Review Category: Movie

ENOLA HOLMES 2

Released on Netflix in 2020, Enola Holmes, based on the young adult mystery novel series by Nancy Springer, was a huge hit, a pandemic-struck housebound audience thirstily lapping up its lavish, quirky, tongue-in-cheek cod Victorian origin story for Sherlock Holmes’s feisty, fleet-footed, and smart-mouthed younger sister Enola (Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown). This quickly-commissioned sequel – again penned by the supernaturally-prolific Jack Thorne and again directed by Harry Bradbeer – is a significantly better film. The first film’s story was muddied by its need to set up Enola, her relationship with her brother, her own determination to establish herself as an independent, free-thinking young woman whose detective skills may well be the equal of Sherlock himself and, of course, the world its story was set in. The mystery element of the story was a little underwhelming too. Fortunately, Enola Holmes 2 is a nippier and more confident affair. With the groundwork laid and its world established, the film can crack on with the story – and it’s a good one. With her own detective agency on the brink of collapse, Enola is enlisted by a factory girl named Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling) to find her missing sister, a match factory girl named Sarah Chapman (Hannah Dodd). Sherlock meanwhile (Henry Cavill, woefully miscast as the most ridiculously Un-Sherlock Holmes of all time but giving it his all regardless) is struggling to solve his own latest case involving Government blackmail at the highest levels engineered, he eventually discovers, by a criminal mastermind known as Moriarty. As Enola finds herself digging deeper into the underbelly of London aristocracy and facing the grim reality of the pitiful lives of the girls working for slave labour wages at the match factory, the two investigations start to move closer together and Enola and Sherlock must join forces to expose a sinister web of deceit and duplicity.

Enola Holmes 2 is great fun. The plot hitches up its skirts and races along from the very first scene and the style and tone very much echo the original with Enola’s occasional cheeky fourth wall breaking as she addresses her “audience” and her growing friendship with the timid Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). Helena Bonham-Carter is back in a slightly larger cameo as Enola’s madcap mother Euphoria and David Thewlis’ villainous Grail is a baddie in the glorious penny dreadful tradition. Modern sensibilities are catered for with Adeel Akhtar’s all-at-sea Inspector Lestrade, a complete reinvention of Moriarty and, in a mid-credits sequence, the arrival of another Conan Doyle icon not yet introduced into this version of Sherlock’s world. But this is really Enola’s film and Millie Bobby Brown is a delight; Enola is possessed of the same mercurial intelligence as her brother but her lack of experience leads her to take uncalculated risks and she finds herself in tricky situations more often than she should. It’s a lively, atmospheric confection, nicely-realised, and Enola Holmes 2, busier and better structured and paced than the first film, sees this franchise find its feet and opens the door for further adventures to come.

Enola Holmes 2 is streaming now on Netflix

THE WITCH: PART 2. THE OTHER ONE

Four years after bringing us the stellar first installment of his trilogy “The Witch”, writer/director Park Hoon-jung returns with the bigger and more ambitious sequel, The Witch: Part 2. The Other One.

After a pregnant teen is abducted from a school trip by Dr. Baek and her organisation, she is told that her future children are important to their cause. Years later, a young girl known only as “girl” or “Ark 1” with extraordinary powers escapes from the Ark, a top-secret facility, and, because of her abilities, is tracked by various interested parties.

In the first film, Hoon-jung not only made a highly entertaining and thrilling action-horror but also crafted the foundations of an interesting world. In this sequel, which we would call more of a companion piece than a typical sequel, that world has expanded. Ja-yoon from Part 1 is no longer the most powerful being that Dr. Baek has created as we, the audience, previously thought, which opens up so many avenues for where the story could go. However, with most middle chapters of a trilogy, some of the choices as to how the story is told leading up to the final part and climax can seem a bit too safe or similar. “Ark 1″‘s story is very similar to that of Ja-yoon where once she is out in the world, she latches on to regular civilians before her powers are revealed to devasting effect. That being said, the pace at which we get to some of the incredible action is much swifter than its predecessor, but the beats are most definitely similar.

The action itself is considerably more intense in terms of scope and spectacle – which most likely comes from not only a larger budget but the idea of making the protagonist a much more powerful entity. The special effects and set pieces are a tremendous joy to behold, but it fails to capture that particular claustrophobic and impactful nature that the corridors scenes toward the climax of Part 1 possessed. Like with Part 1, Hoon-jung has used his keen sense of immense talent to once again find a future star in Shin Si-ah who plays our titular witch. Her performance echoes that of Kim Da-mi but she also manages to stand out on her own – helped by the talent of the great supporting cast including Park Eun-bin making her return to feature films.

