Secret Headquarters

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Secret Headquarters is a family superhero film about Charlie, a young boy who discovers that beneath his distant Dad's house is a secret superhero headquarters. When Charlie and his friends start toying with the superhero gadgets it brings trouble down on them all. This film flourishes best any time it actually puts Charlie and his father together in a scene, getting them to actually hash out why they grew apart and the regret Charlie's Dad has for choosing to be a superhero over being a father. This felt like the only real character bond in the entire film and I wish we got to spend more time with it.

 

Owen Wilson, who plays Jack, is very endearing as the superhero father figure of the film; Wilson really plays to the regret he has not been there to see his son grow up which crafted the best bond of the film. Michael Peña, who played Argon, shows that he can play a real mean spirited antagonist when he wants to here; Peña has a quick-witted delivery and a knack for comedic timing that certainly marks him as one of the funniest figures of the cast too.

 

However, the best performance came from Jesse Williams, who played Irons. This is a character who is constantly on a deadset trajectory to his goal, he puts his life work above and beyond anything else. When first we meet him Williams' character is quite gruff, even ill-tempered in his pursuit of the alien craft. But when we reunite with his character after the time jump we come to terms with a role who is more haunted after the events of that night. The spectre of losing the Source is a memory that plagues Irons and motivates every action he takes. He is extremely straight-edged, with Williams providing what is probably the most serious performance of the film. But this creates a sort of comedy by circumstance, he is so out of the loop that by responding to the antics of the kids in a serious manner we get some of the better comedy in the film. Williams even ties a nice change of his ways with the role, seeing the character make amends with Wilson's role in a rather heartwarming manner.

Secret Headquarters is technically a superhero film, though you'll barely see a character resembling one until the last fifteen minutes of the feature. What this film really poses is the wild adventures of some teenagers having discovered superhero gadgets. So you get whacky montages of them learning how to fly with the jetpack, driving a highly advanced van or winning a baseball game with super strength gloves. But these moments are all there to feel like a gimmick, the film often does something it thinks is funny and then takes a pause and directly tells you "that was...hilarious!" The comedic ability isn't there, they were shy of needing a laugh track to really drill it home they wanted the audience to laugh in certain places. The protagonists for the feature are all kids but none of them are really defined to be well-fleshed out characters. Charlie is defined by his parents' divorce, Lizzie is the pretty popular girl who surprises everyone because (gasp!) she's actually smart, Berger can't come to grips with the fact Lizzie won't say yes to going to the dance with him and Maya grew up on military bases for a few years and has Charlie crushing on her the whole way through. These are very shallow character traits and the actors tend to play up these aspects rather than finding a way to develop their roles to something a little more three-dimensional. The film also does no work defining what the Source is, how Jack used it to make a suit and gadgets nor why it even picked Jack in the first place. Argon pursues this thing wanting it as a power source but also because his weapons manufacturing company were losing profits; his goals as an antagonist often came across as being unclear. A lot of the final confrontation in the film boiled down to clumsy pratfalls, poorly choreographed fights and excessive slow motion CGI shots.

The cinematography for this film felt very lazy, it often toyed with simple wides to cater to the effects and there was no strong sense of visual style to the feature. Worse than this was the fact that the visual effects weren't even very good. Things like the portal tech that displaced body parts, the way objects moved with the magnet pen, the force fields and even the supersuits themselves felt heavily animated and imposed into the scene. It was like watching effects that felt intentionally over the top, like Spy Kids or Shark Boy And Lave Girl, only minus the distinct style. Lorne Balfe has done far better scores than this, his music often feels barely present here. I also found the soundtrack to be a pretty corny selection of tracks, none of which ever really enhanced the tone or provided the film with a little comedy.

