the world factions, the cause brings him back to the Fury we all love. I do think this show had a lot of potential, I certainly enjoyed it, but waiting a week between each half an hour instalment just made me resent the fact it was a show and not just a feature length film. It’s so hard to get invested when it’s drip fed to

Barbieland is a magical place where all of the independent and powerful Barbies thrive, living the perfect day forever…that is until Stereotypical Barbie visits the real world and their lives change forever.  Greta Gerwig has created a visually impressive film full of satire and social commentary, with the later becoming a little too full on for my liking. The set designs, combined with the odd visual effect brought Barbieland to life in a truly unique way! Everything looked great, from the dream houses to the costumes, then you throw in the committed performances from the absolutely stacked cast and we have a film that guarantees fun and laughter. Gerwig tackles a few different social issues through the comedy in the film; Barbie setting an unrealistic standard for women, people lacking authenticity and the courage to be themselves, finding yourself before following love and perhaps one of the most dominant ones, the men are trash narrative, which in my opinion is way to overplayed in

During World War 2, the United States Military hire Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist, to build the first atomic bomb. Tasked with completing it before the Nazis and put an end to the war. Oppenheimer is yet another hit from director Christopher Nolan who has created a captivating biopic surrounding the biggest turning point in modern warfare. This is by no means glorifying the atomic bomb and its destruction, actually it’s quite the opposite. The movie highlights the horror whilst also presenting the moral standing points for both sides of the debate, before finally leaving the audience with the notion that this weaponry is likely to be the end of humanity. Cillian Murphy puts himself into Oscar contention with a brilliant performance, if you didn’t appreciate or realise his talent before Oppenheimer, you certainly will now. Murphy wasn’t the only showcase performance either, with the likes of Robert Downey Jnr and Emily Blunt delivering memorable performances too. The sheer

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a deadly new weapon that, if in the wrong hands, will threaten all of humanity. Tom Cruise proves yet again, that he knows how to make a fun blockbuster, even if the latest instalment in the franchise fails to reach the heights of Fallout and Rogue Nation. Nonetheless there is a lot to enjoy here, with a few wonderful additions to the cast that keep things fresh and exciting. Hayley Atwell felt right at home and was captivating in each of the many scenes she starred in, displaying a nice chemistry with Cruise. Whilst Esai Morales portrayed the menacing antagonist Gabriel really well. I did think that Dead Reckoning Part 1 just felt very reminiscent of recent Fast and Furious films, not as silly by any means but the large set pieces often lacked substance and went on a little too long. But the insane stunts carried out by the lead star certainly made up for it! I wish we saw more of Vanessa Kirby’s Alanna, her character is great and she just s

Titans is a gritty take on the Teen Titans franchise, following a young group of heroes led by Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing and former Robin as they travel across the country dealing with all kinds of DC supervillains.  Season four was definitely the Titans most ambitious season yet, incorporating plenty of magic empowered villains and a ton of scenes requiring some pretty large scale visual effects. For a show with a pretty small and respectable budget, they pulled it off well too. The cinematography outside of those effects were actually really good, an aspect of the show that’s incredibly underrated for sure. But the characters are what makes this series work; the family bond, the impressive character development and season four finally shows Dick Grayson as a complete leader. Previously he’s had his flaws but they seemed to have been ironed out and Nightwing really hit his stride. Unfortunately I did expect a little more from the lead antagonist Brother Blood, I absolutely love Jose

Set 9 years after the events of the second movie, Dalton is heading off to college, however is college dream is cut short when Josh and Dalton are haunted once again by the demons they thought they forgot.  The latest instalment in the franchise feels far from an insidious movie, focusing on the emotional core of the lead characters instead of providing the usual haunting tropes that made the first two films incredibly popular. The central plot revolves around broken father and son relationships, which was a strange direction to say the least. It’s not that this emotional core didn’t necessarily work, it just felt really out of place and sidelined the horror that audiences had expected to see. Apart from a couple of easy jump scares, The Red Door wasn’t scary in the slightest. I can’t help but think that the writers and producers witnessed the success of projects like stranger things and IT and perhaps thought that they could create a horror inspired adventure too. It’s safe to say, th

Indiana Jones finds himself on another adventure, this time chasing after an ancient Dial, accompanied by his granddaughter and followed closely by a group of dangerous Nazis. It’s hard not to see this 5th instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise as merely a cash grab and the final chance to squeeze Ford one last time, whilst he’s healthy enough to helm the iconic character. Especially considering the high note that the 4th film finished on, happily married with his new wife and son. However despite the intentions behind the movie, I had a lot of fun with it! The introduction of Dr Jones’ goddaughter provided another interesting companion for the franchise, portrayed by Phoebe Waller Bridge who brought a nice rebellious charm to Helena Shaw. Harrison Ford felt right back at home, a little more fragile with his movements but still packing a hell of a punch both literally and figuratively! The story itself is pretty captivating, utilising de-aging technology to portray convincing flashb

On the brink of losing her childhood home, a women takes a job from a pair of desperate parents - date their socially awkward, introvert son and receive a car, although the task proves harder than it looks. No Hard Feelings takes a plot that is almost reminiscent of so many early 2000’s comedies, testing the waters of 2023 audiences and although it certainly takes far less risks compared to its predecessors, it’s still a real fun ride. Jennifer Lawrence is great in the lead role and I’m surprised we haven’t seen her in far more comedies given that her personality seems tailor made for the genre. It was simple, yet effective comedy, garnering a lot of laughs from the fairly busy cinema. We have seen fewer and fewer comedies such as this, released these days, especially in theatres but I would definitely like to see more of them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a masterpiece and the plot is very predictable but sometimes you just need a movie you can switch off to and enjoy without engaging