If you think you can guess how this story will unfold just from its description, then you are in for a series of surprises. From the premise, you might think you know exactly how The Pool will play out, but there are shocks at every turn and unpredictable moves that will leave you wondering who, if any, will survive this film.
Day (Theeradej Wongpuapan), an art director for a production company, is left to clear up a 6 meter swimming pool after shooting is finished. Exhausted from working hard to support himself and his girlfriend, Day takes a nap on an inflatable lilo, looking for just a few minutes of peace. However, he wakes to find that the pool has been drained and the water level is too low for him to climb out. Eventually, Day and his girlfriend Koi (Ratnamon Ratchiratham) are trapped with only their dog, Lucky, and a hungry crocodile for company.
Directed by Ping Lumpraploeng, the film seems, at first, to be your typical horror movie. All the usual ingredients for a story of triumph are there: the pregnant girlfriend, the impossible odds, the happy ending on the horizon. But by the middle of the film, you really are left wondering if and how Day will make it out of this in one piece.
The story throws a lot of original ideas into the mix. At first glances, the plot is simple and the staging just as stark, but the filmmakers create an engaging plot from very little. Day needing his insulin shot is an added twist, and Koi turning out to be real and not just a figment of Day’s imagination, and then being injured, really tugged at the gut.
The actors are what takes this film from good to great. Wongpuapan switches from steely determination to desperate heartbreak so well. Each new development is a chance for him to explore every corner of human emotion and he hits every note perfectly. Ratchiratham is the emotional heart of the film but also shines in the action sequences. Koi is such a likeable character. Rather than becoming a prop and another burden for Day, she remains vital to the plot despite her serious head injury.
This film has everything: humour, romance, a huge crocodile. Though a little cheesy in some parts and almost unwatchably painful in others, you cannot claim that The Pool is predictable. This is the first thriller that has actually left me worrying if the characters will make it out alive, and though I had to watch some of it through my fingers, I found I still couldn’t look away.
Sprouting from earnest beginnings nearly a decade back, graphic novelist Scott Christian Sava dreamt up an adaptation of his family-friendly work Animal Crackers to the big-screen. This seemingly harmless low-budget project sparked an arduous journey myriad with legal battles and vicious corporate moves, leaving some wondering if the film would ever receive a domestic opening (Variety soundly highlighted its lengthy behind-the-scenes history). Now seeing the light of day on Netflix (the film received a theatrical release in China back in 2017), Animal Crackers’ fascinating history sadly overshadows the middling final product on display.
Animal Crackers follows Owen (John Krasinski) and Zoe (Emily Blunt), a couple who grew up admiring the breathtaking feats of Owen’s uncle Buffalo Bob and his audacious circus. Stuck in the daily doldrums of adult life, the two decide to take ownership of their former stomping grounds when Bob dies, discovering an antiquated box of animal crackers that transforms their consumers into wildlife creatures. The duo fight to revive the circus while fending off Bob’s vengeful brother Horatio (Ian McKellan).
Animal Crackers isn’t without some delighting qualities. The veteran cast infuses infectious comedic energy into their distinctive voice over roles, with comedic stalwarts like Gilbert Gottfried, Danny DeVito, and Patrick Warburton having a blast with their energetic side characters (Warburton deliciously chews the scenery with a smug attitude). Ian McKellan’s posh delivery makes the most out of Horatio’s sinister intentions, while Raven-Symone impressively disappears into the role of a mad scientist.
Sava and Harley Quinn screenwriter Dean Lorey humorously color familiar plot beats with off-kilter comedic beats. Whether it’s Owen eating dog bones for his mundane job or Gottfried’s character Zucchini, a henchman who narrates in the third person while painting himself as a criminal mastermind, there are ideas that will have audiences of all ages amused. It’s clear that even with limited assets, Sava and director Tony Bancroft put their hearts into this project, as its pleasant animated style and earnest makeshift spirit create a film that’s hard to fully condemn.
