film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: George Clark

  • Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Another Review

    Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Another Review

    Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the moment fans have been waiting for since the 2017 release is finally here…and it’s outstanding. Count me surprised!

    Over the next few weeks, the internet will tell you this is either the best thing to ever be released, or it’ll tell you that this is the worst thing to ever be released. I shall tell you neither, but it is the best movie the DCEU has had, and my god is it better than I ever expected! Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a miracle of a movie when you take into account how we got here, the reason why he left in 2017 and was replaced by Joss is heart-breaking and quite frankly, from what I’ve heard, disappointing from a studio many look up to. I never campaigned for its release and I side with no one, but that’s what makes his cut all the more pleasing and surprising in just how great the final product is.

    Zack Snyder’s time in the DC Universe has starkly reflected the strengths and blemishes surrounding his trademark style. Many hate his work for being too gritty and dark with the action putting off many, which in all fairness is reasonable, yet it’s a style I’ve become fonder of over the last week. Unlike the 2017 Justice League, the Snyder’s cut allows for a great sense of flow and coherency that was sorely missing. The huge length allows introductions for new characters like The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg while still tying up narrative loose ends from previous DC films that muddled many fans. Compared to Justice League, Zack Snyder’s Justice League develops every aspect I had previously complained about. Steppenwolf is heavily improved, allowing for a villain that’s actually daunting rather than being a stale end of a joke, and the characters that inhabit the film are finally done justice with Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman improving heavily, Ezra Miller’s Flash and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman working better, and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg finally being done justice.

    However, Zack Snyder’s Justice League still operated under a rather faulty foundation. Many will complain about the runtime and Leto’s return, whilst not bad at all, offers very little to think about given he’s given nothing to do. Similarly, in this case, the return to the ‘Nightmare World’ is handled in a way that sets up a sequel (that honestly, I hope we get now), and while this works in its own way, many fans will find it jolting if they don’t know anything about the comics. Of course, the film still holds a myriad of other problems. There are still some scenes that feel stale and the humour from The Flash doesn’t always land properly but my enjoyment from this film and general awe at what Snyder was able to accomplish can’t be understated. I absolutely loved this and given how unexpectedly good this is, I am truly and wholeheartedly pleased for him.

    If you would have told me a week ago that I would be this hyped for a film and overall love it this much, I would have told you that you were lying. Sure, it was one of my most anticipated of the year, it even made my top 10 list, but that was purely because I was happy Snyder was finally getting it released and was intrigued to see how it turned out. I didn’t actually think it would be good. But over the past week, rewatching Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, my anticipation level had gone through the roof, and after watching the hell that is Justice League 2017, I had hope that this would be at least a little better. Thankfully, it is so much better. While you can clearly see scenes from the original Justice League (luckily not the awful ones!), I began to understand more and more why it didn’t work as time went on. Whole narratives were cut, characters underdeveloped and pieces that just didn’t fit together, thrown in to make what turned out to be a messy film. That’s exactly what Zack Snyder’s Justice League does right. During its 242 minutes narrative it showcases why this film needed to be so long, it shows just how much the 2017 version was missing and it’s these two added hours that truly turns what could have been a rather mediocre film into one that’s truly revolutionary. 

    –Flash“What are your superpowers again?”
    –Batman“I’m rich.”

    Don’t get me wrong, there is no way the 2017 one would have been this good even if Snyder had stayed. The two-hour studio mandated runtime would never have worked but, nevertheless, I don’t think anyone expected this cut to be this good. It’s a four-hour epic with dazzling visuals, a grand score, more consistent character development and a tone that fits rather well. Junkie XL’s score is great, incorporating some old themes and adding some new ones to make a powerful sound. Just listening to it was enough to hook me, its raw, its powerful and it’s completely extraordinary, eliciting emotions in me I would have never expected. It’s one of the best comic book movie scores ever released and it’s easily the DCEU’s best film to date, with an epic scope that truly made the runtime fly by. Snyder’s vision transforms the film into a bold, stunning blockbuster with heart with Ray Fisher shining alongside Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa. Ray Porter makes for a formidable Darkside in the scenes he’s in (hopefully setting up something bigger and better!) and the scenes with Harry Lennix’s character, which I won’t spoil for you, proves to be a great cameo addition to the film. It’s not often I’m stunned by a DCEU film. The Detective Comics Extended Universe hasn’t been one I’ve often been kind to, but this, this is epic on a grand scale. 242 minutes of pure brilliance from a man that truly deserved it. No matter the fanbase that surrounds the film, this film is for Zack Snyder and he deserves all the praise he can get.