The Witch: Part 2. The Other One is another outstanding South Korean action film that complements Part 1 and also entices the audience into peak anticipation for its final chapter even though it plays it safe with some of the story elements. It’s full of bigger action set pieces than its predecessor along with great pacing and capped off with a lead performance of another sensational debut actor in Shin Si-ah – we are most certainly very excited for Part 3!

The Witch: Part 2. The Other One is out on VOD in the UK from November 28th 2022, courtesy of Signature Entertainment.

THIS IS GWAR

There’s not really anything in the entertainment world quite like Gwar. This infamous troupe of intergalactic cannibalistic barbarians has been causing chaos across the world since the early 1980s, playing loud as hell metal while clad in spiky oversized masks and shoulderpads to huge crowds who willingly pay for the privilege of being covered with all manner of bodily fluids sprayed right into their faces from a variety of monstrous orifices.

This is Gwar is a two-hour documentary that tells the band’s story, taking viewers from its initial formation (a collaboration between artists in an abandoned milk bottling factory) to record deals, tours and their inclusion on an episode of MTV’s Beavis & Butt-Head which lead to further TV appearances, run-ins with censors and a huge increase in notoriety. Many of the surviving members who are interviewed talk with great affection for both the ridiculous situations the band found themselves in and (mostly) for each other as human beings.

It’s unfortunate that founding member Dave Brockie is no longer around to tell his own part of the tale, and fellow co-founder Hunter Jackson occasionally brings the mood down with his less-than-affectionate attitude towards his former partner in crime, but it’s still difficult to escape the feeling that being in Gwar during its heyday must have been an absolute blast. A handful of short features included as Blu-ray extras confirm these suspicions – we’re given a look at how the band sets up for a live show, as well as some behind the scenes footage from the band’s brief cameo on Empire Records and a quick summary of Gwar’s fictional backstory. Despite all being less than 5 minutes long, they’re all worth seeing. There are a few more lengthy inclusions too, such as Dave Brockie’s last recorded interview from 2014 (11 minutes) and a 9-minute fan tribute. The highlight though is the 28-minute tour of “the Slave Pit”, where a couple of band members take us around Gwar’s workshop / studio / office which is stuffed to the brim with artwork, props and memorabilia.

Music documentaries are ten a penny these days, but when you’re talking about such a unique band as this – and with plenty of insane footage to accompany the stories – This is Gwar really does stand out amongst all the others as a must-see film. Fans of the band are, of course, likely to get much more out of it than most other viewers, but those with even a passing interest in the wilder side of the music world should find themselves thoroughly entertained by the band’s antics. There’s a pretty powerful message somewhere, too – we’re not here for very long, so do what you want, make the most of what you’ve got, be good to the people around you and just enjoy yourself. Wise words indeed!

This is Gwar is available on Shudder from July 21st

MATILDA THE MUSICAL

Based on the Royal Shakespeare Company hit-musical adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl novel, Matilda the Musical does not aim to improve on or compete with Danny DeVito’s beloved 1996 classic, nor does it set out to surpass the Tony-winning stage play. Instead, the Netflix feature is content to faithfully translate Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly’s musical to the screen and deliver an infectiously fun, vibrant family film for a new generation.

Alisha Weir is a revelation as Matilda, the genius, mischievous, but deeply lonely little girl with secret superpowers. Neglected (read: straight-up abused) and supposedly home-schooled by her gleefully rude, self-centred parents – played with riotous energy by Andrea Riseborough and Stephen Graham – the local authorities insist that the Wormwoods send their daughter to school. The establishment in question is an Oliver Twist workhouse-meets-Shawshank prison, otherwise known as Crunchem Hall. Presiding over the terror camp is Headmistress Trunchbull, a fabulously unpredictable disciplinarian with the lion’s share of rancorous one-liners played by a scenery-chewing Emma Thompson in heavy prosthetics. Lashana Lynch, meanwhile, is perfect as the gentle and nurturing Miss Honey.

The stage is set for a series of barnstorming musical numbers (“School Song” and “Revolting Children” are particular standouts) featuring elaborate choreography and dizzying set pieces; it’s one of the best ways in which Matilda takes advantage of its feature format and pushes its scale and energy to new heights.

