'WAR DOGS' - REVIEW

Release Date: Friday the 26th of August (UK Release)

Directed By: Todd Phillips

Written By: Stephen Chin, Todd Phillips and Jason Smilovic

Produced By: Mark Gordon, Todd Phillips and Bradley Cooper

Starring: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana De Armas and Bradley Cooper
Distributed By: Warner Brothers

The representation of Capitalist America has of recent years been a long standing kick off point for the majority of American releases in the past few years.The pairing of this with vibrant and down on their luck characters is something of a thematic heart in director Todd Phillips' filmography. With comic hits such as 'Old School' and 'The Hangover' under his belt, Phillips' latest is a biopic focusing on the exploits of two American's who clocked on to making a fortune through arms dealing to The Pentagon. 

The year is 2005 and massage therapist David Packouz (Teller) is feeling short changed with his life. With a baby on the way, money is at the forefront of his mind but with it in short supply, a career change is essential. That career change arrives in the shape of Efraim Diveroli (Hill) a slick, heavily tanned individual with a penchant for back stabbing and emitting a high pitched giggle at regular intervals. With old friends reunited, David is introduced to the world of arms dealing in which the door is open for hundreds of thousands of dollars to be hoovered up in small arms deals, not the big ones you understand but the smaller deals known as 'crumbs'. With the invasion of Iraq in the background, war is an incredibly profitable business and as the business builds, so do the risks.

From his introduction during the first act, its clear that the star of the show is Jonah Hill’s Diveroli. Admittedly a good ten years senior than the real life convict (as is Teller), Hill manages to emulate a brash yet forward thinking businessman who isn't a million miles away from his 2013 character Donnie Azoff, trading the phosphorescent white teeth for a bulkier frame and a heavy tan. Teller’s more cautious and at times anxious Packouz is very much the focal point of the story as his world is turned upside down and we jump from an incredibly mundane life working as a masseuse, to the dusty, bullet riddled roads of Jordan. At his side at various intervals is his girlfriend Iz (Armas), a severely lacking part which serves as no more than as someone to give David someone to lie to and heighten his sense of guilt by bearing him a child (The ever repeated “Criminal Father” angle played to very little effect here).

With Phillips’ known penchant for comedy expected when watching this, it comes as a jarring surprise that tonally, this film seems incredible indecisive and instead moulds into a combination of both comedy and drama, forming the rarely successful ‘Dramedy’. Unfortunately there is no exception here as the mishmash of tone makes for a confusing watch. Whereas the likes of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ managed to balance both its dramatic set pieces with ever present underpinnings of comedy, ‘War Dogs’ jumps scene to scene with each one varying in tone, losing any immersion and alignment with the characters. That said, the attempts at comedy fall somewhat flat with the majority of mild chuckles, the result of low brow slapstick.

Thats not to say there aren't any redeemable elements about the picture, with slick and swooping camera angles along with snappy montage sequences, there’s a distinct heir of Scorsese esque mirroring. Indeed, everything down to the intermittent freeze frames and over head narration courtesy of Packouz carries a distinct aroma of the aforementioned ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ including the tale of an everyday man corrupted by greed. This also highlights one of the big issues of the film as the two leads cross borders breaching varying laws, there are no reasons to vouch for these two scumbags making this a film with no redeeming qualities for its characters. This intensifies somewhat further with the brief appearance of Bradley Cooper playing a shady and all too sinister arms dealer who’s appearance lacks any depth with the exception of someone who can pull off a pair of tinted sunglasses indoors.

Given its lack of comedy and in particular relation to its darkly serious subject matter, the film feels somewhat like a missed opportunity for a great scathing piece about the indictment of two young graduates with money on their mind and no knowledge of the severe corruption which is in abundance during war time, not to mention one of the most scandalous wars in recent times. Whilst Teller and Hill give strong performances, the visual flair fails to make up for a lacklustre script which being based on a singular Rolling Stone article penned by Guy Lawson, isn't too surprising. 

"Everyone's fighting over the same pie and ignoring the crumbs. I live off the crumbs" - Efraim Diveroli

'SAUSAGE PARTY' - REVIEW

Release Date: Friday the 12th of August (UK Release)

Directed By: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon

Written By: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen

Produced By: Megan Ellison, James Weaver, Seth Rogen and Conrad Vernon

Starring: Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig,  Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Salma Hayek, Nick Kroll, Edward Norton and David Krumholtz

Distributed By: Columbia Pictures

Seth Rogen is a writer/ actor who has been on the scene for quite a while now. Renound for his inseparable penchant for marijuana being placed in almost every film he works on, he stands as one of the few comic actors still waving the flag for the stoner comedy genre which were it not for him would be left back in the noughties with the likes of 'Harold and Kumar' along with the groundbreaking 'Cheech and Chong' way back in 1978. Along with his evident love of the left handed cigarette, it's his work as a writer which has lead to some questionable results. Indeed whilst he first made the leap to feature film writing with 2007's quippy and forever quotable 'Superbad', in more recent years the likes of 'The Interview' gained more headline coverage due to its controversy at the possibility of almost starting a war with North Korea as opposed to its comic merit. Moving into the realm of adult animation, Rogen's latest work looks set to shake up the expectations of an animated film for a few years to come.