Walker Scobell, who played Charlie, really struggles as the protagonist for the feature; there are a number of scenes that come across as him just reciting lines with no power behind them at all. Keith L. Williams, who played Berger, is in this to really play up the comedic relief factor; but Williams really struggles to generate any laughs at all over the course of the film. Momona Tamada, who played Maya, is in this to be the tough kid who grew up on military bases but Tamada delivers this in a very cheesy way; I also disliked that her character's main story revolves around Scobell's role crushing on her. Charles Melton, who played Hawaii, is the comedic goon working for Peña and Williams; I found Melton's laidback and wisecracking delivery to really be at odds with the rest of the performers he was playing against. Abby James Witherspoon, who played Lizzie, is one of the most two-dimensional performers of the younger actors; her entire role revolving around being pretty and having a dating life felt like decades old writing. Kezii Curtis, who played Big Mac, has such a weird on-screen relationship with the rest of the cast whether he be playing a brother or date; Curtis is yet another comedic role tacked on and feels like one member too many. Jessie Mueller, who played Lily Kincaid, is a very dull Mum character; Mueller gives a very stereotypical performance of what you'd expect from a busy divorced Mum worried about her kid. Dayna Beilenson, who played Ms. Squint, is the generic mean teacher you get in every film like this; Beilsenson tries to switch it up by allying with the young Williams' role at the end of the film but even that feels a little predictable. Mick Daily and Ninja N. Devoe, who played Officer O'Reilly and Officer Grant respectively, are great example of how this film primes actors as little more than gags; these cops are goofballs who are purely there for some weak comedic delivery and the worst chase scene of 2022.

This is a film that really needed a better selection of young performers to achieve what it wants to achieve. I would give Secret Headquarters a 1/10.

Day Shift

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Day Shift is a vampire action-comedy in which Bud, a recently divorced father, hunts vampires for a living. When his ex-wife considers leaving California to Florida due to money troubles, Bud has to make some unusual allies and risky kills to raise the money she needs. This film plays fast and loose with expectations which is probably the biggest praise I have for it. While there are a lot of moments where this film takes itself more seriously than it needs to, it is those moments in which the film shrugs and takes itself and the genre not too seriously that shine. The dialogue in particular, whether improvised or not, is very quick-witted. Jamie Foxx's character asking a frozen yoghurt salesman if they do a discount for Black History Month was stupendously funny. I also have a lot of praise for the soundtrack, it often heightened those moments of absurdity and enhanced the action scenes with a bit of cool factor.

 

Dave Franco, who played Seth, is a great source of comedy as this office jockey drawn out into the field; Franco's depiction of a man perpetually terrified by the very line of work he is in is often funny. Meagan Good, who played Jocelyn Jablonski, has immense chemistry with Fox that also comes with the appropriate strain of their roles being divorced; I loved how combative Good could get over the course of a scene and some of her quickfire retorts were great. Steve Howey and Scott Adkins, who played Mike Nazarian and Diran Nazarian respectively, have such immense physical presence in what is one of the peak action scenes of the film; Howey and Adkins share a very brotherly chemistry that makes the way they play off one another so genuine. Peter Stormare, who played Troy, is one of the funniest personalities in the cast; Stormare's conniving backdoor dealing salesman is a real weasel and yet oddly likeable.

However, the best performance came from Jamie Foxx, who played Bud Jablonski. Like a lot of Foxx's more action-heavy protagonists Bud is a very tough figure, he comes across as highly capable and extremely unrelenting in the face of danger. Yet there is also a steady precision to him, he's cunning and often plans in a way that sees him get ahead. I loved seeing Foxx portray a kindly Dad in such an action heavy setting, he's a natural at portraying this genuinely caring and loving figure. His chemistry with Good is also worthy of praise, the pair find a great balnce of tension and fondness for one another. Ultimately I enjoyed Foxx the most because he is clearly the one having the most fun out of all of the cast. His line delivery is often hysterical and there is no doubt in my mind he ad-libbed a lot of great material in this.

Day Shift is unexpectedly fun at times but the issue with this film is that it takes itself far too seriously for long stretches of time. The film kicks off with a long drawn out fight sequence that establishes but also feels like the sort of C grade film action you'd expect from old 2000s straight to DVD releases. Fitting that straight to streaming seems to be the benchmark for these nowadays. As the film unravels it keeps hinting at vampire hierarchies, even highlighting a main vampire antagonist who is something of a property mogul meets vampire gang boss. Yet the film almost half-heartedly swerves away from this, choosing instead to give the main antagonist a very poorly constructed vendetta plot against Bud over the death of her vampire daughter. This might have had more meaning if said vampire daughter hadn't been treated as a contorting CGI fest that projected black bile vomit in it's near death throes. The film introduces a lot of big worldbuilding elements that it wants you to pay attention to; things like the Union and how their hunters operate seem to matter. But the explanation for these is hazy at best, sometimes they matter for the plot and other times they're there for comedic purposes solely. The film has a few side characters who could've been really great but are often reduced due to poor writing choices. Big John is purely there to be the Snoop Dogg role while the Heather role is very crudely inserted into the second and final act of the film. I was really disappointed with how the character of Seth was treated, turning him into a vampire made the character more of a gag than he already was and undid a lot of the work they had done to make him a character. It was almost frustrating to watch the film end with so many storylines abruptly tying up like we were watching little more than a Ride Along film; more than this the final line tipping a hat to The Lost Boys is wildly unearned.