    Justice has been done, the League has formed, and the Cut has been released. Zack Snyder should be proud. Rest in Peace Autumn.

  • A Black Rift Begins To Yawn: Review

    A Black Rift Begins To Yawn: Review

    A Black Rift Begins to Yawn opens on one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiringly transfixing shots of the year, a beautifully lit skeleton that then proceeds to linger on for a further two minutes.

    However, not even thirty seconds after, this Lovecraftian horror starts to fall apart, transitioning to a pointless shot thrown in purely to extend the runtime slightly, offering far too many shots that linger for far too long. 

    Director Matthew Wade’s story follows two women, Laura (Sara Lynch) and Lara (Saratops McDonald), as they work on a mysterious project that distorts their memories of time, place, and identity when they discover cassette tapes at the home of their recently deceased professor that appears to have recorded a signal from an alien satellite. It’s obvious to see where Wade got the idea for his work, with it taking a great deal of inspiration from science fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Out of Time, which is where the title of the film “A Black Rift Begins to Yawn” comes from. 

    I’ll get straight to the point with this one, A Black Rift Begins to Yawn is a film fans of Lovecraftian aesthetics will enjoy, but for wider audiences, it’ll prove to be nothing but a shell of a movie that’s thin on plot, but high on violet tinged visuals that add very little to the film. It must be stated that the films look is beautiful, from the aforementioned first shot to the last the stylized look never slips, but beauty can only do so much for a film, and sadly, that’s where the lack of a strong story and developed characters will confine this to a niche audience.

    There’s a severe sense of disappointment when viewing a film with such an interesting premise that ultimately turns out to be nothing more than a shell of what could have been. Perhaps I speak unknowingly, the Lovecraftian, cosmic world of fantasy and horror is one I know little about and thus, by all means, this could very well, be one that fans adore.

    Yet, from an outsider’s perspective, A Black Rift Begins to Yawn is a bore that’s unconventional approach to cinema left me checking my watch, yawning throughout. Whilst the film attempts to impress its audience by showcasing some impressive deeply layered imagery, the plot at hand gives the film a rather pretentious feeling, affecting greater merit than it actually possesses, leaving Wade feeling more like a competent cinematographer then a good director.  

    Nevertheless, the film’s dream-like sound and imagery will undeniably leave audiences transfixed to the screen, which is ultimately intended, but the lack of a decent storyline will leave many viewers disappointed by its end result.

    Fans of cosmic horror should find something worthwhile here, just as long as they can focus more on the cosmic part and forget about the horror, but wider audience members like myself will gain nothing out of the end project. Matthew Wade’s efforts are commendable, but if you’re not a preexisting fan of the genre, A Black Rift Begins to Yawn won’t change your mind. 

  • Cherry: Another Review

    Cherry: Another Review

    Cherry: Another Review – Joe and Anthony Russo’s follow-up to the highest-grossing film of all time, Avengers: Endgame, is a dark, somber, depressing experience that will leave you on edge with its realistic portrayal of addiction throughout. Starring Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, Jack Reynor, Jeff Wahlberg, and Michael Rispoli, the premise centers around an Army medic with PTSD, who becomes addicted to opioids and starts robbing banks to pay for the addiction.

    Similar to Malcolm & Marie, Cherry will undoubtedly go down as one of the most divisive films this year given its style and sensitive subject matter. The first hour, focusing mainly on Holland’s “Love” and “Soldier” storylines, shows you the horrors of war and how every day may be your last. The depiction of how one can change after a tragic incident from a warm friendly individual to one that’s cold and unremorseful is one that will hit audiences more than previously expected with its stance on PTSD and depression leaving a cold, lasting impact on the viewers. Yet, it’s the plot in the second half that will hit close to home for a lot of people. The way opioids affect his life, creating a lasting impact on those around him is what will truly change one’s perspectives on how they see the film.