What Netflix’s Matilda may lack in Dahl’s defining cynicism and horror, it reinvests in warmth, humour, and familiarity – it’s a film whose Christmas Day release makes perfect sense.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical releases in cinemas from November 25th, and on Netflix from December 25th.

By Laura Potier

R.I.P.D. 2: RISE OF THE DAMNED

There was much excitement surrounding this sequel to R.I.P.D….R.I.P.D….the Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges film? Back in 2013? Kevin Bacon was in it too? No?

Seriously though, the 2013 box office bomb had potential, adapting Peter M. Lenkov’s 1999 comic book, to unleash a supernatural story of a police department of the departed, who try to keep the souls of those who escaped judgment (aka, “Deados”) from causing havoc in the land of the living. Sadly, in spite of Bridges’ commitment, the film fell afoul with critics and audiences, who saw it as a barely hung together sub-par Men in Black. So the news that a sequel had been greenlit, and 10 years later to boot, was shall we say, a shock.

So, here we are, with R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned, which – despite its title – is actually a prequel, set back in 1876, as the Wild West has gone to hell! Telling the backstory of Bridges’ character Roicephus “Roy” Pulsipher (here played by Jeffrey Donovan), who teams up with fellow RIPD officer Jeanne (Penelope Mitchell), to save humanity from an evil force who has possessed one of the living and aims to open the gateway to Hell.

Maybe R.I.P.D wasn’t so bad after all…because this prequel really is DOA. Look, Westerns are often blended with other genres, with mixed results it must be said, but even the failures can be fun unhinged products. Rise of the Damned however feels very much like a sub-par Western and doesn’t blend at all with the supernatural elements of this story.

Add to this the fact that this franchise reboot/prequel doesn’t even feel related to the film that came before it in hardly any way. Its lore is messy and unclear (why does Roy ultimately age if he’s dead, when his partner hasn’t for over a 100 years?), the backstory of Roy is altered needlessly, and more chronically than that, this film is kneecapped by its own struggles to justify its existence.

Who was this made for? Fans, clearly not. Critics, why bother? Hell, it has been nearly a decade later, and even back in 2013 the first film died a death at the box office. The project makes no sense, even as a cash in, because where is the cash potential? Even the fabric of the movie itself is riddled with holes, the film’s attempts at messages about racism and sexism are obvious considering the era, lacking any punch that other recent films have made, and are only here to try and add meat to what is a picked clean carcass of a film.

You know, all this would have even be ok in some way, were it not for the film’s crushing unmemorability. By the time you reach the end, you have already forgotten much of what the story even was, and this is a film that you won’t just have forgotten watching by next year, it’s a film you won’t even remember actually happened next month.

Donovan and Mitchell are the sole saving graces of the film, trying their best with the flat comedy (and boy is some of it flatter than roadkill) and uneasy blend of the concept with Western. They even manage to get in a scene of genuine heart, but it’s all too much of an uphill battle for a film that is a head scratcher in so many ways.

What was it Jud Crandall said in Pet Semetary? “Sometimes dead is better”.

BONES AND ALL

Maren (Taylor Russell) is a quiet, isolated teen living in small-town, backroad Americana. It’s immediately apparent that Maren yearns for connection, but making friends at a new school isn’t easy when your dad locks you in your room every night. When she finally sneaks out for a sleepover one evening, we’re cheering for her freedom – until, caught in the relaxed throes of girlish intimacy, sweet Maren chomps off someone’s finger and savours it like a fat, satisfied cat.

It turns out her dad wasn’t paranoid about protecting her from the world; he was trying to protect the world from her. Maren is a cannibal, an irresistible compulsion that has kept them on the run for years. When she awakes on her 18th birthday to find her dad has abandoned her and left only some cash, her birth certificate, and a cassette of her history, she decides to search for her mother in hopes she may have answers as to Maren’s nature.

Russell is phenomenal as a conflicted young woman torn by shame, desire, and wavering morals, perfectly matched with Timothée Chalamet’s Lee, a fellow “feeder” whose soothing assurance conceals old wounds. Elsewhere, Mark Rylance is deliciously creepy as Sully, a veteran flesh-eater who shows Maren the ropes.

