Category: REVIEWS

Revival: A modern day retelling of Christ’s revival

A predominantly black cast with a musical offers a fresh take on the temptations on triumphs of Jesus. A constant beat and thump of live music keeps the story moving between more serious scenes, punctuated by musical numbers and dance scenes. We’re not in Nazareth anymore. 

There is a fun mix of stage and screen, with the story often going in between film scenes, being shot on stage and meta scenes within the dressing room. Clearly much thought has been put in to the story, and using such an old traditional story as a blank canvas for experimentation is always a treat. 

There is a definite cringe involved with the singing. The original compositions are good, however the lack of production value mixed with the saccharine sincerity makes me think this would be better in a live setting rather than a movie. The theatrics are impressive, however and you can tell everyone is having fun.

Overall, this movie dives deep into Jesus’ final days on this Earth, with the whole production coming together under this united goal. At times the sincerity and drama is a little too much – but it is in Jesus’s name, after all. Merry Christmas everyone. 

Six individuals from all around the globe, each the very best at what they do, have been chosen not only for their skill, but for a unique desire to delete their pasts to change the future.

Think of all of the things that Michael Bay places in his movies. There are plenty of so-called “Bayisms” to be found in pretty much every single one of his movies to date. Firstly, there is perhaps the most well known Bayism, known as “Bayhem”, which is usually just his excuse to put as much carnage and computer-generated explosions on screen all at once. This can be seen in practically every one of his Transformers films.

Now, there are also the three hundred sixty degree pans he loves to use, tons and tons of slow motion sequences, and of course, product placement. The most notable instance of this is probably in 2014’s abysmally bad Transformers: Age of Extinction, where Mark Wahlberg’s character Cade Yeager, while in the middle of a crazy battle with the Autobots and Deceptions, stops to drink a Bud Light.

All of these hilarious Bayisms are present in his latest feature 6 Underground, which has a more quiet release, as, instead of releasing in theatres worldwide, it can now be viewed on Netflix from the comfort of your own home. It’s a good thing they decided to release it on there, because I get the feeling that a lot of audiences would have had a hard time sitting through this overly long, headache inducing mess.

However, there is one point I desperately want to get across here – I think that Michael Bay is absolutely incredible at visual effects and action. Him and his team work tirelessly on creating some genuinely beautiful scenes, and, whether you like his movies or not, you have to give the guy credit where credit is due.

This film does definitely have Bayhem, and for the most part, it can be a ton of fun to watch, as there are plenty of scenes here that are incredibly wild and really don’t make a ton of sense, but boy are they fun to watch. If you have ever wanted to watch Ryan Reynolds run around causing chaos outside of the Deadpool franchise, than you are in luck here.

The biggest issue with 6 Underground is its story, however. It is simply dull and extremely boring. It never attempts to go anywhere, and they never try to make the plot juicy enough for us to care. Every time you think things may get exciting in terms of a story, it falls back on the tried and true action sequences in hopes that you will forget about a competent story.

If I am going to be honest, the biggest praise I can give this movie is that it is a wholly fun experience and there is usually always something exciting to look at visually. Whether its ridiculous, over-the-top action set pieces or its goofy display of its Bayisms. Also, I have to admit, the cinematography here is pretty good too, shot by Bojan Bazelli, although the film does come complete with a lot of lens flares, which can get really old really quickly. Just like the rest of the film.

6 Underground certainly has fun, over-the-top action that Michael Bay fans are used to, but its story is ridiculously bland and incompetent.

There will never be anything quite like Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, or at the very least, there will never be anything quite like it’s build-up. Upon seeing the first official trailer I was stunned by the finality, I felt like a journey which spanned my entire life and beyond was indeed coming to an end and no matter what it was happening in this film.

I was endeared to it ever since, continuously excited from the day I saw the trailer all the way up to when I sat down to watch. The dramatic nostalgia-filled months before had me almost certain that no matter what I saw, I would at least like it, and now, finally, I can share my thoughts.

The Rise of Skywalker is an utter mess, that while boasting some spectacular moments, has the worst narrative structure of all 9 films. 

The Rise of Skywalker joins us once again with Rey (Daisy Ridley) and her crew of resistance friends. But with Supreme leader Snoke cut in half towards the end of the last film a new chief bad guy is required, so we welcome once again, the man who is technically the only Star Wars villain now, Emperor Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Deranged and damaged from his famous fall he now spreads across the galaxy a message of vengeance, something that captures the ears of the only two people capable of stopping him, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey herself.

Tied together by an unknown bond, the two begin hunting Palpatine playing cat and mouse across the stars with each other along the way. All the while the resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) sits on its last legs championing only Rey as their final hope. 

I want to begin with saying that my labelling the experience an “utter mess” doesn’t even mean I hate the film. When The Rise of Skywalker gets things right it’s awe-inspiring and powerful just like the best of the franchise. However, when it gets things wrong, which is more often than not, it becomes a confusing, unnecessary, fan service filled, hoax of a film, formed solely in the dysfunctional Disney system that hampered its production.

The decision to change director’s mid trilogy only to change back is maligned by many, and rightly so, you can’t expect two different directors to have the same artistic vision for something so massive. J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson are terrific filmmakers but asking them to see the Galaxy Far Far Away in one identical way is impossible.

Still, it would seem their ability to work together is non-existent as there can only be one major take away from watching Episode IX. Once it’s finished, almost nothing about The Last Jedi matters, and to watch the trilogy and comprehend it, one would only really need to watch The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, with The Last Jedi being demoted to that of a tie in film. 

