Blinky Bill: The Movie

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Quite a cute simple Australian animated film. I would give Blinky Bill: The Movie a 6.5/10.

The animation for this film is pretty good; the figures and objects look nice but what really stands out is the landscapes that are crafted in this film. It's actually quite an accomplishment how they paint Australian landscapes in such a rich colour palette. I also thought that the score for the film was perfectly in time with moments of tension or action in this film; it didn't try to be anything unique but rather worked hard at creating a score that really benefitted the film. The story was grounded in a very light-hearted plot that you empathised with and could get enjoyment out of.

Ryan Kwanten, who voiced Blinky Bill; was a great protagonist; you could hear the enthusiasm and drive from this role. Rufus Sewell, who voiced The Cat, was a really great antagonist; his voicework was exceptional and made me think of classic villains like Scar from the Lion King. Barry Humphries, who voiced Wombo, was a really entertaining character; his crazy nature and unpredictable antics really refreshed the film at a good point. Barry Otto, who voiced Mayor Cranklepot, was another fantastic antagonist figure; if anything his despicable reptile role stole the show in a few scenes.

However the best performance came from Robin McLeavy, who voiced Nutsy. What I really liked about this role and performance is that she was so separate from the protagonist, she was indignant and argued back and had a completely equal footing with Blinky from the get go. We see this character evolve from a koala that's used to living in a zoo to a koala that's learned to manage in the wild. I also think a lot has to be said for McLeavy's delivery of the bushfire story which was one of the most powerful scenes of the film.

If I have any gripes about this story it was that it was too simple; there is a big difference between an animated film and a children's film. What I mean by that is that an animated film can discuss important issues with very well developed characters and cater to both children and adults. A children's film uses basic humour and simple plot and characters to cater to one audience; such as Minions or Penguins of Madagascar. This film felt like a children's film, a really good children's film, but a film that didn't go to any lengths to craft a clever story. There was a lot of unnecessary subplot or characters that dragged the film on and meant that the feature had pacing issues.

Toni Collette, who voiced Beryl and Cheryl, was a really annoying voice performance; there was an attempt with this character to create some mature humour that flopped in a spectacular way. David Wenham, who voiced Jacko, was a really unnecessary main character in this film; in fact this character created a lot of unnecessary scenes, backstory and comedy that did nothing but bring the film down. Richard Roxburgh, who voiced Bill Koala, sounded like he was reading lines as opposed to voicing a character; everything from him was poorly delivered. Deborah Mailman, who voiced Blinky's Mum, was another irritating role with a bad voice actor; her delivery felt very monotone and you didn't care much about this role.

Pixels

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Last year Blended made me think that not all Adam Sandler films are bad; this year Pixels reminds me of how wrong I was. I would give Pixels a 3/10.

A lot can be said for the special effects within this film, I know at first glance there are some very obvious 3D animation models brought into this (especially at the end of the film), but ultimately this does nothing but work to the advantage of the film. In fact when the film was getting under way and the military base was attacked I was absolutely enthralled when a wall was decimated by Galaga and a soldier was pixellated. I also thought that the soundtrack was really well constructed for the film, it was all fairly centred around the 80s which was a great move and Josh Gad singing 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World' was really entertaining.

Kevin James, who played Cooper, was puzzling as the President but really excels at making a charming role; beyond the fact that his role was confusing I like that we got some very valid political criticism and comedy out of the role that he played. Josh Gad, who played Ludlow, despite playing a character that was borderline creepy is actually fantastic at playing the oddball roles; Gad is energetic when he's onscreen so seeing him go into full blown tirades in this film is awesome. Brian Cox, who played Admiral Porter, is really comedic as this major authoritative figurehead; there's a lot of humour from his performance around the state of the US military. Denis Akiyama, who played Professor Iwatani, gave such a genuine performance in this film; his entire interaction with Pac-man is heartwarming and a great scene.