Luca Guadagnino and writer David Kajganich skilfully weave a bizarrely sweet, thoughtful coming-of-age romance about two young cannibals simply trying to find their place. The film brings together disparate elements with delicate ease: grisly gore, tenderness, sensuality, melancholia, and a strangely Romantic notion of the world. Bones and All is as violently carnal as it is elegant – an unmissable, wryly funny, and oddly poignant addition to the cannibal canon.

BONES AND ALL releases in cinemas from November 23rd

FALL

By Joel Harley

Not one for those of a nervous disposition, this. Scott Mann’s anxiety-inducing vertigo ‘em up takes its two plucky heroines (Grace Fulton, Virginia Gardner) and strands them 2,000 feet in the air. Less 48 Meters Down, more 609 Meters Up. Not so much The Descent, more The Ascent. As Below, So – you get the idea.

After deciding to climb a 2,000 foot radio tower out in rural nowhere, Becky (Fulton) and best pal Hunter (Gardner) are trapped at the top when the rickety old ladder suddenly breaks. With nobody but the vultures and the baking desert sun for company, the friends must dig deep to figure a way out of (or down from) their precarious predicament.

A daring entry in the already massive ‘trapped in a stupid place’ subgenre of thrillers (see also: Frozen, 127 Hours, and any number of shark movies), Fall is the heights-fearer’s worst nightmare. Combining dizzying stunt work with shocking VFX, it should leave anyone with even a healthy respect for heights with sweaty palms. True, some of that CGI is rough around the edges (like we said, ‘shocking’), and much of the decision work leading to the ladies’ position is infuriating, but the terrors of Fall are universal.

As the pair stuck up the top, Fulton and Gardner do admirable work, keeping the film grounded even as the action reaches ludicrous new heights. It may be silly, but chances are, you’ll be too dizzy from it all to notice. A gravity – and disbelief–defying experience.

Fall is released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 28th

Angels of Death – Final Cut

Angels of Death poster moody armoured figure

The grim ‘dark ages in cursed space’ franchise Warhammer 40,000 has had a rough ride when it comes to on-screen adaptations. This gothic, atmospheric setting is mostly told through books, art and painted models. Games Workshop have had some pretty gross mis-steps in an attempt to turn their world-famous product into a movie. Angels of Death – Final Cut is arguably the best attempt thus far.

Angels of Death is the story of band of space marines making the treacherous journey to their homeworld, Baal. Their space-craft, The Sword of Baal, is a giant fortress cathedral. In it are the Blood Angels, an order of knight-like, super human warriors who exist in a hostile galaxy filled with demons, alien monsters, cults and superstition. The ship travels vast distances by punching a hole through a hell-like sea of demons. When the ship emerges into real space to find safe harbour, they become ensnared in more violence and conflict.

The entire feature is a sort of monochrome; it’s shades of black, white or red. The Blood Angels themselves are of course clad in red armour, some of their equipment flashes so brilliantly white it almost looks silver, and the abyssal black is a constant tone throughout. It looks gorgeous and combined with an appropriately gothic soundtrack, the entire thing oozes atmosphere.

The two directors, Boman Modine and Richard Boylan are clearly no strangers to horror, gore or action and they handle these elements brilliantly. Fan favourite voice actors such as Gareth Armstrong and Toby Longworth give very notable performances. Penelope Rawlin’s is particularly notable as Livia, a hard nosed ship’s mistress who seems the sanest character in the entire movie. The acting is strong, though the characters themselves are deliberately narrow; the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, no one has time for hobbies or a decent work/life balance, after all.

Coming in at about 2 hours and 40 minutes, Final Cut is the Angels of Death animated series spliced together into one epic movie. The show so far only been available via Games Workshop’s bespoke streaming service, Warhammer Plus. Which is a pity, as it really does need a big screen to be appreciated, we do hope the powers that be in Nottingham decided to show it at a festival or two.

Parts of the story are very, very steeped in lore, though it doesn’t get in the way of actual story. The Blood Angels themselves have a back-story filled with mysticism and sacrifice and this is built into the story itself; the result tends to be some very pretty (and weird) visuals which will mean nothing to casual viewers and delight fans.

It is, a little long, but then it is several episodes spliced together. The pacing is good, the action is very pretty and it’s nice to see a certain monster get to run around and cause havoc. It does work as a single coherent movie, but don’t forget to bring snacks.