This frustrating realisation comes upon noticing the three very distinctly different films that exist within Episode IX. The first is a film designed to ensure everything built up as significant in Episode VIII is affirmed as unimportant for this film, with some examples of this being heinously blatant. The second film in this trilogy unto itself is that of what Abrams replaces TLJ with, the travelling, the object hunting, the tiny pieces of mid-movie character development, a lot of which feels unnecessary, as if only dreamt up to keep certain characters busy.

The final film is everything that feels final about The Rise of Skywalker, this is by far the best movie of the three, and the other two films almost totally destroy it. And what is the bane of each part? Fanservice. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll bite to fanservice and enjoy it just as much as anyone, but when done so poorly, and so obviously simply because it could be done, what is there to love? So many reveals and moments in The Rise of Skywalker feel as if J.J. himself is appearing on screen and winking at the audience, it’s tacky and uninventive.

In attempting to fit an entire trilogies worth of narrative into one film, Abrams only managed to make a something unrecognisable when compared to much of the other 8 instalments. He runs almost the entire first half of this entry at a blistering pace, which is his simplistic answer to TLJ leaving almost no overarching structure to work with, and when watching it’s almost impossible not to scrutinize.

The sensory overload that is the first half of The Rise of Skywalker is purely a sequence of very convenient plot points designed not to get us from point A to point B but to get us from point A to point Z. So much happens I could hardly keep track of what was important, which upon reinspection wasn’t that much. Indeed, once the film is done apologising for TLJ, the narrative begins to waste time until its able to start wrapping things up.

Finally, here’s where the good begins. Rey and Kylo are everything great about this film. The chemistry between them remains as unique as ever and just as intense as Johnson developed it. Their relationship and connection are the only clear-cut things that matter about TLJ, and I’m very thankful for that. Watching them battle has never been better than in this film, and the hallmark scene of them combating one another is a wonderfully choreographed visual spectacle.

The trilogy is about these two characters, and the rest merely happen to be there, and that’s fine. I only wish they had committed to doing this from the beginning rather than it just turning out this way. Regardless Episode IX is their show, and when they are allowed to be the centre of attention, they shine far brighter than anyone else (except maybe the needlessly bright lightning strikes peppered throughout). 

In looking to atone for the supposed “Sins” of Episode VIII The Rise of Skywalker has only managed to forget to make itself feel important, and as a result, ends the Skywalker Saga with a film of wondrous moments that becomes hollow when viewed as part of something larger.

The Two Popes tells the story of how the current leader of the Catholic Church rose to his position after the near unheard-of resignation from the former Pope Benedict XVI. In every essence, the film is a battle within theology, a passing of the torch and a development of the most wholesome of friendships. Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) and John Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) represent two competing sides inside The Church, Bergolio the side of progressive reformation and Ratzinger the conservative, traditional side. Inside Rome and eventually the Vatican itself the men discuss their pasts and the most profound matters of faith before history takes its course and Bergoglio succeeds the papacy and becomes Francis. 

Anthony McCarten’s script is deeply beautiful and patient. From the very first discussion the two men have together they are depicted as wise leaders of faith, and it instantly becomes clear that this isn’t a critique. Instead, The Two Popes is an analysis of the men that changed the path of the Church and ushered it into the modern world.

They combat each other initially, Ratzinger critiquing the actions of Bergoglio as a Cardinal, and Bergoglio, attempting to be less forward, justifies his actions at every turn. Its some of the most engrossing dialogue of the year. The best part about this brilliance is that the film knows it doesn’t need to take the narrative any further; it can exist solely in this state. So that’s exactly what happens, and we see the two men converse again and again revealing more and more about themselves and the way they were in a time of significant change. 

The performances from Pryce and Hopkins are sublime. The many close-ups capture their genius to great effect and display them merely as their characters, not as actors. The Two Popes biggest charm is its ability to display the human spirit, and the strength that comes from it and Pryce and Hopkins are the very heart of how the film approaches generating this, and they find something quite profound along the way. Yes, this is a film about Francis more than Benedict XVI, but in every scene towards the end in which Benedict is farewelled, you could almost argue he was the point all along. The depiction may not be a wholly true one, of course, his actual resignation was shrouded in controversy.

Still, those moments point to a worldwide unity in farewelling the leader of the world’s most immense faith, a unity long forgotten in the grander scheme of things. This is all thanks to performances. The quiet, introspective stance of Hopkins balances perfectly alongside the slightly more expressive Pryce to form chemistry of both friendship and sheer drive to make the Church the best it can be. 

Fernando Meirelles hadn’t directed a feature film since near the beginning of the decade, and to say that this effort far betters his last is an understatement. Just like McCarten with the script he knows there isn’t much he has to do this time. He soaks in the beauty of every stunning discussion backdrop, he captures his stars in those aforementioned gorgeous close-ups, and he lets the natural emotional essence of the story flow unassisted or hindered.

His ability to take such a critical moment of faith, a moment mainly settled via deep thought, and turn it into something entertaining and heart-warming is startling and likely unmatched, though few have tried. Overall, Easily his finest work in years. 

The Two Popes is a film that washes over you, almost like a cleanse, and then ushers you out the other side enlightened and with a great deal of respect for the two men who bare their flaws and find only forgiveness on their path to changing the world.