Taking place in the fictional supermarket of Shopwells, its the eve of The Fourth of July, one of the busiest days for groceries who all dream of being chosen to venture to the great beyond (being bought). At the heart of this excitement is Frank (Rogen), a gravelly voiced hot dog who is packaged with his two buddies Carl (Jonah Hill) and Barry (Michael Cera) and yearns to travel with his beloved bun Brenda (Kristen Wiig). Things quickly turn sour however as an accidentally purchased jar of Honey Mustard returns with warnings that all is not peachy beyond those automatic doors. After finally being chosen, an accidental trolley bump causes the group to be split with Brenda and Frank free of their packaging before setting on a journey to discover a way to end the carnage that awaits the entire store.

Beginning purely from Rogen's desire to make a film called 'Sausage Party', when announced the title alone was typically Rogenesque (Its a thing) and brought forth a plethora of wacky and bizarre plot lines. The final result (Despite not actually containing a sausage, Frank is a Hot Dog. There is a difference) is very much at the top end of the wacky and bizarre spectrum. Admittedly the premise of food items having a life of their own isn't particularly brain imploding in terms of set up, the real talent comes from taking the common Pixar formula and adding to it a dash of 'Saving Private Ryan' level vegetable violence, a heavy sprinkling of sexual innuendo and finally an entire pepper pot of relentless profanity to which there is no limit (watching a bagel drop the C bomb really is a moment you don't forget in a hurry).

Regarded for creating characters with an evident stereotype in mind, be it bound in American culture with the gym addled Jock or the socially anxious but plucky outsider, Rogen and company pull out all the stops making sure there is no religious culture or ethnic group left unscathed, which makes for some truly toe curling yet hilarious incarnations. From a Middle Eastern Flatbread yearning for his 42 bottles of virgin Olive oil to a foul mouthed Irish potato, there is a whole plethora of racial stereotypes which serve a much greater purpose than to simply degrade and humiliate the varying cultures. The highlight of these for me however, is Edward Norton’s almost unrecognisable turn as the irate and sock suspender clad Jewish bagel Sammy, who’s well trodden yet unforgettably funny Woody Allen caricature never fails to bring a grin to the face. It’s not just the food based characters which draw laughs, indeed there are varied groceries which add further X’s to this anarchistic animation with the likes of Nick Kroll providing a turn as the antagonistic female hygiene product who is out to get “Juiced” and a roll of toilet paper who’s motivations for getting his own back on the humans are well and truly deserved. 

Its isn't purely in the sharp and foul mouthed writing where this piece flies. Co Directors Greg Tiernan, who's previous experience include helming almost every Thomas the Tank Engine feature to date (Perfect for this feature) and Conrd Vernon (Shrek 2 and Madagascar 3 to name a few) leave no pixel un rendered leaving a sleek and stylish look to the foodie fiends. The animation style varies as it flits from 2 to 3D at various intervals. Used as a time device, the different styles seem very much in the same vein as the House of Mouse, adding further to the satire. Indeed from the tiny shoes and white gloved hands, its clear there is a desire to riff on both the modern and classic Disney pictures of old, making the film all the more intelligent. Post release there has however been some backlash with regards to the animation department with claims that a hefty chunk of the artists were not even credited, unfortunately marring the work of some true talent. 

Whilst the premise may seem reminiscent of a cheap knock off of a throwaway idea of John Lasseter, there is a much deeper and intelligent sociopolitical construct at work from Rogen, and Evan Goldberg. Indeed at first glance the racial stereotypes maybe on a singular level come across as low brow, crude interpretations. Deeper analysis however displays a message of unity amongst all religion and that a particular upbringing cannot define an individual. It seems far more fitting given the recent political carnage playing out across both the UK and US with the latter seemingly at the forefront of the films core theme. It appears it takes more for an individual to change opinions than shout obscenities, far from it. Involved discussion has the power to change individuals for the better, something which certainly couldn't have been considered upon the title announcement. 

The references don't stop at Disney charm. There’s a fine yet noticeable element of horror as we see innocent fruit and vegetables being savagely torn apart by the ‘monstrous’ humans. Elements of body horror are also apparent whilst not on the Cronenbergian level of ‘The Fly’, Kroll’s Douche character out for Franks blood (Or more accurately juice) steadily upgrades to a new maniacal hygiene product with every scene he enters. A particularly chilling set piece takes place on a vacant street corner all from the point of view of a hot dog which is one of several set pieces which will stick with you after the credits roll.

With a film which covers as many topics and themes as this does, its natural that not all of them will land gracefully. The overt swearing whilst humorous the first few times, quickly becomes repetitive and over time becomes unnoticeable which begs the question, what purpose is it serving? The other niggle arrives with a common trope amongst almost any film Seth Rogen touches which is of course the representation of drug culture. A varied medicine box of narcotics are plastered throughout the narrative with bath salts holding a fairly solid plot point come the third act, whilst earlier moments bring forth the iconography of 70’s dude culture which in this picture serves no real purpose.

