Game Night

This review may contain spoilers!

It's a quirky film at it's best moments but the sheer absurdity of the plot doesn't make for a very good comedy film. I would give Game Night a 3.5/10.

This film has some incredibly quirky characters who are pretty unique and comical in their own respective ways, they have these personalities that fairly convincing yet escalate to absurdity so naturally which is nothing short of entertaining to watch. This film isn't shy about being absurd and escalating an already crazy situation into something utterly manic, the antics throughout don't always make for a great plot but are most certainly fun. The score for the film is really light and has a nice intense pace that keeps the action tone of the film at play throughout; the comedic use of the soundtrack really makes some scenes stand out.

Jason Bateman, who played Max, has a great wry wit throughout the feature; Bateman's exasperated mundane persona fits so well in this escalated, ludicrous plot. Rachel McAdams, who played Annie, is a comedic powerhouse and really steals the show throughout the film; McAdams' competitive streak and natural chemistry with Bateman make her such a fun performance to watch. Lamorne Morris and Kylie Bunbury, who played Kevin and Michelle respectively, have such natural chemistry whether it's as an onscreen couple or when they're bickering together; there's a lot of bouncing off of one another and the comedic dialogue comes hard and fast from these two. Jeffrey Wright, who played Murder Mystery Actor, is such a brilliant cameo used well in this film; Wright does a great job at playing an actor who hams up the genuine murder mystery element of the film quite a bit.

However, the best performance came from Jesse Plemons, who played Gary. This is a very monotone, quite intentionally unnerving role who will have you in stitches every scene he's in. Plemons has such intensity in his delivery, making what can feel like normal mundane conversation creepy and imposing. The way this character is fixated on his former ex-wife and desire to be a part of his friends' games night again is so extreme and when the big reveal for this role comes it's beyond a shadow of a doubt the best scene of the film.

This film really pushes things over the top particularly quickly, it's hard to believe just how outlandish and absurdly the plot escalates. The development of events don't often follow along very smoothly and the events of the film don't link together well. Frankly the fact this whole feature becomes some big action/crime story is ridiculous and the film never really justifies that aspect of itself well which lets down most of the storytelling. Beyond that, the characters don't actually connect very well together, beyond a couple of roles a majority of the cast of characters never have their relationships with the others explained. The cinematography in the film shows off some nice establishing shots but for the most part, lacks creativity, the arrangement of shots is very simple to the demands of each scene. The editing follows suit and often the pacing of the film is very slow despite the story escalating quite quickly.

Kyle Chandler, who played Brooks, is such a sleazy dislikeable role that it's hard to ever understand him or find him redeemable; Chandler also isn't very convincing as Bateman's brother and the pair feel quite detached from one another. Sharon Horgan, who played Sarah, is a role that is in this film for a lot longer than makes sense; the entire film she's questioned as to why she's stuck around for this long and it's a question I'm still asking as an audience member come to the end of the film. Billy Magnussen, who played Ryan, plays a goofy and quite debasing role; he's hard to like and his chemistry with Horgan is one of the most unfulfilling subplots of the entire feature. Michael C. Hall, who played The Bulgarian, is a disappointing reveal as the final antagonist of the feature; Hall's not very intimidating and he's quite a stereotypical 'mob boss' type role. Danny Huston, who played Donald Anderton, seems to be typecast as scary aggressive guys who hold power over others; Huston's role is only really in the feature to fulfil a long-running gag introduced earlier in the story. Chelsea Peretti, who played Glenda, is a minor role who is purely there to deliver some needed exposition; Peretti's seriously underused for someone who usually steals the show in a comedic setting.

Black Panther

This review may contain spoilers!

This is beyond a doubt the worst film Marvel has created thus far, which is a real shame considering what it could have been. I would give Black Panther a 4/10.

Black Panther is best when it is the main hero, T'Challa trying to prove himself as a leader and hero; there's a real sense of adventure to this aspect of the narrative which makes his journey interesting to watch. There's a reasonable degree of development in T'Challa's journey and it's nice to see a new unique hero lead his feature well. The cinematography is excellent, a number of shots are incredibly creative and make the dialogue sequences as exhilarating visual as some of the action sequences.

Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther, is so naturally this role; he has a quiet confidence to him that is complemented by his mixture of charisma and aggression in moments of conflict. Michael B. Jordan, who played Erik Killmonger, is an example of an actor who performs above and beyond the script; Jordan is a boisterous and commanding antagonist who steadily shows himself to be out for blood. Danai Gurira, who played Okoye, is an incredibly intense warrior role; the way Gurira portrays her character's struggle between duty and her own conscience is a great aspect of this role. Martin Freeman, who played Everett K. Ross, is very by the book and plays quite a respectable law enforcement agent; Freeman lends a lighter edge to his role than he managed in Civil War and is an intriguing empathetic observer throughout. Winston Duke, who played M'Baku, is a very staunch warrior who is both stern and likeable; Duke shows a more comedic side to his character making him a fast favourite. Andy Serkis, who played Ulysses Klaue, is the best antagonist of the film; Serkis' is a natural figure of unpredictable chaos throughout his screen time.

