Category: REVIEWS

After he and his wife are murdered, marine Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) is resurrected by a team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine – Bloodshot. As Ray first trains with fellow super-soldiers, he cannot recall anything from his former life. But when his memories flood back and he remembers the man that killed both him and his wife, he breaks out of the facility to get revenge, only to discover that there’s more to the conspiracy than he thought.

If you’ve seen the trailers for David S. F. Wilson’s directorial debut Bloodshot, you probably didn’t expect it to be more than a fun early Spring blockbuster with some fun or amusing action set pieces. When you boil it down, that’s really what all of Vin Diesel’s movies are like. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. I, for one, am perfectly fine with watching Diesel beat down a bunch of bad guys for close to two hours, and, if executed well, I’d be entertained by that.

Of course it’s always better whenever you get a meaty story on top of those exciting action sequences. It’s one of the many reasons why the Mission: Impossible franchise is beloved by so many people. You come for the over-the-top insanely immersive action sequences, and, on top of that, you get a story that you genuinely care about. The Bourne series of films does the same exact thing.

But Bloodshot is no Bourne or Mission: Impossible. Both of those franchises have something in common – a sense of style and excitement. Unfortunately, Bloodshot doesn’t have that. It’s mainly an extremely boring, convoluted mess that takes far too long to be entertaining and is chalked full with expository and cringe-worthy dialogue. You know it’s going to be a gigantic bore when in the first ten minutes of the movie, there are two incredibly goofy sexual references. Especially in an action movie like this.

This is a decently short movie, with a running time of only one hundred and nine minutes. It’s not too short and it’s not too long either, but it certainly felt longer than it actually was, and that’s all because of the screenplay by Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare, Fantasy Island) and Eric Heisserer (Arrival, Bird Box). Adapted from the comic series of the same name published by Variant Comics, this film genuinely had the potential to be a sleeper comic book hit amongst the crowd of widely known cinematic universes such as the MCU and the DCEU. Unfortunately, despite attempts already being confirmed to have Bloodshot serve as the first entry in a cinematic universe, I just cannot see it working.

Its world is never explored that much to the point where it seems like it could potentially grow in later installments. But that’s not the biggest issue with the film. It’s the story. It takes about thirty minutes for our lead protagonist Ray Garrison to get the amazing superhuman powers that we saw in the promotional material. This wouldn’t have been so bad, had the movie been a relentlessly entertaining thrill-ride, but that’s not what it is. The first thirty minutes are quite boring to watch. It’s a long, drawn-out setup for the second act, and it was incredibly obvious right when he appeared, that one of the main villains in this story was going to be hugely annoying and painful to watch.

However, with all of that being said, once the second act kicks into gear, the entertainment value here picks up quite a bit. Sadly, it never rises above mediocrity though. Nothing about this movie is going to make people drop their mouths to the ground the way other action movies in the past few years did such as Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s fun to watch, sure. But it never feels grounded in reality and you never feel like there is anything at stake, either.

Because our hero is so invincible and doesn’t get damaged by virtually anything, it makes the action sequences that play out feel like a breeze to watch. There’s no sense of vitality to these humongous overblown action sequences because in the back of your head you know that more than likely, Ray is not going to be seriously hurt by anything. It’s fun and disposable to watch in the moment, but the filmmakers really should have given us a villain that was equally as powerful as Ray in order to create suspense and tension whenever he gets into some trouble with some of the characters.

Speaking of Ray, Diesel does a decent enough job in the movie, although his character definitely feels like every other character Diesel has played in the past. After all these years, I’m still waiting for him to star in a dramatic movie and showcase his acting chops on full display, because I know that he has it in him. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t bad in this movie. Far from it. He can genuinely be remarkably intimidating whenever the film needs him to be and it was nice to see him actually put in a ton of effort for this role, but it feels too similar to his past work.

Ultimately, there isn’t much that this movie has to offer. Yes, there are tons of action sequences later on in the film and they were amusing and fun to watch, but there was just no sense of danger to anything that was going on. It’s a movie that I can see people watching and having a really fun time, but about two weeks after they watch it, will probably forgot that they ever saw it in the first place.

Although Bloodshot has some fun and entertaining action on display, its poorly paced story and incredibly weak villains make it an underwhelming dud.

Atticus Virtue (Chad Michael Murray) is the richest man in the world. A tech genius with billions of dollars in the bank. He has everything he could ever want and gives millions of people around the globe the experiences of using the technology he has created that changes lives.