Good intentions aside, Animal Crackers suffers from the same noisy emptiness that has plagued several modern animated efforts (Trolls World Tourcomes to mind). The script throws a wide-array of gags at the screen, often missing more than it hits with bits that can’t help but feel dated. While I am thankfully the film isn’t chock-full of lame-duke pop culture references, it sadly substitutes that trapping with simplistic caricatures that sometimes drift into mean-spirited territory (several moments poking fun at a woman’s weight left a bad aftertaste).
Worst of all, the film leaves viewers with nothing to attach to. There’s a bare thematic throughline on the feud between creativity and commercialization in business that has no room to render, while the protagonists prove to be too blandly earnest for audiences to invest in. With there being more animated films than ever, it isn’t enough to simply skate along with by-the-book narrative contrivances that have been executed with more innovation and depth by superior counterparts.
Animal Crackers may win over some young viewers with its zany energy, yet it doesn’t do enough to eschew its standard-issue design.
Elle Evans (Joey King) just had the most romantic summer of her life with her reformed bad-boy boyfriend Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi). But now Noah is off to Harvard, and Elle heads back to high school for her senior year. She’ll have to juggle a long-distance relationship, getting into her dream college with her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney), and the complications brought on by a close friendship with a handsome, charismatic new classmate named Marco (Taylor Perez). When Noah grows close to a seemingly-perfect college girl (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), Elle will have to decide how much she trusts him and to whom her heart truly belongs.
Alita: Battle Angel, District 9, World War Z, and Zootopia– all of those are movies that people have been wanting to get sequels to for many years. Vince Marcello’s The Kissing Booth was definitely not one of them, yet, here we are in 2020 with a sequel to that film. A film that was so painfully bad, corny, and trope-filled that it was hard to sit through. Not only that, but it was a film that featured a toxic relationship and passed it off as okay. It seems as if a lot of people truly like the character of Noah, and I will never understand why. After being smacked on her behind at school, Noah tells our lead protagonist Elle that she was “asking for it” due to the way she dressed.
Yet at the end of that first film, spoiler alert, the two of them get together and I couldn’t help but feel completely put off by that. The way the screenplay handled its lead character Elle was extremely bad. There were so many things to complain about with that first film. The romance, the attempts at humor, the love drama. Thankfully, though, the running time wasn’t one of them. Even though the first film was only one-hundred and ten minutes, it felt much longer than that.
But The Kissing Booth 2‘s running time is one-hundred and thirty-one minutes and you can definitely feel it dragging along. In this film, we pick up right where we left off the first time around. Keeping in tradition with the previous installment, this movie also begins with our lead character Elle blandly narrating points of her life ever since the end of the first film. It’s frustrating because this opening is supposed to let us have a peek at what has happened in the life of our main character, but instead, it just comes across as a massive exposition dump scene and that’s exactly what it is. It feels like the screenwriters Vince Marcello and Jay Arnold had no idea how to visually tell this, so instead, they just threw a bunch of information at the audience in the first couple of minutes and hoped they liked it. I, for one, didn’t.
This sequel is so much similar to its predecessor that it’s not even funny. It plays out virtually the exact same which was equal parts confusing and annoying. There never comes a scene anywhere in the film where we get justification for this sequel even existing. They could have ended it all with the last one, but they decided to make another because they knew that a lot of teenagers were going to watch it and they would make money.
The formula for both movies feels the exact same and they each have no surprises up their sleeves. The story on display not only comes across as sappy and predictable, but tired and slow-paced. In the first thirty to forty minutes of the film, we just watch scenes of Elle playing Dance Dance Revolution at the arcade with her best friend Lee, Elle talking to Lee about how much she misses Noah, and scenes of her accidentally embarrassing herself at school. All of those things also happen in the first film too, by the way. I just don’t understand why the film needed to be as long as it is. It wouldn’t be a problem had the film used up every precious second of its running time and put it to good use. Using it to excellent flesh out its characters, give them reasons to care for their plight, and actually make the love triangle here entertaining enough to watch. But, instead, they spend nearly half of the film showing our characters just goofing around and making the love triangle extremely boring and cringe-inducing.
