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  • 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!

  • Silk Road: Review

    Silk Road: Review

    Synopsis: Young, idealistic, and driven to succeed, Ross Ulbricht (Nick Robinson) creates Silk Road, the internet’s first unregulated marketplace. When the site becomes a multimillion-dollar pipeline for illicit drugs, Ulbricht draws the attention of Rick Bowden (Jason Clarke), a dangerously unpredictable DEA agent who uses any means necessary to take him down. Loosely based on a true story.

    A tale of trafficking and conspiracy set amidst the internet’s evolving landscape, Silk Road possesses the foundation of a zeitgeist deep-dive into tech’s elusive moral quandaries. Writer/director Tiller Russell may have a pertinent nucleus on his hands, but his semi-engaging effort mostly snags on familiar rise-and-fall devices.

    Similar to its bluntly-formed title, Silk Road settles for a relatively brainless yarn despite its thematic potential. There’s a myriad of ruminations Russell’s story could touch on, whether that be the ethical concerns within our regulated internet or the innate danger of Ross’ free-market website. Russell decides to blend these conceits into one relatively shallow concoction, dancing through ideals with on-the-nose news segments and sanctimonious speeches (the inclusion of narration spells out Ross’ motivations with a lack of tactfulness).

    It’s disheartening to see a singular and complex story reduced to middling cat-and-mouse fare. The mirrored narratives are connected through the characters’ obsessive pursuit of their goals, yet Russell completely forgets about establishing motivations in the process. Rick serves as a generic hard-nosed cop, while Ross bores as an empty dreamer unbeknownst to his action’s grander ramifications. Both figures are more reminiscent of thinly-established stereotypes than actually evolving people.

    The inherent shallowness isn’t helped much by Russell’s tame visceral voice, lacking the kind of tense vibrancy to compensate for the material’s weaknesses. He does a competent-enough job pushing the pace forward while evenly balancing his dual storylines. That mere competency doesn’t overshadow the fairly dull visual techniques. Outside of a few techno-score drops and some bizarrely implemented editing choices (the constant freeze-frame transitions add little of note), there’s little to differentiate this effort from your typical cyber-thriller.

    Silk Road would be a sinking ship without its anchoring cast. Jason Clarke continues his run as one of the industry’s more unappreciated character actors, sinking his teeth into Rick’s gruff persona with conviction and a few slyly humorous beats (Rick’s slow acclimation to the internet leads to some colorful moments of frustration). Nick Robinson also bolsters Ross’ thin arch with twitchy energy and a few understated emotional beats.

    Silk Road is the movie equivalent of a Wikipedia entry. Its fast-paced narrative will feed you some basic information, but the lack of substantive shading will leave most viewers wanting more.

    Silk Road is on digital platforms 22 March from Vertigo Releasing

  • Cruella Edition: Bits & Pieces

    Cruella Edition: Bits & Pieces

    Cruella Edition: Bits & Pieces – Recently expelled student Lee (Oscar Kennedy) raises doubts about Mr Bates’ (Alex MacQueen) optimistic plans for a post-apocalyptic shopping run in this exclusive clip from Rebellion’s upcoming teen survival thriller, School’s Out Forever.

    Brace yourself for an exhilarating ride when SAS: Red Notice explodes into cinemas and onto Sky Cinema on 12 March. Based on the best-selling novel by former SAS operator Andy McNab, this Sky Original film is the electrifying action thriller you need, this Spring.

    Zu (Kate Hudson) is a free spirit estranged from her family who suddenly finds herself the sole guardian of her half-sister, Music (Maddie Ziegler), a teenager on the autism spectrum whose whole world order has been beautifully crafted by her late grandmother.

    With just a few clicks, Movie Matcher filters what you both want to watch before using a clever algorithm to suggest a movie you’ll both enjoy.

    AFTER LOVE, the powerful debut feature by writer and director Aleem Khan is released in UK & Irish cinemas 7th May. The extraordinarily moving drama features a compelling lead performance by BAFTA nominated actor Joanna Scanlan (Getting On, No Offence, The Thick of It, Pin Cushion), alongside French actor Nathalie Richard (Never Let Me Go, Hidden, Jeune et Jolie) and newcomer Talid Ariss in his first major English language role. 

    This year, keyboard warriors need to be careful who they offend online, as THE COLUMNIST is unleashed in cinemas and on digital platforms, courtesy of Vertigo Releasing, on 12th March in the UK and Ireland.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vAWTgdYdPs

    MUBI, the global distributor and curated film streaming service, is pleased to announce that Michel Franco’s dystopian thriller NEW ORDER will be released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 25 June 2021.