However, the best performance came from Letitia Wright, who played Shuri. This is such an energetic, happy character who is nothing short of brilliant both in terms of intellect and personality. Wright's bright demeanour and carefree attitude make her an immediate fan-favourite. Shuri is such a capable character who puzzles out solutions and designs to vast problems in a matter of moments. Wright's natural charisma results in some great chemistry with Boseman and the brother/sister dynamic is one of the best relationships in the entire film.

This is a very exposition heavy film if your eyes don't glaze over from the mountains of information being handed over to you in near every scene then you're doing pretty well. It's nice to be in a new setting within the Marvel universe but half the film feels like a small novel about the culture, politics and history of Wakanda. There's a real disillusionment in how the characters related to Wakanda are written here, the American director is being heard very clearly but this means that often you don't feel like the story stems from the characters but rather the voice of the director. After the plot has spent so much time teaching you about the admittedly dull setting, there is then a confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist that ends with a particular result. The problem with this is that as a result of the conflict the antagonist wins rather rightfully and there isn't much reason to support the protagonist. In fact, if the antagonist wasn't such a cut and dry angry, spiteful role who wants to kill and conquer for little reason at all he would actually be as easy to like as T'Challa. The film doesn't spend time letting you get to know many of the characters, you're barely introduced to most of them and as a result, when these characters come into danger you don't care what happens to them much at all. The special effects for the film seem great sometimes but it's very clear the budget was stretched thin; the CGI rhinos and greenscreen dream sequences look hideous. The score for the film is creative at least, but the blend of hip-hop and African-inspired music really doesn't mix well and no scenes are really complemented by anything beyond Killmonger's theme.

Lupita Nyong'o, who played Nakia, is a rather unassuming love interest for the film; Nyong'o really just seems to be in the film so that Boseman has some degree of a relationship. Daniel Kaluuya, who played W'Kabi, seems to have connections to some characters but is never given the time to show a meaningful relationship between anyone else; his development into a minor antagonist is the least surprising development within this predictable feature. Sterling K. Brown, Atandwa Kani, Denzel Whitaker, who played N'Jobu, Young T'Chaka and Young Zuri respectively, feel so out of place mixing it as Wakandan spies who are posing as American gangsters for little apparent reason; Kani's Black Panther is a stoic two-dimensional copy of what we already know. Angela Bassett, who played Ramonda, is quite a stiff to watch regal role; Bassett's role is boring and you feel that she's playing her character far more distant than she needs to be. Forest Whitaker, who played Zuri, hasn't learnt a great deal since Rogue One; his wild ranting character is ridiculous and you don't much care when he's killed off. John Kani, who played T'Chaka, doesn't do a great deal more than dish out exposition in this film; Kani is dull with his line delivery and you don't much care about the moments of reunion between him and Boseman.

Fifty Shades Freed

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All of the Fifty Shades films have been garbage and this is easily the worst of all. I would give Fifty Shades Freed a 1/10.

The soundtrack for the film is the real strength of the entire feature, scenes are constantly being swelled with romantic ballads or lustful pop songs which sets the semblance of a mood.

Hiro Kanagawa, who played Detective Clark, is a very convincing grim 'by the book' detective; Kanagawa's stern demeanour in the face of maintaining the imprisonment of a criminal is some of the best acting in the film.

However, the best performance came from Bruce Altman, who played Jerry Roach. Altman is an interesting pick for best performance because he has one scene but it really is the only pick that could possibly be made. This is a performance where the actor actually feels genuine, he has a sincerity and warmness to him that actually makes for quite a likeable character. There's no reason for this role to make an impact but he does because he puts the effort into making a kindly character who is supportive and a pleasant pause amongst this mess of a film.

The plot of the film has no sense of direction whatsoever, it is sluggish for most of the feature placing little to no emphasis on the conflict that would hold any excitement at all. This seems like the origin story of a psychopathic serial killer and his Stockholm Syndrome victim; there isn't much of an actual feeling of romance between the two leading character. This is a film where the two main characters get aggressive, manipulative and spiteful towards one another and you're left puzzled how these two have warranted three films over all these years. If you've come looking for more sex scenes than the past couple of films then you get your money's worth but it feels like the film was only made for this without any care put towards narrative or character. The cinematography doesn't look great, it's a lot of slow close-ups to build very superficial allure. The editing also doesn't do a lot, keeping a slow pace and not moving scenes along very well.