The cinematography here is all about the set up, priming a thing for the visual effect or stunt that is to come. Very rarely did I watch a moment and feel stunned by the visual direction this film took. I was also really displeased by the visual effects, the contorting bodies of the vampires looked extremely bad and the scene in which Seth re-attachs his head is one of those moments that really need more time put into it.The score provided by Tyler Bates here is extremely forgettable, it pumps in rather generically during those action moments or tones up when it wants to leave you feeling horrified. But overall the soundtrack did far more work towards the overall tone of this film than the score did.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who played Heather, is woefully uderused in this film; the way this character turns from suspicious minor antagonist to protagonist is extremely jarring. Karla Souza, who played Audrey San Fernando, really hams it up big as the antagonist for the film; Souza doesn't know how to do anything other than dial it over the top for this film. Snoop Dogg, who played Big John Elliott, struggles with acting a role and it shows here; this man stumbles through dialogue and action scenes alike. Eric Lange, who played Ralph Seeger, gives a performance that feels far too serious for the type of film this is; Lange's intensive vindictive attitude towards Foxx's role is pushed way too strongly that it becomes the whole performance. Zion Broadnax, who played Paige Jablonski, is a very stereotypical young daughter role; I don't think Broadnax quite has the experience yet to give a character performance that really makes itself known.

One of the truly surprising things about 2022 is that there's now a worse vampire film than Morbius. I would give Day Shift a 3/10.

 

Nope

This review may contain spoilers!

Nope marks Jordan Peele's third horror feature project and follows two siblings as they do their best to capture the 'money shot' of a mysterious flying entity near their ranch. This is a film that really has such a sharp presence of what we watch and how we watch it. The film is quick to point out how we seek out spectacle in media now, be that film, TV or social media. In this film all of the characters are trying to capture the image of this UFO; some who want it to propel them to wealth while others seek to control it to heighten their own image. But there are a lot of warnings in this film about how we chase sensation like this, one is the UFO itself (affectionately named 'Jean Jacket') while the other is the story of Gordy. The UFO is initially seen as extraterrestrial, this awe-inspiring unknown that promises fame for all of our characters who pursue it. Yet once we discover what the UFO truly is, a flying entity that preys upon creatures in it's 'territory', we really understand a major theme of the film. The way we craft media and chase fame/spectacle now is a cycle that consumes us; the role of Jupe tried to control the UFO to propel himself to greater heights of fame and was ultimately one of the first human victims. Expanding upon Jupe, his backstory is a supremely important part of this message. Jupe was a child actor on a show called 'Gordy's Family', a 90s family sitcom about a suburban family who had a monkey as a member. The show used live monkeys and was one of the most popular TV shows of the time, but one of the monkeys attacked the cast during a shoot after prop balloons started popping onset. The carnage that follows, and the lack of control those who run the show have over the creature that has given them their ratings is a powerful moment. In a lot of ways the backstory with Jupe and Gordy is far scarier than the main plot with the UFO. I also have to say the way horror is used here is so different from past films, this time around the entity is huge and the fact I was so petrified of something so easy to see visually is a real testament to the work done here. This film crafts a tone filled with dread, and when the UFO attacks Jupe's show I don't think my body relaxed for nearly fifteen minutes.

Nope is an absolutely gorgeous film that makes full use of such wide open expanses to maximum effect; Peele also proves his mastery in this by crafting shots that highlight the inclusion of such mammoth visual effects in a very realistic manner. The visual effects themselves look incredible, the design for the UFO draws off the classic look but becomes something so unique and engaging to watch. I also knew when I saw Terry notary's name on-screen I was in for a good time, and the way Gordy is captured is something else entirely. Michael Abels work on the music for this really left me tense and on edge for minutes at a time; while the soundtrack itself is very cool but often mixed to be discordant in classic Peele style.