So, when Virtue announces a competition to win his mansion with all the technology that it holds inside, Max Winslow (Sydnee Mikelle) gets really excited – especially when she is chosen as one of the competitors. Along with Max, four other students from her school are chosen; Benny (Jason Genao) a game addicted wise cracker, Sophia (Jade Chynoweth) a social media obsessed star, Aiden (Emery Kelly) the school bully and Connor (Tanner Buchanan) a top lacrosse player and also the boy that Max has a crush on.

When brought together, the teenagers are all excited about what’s to come, but when they meet the mansion’s artificial intelligence, H.A.V.E.N. (Marina Sirtis) then they soon realise that the games she has in mind for them may test more than they’d ever imagined.

Max Winslow and The House of Secrets is a teenage science fiction fantasy that owes more than a little to its influences and shows them off proudly. As the children are met with the challenges that the mansion’s A.I. their challenges start to take the forms of their worst fears and nightmares, which each of them having to overcome them in order to survive.

This turns the movie which into an instant homage to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory as each contestant learns a valuable lesson. However, H.A.V.E.N.’s disembodied voice is also reminiscent of Jigsaw from the Saw franchise and is made all the more sinister by Sirtis’ voiceover. Although thankfully nobody gets permanently mutilated – like they do in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

Max Winslow and The House of Secrets is an interesting movie aimed at a teenage market and does indeed play a little like a horror movie at times. However, the moral messages come through and should be clear to its audience, so it takes the edge off a little. Although perhaps not all the messages are as clear as others and it’s not entirely clear what all the lessons are or whether everyone has learnt their lesson.

Max Winslow and The House of Secrets is a movie full of heart, where at least one of the characters will resonate with its audience. The lessons learnt also don’t come across as too preachy, but rather as a reflection on modern day behaviour which many will recognise.

Children will enjoy the movie and who knows, perhaps it will encourage them in later years to watch the horror films it’s influenced by that they are currently too young to enjoy.

A comedy where our main character learns that imitation may not be the sincerest form of flattery when he is befriended by a younger neighbor on the town’s newspaper staff. The Kid, who is married but childless, knows no one in town, whereas The Narrator knows everyone in town. As times goes on, the Narrator begins to wonder about the Kid’s Wife and what kind of woman could marry a guy like this. Perhaps she just might be the woman for him.

One of the biggest, if not the biggest thing a comedy should do, is make you laugh, or at the very least chuckle. As a viewer, we are expected to find some form of amusement from the story that is being presented before us, and a lot of the time we laugh in a comedy is because of the situation that our protagonists get themselves into.

While Thomas F. Mazziotti’s new feature The Mimic isn’t the funniest film out there, it is nevertheless a smoothly written and often humorous movie that is told with immense skill, which is made all the more impressive when you stop and think that this is Mazziotti’s third feature.

A large portion as to why this movie works as well as it does is due to the narrator that we hear throughout. He is often very interesting and soothing to listen to and he does get a lot of funny and amusing things to say. The humor mostly works here although it never cuts above surface level stuff. There really isn’t any jokes in this movie that will make most people laugh out loud or anything like that.

Plus, as entertaining as it often is to listen to the narrator, it did, at times, feel like a simple way for the filmmakers to use expository dialogue without many people complaining. Without the narrator involved, this movie quite simply wouldn’t exist. The story needs him in it, yet he often speaks a ton of information towards the audience, and it would have been nice if we had been presented with a bit more visual storytelling.

But something that is to be appreciated here is the performances all across the board. Whether it’s Thomas Sadoski as the voice of The Narrator, Jake Robinson as The Kid, or Gina Gershon as Paula, they are all giving top notch performances and it often feels as if you are watching A-list professionals at the top of their game. There truthfully isn’t a weak link among the entire cast, which was such a delight.

Because these actors are doing such terrific jobs in their roles, the movie as a whole feels remarkably natural. As goofy and over-the-top as it can get sometimes, a large portion of the movie is incredibly grounded and real. It’s also a gratefully inviting experience thanks to the excellent camerawork by Tim Gillis and the uplifting and spectacular editing from Benjamin Cox and Kala Mandrake.

At the end of the day, this is a film that does have some great things to offer, even if it isn’t the most hilarious and rewatchable film out there. If you are looking for a movie that contains some great performances with some stellar technical aspects, this is more than likely going to win you over. It’s funny, yes, but it’s not the greatest strength on display here. The greatest strength is the sense of style it has accompanied with the wonderful acting.

The Mimic isn’t as amusing and funny as it could have been, but it makes up for the lack of laughs with terrific performances and stellar technical elements.