HEX

Ten years after the tragic death of her father in a skydiving accident, loner Sarah (Kayla Adams) returns to her hometown and tries to make some new friends by teaming up with the local skydiving group – although you’d be forgiven for thinking, considering what happened to her father, that she’d want to keep well away from the very thought of parachutes and keep her feet on the ground for the rest of her life. She manages to work her way into the group and is eventually persuaded to participate in ‘The Hex’, a near-impossible group formation jump. Their first attempt doesn’t go well but the second is successful…at least until Payson (Matthew Holcombe), one of their number, disappears literally into thin air. Over the following days, it’s clear that something very strange is going on when the other members of the group start to die in strange circumstances and Sarah has to discover the truth of ‘The Hex’ before it comes for her…

Good to see that the spirit of the Final Destination series lives on in Chris Johnson’s ambitious Hex as fate will not be denied its true course. The survivors of the Hex jump suffer terrifying visions of a disaster that never happened but clearly should have and the dramatic beats are ones we’re familiar with from not only the FD series but also a number of other horror films predicated on the implacable nature of destiny. Hex is inevitably hampered by its low budget – the gore factor is pretty low and one character perishes in a blaze of hugely-unconvincing CGI fire – and a story that becomes a little meandering in its final act where it fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion or a proper resolution or even an explanation for the origin of the Hex curse. But despite its shortcomings – it’s not remotely scary despite the potential of its intriguing concept and it’s hard to imagine that the group would merrily go up for another jump the day after one of their number has vanished before their very eyes – Hex is enlivened by some earnest acting and some genuinely impressively stomach-churning aerial photography.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

Making a sequel to a cultural phenomenon was never going to be easy. Making an MCU blockbuster that could entertain and move the franchise forward but also mourn and honour Chadwick Boseman’s legacy presented an even bigger challenge. Yet against all odds, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pulls off an exciting, intelligent, and sorrowful sequel with conviction and grace.

The death of Boseman’s King T’Challa by some unnamed disease is the starting point, as those left behind try to pick up the pieces in a grieving daze. It’s clear from the outset that the spectre of loss will hang heavily over this film, even in its lighter and more escapist moments.

One year after the loss of their leader and Black Panther, Wakanda is under pressure from world powers to share their vibranium reserves – with some parties going so far as to try to take it by force. It isn’t long before the U.S. government comes in possession of a vibranium-detecting machine and locates a deposit of the precious resource in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. However, when they attempt to drill into the seabed, the ship is attacked, and its entire crew is decimated by a blue-skinned, water-dwelling people led by Namor (a fantastic Tenoch Huerta).

Back on land, Namor easily bypasses Wakanda’s advanced security to ambush Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Shuri (Letitia Wright). Blaming them for the vibranium race, the winged-footed leader gives the Wakandans an ultimatum: find and deliver him the scientist responsible for the vibranium-detecting machine (Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, introducing Ironheart), or his nation will come for Wakanda first.

As Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger did in Black Panther, Namor presents an antagonist entirely justified in his anger, one with righteous ideals and moral strength. Ryan Coogler continues to push the boundaries of what a Marvel film can be: present here is his keen interest in the geopolitical implications of superheroism, his talent for constructing intricate worlds – the underwater city of Talokan, a Mesoamerican civilisation inspired by ancient Mayan culture, is nothing short of stunning – and his propensity for confronting heroes with complex existential dilemmas.

Wakanda Forever, at times, sprawls out of focus. Genius MIT student Riri Williams feels lost in the story, functioning as more of a plot device akin to America Chavez’s role in Multiverse of Madness than a fully-fledged character. So too, does it struggle to slot some of its actors amid the crowded cast – Michaela Coel and Lupita Nyong’o sadly take the hit – and despite the strong principles animating the central conflict, its culmination isn’t as persuasive as it needs to be.

If it sometimes feels pulled in too many directions, perhaps it’s because the film and its many voices are still processing their loss. The turbulence of grief is present and uncensored, destabilising the film’s focus – one can’t help but forgive any stumble entirely.

Besides, Wright binds together every thread of Wakanda Forever with a magnetic and emotionally raw performance. The actress finds captivating volatility in Shuri, whose rage, shame, and sorrow at the loss of her brother struggle against her duty to his memory and desire for peace. She is poignant to watch, and together with Boseman’s memory, pulls Wakanda Forever into a beautiful, uncommonly grounded, and deeply moving whole.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is out in cinemas now. Watch the final trailer here.