Keke Palmer, who played Emerald Haywood, is an immeasurable presence in this film; Palmer crafts a role who is star of her own show and full of energy no matter the scene. Brandon Perea, who played Angel Torres, is one of the more genuine sources of comedy in the film; I also loved the way Perea depicted his role steadily buying into the UFO so heavily with the Haywood siblings. Steven Yeun, who played Ricky 'Jupe' Park, is one of the standout performances in the film that I baying for more scenes; Yeun plays a figure who has always been shaped by showmanship and spectacle which makes for a dubiously unpredictable figure. Wrenn Schmidt, who played Amber Park, has a nice on-screen chemistry with Yeun; she really feels like a rock that keeps him determined and moving forward even if that pathway is dangerous. Keith David, who played Otis Haywood Sr., isn't in the film much but reminds us why he's a legend every time he's onscreen; David feels like a charismatic showman in flashbacks while also a bit of a wise guide to his young son. Jacob Kim, who played Young Ricky 'Jupe' Park, is a fascinating role that I can easily believe would have jumped off those old 90s sitcoms; yet there is that contrast where we see the sheer terror from Kim after Gordy goes on a violent rampage.

However, the best performance came from Daniel Kaluuya, who played OJ Haywood. Recently in an interview, Jordan Peele described Kaluuya as his 'De Niro'; and after Get Out and Nope it's very easy to see why. OJ is a very understated role, he keeps quiet and moves through this film studiously. But that exterior conceals a lot of strength, intellect and compassion that makes him one of my favourite protagonists penned by Peele. The way we see OJ initially struggle to fill the void left by his recently deceased father is a great introduction, the young man works within the entertainment industry but he has no confidence around being a showman. Kaluuya's role has a deep respect for the horses he trains, and more to the point he is a natural wrangler and trainer. Watching this role barrel around trying to protect people and animal alike from the UFO makes him very heroic, and the way he lays himself on the line for his sister by film's end is very moving. I found OJ very sharp, he pieced together the UFO mystery extremely well and holds a quiet charisma that slowly draws you in.

This film is a real masterclass in sci-fi horror and is really transfixing to watch right up until the end, yet the ending has its pitfalls. I really found the final confrontation between Emerald and the UFO to be somewhat anti-climactic. The creature is defeated in a way that doesn't feel very impressive and OJ riding on back, still being alive, is a moment that I feel takes the wind out of the sails a bit. OJ's sacrifice is quite a major moment and him being present right at the end takes quite a bit of tension out of that final act. But this isn't the only moment where things feel a little corny in this film. There's a whole director character called Antlers Holst, who allows himself to be consumed by the very thing he is trying to capture. It's a very on the nose moment thematically and it really doesn't escalate the film at all.

Michael Wincott, who played Antlers Holst, is one of those roles that just doesn't feel quite right the entire time; Holst has this gravelly irreverent presence that feels out of place with the rest of the cast and the overall story. Devon Graye, who played Ryder Muybridge, is quite over the top as the minor TMZ antagonist; this role just comes in quite abruptly and while I like the function of the role the character does nothing for me.

Nope is yet another Get Out-level success for Jordan Peele, you cannot be prepared for what this film is. I would give Nope an 8/10.

 

Prey

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Prey is the fifth feature in the Predator series (seventh if you count the AvP films) and serves as a prequel set a couple of centuries before Predator. In this film we follow Naru, a young Cherokee hunter who rebels against the notion she should join the other women of the tribe gathering. I loved watching naru as a protagonist, the whole way through she's just learning and showing an incredibly strategic mind in the face of a powerful, lethal force. Early in the film we see her display skills that make her an already capable tracker, she has a bond with her dog Sarii and is extremely capable with a throwing axe. She also displays an affinity with medicine, a survival skill that comes from her mother. Already early on we see Naru as this balanced warrior, taking what skills her father and mother have given her to be an adept hunter in the wild. A really great early example of this is when her brother, Taabe, shoots down a bird she was hunting before she can only for Naru to mock him for not waiting like she was; he may have gotten the kill first but now has to cross a river to claim his kill. Even later on she is the first to understand that something has changed within the natural world around her tribe, noting the first telltale signs the Predator has arrived nearby.