Dakota Johnson, who played Anastasia Steele, plays a role that is just so warped in terms of 'character development'; Johnson goes between a bubbly, giggly lust-driven role and an erratic, reluctant role which makes her feel very inconsistent to watch. Jamie Dornan, who played Christian Grey, is a cold almost violent seeming character; you feel like his creepy possessive demeanour is more hostile than romantic. Eric Johnson, who played Jack Hyde, is such a weak antagonist to watch; his wild outbursts and depiction of his motives aren't particularly coherent. Eloise Mumford, who played Kate Kavanagh, really plays her character up quite a bit; Mumford has a subplot in this film that is about as boring to watch as her character. Rita Ora, who played Mia Grey, is quite content to be in the background for the duration of the film; Ora is a bit of a stereotypical damsel in distress figure in the scenes that count most for her character. Luke Grimes, who played Elliot Grey, is quite a stiff obnoxious role; there's a whole subplot around his character being deceptive that becomes quite pithy as it plays out. Victor Rasuk, who played Jose, falls into the background pretty swiftly in this film; Rasuk's character has lost a lot of his importance over the course of these films. Max Martini, Brant Daughtery and Kirsten Alter, who played Taylor, Sawyer and Prescott respectively, were quite generic security guards throughout the film; these were more people carrying guns to resolve issues rather than characters within the film. Marcia Gay Harden, who played Grace Grey, is such a cold figure throughout these films; the stiff relationship between herself and Dornan is hardly the resemblance of a mother/son dynamic. Arielle Kebbel, who played Gia Matteo, is treated like eye candy rather than a role in this film; it's a really degrading role and a bit of a low point for the feature. Robinne Lee, who played Ros Bailey, is shunted very strongly to the background within this feature; she's only really present here to dish out exposition. Amy Price-Francis, who played Liz, is quite a poorly written minor antagonist; the 'big twist' that her character was aiding Johnson's wasn't all that much of a surprise and could be predicted from very early on.

Molly's Game

This review may contain spoilers!

It's not a particularly eventful film but it is an incredible display of acting from the cast. I would give Molly's Game a 6/10.

This is a film of incredible intrigue; it does a great job of developing a dangerous world of closed doors gambling and criminal defence. It's a real downward spiral for many of the characters of the film, set in a world where everything is energetic and exciting yet the people are living in tragedy. This is an incredible character film lead by a cunning and brilliant woman who built an intricate business, yet the strength lies in that each character of the film shines and has an impact each in their own way.

 Jessica Chastain, who played Molly Bloom, is an incredible leading performer who guides the narrative exceptionally; Chastain is very composed and has a natural intelligence and force in how she portrays Molly. Kevin Costner, who played Larry Bloom, is a very tough and abrasive patriarchal figure; yet I loved that Costner knew how to make his role so exceptionally vulnerable and human. Jeremy Strong, who played Dean Keith, is a very unlikeable role and has some great moments of conflict with Chastain; Strong really develops his role to implode at a moments notice, making him unpredictable to watch. Chris O'Dowd, Brian d'Arcy James and Jon Bass, who played Douglas Downey, Brad and Shelly Habib respectively, are all really interesting and entertaining comedic roles scattered throughout the feature; they have a wild range of moments that show the debauchery and wanton greed that grip many of the players in the film. Bill Camp, who played Harlan Eustice, is a very likeable yet tragic figure within this film; the desperation Camp portrays as his role slowly loses everything to gambling is staggering.

However, the best performance came from Idris Elba, who played Charlie Jaffey. Elba brings forth a bold man of principle, very stalwart and stern. The strength of this character is that he has such a reasonable and steady moral compass, this is a truly good character who follows his values constantly throughout. Elba and Chastain have such immediate chemistry and bounce off one another brilliantly; this is a pair who come off as a great match and the wit displayed here is astounding. Elba's role is a fighter and the most memorable scene of the entire feature is his speech to the prosecutors in defence of Chastain's character's innocence.

This is certainly an interesting film to watch but it's long and you never really get why. The feature jumps between the legal defence of Molly Bloom and the events leading up to her arrest and nothing much happens, a lot of the scenes are quite similar and you certainly don't get very surprised by the structure of the plot and how events unfold. The cinematography is quite stock standard, the shots never aspire to make the film look impressive. The editing of the film has a very disruptive style; the cuts between flashbacks and flashforwards are jarring at times, with the addition of stock footage being more confusing than anything else. The score used throughout doesn't lend much to the tone and wasn't significant, the soundtrack felt barely present in addition.

Michael Cera, who played Player X, is unusually out of place in a serious role and struggles as an antagonist; Cera plays his role quite soft-toned and struggles to come across as intimidating or powerful. Michael Kostroff, who played Louis Butterman, is a weird whimsical film that seems a strange gag for what is essentially an important scene and character exchange; Kostroff plays a role that feels like it should be important but isn't used nor portrayed well at all.