However the best performance came from Sean Bean, who played Corporal Hill. Bean was only in this film in a minor role capacity, you could even say a cameo but it was by far one of the best parts of the film. The Centipede scene was quite tense so the raw anger and cussing you get from Bean at the beginning of the scene is exceptionally entertaining. He's a commanding role and you believe that he is quite a rough military figure. Beyond Bean's great acting talent though I really like the chemistry between him and Cox; the hug they share is actually the funniest bit of the film.

This film was actually bland in terms of the visual direction (aside from the special effects); the cinematography and editing felt basic and simple in it's direction. I also have some major issues with the plot as a whole, especially in terms of how believable it is. The entire construction os James' role as the President is confusing; how did such a schmuck kid grow up to be this leader? Why does Monaghan's role spill her guts to the man installing her TV; it sets up the most implausible onscreen romance? How does Dinklage's character use cheat codes when he's driving a car in the Pac-man scene? More than that why does Dinklage return under the pretense of such an implausible reason? In the final act the aliens have already started destroying the planet because Earth cheated, so why give humanity a second chance? My list could go on for a while but what's important to take away is that the concept of this film could have worked but the script went the extra mile to stretch the limits of what an audience member would accept. The comedy is very lowbrow, sexist and racist; you stop enjoying it after the first fifteen minutes so the film starts to drag on.

Adam Sandler, who plays Brenner, is an awful protagonist; his humour just doesn't stand up because most of the time he stands around either insulting people or dragging out a joke for too long. Michelle Monaghan, who played Violet, looks like she doesn't want to be in the film and for good reason; her entire romance subplot with Sandler is cringe-worthy at best and it's fair to say that they have no chemistry. Peter Dinklage, who played Eddie, puts on one of the strangest voices in this film and gives a C-grade performance; the more I watch Dinklage outside of Game of Thrones the more I think that that show was just a fluke for him. Matt Lintz, who played Matty, is a really annoying child actor; he doesn't connect well with either Monaghan or Sandler so most of his scenes feel forced. Jane Krakowski, who played First Lady Jane Cooper, had very little screen presence; her line delivery was also pretty bad. Ashley Benson, who played Lady Lisa, was bad for reasons that exist more out of writing than anything; we get from this role a really bad romance plot that shows a creepy nerd have his fetish rewarded by being 'given' this beautiful woman so make of that what you will. Serena Williams and Martha Stewart, who played themselves, suffered from the same issue as benson; their cameo is little more than indulging a fetish and it's really weak comedy writing.  

The Intern

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I genuinely love seeing Robert De Niro onscreen. I would give The Intern an 8/10.

I think what I love the most about this film is just the genuine humanity in it; it's all about people and how the cope within their own very serious struggles. If anything through these interactions at their place of work we see some pretty amazing messages from practically every plotline. I really thought that the comedy utilised in this film was exceptional, they came at the right time and when the film demanded them rather than overloading the film. The soundtrack and score for this film was a lot of fun; one of the best moments in the film was Adam DeVine rapping along with 'Busta Rhymes'. The cinematography for this feature was fairly simple but showed a complete mastery of how to use the frame in a stylistic manner.

Anne Hathaway, who played Jules, was wonderfully erratic and kinda quirky in this film; her role demanded a realistic woman someone who has both really likeable and dislikeable traits but ultimately functions well as a businesswoman to aspire to. JoJo Kushner, who played Paige, is a fantastic child actress; she was very comedic in her own right and quite a sweet role. Adam DeVine, who played Jason, is as always extremely funny and had one of the best scenes in the film when he started rapping; however I liked that he showed he could be awkward and uncertain of how to talk to the woman he had a crush upon. Zack Pearlman, who played Davis, had some fantastic chemistry with De Niro; I really liked how his comedy was so over the top but always came at the right moments. Christina Scherer, who played Becky, gave quite a genuine performance; I loved the moment where we see her admit she wants to be acknowledged for her work more that was a great emotional moment.

However the best performance came from Robert De Niro, who played Ben. What I love about De Niro's acting is that he can work so well alongside others; I think he brings the best out of the cast in this film. More than that he creates a really charming and quite down to Earth character whom you can really empathise with. He engages in some great moments of drama and comedy both showing the brilliant sense of balance he has when it comes to his acting range.