All aspects considered however, Rogen’s step into animation has resulted in a sure fire hit. With moments of toe curling and foolish guffawing humour in almost every scene, it stands as one of the more open minded comedies of the year and of the last few. With important and relevant themes bubbling below it’s outrageous surface, rife with comic global stereotyping along with wonderfully fluid and tongue in cheek animation. As someone with a distaste for Rogen’s acting roles (not to mention the laugh), it’s clear his real strength lies very much behind the camera in the writers room. With a final ten  minutes after which your jaw will have to be wrenched back into place, ‘Sausage Party’ is a polite wave followed by the ‘V’ sign to the likes of ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Finding Nemo’ and depending on your outlook should leave you hungry for more.

 "Stay away from my sausage you SKANK!" - Brenda

'SUICIDE SQUAD' REVIEW

Release Date: Friday the 5th of August (UK Release)
Directed By: David Ayer
Written By: David Ayer
Produced By: Zach Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Geoff Johns, Steven Mnuchin, Bruce Franklin and Andy Horwitz
Starring: Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Cara Delevinge, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez and Jared Leto
Distributed By: Warner Brothers

2016 has already seen a real range of both highs and lows for the ever present Comic Book Film with the likes of Marvel’s ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Captain America: Civil War’ both receiving great praise from critics and fans alike. This year has also brought along its share of disappointments with the previously reviewed ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ failing to bring forth the fun and enthralment of the franchise’s previous two instalments. The most notable failure however has been Zack Snyder’s (Deep shudder) attempt at kickstarting The DC Cinematic Universe  (DCCU?) with the heavily marketed ‘Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice’ which was met with great disdain in equal parts from fans and Critics. 

There were those who found the relentless grit, gloom and grime a worthy introduction to building an entire cinematic world and the poor story telling a worthy adversary to the seemingly unstoppable machine of Marvel Studios. Now; six months later a second DC movie moves into view hoping to regain some faith as well as expand the previously marred universe, in order to bring about another cinematic giant. The question is, does the David Ayer helmed ‘Suicide Squad’ deliver?

Taking place a few months after ‘BVS’,  with America in fallout from the death of Superman, ‘Suicide Squad’ begins with Government Official Amanda Waller (Davis) believing that Superman may have much deadlier and malicious alias’. With this in mind she proposes a team to combat this unpredictable threat, in the form of the worlds most deadly criminals whom are under lock and key. With the rise of a possible world endangering threat, Waller’s team is swiftly compiled together lead by the drawling Southern Rick Flagg (Kinneman). With the team consisting of a wide array of ‘The Worst of The Worst’ (Oh how that phrase will come back to bite them later), the squad set out to achieve their mission, encountering more than they bargained for along the way. 

Unlike many critics have done upon its release, I feel I must point out the merits within this film which are apparent and out of respect to David Ayer must be acknowledged. Beginning at the heart of the sense of John Ostrander’s creation which is of course the characters. One of the icons throughout the marketing process of this film was of course Harley Quinn who had yet to receive the silver screen treatment. Stepping up to the plate is Margot Robbie who; once pictured in costume seemed a worthy representative of the high pitched, mallet wielding partner to the clown prince of crime. Fortunately for the film, Robbie delivers Quinn’s iconic quips and characteristics to great success and remains one of the few highlights of the film. 

Another appraisal is given to Will Smith’s incarnation of marksman assassin Deadshot who appears to be enjoying himself greatly as he wisecracks, aims true and butts heads consistently with Kinneman’s Flagg creating a conflicting if well worn ‘Alpha Male’ back and forth. Unfortunately the remaining characters fail to be deemed enthralling with some bearing at all watchable though not from a lack of trying. Courtney’s turn of Aussie bank robber Captain Boomerang (For whom else would you rely upon in times of apocalypse?) is standard enough though painfully underwritten, leaving the presumed joker of the pack (genuinely no pun intended there) with very few wisecracks and  a ‘superpower’ as compelling as a two minute conversation with Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor. 

The lack of depth with two thirds of the cast is a fault which, once recognised, affects the progression of the narrative up until the last shot. Trying her best to work with what she has however is Viola Davis’ Waller who from the source material is the true villain in this horde of villains, yet despite obtaining an Academy nominated powerhouse, ‘Suicide Squad’ fails to give the puppeteer enough to chew besides a steak dinner and a brief moment of scenery in the third act. The same fate is given to both Killer Croc (An incredibly made up Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Karen Fukuhara’s Katana whom, aside from a brief moment in a scene each are giving nothing to do but either sit there or smash and dice villains in perhaps one or two frames. Copping for the least amount of anything, primarily backstory is Adam Beach’s Slipknot who again possess a skill which would perhaps be more beneficial to an episode of ‘Bear Grylls: Mission Survive’ (The man can climb well, oooft, take that Wonder Woman). 