  • Sing Flies To Number 1!

    Sing Flies To Number 1!

    Animated musical Sing has flown to Number 1 on the Official Film Chart for the first time.

    The film was originally released in 2016 with an all-star voice cast including Matthew McConaghey, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Saunders, John C. Reilly and many more, and has never reached the Official Film Chart Top 10 until this week. The most downloaded movie of the week, it finishes just a few hundred sales ahead of its closest competition, Roald Dahl’s The Witches at Number 2.

    Last week’s Number 1 The Greatest Showman drops to Number 3, while Spider-Man: Far From Home climbs four places to Number 4 amid growing anticipation about its as-yet-untitled sequel.

    The Minions packed, Despicable Me 3 leaps six places into the Top 10 at Number 5 and Tenet rises three to Number 6, while Jumanji: The Next Level (7), Trolls World Tour (8) and Le Mans ’66 (9) also make big gains on this week’s chart. Godzilla: King of the Monsters rounds off the countdown at Number 10.

    Notable brand new entries further down the Top 20 come from psychological horror Possessor at Number 11, and animal caper Cats & Dogs: Paws Unite at 16.

    This week’s Official Film Chart online show features a sneak peek at British horror The Owners. Starring Maisie Williams, the film is available to Download & Keep from February 22.

    *Content warning: Clip from ‘The Owners’ features brief moments of violence and graphic content from 2:40 onwards.*

    Now, as well as OfficialCharts.com, the Official Film Chart can also be found on FindAnyFilm.com – the ultimate site for Film and TV fans to discover all the legal ways to buy the entertainment they want on disc and digital formats.

    The Official Film Chart Top 10 – 17th February 2021

    LWPosTitleLabel
    NEW1SINGUNIVERSAL PICTURES
    52ROALD DAHL’S THE WITCHESWARNER HOME VIDEO
    13THE GREATEST SHOWMAN20TH CENTURY FOX HE
    84SPIDER-MAN – FAR FROM HOMESONY PICTURES HE
    115DESPICABLE ME 3UNIVERSAL PICTURES
    96TENETWARNER HOME VIDEO
    127JUMANJI – THE NEXT LEVELSONY PICTURES HE
    108TROLLS WORLD TOURDREAMWORKS ANIMATION
    139LE MANS ’6620TH CENTURY FOX HE
    410GODZILLA – KING OF THE MONSTERSWARNER HOME VIDEO

    © Official Charts Company 2021

  • Death Trip: Review

    Death Trip: Review

    Four friends, Kelly (Kelly Kay Hurcomb), Tatyana (Tatyana Olal), Melina (Melina Trimarchi) and Garret (Garret Johnson) all take a trip together to a cottage in the middle of a snowy winter. They’re all very close, particularly Kelly and Garret who have unresolved issues from their past relationship and are looking forward to a few parties and getting drunk.

    There’s also a woman that lives in the cottage next to them who seems to live freely, so they enjoy spying on her and speculating on what her life is like. Then one night Garret witnesses an intruder in their neighbour’s house and the gang start to realise that they may not be alone.

    Death Trip is a horror film directed by James Watts and co-written by Kelly Kay Hurcomb. Starting out, the audience is introduced to the main cast and they all seem to get on like a house on fire, like they’ve known each other for years.

    The script doesn’t give much time to introduce the main characters however, expecting the audience to go along with it and watch as the events develop. After a while it seems that nothing in particular may happen, but the tension slowly builds until Garret’s discovery. Although after a few jump scares and horror tropes, things continue as before.

    Despite some connections between the main cast, there really isn’t much to go on in terms of plot and this may grate on some of the audience. As the foursome go from their party to another, the dialogue and interactions do feel realistic, but it ends up feeling like being invited to a party where you don’t know anybody.

    Then the audience comes to the finale of the movie and the big twist, thus far there really haven’t been anything too horrific in terms of horror, so those expecting a slasher gore fest or a slow burn thriller may be disappointed. The problem is that for those who want what they were expecting only really get it during the last act of the movie.

    Sadly, this is done with little nuance, and what was supposed to be a shocking twist comes across as an out of character moment just brought up to heighten the blood factor. In fact, the last twenty minutes feel like they’re from another movie entirely and may even put off those audience members who had settled down into the party.