    The Russo’s know how to cater to a young adult audience with their 6-chapter storyline working incredibly well for the story at hand. However, for me, as someone who hasn’t struggled with addiction or been to war, Cherry proved to be an insight into the world of opioids, the dangers they bring, and why one who’s addicted to them can destroy their life. This, mixed with the extensive narration, starting the film at a very late point in the story and then spending 120 minutes going “how did we get here?”, a trope many use in an attempt to show the audience what’s happened ahead of time, worked well, showing his thief stage before rewinding back and showing the watching audience how he got into this situation made me all the more impacted by his experience.

    It’s clear to see what the Russo’s were going for here. They wanted to bring awareness to the lifestyle of many young men and women who serve their country and end up worse off. From an outside perspective, this inevitably impacted me more as time progressed and for many audience members whose lives have been fortunate enough to not be in this situation, it will educate them on a subject matter many would have normally glazed over. Nevertheless, it’s the engaging and ambitious effort from Tom Holland’s tour de force performance that truly enhances the film. He does a great job at stretching his comfort zones while immersing himself in the role in such a way that not once do you ever see him as Peter Parker.

    There’s no doubt that the success of the film comes down to his performances as it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role being able to reach the depth he goes into for this. Alongside Holland, his co-star Ciara Bravo manages to give a fantastic, devastating performance with her character adding emotional weight to the story by showing how PTSD and addiction can not only destroy the life of the sufferer, but also the lives of those closest to them. She adds to the film considerably, with her character’s development and downwards spiral proving pivotal to the story as a whole.

    However, Cherry isn’t the fantastic film many, including myself, were hoping it would be. It’s over-stylized to the point you’re left scratching your head at the choices made and sadly with a 140+ minute runtime it feels prolonged far past its need as the film would have easily benefited from ending at the exact moment you think it is, rather than going into an “epilogue” that sadly takes much of the emotional impact away in its final moments. Nevertheless, a bigger problem arises for those situated in America who may be less enlightened by the film, due to it occurring in their own back yard and adding no new information to the situation. It’s a film that, despite its dark nature, plays it all far too safe and thus those who already know about the crisis will undoubtedly be longing for a more personalized experience once it concludes.

    This is where the film will undoubtedly be a hit or miss depending on your knowledge of the situation. Many of us in the United Kingdom, especially our young adults, hold very little knowledge of the American Midwest opioid crisis, and thus our outlook on the storyline will be different from those in the United States. As someone who knew nothing about the situation, It gave me enough information to keep me hooked throughout yet plays it safe by not fully personalizing the story and instead opting for a broader outlook on things.

    There’s no doubt Joe and Anthony Russo are coming from a good, sincere place with the storyline with the message about the American Opioid pandemic proving insightful for international audiences, but it’s also one that could have been much stronger if they had spent a little more time developing the message and personalizing the story more to our characters rather than trying to give a broader look on the situation.

    Yet, thanks to Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo, who carry the whole film on their backs for the entire runtime, the film packs an emotional punch that will stay with you long after the credits roll. It may not be anything new to American audiences, but for me and many international ones, it offered a unique look into this depressing world and stayed with me long after the credits began.

  • I Care A Lot: The BRWC Review

    I Care A Lot: The BRWC Review

    I Care A Lot: The BRWC Review. By George Clark.

    What a rollercoaster of a film I Care a Lot turned out to be! J Blakeson’s dark comedic thriller, starring Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, and Dianne Wiest, follows Marla Grayson, a court-appointed legal guardian who defrauds her older clients and traps them under her care. But her latest mark comes with some unexpected baggage when one of her clients has ties to the Russian Mafia. 

    Rosamund Pike is once again at her best whilst donning vibrant outfits, an enchanting façade, and thriving in this deliciously devilish role that’s her best performance since Fincher’s Gone Girl. The film manages to give her a fascinating character that she sinks her teeth into, creating a tough, calculated legal guardian who exploits the law for her own financial ambition. It’s not that anyone else in the movie isn’t good, Peter Dinklage’s mobster is pure brilliance and Eiza González is the perfect partner for Pike, but no one ever quite matches the unrivaled brilliance of her when given a clear runway to strut her skills as an actress.

