Author: George Clark

Bones And All: Physical Review + Special Features

Bones and All is a 2022 ‘romantic’ horror film directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by David Kajganich and is based on the 2015 novel Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis. The film stars Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon Green, Jessica Harper, Jake Horowitz, and Mark Rylance and follows a pair of young cannibals (Russell and Chalamet) who flee together on a road trip and develop feelings for each other as they travel. 

Part horror, part romance and part coming-of-age tale, there’s one thing Bones and All is entirely, messed up. After the success of his two previous films, 2018’s Suspiria and 2017’s Call Me by Your Name, Luca Guadagnino’s latest concoction was always going to be a hot topic among fans of his work…well, I’m pleased to say, Bones and All is truly wonderful.

With a subject matter that’s hard to stomach, it’s terrifying in the way it presents its cannibalism in a realistic way, and two terrifyingly brilliant performances from Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet that will, quite frankly, eat your heart out, this cannibal love story plays out like a fever dream, with its masterful melodic score, stomach-churning imagery and dark, disturbing tone keeping me on the edge of my chair throughout.

Mark Rylance is the perfect adversary to our main characters, he’s daunting to watch on screen and is a big reason why your skin crawls throughout and, on a technical aspect, Arseni Khachaturan’s cinematography is a work of art. It’s the Romeo and Juliet of the cannibal world…it’s creepy, seductive and deeply uncomfortable but boy is it truly something special if you make it to the end…Bones and All is one of the finest films of 2022.

Special Features:

This review is for the Blu-Ray special features.

DISC INFO:

Age Rating: 18

Slip Cover: Yes

Digital Copy: No

Formats Included: Blu-ray and DVD

Number of Discs: 2

Audio: English (Dolby Atmos), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.85

Subtitles: English SDH, Dutch, Parisian French, Latin Spanish

Thanks to Warner Brothers I’ve been able to check out the special features of Guadagnino’s latest film and trust me, while there are only around 9 minutes of added material, everything included is a must-watch if you’re a fan of the film! 

The special features included on the Blu-Ray are: A Look Inside (2:23), Luca Guadagmino: The Vision of Bones and All (1:32), Meet Lee (2:06), Meet Maren (1:32) and Outsiders in Love (1:52). Out of these 5, Meet Lee and Meet Maren are easily the best, giving us a deeper dive into the subtle moments of the characters and how Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance and Luca Guadagmino interpreted them. 

However, while these special features are great, it would have been great to dive into the production of the film more, showing us behind the camera and what occurred during the making of the film as that would have been far more interesting than anything as I would have loved to dive into Guadagmino’s thought process behind the beautiful, horrifying imagery more and understand why he wanted to make this.

Nevertheless, the Blu-Ray does not disappoint, presented in the original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer, the colours pop off the screen and the darker tone works wonders for the tone of the film. Everything is played out with pristine clarity with the imagery and sound all working well. It’s exactly what you’d want and plays out just as well as it did in the cinema.

Thank you to Warner Brothers for access to Bones and All for this review. Bones and All is out on physical (Blu-Ray/DVD) now. Check it out, if you are looking to make your skin crawl as it will certainly do that!

Check out www.warnerbros.co.uk for exclusive news on Warner Bros. movies, TV shows and games!

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness: The BRWC Spoiler Free Review

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness certainly is the MCU’s first true horror movie and something completely unique for the franchise. Sam Raimi’s style is fantastic and mixes perfectly with the darker tone of the film. While Michael Waldron‘s script is messy at translating the huge events to the big screen due to the multiple multiverses bouncing off each other, the story at hand, the horror on show and the surprises that await are more than worth your time. 

America Chavez and Doctor Strange, played brilliantly by Xochitl Gómez and Benedict Cumberbatch, are great together and the multiverse, the worlds we travel too and people we meet, honestly caused me to geek out with excitement multiple times…seriously I need a certain characters movie now and I will not take no for an answer! These surprises, while gladly numbered, are utterly incredible and set up an endless amount of possibilities for the future.

However, my main complaint isn’t with the script, it’s that it just felt to short. This could have easily been 30/40 minutes longer and no one would have batted an eye as sadly some plot points feel rushed and some characters never truly get their time to shine. Maybe it’s because we’ve become a-custom to longer superhero movies in recent months with The Batman and Spider-Man: No Way Home being longer than your average movie, but this is one multiverse I wish I could have explored for longer and one that could have done with some more time spent exploring the infinite worlds.  

Nevertheless, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was fantastic. I cheered more than expected and was genuinely unnerved by some of the horror sequences throughout. Raimi’s direction is masterful, fitting the characters and story perfectly, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance is once again the highlight of these films, the guy can honestly do no wrong as Steven Strange, he was born to play the role! It’s a bonkers visual triumph that delves into the multiverse brilliantly, despite being slightly hindered by some shoddy dialogue, and it’s one that I truly had a great time with, leaving the MCU in a more interesting place movie forward.

Between this and Moon Knight ending this week, it’s certainly been a week to remember for Marvel fans. I can’t wait to see what Marvel does next with the multiverse and with Strange’s character considering the credit sequence! 