If I had to scrounge around my mind and come up with one thing about the film that genuinely didn’t bother me it would have to be Joey King. I want to make it crystal clear that I think she is a terrific actress. She has proven this in the past with the television series The Act, and her performance there garnered a ton of attention during awards season. It’s one of the reasons why I’m so surprised that she is still taking on roles like this.
To put it bluntly, this film just doesn’t deserve an actress of her caliber. It’s obvious to tell when watching the movie that she is an extremely talented actress. While trying my best to power through this cinematic bore, I couldn’t help but wish I was watching something else with her in it. Something a lot better.
Joey King and Joel Courtney actually have good chemistry with one another and they honestly feel like they are best friends in real life. I don’t know if they truly are, but if you told me that they were, I would believe you one-hundred percent. But at the end of the day, just because your two lead actors feel like they are having fun in a film doesn’t make the film as a whole good. All of these actors deserve to be working on better projects in the future, and one can only hope that’s what happens sometime soon. This movie fails on all accounts. It fails at being a sweet romance film, it fails at developing an interesting and memorable lead character, and it fails at doing the most important thing – telling a good story.
The Kissing Booth 2 is a tremendously predictable, cringe-inducing sequel with an incredibly slow pace, bland characters, and a central romance that feels tired.
The Most Popular TV Shows For UK Viewers To Watch Right Now – The UK has delivered top-quality drama series, comedies, and incredible documentaries over the years. ‘Best of’ lists only scratch the surface of television series, available on streaming platforms such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime. Series with fewer episodes gives time to creators to develop the story and ensure a premium ending. The common short runtime for episodes also makes the shows perfect for binge-watching and relaxation.
This year there have been plenty of tv shows available for UK viewers to watch and stream during lockdown. Becoming available for UK viewers to watch in March this year, american tv show The Mandalorian has proven to be a very popular series for many fans. There have also been some British shows that have been well-received earlier this year, including Quiz which actually broke the ITV record to become the biggest drama on tv this year. The popular three-parter took in a combined audience of 10 million viewers for the series.
So, which other great tv shows are available for UK viewers to watch right now? Here are some of the most popular ones to binge-watch next or add to your watch list!
Popular shows to watch on Netflix
Sex Education
Sex Education is a top-quality comedy-drama that centres around the teenage son of a professional sex therapist. The awkward teen soon realises that he can turn his home education on sexual behaviour into real currency at school. He partners with one of his classmates and starts a sex advice business at school to help students facing sexual problems. While it’s not completely clear to viewers where this show is meant to be set, as it does seem to be a mixture of an American/British highschool vibe, it’s actually filmed in England and Wales in the United Kingdom.
Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is a British crime drama set in 1919 after World War I. It’s centred around the soldiers returning home and gangs battling for dominance. The Peaky Blinders are a family-run gang holding power in Birmingham in the early 1900s. The gang is led by Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy), a soldier of war, who’s struggling to lead the gang and run his business. Throughout the series he tries to expand the family business, sort out family dramas, and cope with life post-war. Over the years some of the best roles according to IMDb for Cillain Murphy have not only been Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders, but also Dr. Jonathan Crane (aka Scarecrow) in Batman Begins, and Robert Fischer in Inception.
Derry Girls
Derry Girls is a British sitcom set in Northern Ireland focusing on the life of sixteen year old schoolgirl Erin Quinn and her family and friends. The show is set in Derry during the end of the Troubles in the early 1990s. The amusing series centres around a crew of teenagers including four girls and one boy, who’re attending a Catholic school. The show follows their journey through their personal lives and their school days during a national conflict.
Popular shows to watch on BBC iPlayer
Normal People
Normal People became a very popular show for UK viewers at the start of this year. It’s a modern love story series based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Sally Rooney. It’s a brilliant story about how one person can change another person’s entire life. Set in Ireland, the show follows Connell and Marianne during several years as they weave in and out of each other’s lives. Their romance lasts through college and tests their relationship as they begin to discover themselves.
Killing Eve
Killing Eve is a comedy-drama and spy thriller series, which follows Eve Polastri, a British intelligence investigator. One of the cases in her work involves an assassin named Villanelle. After a series of events and encounters, the two characters become drawn to each other, to discover more about their opposition. The show involves a range of action, crime, and also comedic scenes that any tv show lover will enjoy binge-watching.