    Seeing her in peak form nimbly navigating the tonal minefield of this late-stage capitalism critique is an absolute delight and as the escalating cat-and-mouse game between Pike’s schemer and Peter Dinklage’s Russian mobster spirals, it becomes increasingly intriguing to watch as the tit for tat scenarios play out right till the very, seemingly fitting end. 

    Whether you find this entertaining, repugnant, or just plain boring will depend on your ability to stomach the despicable reality of it. Writer-director J Blakeson’s stylish, sardonic thriller directly hits the nail on the head with its downright heartless approach about horrible people doing horrible things to each other.

    It’s the first film in quite some time that I’ve been entertained whilst rooting for characters to mutually destroy one another for their actions. You know what you’re watching is wrong but J Blakeson put’s such a devilish twist on it that you’re encapsulated by the story from the very beginning while feeling bad for the elderly people that are being swindled out of their livelihoods.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXrnUzP5Su0

    It’s a major, much-needed win for both Pike and Blakeson, coming off the back of ‘Radioactive’ last year and Blakeson’s last misfire 2016’s ‘The 5th Wave’. The more delectably wicked and dyspeptically sour it becomes, the more transfixed audiences will become when it finally hits streaming on the 19th. Check out ‘I Care a Lot’ on the 19th of February on Amazon Prime in the UK and Netflix in the US!

  • La Llorona: The BRWC Review

    La Llorona: The BRWC Review

    La Llorona: The BRWC Review. By George Clark.

    Shudder’s 2020 Spanish language horror, La Llorona, directed by Jayro Bustamante and starring Sabrina De La Hoz, María Mercedes Coroy and Julio Diaz, is a quiet, trembling film that sadly doesn’t utilise its potential to full effect. Set In Guatemala, the story depicts Alma, a young woman who is murdered with her children during a military attack thirty years prior. In the present day, the general who ordered the genocide is found not guilty, and thus Alma comes back to the world of the living to torment him for his sins. 

    In Jayro Bustamante’s third feature film, he reimagines the old Latin American legend of La Llorona with a social/political spin showing just how the indigenous people in Guatemala were victimised by those of higher power. Many reviews surrounding La llorona should entail that this Spanish language film has nothing to do with Michael Chaves’ “The Curse of La Llorona” that debuted the previous year and is part of the wider Conjuring universe.

    Instead, the film itself, also known as “The Weeping Woman, takes a completely different approach, avoiding the usual tropes of many horror films, instead opting for a smart film that’s filled with the sense of realism, with the real horror lying not in the supernatural but in the savage acts of men with power beyond control. 

    This reimagining of the famous folkloric figure is a reminder that in the right hands, horror can prove successful. Turning into something that’s as skin crawling as it is impactful, holding an indescribable ideological potency that won’t only prove meaningful to many viewers, but will make the outer world think about the horrors that occurred. However, it’s sad to say that, despite the politics being meaningful and thought provoking throughout, La Llorona fails to create a horror film that scares you.

    There’s a high sense that the film is building to something, an ultimate payoff if you may, but it never does. The film builds and builds, but the pay-off feels underwhelming. Perhaps even disappointing to what had come before. That sense of skin crawling, eerie atmosphere is never developed beyond ground level and whilst Bustamante direction, the way it’s shot and acted was consistently plausible, I found myself frequently restless, wishing the story would pick up some sort of speed and scare me more with its source material. 

    The horrors of the Guatemalan civil war are brought to life through the incarnation of the ‘weeping woman’ brilliantly, but the story never utilises itself to full effect and thus, while being a painful reflection of the injustice caused, it’s a story that would be better suited to a slow-burn political drama that merges the real-life horrors of the Guatemalan genocide, rather than an eerie horror film that never truly worked.

    It’s certainly not a film for everyone, but if you can look past the weak jump scares and the lack of horror many general audiences perceive as scary, you’ll be sucked into this elegantly crafted folktale to the point it will linger with you for hours to come.