Naru's journey sees her strategy and cunning almost result in her killing a mountain lion, though her brother claims the glory for this kill. Forced out of the hunting party, Naru seeks out the Predator on her own - no idea as to the severity of what she is tracking. There's a few powerful shots here in which Naru moves past a flood of the women of her tribe, all of whom are heading out to tend to the crop while our protagonist starts her hunt. From this point the film really forges a journey of seeing Naru discover that which she is hunting; while also having Naru constantly the subject of a hunt. Naru is disregarded multiple times over by the Predator, her tribesmen, the French trappers and her own brother because none of them perceive her as a legitimate threat. The basis of the Predator is that the species hunts hunters, it seeks out the toughest thing it can find to kill. So seeing Naru surprise the Predator at every turn, eventually outsmarting it and killing it in a manner that made Schwarzenegger's effort pale by comparison. I loved this character journey, it was impressive to see Naru claim her rightful place as a hunter and ultimately, as the leader of her tribe after defeating the Predator.

 

The cinematography used throughout is really impressive, there are these vast landscapes that frame up beautifully. I love how tight shots captured every thought Naru had and even the action sequences got really creative with a variety of angles. The special effects were something I went back and forth on initially, but I will say the final style of the Predator looked really impressive in the back half. The large battle against the trappers in particular was a fine display of practical and visual effects. Sarah Schachner does the music for this film which really grounds you in the setting and the culture at the heart of the film, it sets a foreboding sound as we ramp towards the final hunt.

 

Dakota Beavers, who played Taabe, exudes a steady charisma that makes him a great on-screen leader for his tribe; he and Midthunder shared a competitive yet gentle bond that marked them as really convincing siblings. Michelle Thrush, who played Aruka, was a very nurturing and wise performance; she worries for her children on-screen while always doing her best to lift them up which I really liked.

 

However, the best performance came from Amber Midthunder, who played Naru. This young performer is one of the youngest protagonists we have ever had helming a Predator film and she is easily the best yet. Midthunder's portrayal of a young woman with a stubborn streak who is confident in her own ability to be proficient is a great watch. I loved the caring relationship she built up with her on-screen family; any time she was working alongside Beavers or Thrush was a treat. She manages the real subtle details of Naru's inquisitive mind, you can literally see her wander through and solve the puzzle of her environment in many scenes. I loved how Midthunder portrayed fear, because it was so realistic that when she turned it into courage it became inspiring. Her ability to rage and rebel was great, leading to a great scene shared with Kipp. Ultimately, I loved the expulsion of raw determination, anger and victory we get during and after her final fight with the Predator, it stayed with me for a long time after watching the film. 

The glaring issue I had with Prey was some of the early special effects, mainly centred in the first act and the start of the second. Our initial look at the Predator cloaked looked glaringly fake against the background and it's ship looked even worse. But I really struggled with CGI animals such as the lion, snake, wolf or bear which all moved awkwardly and didn't look real enough to be immersive.

Stormee Kipp, who played Wasape, is the bully type figure who doesn't heed warnings; every film like this has a lughead written to be killed off and Kipp's two-dimensional role is no different. Bennett Taylor, who played Raphael, is a role that feels very jarring at times; the way in which Taylor plays to an English translator who bargains so lightly makes the introduction of the French trappers feel a bit out of sorts.

The Predator franchise has been completely revived by what I can only describe as my new favourite Predator film. I would give Prey an 8.5/10.

Bullet Train

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Bullet Train is an adaptation of the novel by Kôtarô Isako, and is the hilarious and unfortunate story of what happens when a number of eccentric assassins and mercenaries board the same bullet train with intersecting objectives. The film really pushes the envelope on what you might expect and how it makes you have fun while watching. Every character in this is so interesting and distinctly different from one another. I love all the branching storylines and how one simple story thread for Ladybug turns into the chaos we have by the end of the film. This is a feature that earns its violence, the story escalates really well and is made to grow more and more unpredictable. Seeing Ladybug be this non-violent thief for hire who is practising the mantras of his therapist is such a funny and unexpected protagonist. You pair this role with an assassin who learned how to read people from watching Thomas the Tank Engine and a young adolescent criminal mastermind and this whole thing becomes a really exciting tangle of creative storytelling. Seeing the film slowly pull back and reveal connections, mysterious pasts and the answer of why all these characters are together on this train makes for one extremely satisfying ride.

