Nola and The Clones (Review)

Nola and The Clones (Film Review)

Directed by Graham Jones

Starring Caoimhe Cassidy

Nola and The Clones is a 2016 Irish indie film, released entirely on YouTube as part of gthe cinematic movement ''Nuascannan''. The film follows a homeless woman fleeing the societal pressures put on women. She begins to meet a series of men ''appearing strikingly similar to each other''.

The city of Dublin is depicted beautifully visually. It was surreal to recognise landmarks and buildings, but presented in such a cinematic quality.

Caoimhe Cassidy's performance is impressive. The feminist statement of her character is definitely intriguing and though-provoking, although marginally exaggerated. Cassidy is a convincing and natural actress.

The film is quite slow-burning, and very stereotypical of an indie. A minimalist plot, and old-fashioned dialogue and camera-work. The music compliments the visuals very nicely.

Although it may not interest everyone, Nola and The Clones is an Indie worth watching for those more inclined, with an interesting political message and metaphorical resonance. It's definitely worth a watch on Youtube. The entire film is available below.

7.510.

Wendy and Lucy (Review)

Wendy and Lucy (Film Review) 2008

Directed by Kelly Reichardt

Starring Michelle Williams

Wendy and Lucy follows the journey of Wendy (Michelle Williams), and her canine companion Lucy to reach utopian Alaska, where labour is supposedly in need. Kelly Reichardt brings another slow-burning introspective film, with a minimalistic plot and stellar acting.

Wendy and Lucy acts as a frighteningly honest portrayal of capitalist America. ''You can't get an address without an address. You can't get a job without a job.'' This piece brings a new perspective to homelessness and poverty. Wendy is not a run-of-the-mill impoverished drug addict, she is a person with real emotions and issues, a character beautifully performed by Michelle Williams. She could simply be summarised as an unlucky person, being completely cheated by the cruelty of the American economy. It's also ironic that the addition of the dog brings more humanity to the story. There isn't much emotional release throughout the film, the constant negativity builds up in the viewer, and the character. Along with a minimalist plot, Williams' acting can be described with that exact word.

The film manages to capture the mundane landscape of the area, and create beautiful colouring and shots. Reichardt's mixture of close-ups (such as the one displayed above) and long-shots works brilliantly throughout the film. Some shots linger, and some shots are cut quickly. Overall, the film is quite slow, but I feel that this is a positive aspect to this particular film. I found the pacing to be quite strange, much like how I felt with Night Moves, but, again, this wasn't a negative. The film definitely holds back in all aspects. From the drama, plot, and the short runtime of 80 minutes.

Wendy and Lucy focuses on the reality of life. As stated, the situation which Wendy finds herself in is a realistic portrayal of the United States. Wendy's struggle stems from unluckiness, and a lack of monetary support from family. The film also highlights the realism of financial problems, and the sacrifices people must endure due to them. In this system, money is always prioritised.

In conclusion, Wendy and Lucy is a brilliant indie drama portraying the difficulties of capitalist America. Michelle Williams portrayed her intriguing character in her sleep, holding back on emotion for a final heartbreaking release.

9/10.

Rated 15, runtime 80 minutes.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Review)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Film Review) 2011

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2011 drama film directed by Lynne Ramsay, and starring Tilda Swinton, John. C Reilley, and Ezra Miller.

Eva (Tilda Swinton) lives in social seclusion following her son, Kevin's (Ezra Miller) monstrous crime. This crime against humanity is revealed near the end of the film. This puts emphasis on the aftermath of crime, rather than the crime itself, focusing solely on the psychological impact it had on Eva, and the events leading up to it. The narrative is mixed with a reverse-linear series of flashbacks leading up to the reveal, Kevin, from infancy to mid-teenage years.

The cinematography is extraordinary. The colours red and blue dictate the mood of every scene. Many colour cues are present all throughout the film, leading to very interesting analysis. The introduction scene is entirely red, a very interesting visual choice, but one that beautifully introduces the film. 

An outstanding performance from Tilda Swinton. Her character seems so genuine, and so genuinely psychologically disturbed. Likewise with Ezra Miller and Kevin. The child-actors for the flashback narrative are also great, very rare for serious films such as these. They all even look and act similar. I had no issues with John. C Reilly or any of the other cast.

The plot is skillfully constructed, along with being overall very intriguing and captivating. The film has a definite focus on psychology, exploring the reasons why Kevin committed such acts, along with the psychological damage of Eva. The question nature vs. nurture is explored throughout. Was Kevin born a psychopath, or socially excluded?

In conclusion, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a technically and visually superb film. Its exploration of psychology should intrigue those interested. The film is perfected by the performances of Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller. Overall, an excellent film.

I give We Need to Talk About Kevin 10/10.

Rated 15, runtime 112 minutes.