The final three character’s who certainly receive a backstory, though severely lack any intrigue are Kinneman’s Flagg, Jay Hernandez’s Diablo and Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress/ June Moon. Hernandez is given a somewhat inefficiently tragic backstory which leads into a redemptive arc with almost no emotional tie whatsoever, including an obscene amount of cliche’d line after line of dialogue leading to a true feeling of being underwhelmed by a character who had the promise of being the most meta human and therefore threatening in the entire squad. Whatever lack of interest is brought about from Diablo’s arc, it is still more appealing in comparison to that felt by the ‘romance element’ (deep sigh) crowbarred in between Flagg and Moon. Already lacking any chemistry whatsoever (both actors are given somewhat mundane characterisations, in particular Delevingne’s Enchantress), Ayer chooses to simply spoon feed this ongoing relationship to the viewer through Davis’ character in a few sharp sentences, yet again leading to an underwhelming payoff for this arc along with not caring in the slightest for these two characters throughout all acts of the film. 

With our protagonists quickly becoming a mixed bag in both interesting characters and well rounded performances, its time to look at those worse, or at least implied to be. The initial premise of the mission the squad are tasked to involves retrieving a high value target, this very swiftly descends into an incredibly formulaic and third rate apocalypse style “Why don’t we throw as much CG at the screen as possible?”. At the centre of this is Enchantress who’s motives whilst never truly delved into, again suffer from being underwritten, leading to a severe lack of interest and engagement from the viewer. 

When looking at the villains as a point of analysis, it becomes clear that post ‘BvS’, studio interference lead to a crackdown on the violence and obscenity allowed in this film which one can understand but given the title alone implying something a little more daring and with DC’s history of moulding incredibly dark themes and violence, there is a sense that for a true tone of John Ostrander’s characters, this film should really be pushing the boundaries of its 15 certificate (PG - 13 in the States). Indeed, with promises made by ayer that this would be an ‘edgy’ film with an almost ‘punk rock attitude’, the muddled tone proves to be less Stiff Little Fingers and a more polished All Time Low (A thought Im sure we can all agree is as far from punk rock as is possible). 

The ‘punk’ vibe is very much hit upon at various intervals throughout this film. From the retina burning neon at every opportunity to blisteringly on the nose musical cues (The first forty minutes of the film cramming in as many best of album hits with no real reasoning behind them) which hit wave after wave before becoming obsolete at the halfway mark. So far from the perfect pairings in the trailers.

One of the elements of this film which got fan boy and girl alike excited wasn't just the first cinematic incarnation of Harley Quinn, but of her lover. Yet another incarnation of The Clown Prince of Crime was on the cards, teased at various intervals during marketing and with a recently Oscar accoladed Jared Leto stepping into the iconic role. The result of this is underwhelming at best. Lightyears away from the late Heath Ledger’s grizzled rip roaring performance, Leto opts for a more streetwise, crime boss Harlequin of Hate. That is when we see him, barely meriting a cameo, Leto pops in at various intervals (mainly a few of many flashbacks) leaving a full decision on The Joker yet to be fully made, (A shame considering his vigorous preparation for the role) though its worth noting at this point, it could be the worst yet. 

Whilst the antichrist of cinema Zack Snyder is just producing this time around (say for a brief directing stint in a scene containing a world expanding cameo), this project was in the hands of David Ayer who would seem a perfect choice to direct a dark yet entertaining picture with films such as ‘Training Day’, ‘End of Watch’ and ‘Fury’ under his belt. With this in mind it becomes difficult to find the Ayer tropes throughout the narrative which is a shame and can only be put down to studio interference. That said the element of comic book splash pages lead to some fantastical shots which hint at a very realised and visually appealing film here. The problem however arrives with the lack of these shot types and instead become filled with shaky, oddly angled action set pieces with buckets of rain and gloom thrown in. 

One notable aspect about any film is that good characters can make up for a lack in story. This is true of Suicide Squad as previously mentioned Robbie and Smith squeeze the most from their characters to make for some enjoyable moments. What characters cannot do however is make up for poor story telling and editing. With an opening pace which seems so sure of itself it needs two introductions for various characters, ‘SS’ jumps from flashback to present day with little to no set up as well as jumping from scene to scene with the most curious of cuts.  The stitches are clear as to wear the reshoots were spliced in and as for a ‘BvS’ style extended cut non existent, this is not about to change. Further fuel to the fire of disappointment is the entire third act in which character motivations set up in the first two acts seem to go out of the window in favour of an even more formulaic denoument. For a film in which it's core and veritable success depends on the engagement and understanding of its characters, this is yet another issue which begs the question, how will the follow up address these issues?

As 2016 closes on the DC Cinematic Universe, the hype at the start of the year has certainly scattered to the winds. With Wonder Woman set to make her debut in March, this will truly be the make or break for the quality of the franchise we can expect to play out over the coming years. Its unfortunate however that a first outing for some of DC’s most iconic villains fail to be the antihero team of the summer (You'll find no Guardians of the Galaxy style fun here) and instead swap the Dirty Dozen level of charm and fun for a gloomy grouping of bad writing, frustratingly underdeveloped characters and the stale stench of studio panic. 