The Batman has long been my most anticipated film of the year, Doctor Strange: Into The Multiverse of Madness comes close, incredibly close given that last trailer, but this just pips it to the top spot. It’s fair to say the world has been highly anticipating this from its announcement and, despite some preconceived notions that ‘Twilight-boy’ Robert Pattinson, wouldn’t fit the crime-fighting bat, everyone I know has been excited to see Reeves’ take on the character. Any preconceived worries I had quickly disappeared when the first trailer came out, a dark, ruthless Batman growling the “I’m Vengeance” line quickly sent shivers down my spine, arguably setting this out alongside Dune as my most anticipated film of the decade so far. But with all the anticipation, all the hype and excitement built up over the past months, I was worried it would disappoint. Needless to say, it never did. The Batman is easily one of the best comic book adaptations ever made and one that left me in awe of what Matt Reeves and his team have managed to accomplish. 

I’ve always been excited to see Robert Pattinson as Batman. He’s established himself as a great actor in recent years with fantastic performances in The Devil All the Time, Tenet, and The Lighthouse, making a name for himself in both the indie and blockbuster stage. Yet with every Batman interpretation, the main question is always, is he a good Batman? Honestly, that’s rather simple, he’s not only good as Batman but is arguably up there alongside Christian Bale as one of the best interpretations of the character to date. This dark, brooding take on Batman is unlike anything we’ve seen, focusing on an established, yet still learning Batman in his second year of crime-fighting. However, there’s one key difference between Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and Reeves’ interpretation of the character. Nolan was all about Bruce Wayne who happens to dress up as Batman when needed, Reeves instead shows us Batman who happens to dress up as Bruce Wayne. Both takes are equally masterful in their own right, but this time around it truly stands out as something unique, rather special, showcasing a character so distant to the world while also trying to save it. 

Alongside him, Zoe Kravitz stars as arguably my favourite Catwoman. Her chemistry alongside Pattinson is infectious with the scenes they share, whether that be flirting or fighting, working like an utter charm. Similarly, Jeffery Wright’s Commissioner Gordon is a force to be reckoned with, he fits into the role perfectly with his unconventional allyship with the Bat being a real highlight for me. If I had one downside though, it would be Andy Serkis’ Alfred Pennyworth. I loved him in the role, the moments he shares with Bruce are so tender and pure but sadly he doesn’t have a lot of screen time which honestly disappointed me as the chemistry he and Pattinson share really stands out. It would have been nice to see more of him and the Batcave in general but needless to say, 

Nevertheless, what makes this film what it is are the performances and story surrounding its villains. Colin Farrell is unrecognisable as Penguin, losing himself in the unrecognisable role, providing for some great laughs while ultimately leaving enough room to develop into a major crime boss in future additions and John Turturro is great as Carmine Falcone, the more traditional kind of crime boss within. Yet it is Paul Dano as The Riddler who truly pushes the film to new heights. He’s absolutely terrifying in the role, proving to be a far more serious and intimidating version than Jim Carrey’s Riddler from Batman Forever with the creepier, military-like look fitting the tone of the film well. His kills, the way they’re carried out, and ultimate end goal are bone-chilling, offering a true serial killer unlike anything we’ve seen from a film like this. 

It’s easy to see what inspired Reeves the most, feeling like an amalgamation of Se7en and Zodiac works excellently for the character of Batman, allowing for far more detective work to be done within, something I was extremely pleased to see, and a villain that’s far more terrifying than your everyday crook. Oscar-winning and frequent Pixar composer Michael Giacchino takes a more classical approach to his score than the dramatics of predecessors Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman, creating a score that bellows through the theatre in sublime fashion, proving to be an utter treat throughout. 

Ultimately, In a world where Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s caped crusader has been done countless times before, Matt Reeves and Peter Craig have found a way to put their stamp on the character. The Batman feels fresh and unique, gripping me throughout and showcasing exactly how dark and violent Batman can be. Dark and mysterious with terrifying villains and an equally torn-up ‘vigilante’. The Batman isn’t just one of the best Batman films, it’s also one of the best comic book films to date. Masterful in every way and a true masterpiece of the genre. 

The Adam Project: The BRWC Review

After Free Guy, Shawn Levy has me on a string, he can get me to watch anything. I’ve long been a fan of the films he’s made; I have fond memories of staying up past my bedtime watching Night of the Museum one and two during my childhood and The Internship is a criminally underrated comedy I absolutely adore, not to mention Free Guy, a surprisingly brilliant film from last year.

So, hearing he set out to make a time-traveling sci-fi film surrounding family with an all-star cast grabbed my attention straight away. Seriously, who wouldn’t love a cast that includes Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, and Zoe Saldana, 4 of the best actors/actresses working today. Reynolds is once again great, he does his usual stuff, but I still always enjoy it, and Ruffalo and Garner are perfect like normal.

However, Saldana really disappoints, don’t get me wrong she’s good but deserves more to do within, never truly being anything more than a plot device. However, in a cast stacked with A-listers, it’s young Walker Scobell that truly shines. The kids a star with his line delivery, jokes, and overall performance as a whole standing out among the rest. Seriously, this kid cracked me up constantly.

That’s easy for you to say, I’m the one who ends up in a therapists office telling them where the bad man touched me. 

Nevertheless, the heart-warming story surrounding a tale of a son from two timelines re-connecting with his father is both fun and deeply meaningful. The action sequences mixed with some great music were a joy to watch and the lightsaber fights, dear god the lightsaber fights were golden.

Sadly, the plot is a bit everywhere and the story can be muddling at times, but it really hooked me in, making me laugh throughout and care for the characters within. Sure, we’ve seen it before, it’s not exactly new, but I had a great time with The Adam Project and despite some flaws, it’s a fun summer blockbuster that would have been great to watch on the big screen.