The Conjuring 2 (Review)

The Conjuring 2 (Film Review) 2016

The Conjuring 2 is a 2016 horror film directed by James Wan, the director of its predecessor, along with Saw and Insidious. The film stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Frances O'Connor.

The film opens with a sequence following the well-known Amityville case, which the stars of the film, the Warrens, acted as exorcists to. The sequence is interesting stylised, but lacks major creativity, repeating well-known cliches and cheap sound effects. Following this, the movie portrays a working class British family being terrorised by a ghost of a 72-year-old man.

I really enjoyed The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, likewise, but not to the exact same extent in some ways. The number of jump-scares was upped, increasing the audience's flow of adrenaline when compared the The Conjuring, but the amount of actual scares remained constant. The film displays James Wan's ability to terrify an audience, though, at times, through the use of slightly cheap means. A specific sequence involving a ''crooked-man'' comes to mind, a poorly animated and ridiculous villain. I found the sequence involving the portrait to be very creative and well-done. James Wan can clearly influence an audience. The film has a very dark and stylised look, which I really enjoyed. The feeling of anxiety is built from the beginning sequences.

The addition of romance to the film felt forced and unnecessary. I also felt that the amount of religious references (although I acknowledge how the film is very religiously based) was excessive. At times, it was reminiscent of a God's Not Dead film.

There were impressive performances from both Vera Farmiga (Lorraine Warren) and Madison Wolfe (Janet). The two son characters were extremely similar, and I actually forgot that they were two different people. Their defining features were boy-who-stutters and boy-who-does-not-stutter. The characters of the children other than Janet were very under-developed, seemingly acting solely as people to scream when the audience is supposed to replicate. I felt that the more minor characters in the original were more developed.

In conclusion, The Conjuring 2 is an enjoyable and terrifying horror film, although it can be ridiculous at times. Overall, I believe it's quite a strong sequel to the original.

I rate the film 7.5/10.

Rated 15a, runtime 135 minutes.

Warcraft (Review)

Warcraft: The Beginning (Film Review) 2016

Warcraft: The Beginning is a 2016 fantasy film directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code).

Warcraft follows an ongoing battle between the human Alliance and the orc army Horde. The Horde create a magical portal to the human realm to conquer their world.

I received free tickets to the preview of Warcraft in the Savoy, and have to say I wouldn't have gone otherwise.

Warcraft is a mindless fantasy film designed solely for fans of action or the Warcraft franchise. I don't feel the film has the ability to stand on its own due to its low quality. I found the title, ''Warcraft: The Beginning'' to be over-confident, assuming box office success and therefore a sequel. I feel that the film is too weak to perform well a second time.

The plot was underdeveloped and was got convoluted easily. At some points during the film, I dropped my concentration and missed some plot points, and I have to say that I really didn't care. The film was so unengaging that I forgot most of the characters' names and felt hardly anything towards them.

The film wasn't complete trash. While I am not a fan of the fantasy or sci-fi genre, the CGI and visual effects were quite good. I felt that some of the visual effects, such as the spells used by some characters, were very impressive. Some of the characters also had interesting CGI designs. Although, the CGI was extremely excessive at some points.

Warcraft can be described simply as fun and mindless. The former only applying if you're a massive fan of this sort of film.

I give Warcraft: The Beginning 4/10.

Runtime 123 minutes (feels twice as long), rated 12a.

Black Mirror (Review)

Black Mirror is a British anthology series by Charlie Brooker.                                                                                                                          
Each 40 minute episode follows different characters in different situations. The episodes generally follow a theme of the effect of technology on society, especially in the future. The show is constantly compared to the Twilight Zone.

Black Mirror is going to be renewed as a 12 episode Netflix show this year which I'm really looking forward to.   

Each episode is very high quality. This includes the acting, soundtrack and especially the story-lines. The stories are all very unique and interesting, and usually contain a twist. The premier follows a politician being threatened on live television, the second follows a virtual reality concept. The episodes jump from idea-to-idea very quickly, but the messages for all the episodes are still very similar. The episodes never really drop in quality, although I definitely preferred the first season. 

I would give Black Mirror 8.5/10, and would definitely recommend it.

Rated 15, runtime 42 minutes.

Drive (Review)

Drive (Film Review) 2011

Drive is a 2011 crime thriller directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling.

Drive follows a stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who also works as a criminal getaway driver.

Drive is an extremely stylised film, both the cinematography and soundtrack are very unique and give the feeling of the 80s. There's definitely a great amount of attention to detail.

I found Ryan Gosling' character's cold attitude overdone and repetitive. Although his acting was good, the character brief was dull.

The plot was engaging and didn't drop in consistency. It was filled with interesting twists and dialogue.

Overall, Drive is an excellent movie. It's very entertaining and stylistic, with a good quality cast and soundtrack.

I give Drive 8/10.

Rated 18, runtime 100 minutes