"I don't know what they told you, but I'm a hitman, not a fireman, I don't save people!" - Floyd Lawton (Deadshot)

'FINDING DORY' REVIEW

Release Date: Friday the 29th of July (UK Release)

Directed By: Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane

Written By: Andrew Stanton and Victoria Strouse 

Produced By: John Lasseter, Lindsey Collins and Bob Roath

Starring: Elllen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neil, Kaitlin Olson and Ty Burrell

Distributed By: Disney Pixar

With Pixar suffering through a somewhat rough patch in recent years, due to a stream of releases which seemingly failed to represent the sky scraping with releases post Toy Story 3 including ‘Cars 2’ and ‘Brave’. Then in 2015 with the release of an original film ‘Inside Out’, Pixar put forward their most creative and thought provoking film yet proving the magic certainly hadn't left the studio. 2015 was a also a double release for Pixar with ‘The Good Dinosaur’ receiving a November Release which was greeted with much more middling responses, leaving it to the next picture to give a definitive answer to whether Pixar were still at the top of the animation game. Now, 12 years after one of their most iconic creations, Pixar returns with the submerged sequel, ‘Finding Dory’.

Taking place a year on from the tear jerking adventure ‘Finding Nemo’ (With Nemo failing to have aged a day I might add), Dory is now living with her new found family Marlin and Nemo when the sudden memory of her real family she lost years ago spurs a journey across the ocean in order to find her parents. Along the way however, Dory is separated from her clownfish cohorts and whisked away to the Marine Life institute. From here on it’s a race against time as Marlin and Nemo must find Dory (Deja Vu anyone?) and Dory must find a way out of the institute, meeting friends old and new along the way. 

With a twelve year wait for a sequel which was never truly longed for but more than welcomed, it’s safe to say the hype for this feature grew immensely upon the announcement of the sequel back in 2013. With that said, the marketing during the build up to release seemed somewhat lacklustre in comparison to Pixar’s other beloved characters (The likes of ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Cars’ garnering a much more widespread campaign). If anything however; this paired with the stigma of Pixar’s seeming drop in quality lowers the expectations, making the thoughts on this film all the more positive. 

One of the most admirable aspects of the first instalment of this fishy franchise was the vibrancy and much welcomed variety of the characters. This follow up is no exception with cult favourites Sea Turtles Crush and Squirt making a gnarly (if brief) cameo along with the sea shanty singing Mr Ray. One of the biggest strengths however, lies within Pixar’s innate ability to create a vast array of new characters and sprinkle them into their sequels instead of lamely taking the same characters and conjuring a story around them. These new characters include far sighted Whale Shark Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), Sonar struggled Beluga Whale Bailey (Ty Burrell) and Cockney Sea Lions Fluke and Rudder (Idris Elba and Dominic West). The highlight however is wry and wisecracking Septopus Hank (O’Neil) who, with the gravely voice of a hard boiled 70’s detective, splats and slides from room to room ingeniously camouflaging with every tentacle twist. 

One of the most notable criticisms to arrive with the film first glance however, is its seemingly unimaginative set up which could easily be seen as a parallel of the first instalment with one fish going missing only for another fish to try and find them. This basic outlook is true but aside from these minor points its safe to say this is a completely different film, much to my delight. Indeed with Dory only a secondary character in ‘Finding Nemo’, there was still much of a story to be told as well as being somewhat fresh in terms of having a female hero with a disability. This turns out to be something of a theme in relation to the new cast as each character has a dysfunction of some kind. Hank being something of an amputee having only seven tentacles, Destiney’s far sightedness and Bailey’s problem with his sonar all combining to create a thematic construct focusing on how a disability cannot stop you from achieving. 

Indeed, despite Dory’s quirks (the ten seconds of humour the whale speak emits, rears its head for a questionable length of time) she is very much the lynchpin of each character interaction which in itself is an impressive feat in story telling. Every character she comes into contact with packs an emotional punch of some description, be it a rib tickling slapstick riddled pram ride to tear jerking reunions (Yes I cried at fish). As a sequel DeGeneres was somewhat gunning for for years, her voice work has become one of the most iconic characters in the Pixar canon as she is on top form as the forgetful yet heartwarming Blue Tang. 

As is the case with Pixar, family themes are more or less always at the forefront of each picture, here that is very much the case with two family narrative threads at the core of this story, Marlin and Nemo’s father/ son dynamic (with Brooks re-embracing a career highlight to great effect.) and of course the primary plot device which is Dory and her long lost mother and father (played charmingly by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy). With a character as sympathetic as Dory however, this seemingly cliche’d set up gains a new found depth with somewhat relentless twists and turns particularly in the third act leading to a patchy denouement. The sparkling aspect throughout this 93 minute animation however is DeGeneres’ inextinguishable charm with a clear love for the character which bleeds through the screen, infecting each audience member whether they like it or not. 

With Pixar still having a slight uphill struggle to be claimed the one true animation studio to beat with the surrounding studio’s such as Dreamworks and more recently Laika Entertainment upping their game with every release, ‘Finding Dory’ serves as a strong sequel and further addition to the high flying studio’s filmography. Whilst not on the level of the likes of ‘Toy Story 3’ (nor ‘Monsters University’ which is a personal favourite) it certainly serves on the top tier of returning visits to a beloved world. 