Luther
Luther is a British drama focusing on the tormented yet highly intelligent investigator. DCI John Luther is great at his job but he’s also self-destructive and becomes emotionally impulsive during investigations. The unnerving and thrilling drama makes each story fresh and exciting. It’s dark and unexpected and offers enough suspense to hook viewers from one episode to the other.
Popular shows to watch on Amazon Prime Video
Quiz
Quiz is a British drama, released earlier this year, which tells the true story of former British army major, Charles Ingram and his appearance on the popular tv game show ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’. The real life Charles Ingram gained infamy in 2001 when he won the top prize money but was later accused of cheating on the show. This exciting three-parter show was enjoyed by many and is an entertaining show to add to your watchlist. So, what actually are the odds of someone becoming a millionaire? According to this quiz, if you’re over 62 your chances are 1 in 7!
Downton Abbey
Downton Abbey is a long-running drama series which aired in the United Kingdom from 2010 – 2015. The series follows the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, set in the early 1900s. The series covers many historical events of the time such as the sinking of the Titanic, the Irish War of Independence, and World War I. With some fabulous costumes, high-class drama, and love stories and heart-breaks, this show is a great classic to watch.
The Night Manager
The Night Manager is a modern interpretation of the best-selling spy novel written by John le Carre. The show follows Jonathan Pine, a hotel night manager, on his journey to capturing Richard Roper, an international arms dealer. He’s pulled into a dangerous world, and with an exciting cast, this exciting show isn’t one for viewers to miss! The show has a high-class cast with the likes of Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Debicki, and Olivia Colman.
Inspired by a true story, an investigative journalist named Victor Malarek (Josh Hartnett) unravels a twisted case of entrapment wherein a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, Daniel (Antoine-Olivier Pilon), is forced into a dangerous drug deal against his will and is sentenced to 100 years in a Thai prison. As Daniel endures torture and abuse, the journalist must track down the shady undercover cops benefiting off the conspiracy, while also fighting for Daniel’s freedom.
Daniel Roby’s Most Wanted is an appreciated effort that has quite a number of things to enjoy, but also has a lot of things to be frustrated by. It’s a crime thriller/drama that works best in its second act particularly, once some of the puzzle pieces seem to be aligning, but its first and third can be a little bit of a chore to sit through.
The first act plays out relatively familiar and doesn’t have any surprises up its sleeves, but that’s okay. It serves as a major set up act with the purpose of enticing viewers and reeling them into this story by getting to learn a bit more about the characters first. That’s one of the strongest elements of Most Wanted – it’s a movie where you really get a sense of who these characters are. A lot of them are ruthless in their pursuits and a lot of them are quiet and more reserved. The character development given to Antoine Oliver Pilon in particular was excellent and quite well-done.
Speaking of Pilon, he delivers a nuanced and powerful lead performance and disappears totally in the role. In real life, he is more than likely a happy-go-lucky man, but here, he looks tired and ready to snap at any moment. Also great in their role is Josh Hartnett as Victor. There truly isn’t a weak link amongst this highly talented cast.
Sadly though, a lot of the actors feel underused, despite their great acting skills on display. We get lots of screentime with Daniel and Victor in particular, but as a result, it can sometimes feel as though the other characters don’t get as much time to shine. But aside from the underuse of its characters, Most Wanted‘s biggest problem is its pacing. It’s not too long of a film, with a running time of one-hundred and thirty-five minutes, but here, you can definitely feel it.
There could have been a good twenty to twenty-five minutes of screentime completely removed and it would have felt more coherent and the narrative would have felt much smoother. The screenplay can feel a bit messy as you can tell that the story they are trying to tell is full of so many details, but sometimes, not all of these details are entertaining to watch.
At the end of the day, Most Wanted falls just a bit too short of its big ambitions. It has an excellent cast of actors that give it their all and has its moments of intrigue, but its running time is stretched too thin and its story mostly feels messy.