This is an extremely satisfying film to watch visually too. The bullet train never feels like a confining setting, in fact the way each carriage is lit a little differently and captured a different way lends a great style to this piece. The action flows so smoothly and the camera is always in motion lending a very fluid quality; yet it is so strikingly still for the big emotional moments that are there to tug on your heart strings. Almost all of the visual effects look pretty good, the backdrops beyond the train make for great vistas and I liked the carnage within the train when it derails (though the exterior of this really needed a little work). The score throughout is frenetic and fun, in the extremely unpredictable nature of this movie so major credit to Dominic Lewis. It also flaunts one of my favourite film soundtracks for the year with a variety of numbers that either lends to the action or comedy and with a host of Japanese talent all the way through. Plus it uses a Japanese cover of 'Holdin' Out for A Hero' in the big final act battle, that's a move that never goes bad.

 

Brad Pitt, who played Ladybug, is hysterical as this almost non-violent thief protagonist; the way Pitt stumbles through this story with a constantly confused air is a lot of fun. Joey King, who played Prince, has found one of the best roles of her career in this antagonist; watching King decieve and concoct devious schemes made for a fascinating performance. Hiroyuki Sanada, who played The Elder, is impressive as this strict martial patriarch of his family; the approach Sanada has towards portraying a wise man with a long game approach towards revenge is very well done. Michael Shannon, who played White Death, hams it up a little as this crime boss antagonist but this is exactly what the film needs; Shannon portraying this sinister villain who revels in his own intellect and power is a great time. Sandra Bullock, who played Maria, is one of the more grounded roles in the film and works to provide the protagonist and audience with a bit of focus; Bullock portraying this exasperated role who feels like a babysitter as much as a handler generates some nice dry wit. Zazie Beetz, who played The Hornet, is an unexpected role who is quite fun to watch; Beetz has a very provocative way of delivering dialogue that makes her character quite comedic. Channing Tatum, who played Train Passenger, was a comedic surprise cameo that I didn't expect and really loved; Tatum playing this odd individual who is down to clown with these characters who bump into him makes for a very funny appearance.

However, the best performance came from Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry, who played Tangerine and Lemon respectively. This on-screen assassin brother duo was an incredible display of acting chemistry, it was a real moment of watching a scene always get better because Henry and Taylor-Johnson played off one another so seamlessly. This performance was never one trying to eclipse the other, they blended well together. I was so convinced that Henry and Taylor-Johnson were brothers in the way they bickered with one another or showed trust in one another. They were a temperamental pair; Henry's role being more eccentric while Taylor-Johnson was the more explosive professional. The best comedy in this film came from how outlandish the dialogue and actions this duo partook in actually was. They had a real familial bond with one another, you saw the trust and respect they had for one another. Both performers had a major display of grief and loss in relation to the other which I very much felt. You don't get a lot of films where people are paired up like this and they work together equally to make a partnership that steals the show.

This film is non-stop in approach and I love the creativity and the humour at work here. However, the film has a unique story structure that means we may abandon a leading character's storyline for long periods of time, meaning we can be without a major role for a big section of the film. This means that when they do eventually get the spotlight again it can take a minute for them to slot nicely back into the narrative. I also felt the final act really escalates things a bit too far at times; moments like the train crashing, the ways in the which some plot twists continued to keep developing and some of the humour really pushed the envelope further than it needed.

Andrew Koji, who played Kimura, is quite a flat role to watch onscreen; Koji's role often seems deflated which doesn't make him an interesting role to watch. Bad Bunny, who played Wolf, is in this film to swagger around and look tough; this is a performer who looks more like he is posing in his scenes but never like he's actually playing a character. Logan Lerman, who played The Son, is a very two-dimensional performance that comes across as very disinterested; Lerman's mumbled dialogue is far and away from his better work.

From start to finish this film is absolutely wild; brilliant fun but wild. I would give Bullet Train an 8/10.