The editing for this film was a major let down, there were cuts that just came very abruptly and at awkward places. This also showed in the pacing because, while the film flowed nicely, there were some major time jumps dotted throughout which made the film a bit confusing to watch. I also didn't appreciate the cheating husband plotline, it undercut a pretty good character and relationship; if it had been something like a divorce scare then absolutely that would have been something the film could have ended upon. Because the film made the husband cheat while trying to build up who Jules was as a character the result was that we were left with a completely dissatisfying ending.

Rene Russo, who played Fiona, was a really awkward character to watch; I hated this unnecessary romance subplot that took away from the interesting elements of the film. Anders Holm, who played Matt, gave a really good performance until the cheating plotline which undermined it all; frankly what irked me the most was his apology to Jules at the end which seemed kind of empty after what the rest of the film had shown us. Andrew Rannells, who played Cameron, was a bit irritating onscreen; he only came in as a way to enforce plot or exposition and beyond that his role was kind of ambiguous. Jason Orley, who played Lewis, had very little screen presence in this film; I wasn't a big fan of how he interacted with others in comedic situations.

Born To Dance

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It seems quite appropriate that my 200th review is of a film from my own country of New Zealand. I would give Born To Dance a 6/10.

I think with a film such as this it's best to start with the obvious; the dancing was absolutely perfect in this film, some really incredible choreography. The score and soundtrack just went hand in hand with this completely; every note went with ever dance and every movement with every song. The editing was another quality I really enjoyed, a dance film should have motion in how it presents this and the cutting presented this effect. I also have to commend a few of the themes in this film; there are some very clear ideas around drugs, pursuing your goals, social class and sexuality.

John Tui, who played Zack, felt like a stiff performance at first; until you realised he was playing a father that struggled to connect with his son which was all the better for when they connected at the very end of the film. Kelvin Taylor, who played Kane, was a great antagonist; I loved how he seemed to connect with the protagonist before ruthlessly betraying him. Tia Maipi, who played Tu, was a good protagonist; you were really convinced by how much he wanted his goal for the sake of his future. Stan Walker, who played Benjy, was a really versatile performance; his abilities as a performer were well utilised but I liked that he played a role with negative traits really well too.

However the best performance came from Kherington Payne, who played Sasha. Payne played a role who was very grounded, her emotional responses were very sincere and she could switch to being more comedic quite well. More than this I think it's great that she had such strong chemistry with Maipi; you liked their relationship and felt for them as they had moments of connection with one another. Payne really brought a performance that showed her character in the spotlight the best possible way.

While the themes circling this film were good there was no depth to this plot; in fact it was very predictable and quite basic to follow. Ultimately while this was good film in terms of New Zealand cinema from an international perspective this type of film has been seen and done the same way a thousand times before. The pacing was really bad and things either fast tracked or dragged on in the wrong places. The dialogue was constructed in a way that just felt fake or forced; how any of the characters were supposed to have chemistry with those lines is beyond me. The cinematography was dull and didn't move as well as the editing that complimented it.

Alexandra Carson, who played Sophie, gave a truly awful performance; it felt like she was reading lines for her scenes. Michael Metuakore, who played Tino, gave a very generic homosexual performance; there were tropes in his performance that just need to be escaped because it creates quite a negative and singular role.

Veteran

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I love it when a crime film has a well constructed plot. I would give Veteran a 7/10.

There's something exceptionally clever in how this plot advances; first we are well introduced to the characters through some rather slapstick circumstances but what really hits is when the protagonist and the antagonist meet for the first time. From that point onwards the film escalates into a gripping confrontation between the law and the corrupt wealthy men of power. Both leads fill these opposing ends really well and drive the action forward in a way that's rather terrifying and thrilling to watch. The fight scenes for this film are something else altogether; the action looks very real and is incredibly well timed.

Hwang Jeong-min, who played Seo Do-Cheol, is a really fun lead in this film; easily one of the best action hero leads in terms of the range of emotions and storylines they can be engaged in. Yoo Hae-jin, who played Choi Sang-moo, was quite a ruthless supporting antagonist; he had this incredibly intimidating corporate edge to him while he was onscreen. Oh Dal-su, who played Team Leader Oh, was a great balance of comedy and inspiring leader; in fact it was the scenes where he challenged superiors or engaged with Jeong-min in which he really stood out. Jeong Woong-in, who played Chauffeur Bae, was a performance that you could really empathise with; he was a family man who really fought hard for what he believed was right and fair.