Elvis – That’s The Way It Is: The BRWC Review. By Heidi Sharpley.

On Sunday afternoons, with bellies full from the traditional family roast, we’d settle in around the TV and lose ourselves in those magical Elvis movies where there’d be lots of wooing and swooning and groovy cool kids dancing on the beach.  In the end he’d kiss the girl and we’d all live happily ever after.

This is not that movie.  It’s 1970 and Elvis is sporting his fabulous wrap around gold glasses, all paisley synthetic shirts and lamb chop side burns.  He is in rehearsal for his Las Vegas shows.  The man has energy to spare and oozes charisma and a whole lot of sweat, while dripping in gold and diamonds.

We get to see him clowning around and having fun with the band but we also see a very considered Elvis working on the arrangements with his musicians and backing vocalists, Sweet Temptations.  This is a tight unit, all dedicated to giving Elvis what he asks.

There is something for everyone with Elvis originals like “Little Sister”, “I can’t help falling in love with you” and covers of songs by the Beatle’s, Righteous Brothers, the Bee Gees, even some yodelling and country & western. 

Opening night is a spot the celebrity as a who’s who of stage and screen come to hear the King. You can feel the expectation mounting.  He has donned the white jumpsuits by this stage of his career but hasn’t yet acquired the extra pounds.  Hysterical fans still go crazy for him and there is plenty of kissing (covid 19 not a concern in 1970).  Sammy Davis Jnr sums up the show, “You started to rev up and never stopped”. 

In hindsight, you know you are watching the tide about to turn.  I’m no Elvis aficionado but this footage hasn’t done the rounds and potentially will introduce a new generation to what the Elvis phenomenon was all about – if they can be bothered to watch it.

If you want to see a highly talented singer, musician and masterful showman bring together a polished production and send his crowd in to a frenzy, “Elvis – That’s The Way It Is”  brings it.   Elvis is dead but long live the King.

Two teenage elf brothers, Ian (voice of Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (voice of Chris Pratt), go on a journey to discover if there is still a little magic left out there in order to spend one last day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him.

When a new Disney/Pixar film is coming out, I would like to believe that most people know what they are getting in for. Ever since the first Toy Story was released all the way back in 1995, the animation giant has been well known for crafting emotionally heavy films aimed towards children and adults alike. Their movies are known for making everybody cry with just about every release, and therefore, most people are going to go see Dan Scanlon’s Onward with the same expectation.

Watching the movie with the hopes that it will be as upsetting as the other pictures in Pixar’s filmography will more than likely result in some disappointment for viewers, as Onward is nowhere near as emotional as the other films that came before it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an emotionally resonant and rewarding experience.

The biggest reason as to why this was not as emotional as you probably expected it to be all ties in with the fact that the Lightfoot brothers’ father throughout the film is seen as just a pair of legs. We don’t really feel that strong of a connection between the brothers and the father because we constantly follow the siblings and the father’s legs and it is difficult to get choked up while watching a pair of legs with no torso.

Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some moments where I got some tears in my eyes, especially in the incredibly moving third act that I never saw coming. It’s mostly unpredictable, highly satisfying and a ton of fun to watch. Viewers that have lost a loved one such as a father in their life are going to be extremely moved by the story and the direction it goes.

Speaking of the story, it is one that was almost interesting and never boring to follow. With a running time of one hundred and three minutes, there definitely could have been a few moments of downtime where really not a whole lot is going on, but gratefully, that was not the case here. The screenwriting by Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin was fluid, constantly moving and consistently entertaining.

Earlier, I mentioned that audiences have come to expect a Disney/Pixar movie to be emotionally devastating. Another thing that they come to expect out of these films is great animation, and gratefully, Onward is yet another great showcase of the beautiful animation that the brilliant animators at Pixar are so terrific at.

However, as stunning as everything looked, it was certainly a little bit odd to look at during some scenes. The lead protagonists Ian and Barley, as well as several other characters throughout the film, are extremely cartoony. They’re elves and they are in a world that is populated with tons of creatures and demons. The problem is the environment that they reside in is remarkably realistic with a ton of the imagery here being photorealistic. Sometimes, the cartoony characters against a realistic backdrop was a bit jarring.

But in the grand scheme of things, this was a great time at the movie theatre. It’s incredibly rare for Pixar to make a complete dud of a film (except for maybe Cars 2), and this was absolutely not an exception to that rule. Take your kids and the whole family to see Onward and they are more than likely going to have a blast.

Onward may not be the most emotionally riveting Pixar film to date, but it’s still a highly entertaining and beautifully animated blast.