“Hi I am Dory, I suffer from Short Term Memory Loss” - Dory 

'THE BFG' REVIEW

Release Date: Friday the 22nd of July (UK Release)

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Written By: Melissa Mathison, Roald Dahl

Produced By: Kathleen Kennedy, John Madden and Kristie Macosko Krieger

Starring: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton and Jemaine Clement

Distributed By: Amblin Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Meida

 As is the way with Disney in recent years, live action reboots of well loved classics are the ways to go. In this case, instead of a literary classic from centuries ago Disney have opted for a reiteration of child author Roald Dahl’s 1982 novel ‘The BFG’. Orchestrating this giant adaptation and working for the first time with Disney is renowned cinematic legend Steven Spielberg. Does the seemingly dreamlike pairing make for a squiffling success or a Spielbergian slip up?

Beginning in an undefined decade of London in which the Victorian cobblestones and gas lamps adorn the streets, yet fashion magazines are posted through letterboxes in the early hours; our child protagonist Sophie (Barnhill) is swept away after being seen by a twenty four feet giant (Rylance) in the early hours of the morning. Travelling to the distant land of giant country, the two quickly form a friendship and set out to stop the nine much larger and much more menacing inhabitants of giant country. 

Whilst not the first adaptation of Dahl’s heartwarming tale (The 1989  Animated TV Movie starring David Jason stands as one of the strongest cinematic transfers so far), the prospect of finding the actor for the titular character would make or break this picture. Luckily upon hearing the news of renowned Thespian Mark Rylance, fears were very much set aside before being all but vanquished with the release of the first trailer. Having won an Oscar thanks to Spielberg this year for ‘Bridge of Spies’, Rylance sinks his teeth into this role, emulating a kindly West Suffolk accent, brining to life the wondrous grammatical creations from Dahl’s novel. 

It is clear that Rylance’s motion capture performance is the highlight, taken to even greater levels when in conjunction with Barnhill’s Sophie who in a year of seemingly strong standout young female performances (joining ‘The Nice Guys’ Angourie Rice) seems set to go far in the coming years. Having only two actress credits to her name including this one, Barnhill’s performance perfectly captures the outcast yet feisty child who is not only a staple of Dahl’s work but also that of Spielberg himself with this film in particular, relating to his 1982 iconic picture ‘E.T.’ with two isolated outcasts becoming inseparable. Fitting it should also be connected by the same screenwriter Melissa Mathison as well as legendary composer John Williams who’s contributions are easily and welcomely recognised throughout the narrative progression. 

One of the most welcome aspects of this film, lie within its production and art design, in particular the creation of The BFG’s cave, with the playing of scale executed to brilliant success involving a galleon as a bed and a motorway road sign as a serving tray. It’s here where the true imagination of both Dahl and Spielberg who merge together wonderfully making for the highlights of the picture.   The visual wonder continues in an all too brief section focusing on BFG’s plot driving role as a dreamcatcher, in which Avatar esque balls of light stream to and from the frame in a Northern Lights styled night sky. 

Amongst all of its visual delight and protagonist hits however, issues stem from the progression of the well known tale. Whilst there are naturally necessary beats to hit and unmissable scenes to include (those of which are dealt with in an excellent fashion) it’s the joints between which seemingly suffer greatly as a great deal of running time becomes a two hander between young Sophie and her twenty four feet friend, which whilst pleasant enough, fails to contain enough plot driving elements and sorrily becomes a slow paced series of simplistic conversation scenes. 

That said, the seminal moments from the book are wonderfully brought to the big screen including a brilliantly Spielbergian moment in which we see BFG’s dream blowing skills in full form and a truly rib tickling breakfast scene at Buckingham Palace in which the childlike concoction known as Frobscottle is and in doing so, highlights Spielberg’s knack for physical comedy. 

A common feature of Dahl’s literature was his previously mentioned knack for creating rich and vibrant characters. With the exception of  the two leads, this highlights another issue with the retelling as all supporting characters feel somewhat under developed leading to a less enveloping journey. 

One particularly loyal aspect of the 1989 animated film was the representation of the sheer fearsomeness of the nine antagonist giants who stand much taller than our hero with the leader reaching fifty feet high. In both the novel and animated version, the menacing personalities of these villains come through as well as their atrocious act of eating little “chiddlers”. In Spielberg’s take, whilst a demolition derby style game in Giant Country is all very well and good, there is never really a sense of fear created from these monsters with only the leader of the brutish bunch Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) gaining a full speaking role. This effect also spills onto the human supporting characters somewhat as the likes of Mary the maid (Rebecca Hall), Mr Tibbs (A seemingly accent muddled Rafe Spall) and The Queen (Penelope Wilton) are somewhat all too brief. As the meeting of these characters occurs within the third act of the film, the ending feels something of a rush as the well remembered capturing of the giants is seemingly brushed over within five minutes, further leaving the actual threat of the giants in an even more questionable state. 