However the best performance came from Yoo Ah-in, who played Jo Tae-oh. This was acting like I very rarely see; in fact his performance was one of the best antagonists that I've seen this year. You could not predict what he was going to do onscreen, from the minute he was introduced he was a complete wild card. Ultimately the raw anger and venom that Ah-in put into his performance is what made such a truly memorable villain.

The slapstick comedy really took away from this film's best elements; there was an intense story here that repeatedly was undermined by some attempt to rebrand this film as an action-comedy. The pacing suffered from a lot of unnecessary scenes or characters; so while the plot was thorough there needed to be a lot cut out. I found the cinematography had a lot of potential but ultimately played it safe with too many simple shots. The editing was quite basic in terms of how it was cut, the visual style wasn't a high point of the film. The score for this film wasn't really there and didn't have the power to back up the big story it was set against.

Jeong Man-shik, who played Manager Jeon, was a fairly weak antagonist; his role seemed to grow as the plot demanded him to the point that his character felt a bit absurd. Jang Yoon-ju, who played Miss Bong, was the biggest role behind the slapstick comedy; I struggle to understand why they felt they needed to cheapen the film with these roles peppered throughout.

Everest

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Ultimately a generic film that is perfectly executed in almost every way. I would give Everest an 8/10.

What is essential in an adventure/survival film is a strong progression of journey, which is what really worked well for this film in terms of plot. We really came to empathise with the struggle that the climber's faced reaching the summit of Everest; even more than this we truly feared for them in the fantastic second half of the film when the storm hit. The cinematography and editing in this film is beautiful; it's important in these types of films to feel the setting and you feel in touch with the harsh elements of the mountain in this film. Furthermore the score/sound editing in this film is powerful; it not only heightens the danger but really amps up the threat of both Everest and the storm. Finally the special effects in this film while minimal look stunning; just look at how the storm is styled when it's first shown onscreen and you'll know what I mean.

John Hawkes, who played Doug Hansen, is a really likeable character; you connect with how real and humble his role is. Michael Kelly, who played Jon Krakauer, I actually quite enjoyed in his small role in this film; he really played the role of journalist who had interest in those around him well. Keira Knightley, who played Jan Arnold, is in a very small role in this film yet shows off her acting talent despite this; you have to admire how she can play a strong character while also displaying an intense amount of grief. Josh Brolin, who played Beck Weathers, gives quite a genuine performance as this man who escapes normalcy by climbing; he's kind but we also see an intense amount of fear from him in the film that Brolin delivers really well. Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Scott Fischer, really suits roles that are almost immature and could do with more sense of responsibility; his carefree attitude really balances out against Clarke's performance.

However the best performance came from Jason Clarke, who played Rob Hall. If there's anything I've learned from watching Clarke these past two or three years it's that his acting ability is exceptionally versatile. He can perform an incredible range of characters and here he plays a character that feels very grounded and down to earth. I like that you feel Clarke can connect with anyone in his cast; it's nice and makes you smile and connect with the performance. Ultimately what you have to admire is that Clarke embodied the role of an experienced climber; I was convinced of his performance and he could deliver jargon or perform the actions flawlessly.

Where this film suffered was the first act, it was a bit boring and meant that the pacing at the beginning of the film suffered. You had to be ready to suffer a lot of jargon as well as small snatches of information about the ensemble cast of characters. Unfortunately because the cast was so big it was hard to keep track of everyone and to care for each of them; in this manner a lot of character's stories became unimportant in the scope of the bigger picture.