As a fan of Brian Cosgrove’s darker 1989 adaptation, I went into Spielberg’s ‘The BFG’ with a certain expectation in receiving visual flair with very much the right BFG at its core. In Rylance that rings true as do the visuals in the first Dahl adaptation to receive the CG treatment. Whilst it may not stand as the best adaptation, (a position I feel is somewhat tied between Wes Anderson’s ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ and Mel Stuarts classic ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”) it certainly contains the best of both Dahl and Spielberg’s themes of spectacle and social outcasts coming together in a visually stimulating if somewhat steady paced picture. 

"I cannot be right all the time. Quite often I is left instead of right" - BFG

'THE NICE GUYS' REVIEW

Release Date: Friday the 3rd of June (UK Release)

Directed By: Shane Black

Written By: Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi 

Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling and Angourie Rice

Distributed By: Warner Brothers

As something of the go to guy when thinking of the Buddy Cop subgenre, Shane Black returns (from flying high with the third instalment of the Iron Man Franchise), back to where he began as he spins a tale of murder, mystery and mismatched cops.

In the ever vibrant and at times violent world of late seventies Los Angeles, morally transparent Private Investigator Holland March (Gosling) is on the case of a missing girl associated with the recent death of porn star Misty Mountains. Here he meets gruff and grumbling unlicensed P.I. Jackson Healy (Crowe) whom, following a brief spat; team up and set out on a case which will go much further up the chain than expected. Aiding the two along the way is March's sharp and sassy adolescent daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) who sreves as the moral compass for both her single father and his equally lonesome new partner. Together the two men must uncover the reasoning behind missing girl Amelia Kuttner (Margaret Qualley) before it's too late. 

Having been introduced in as one of the new Hollywood Heartthrobs when first rising to fame, Ryan Gosling has already attempted to shake off the stereotype with roles such as the almost silent driver in Nicholas Winding Refn's 'Drive' as well as his upcoming lead role in Ridley Scott's untitled Blade Runner sequel. This typecast smashing continues to great effect here as Gosling's comic chops are displayed with great success as he harks back to the silent era stars Keaton and Chaplin including a stand off whilst caught short in a toilet cubicle as well as slipping and falling throughout the narrative, at times leading to a clue in the case. His slapstick schmuck persona becomes a little more layered by the relationship he has with his 13 year old daughter who also serves as his carer at times. This is juxtaposed by Crowe's chubby, heavy handed Healy who chooses to sort his business mainly with his fists. Starting as something of a cardboard cut out of the brawn of the pairing, (who is trying to get on the wagon following a split from his partner) Healy quickly becomes the brains too as well as someone to help ground Gosling's March, as indeed his approach to the case is much more professional, if somewhat marred with the occasional right hook. Serving as the glue for the chalk and cheese pairing however is Rice's Holly who is sure to go far following this performance of a smart and independent daughter who isn't afraid to vent her emotions to Healy, (in turn forming a strong bond between the two) nor is she shy of verbalising her unhappiness of her fathers line of work, deeming him "The worst detective in the world". 

Having concocted two of cinema's most iconic cop team ups with 'Lethal Weapon' in 1987,Shane Black prolific skill at bringing the buddy cop genre into the limelight was displayed again with writing credits on 1991’s ‘The Last Boy Scout’ before stepping into the directors chair with his debut ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’. It is the latter which draws the most similarities here with Gosling and Crowe replacing Downey Jr. and Kilmer. The premise of these two could be considered symmetrical including the event which brings the two together, in classic Neo Noir fashion the mysterious death of a young girl. The mismatched protagonist theme is also clear with the two almost forced to work together despite having near polar opposite personalities. The well trodden trope still shows to be a success however as despite elements of similar narrative beats including a heavily extravagant party in which a comic beatdown occurs. Along side the visual stimulus of the somewhat picturesque world of Hollywood in the late seventies is Black’s classically slick writing which allows the film to zip along at a smooth yet swift pace. This includes of course his somewhat niche brand of comedy which opens the doors for numerous bouts of near vomiting whenever March encounters blood, as well as luring the audience into believing how a scene will platy out, only for Black to take a sharp left and instead reveal a much more inventive aspect to the story. 

Given the obvious influences of his previous work such as ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ and ‘Lethal Weapon’, Black’s latest Crime Caper also invokes an aesthetic feel of Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Boogie Nights’ with a large portion of the story taking place around the porn industry which could also be one of the films weweaknesses. Although with the backdrop of the porn industry abundantly clear, there are moments where the representation of said ‘actresses’ has varying degrees of success, indeed within the first few minutes of the film, the slow reveal of an important female character (though played with a seeming comic approach) walks the fine line between tragic irony and borderline leering. That by no means is a fundamental issue as any misogynistic worries were swiftly left at that two minute mark, due to the fact that Angourie Rice’s Holly makes such an impact, easily matching Gosling’s unquestionably strong performance. Black himself also stated ‘The Pink Panther’ as a heavy influence, becoming clearer as the titular Nice Guys progress in the case, breakthrough after breakthrough with Gosling quickly emulating Inspector Cleuso, leaving Healy as a hard boiled Chief Inspector Dreyfus.

Another notable factor throughout his films is the consistent hark back to film making as a theme, with ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ looking at Hollywood itself, ‘The Nice Guys’ follows suit as the notable passion for celluloid becomes a key plot point, giving the viewer a deeper thematic construct for those looking for more than a action comedy which is well balanced with both. 

As a director who has been in the industry as long as he has, it is a welcome feat that Black still has a passion for stories of this nature as Hollywood has now become a franchise magnet, with reboots and sequels the order of the day, every day. Although his hand print was notable in ‘Iron Man 3’ (to questionable effect), Black is at home focusing on murky characters with a darkly comic twist. With his next project delving into the long lasting ‘Predator’ franchise, it’s clear Black may be on the way up in which case who can tell whether the likes of this smart, smooth and scintillating picture will be seen again. If not it would without doubt be a great shame. 

"So you're telling me, you made a porno where the point is the plot?" - Holland March

'MONEY MONSTER' REVIEW

Release Date: Friday the 27th of May (UK Release)

Directed By: Jodie Foster

Written By: Jamie Linden and Alan DiFiore

Starring: George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O'Connell

Distributed By: Tristar Pictures

At a time when the bashing of Wall Street seems to be ever present in some form at the cinema, with the likes of Adam Mckay's biographical comedy 'The Big Short' receiving multiple accolades this year, what a more appropriate time for Jodie Foster to shake up her previous work by adding Political Thriller 'Money Monster' to her portfolio.

Beginning in the hectic and fluid world of daytime television, we are introduced to Clooney's energetic host Lee Gates, star and face of somewhat trashy money show 'Money Monster'. Remniscent of something dreamed up by Donald Trump, the highlights include Jordan Belfort esque explanations on the stock market jarred with the occasional burst of scantily clad ladies (Classy right?). Overseeing the entire broadcast is studio director Patty Fenn (Roberts) whom is on the final few days of work before moving to another company. The show is somewhat quickly halted by the arrival of manic gunman Kyle Budwell (O'Connell) who arrives with a burning temper and a home made bomb vest. With a recent investment gone awry, Budwell wants answers as Gates and himself race to get the answers, before the authorities can resolve the situation. 

From the opening scene, it is quite clear that Clooney is thoroughly enjoying himself in the role with effortless manor as he exudes charisma, paired with the borderline cliche of a man who appears to have everything but the little things that make it all worthwhile. The front which we see during the live broadcast however (reminiscent of De Niro's Rupert Pupkin in Scorsese's 'King of Comedy') quickly evaporates with the arrival of O'Connell's Kyle who soon pushes past the predictable highly strung everyday man to soon represent the pent up frustration of an entire class. Displaying the snarling aggression present in one of his earliest leading roles 'Starred Up', O'Connell also attempts to hit the empathetic punches of Pacino's Sonny in 'Dog Day Afternoon' (A clear template for not only his character but also the thematic construct of the narrative) with questionable effect. 

Roberts' overseeing of the entire event unfold primarily from the confined space of a control room has little to no screen time with the two leads but by no means has less involvement, speaking to Gates via an earpiece, she quickly takes to the situation as her position would entail and begins to direct the scenario unfolding as though it were just another day at the office, bringing to mind the performance of Faye Dunaway's Diana Christensen in Lumet's Newsroom satire 'Network'. Supporting this hefty cast is Giancarlo Esposito, here very different from his magnetically menacing performance as Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad as the officer in charge of the hostage rescue situation. Domonic West also appears as the head of the company who's stock crash has caused this entire palaver, compiling all the predictable tropes of a less than three dimensional corporate stooge. 

In her somewhat short list of previous work, Foster has tackled a range of thematic constructs with the likes of her previous film, the tonally trust up 'The Beaver' looking at the heart of depression with a somewhat quirky twist, along with the internal struggles of a single parent trying to do whats best for her genius son in her 1995 debut 'Little Man Tate'. In 'Money Monster' however, Foster aims to tackle less intimate themes and for the first time enter the realm of satire.

Despite its somewhat threatening premise, 'Money Monster' flows with unpredictable and at points jarring comic beats, the set up of Lee Gates' titular show a prime example. The message is nothing particularly groundbreaking, indeed certain beats seen decades ago in the likes of 'Network, with the publics desensitisation to lives at risk and the prospect of a man being executed on live television. The ideal of one individual representing the ideals of thousands is also a common trope in modern cinema though in my eyes championed by Pacino’s performance in ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ which O’Connell’s performance never seems to reach despite great effort. The final and possibly most important theme of corporate greed being a despicable act (Duh) is undoubtedly clear at the crux of the narrative but makes for a somewhat predictable payoff in the third act. 

All things considered, ‘Money Monster’ has nothing new to say on a thematic level, but the execution of the narrative progression makes for an entertaining and at times thrilling watch. With all performers bringing their all with what they are given, Clooney and O’Connell’s onscreen chemistry is apparent and I hold out hope for a future collaboration of some form. For me however its Roberts’ headstrong and sharp witted Patty Fenn who stands out whilst not being in the midst of the chaos yet is utterly somewhat in control the entire time. Whilst not an entire success, this stands out as Foster’s best directorial work so far and holds promise for more collaborations between O’Connell and Clooney.

"They literally own the airwaves. They literally control the information, but not today" - Kyle Budwell