Ang Phula Sherpa and Pemba Sherpa; who played Ang Dorjee and Lopsang respectively, weren't given their due in this film; the sherpas of Nepal are a big part of Everest and the climbers there and in this film they felt like background characters. Thomas M. Wright, who played Michael Groom, faded into the background as well; you weren't sure if he was a climber or a guide like Hall for most of the film. Martin Henderson, who played Andy 'Harold' Harris, had absolutely no screen presence; the significance of his death meant that his character should have had more focus within the film. Naoko Mori, who played Yasuko Namba, really should have been given more scenes in this film; her performance was great but the amount of lines she had meant that you just didn't care enough about her character. Emily Watson, who played Helen Wilton, gave a very weak performance; she had no power behind her lines which meant her role felt far too plain. Sam Worthington, who played Guy Cotter, was fairly redundant in this film; we already had a lot of grievers in the tent but he was wasted there. Elizabeth Debicki, who played Caroline Mackenzie, wasn't very convincing as a medical professional; she had no screen presence and was very much a background voice. Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson, who played Anatoli Boukreev, was a performance that fell into the background far too often; his gruff role really could've been more interesting with more attention in the film.

Sicario

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A very gritty look at urban warfare. I would give Sicario a 7.5/10.

I think what this film did really well is present a fantastic look at what can best be described as urban warfare; FBI and CIA agents use the armed forces to infiltrate Mexico and commit illegal acts of war without repercussion. There's a very interesting debate here about what can be considered right and wrong; the ethics of law enforcement are constantly being brought into question. I also really enjoyed that the aspect of a female lead went hand in hand with the concept of the film; as an outside figure in this very masculine world she represents a more moral perspective and we are led through these illegal acts along with her. The cinematography is quite unique in this film, the shots take in either so much or just small details; we range from dust motes to rolling shots of the US/Mexican border. Furthermore the score for this film is really haunting and steals the scenes; you feel this jarring sound and it serves to create a greater feeling of suspense or tension.

 Emily Blunt, who played Kate Macer, is a fantastic lead in this film; you feel confusion and outrage in the exact same extremes as which she shows it in this film. Josh Brolin, who played Matt, portrays a very convincing military 'cowboy'; he's a casual role but he's completely convincing as this de facto leader of the strike team. Jeffrey Donovan, who played Steve Forsing, is really good as this sleazy CIA character; but the scene where they drive through the Mexican city I really enjoyed his dialogue delivery. Daniel Kaluuya, who played Reggie, was one of the few actors I felt portrayed a character who could create personal relationships; for example the chemistry between him and Blunt in this film is really genuine and nice to see. Julio Cedillo, who played Fausto Alarcon, was actually a great final villain; I think someone who can slip into a menacing role while still playing a family man is fantastic.

However the best performance came from Benicio Del Toro, who played Alejandro. Del Toro was really good at playing an enigmatic role that we slowly learnt more and more about with each scene. I think it's important to be able to have such control over a role that they develop in how the audience perceives them. Ultimately I liked Del Toro because when it was revealed how ruthless his character was; you see him as this very brutal agent who was highly trained in war and torture.

Where the plot of this film suffers is when it tries to scale this film back in a way that gives focus on the characters; I find that you can't spend so long setting tone and themes as your focal point to go back and try and reinforce what was already a bit weak in terms of developed story. The characters hadn't been given enough background to be interesting, what matters is the war on drugs element and less so about Macer's divorce. The pacing for this film was a bit slow, the plot dragged out about between moments of interesting action. Furthermore the editing was a bit basic in terms of simple cutting, this was a major contribution to the pacing problems. Finally there was a part with the infrared camera that was clearly animated; it looked fake and was a bit jarring to watch in the film.

Jon Bernthal, who played Ted, was this rather unnecessary moment of the film; we see Bernthal awkwardly play love interest and spy without being very convincing. Victor Garber, who played Jennings, gives a performance that's really in role to the extent he feels more part of the background than anything; he talks with a lot of focus upon the jargon and you get bored of his role very quickly. Maximiliano Hernandez, who played Silvio, was a relatively small role who was given more focus than was needed; as it was you didn't really care what happened to Silvio by the time he died so giving him those extra scenes beforehand was pointless. Bernardo P. Saracino, who played Manuel Diaz, was quite a disappointing antagonist; to be clear he had been mentioned in the film so much that the way he was so swiftly taken down was disappointing.