The Hummingbird Project: Film Review

The Hummingbird Project: Film Review

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgaard, Salma Hayek
Director: Kim Nguyen

Eisenberg and Skarsgaard team up in this seems-like-it's-true story of two cousins, who work in the high frequency trading market.

Eisenberg is Vinny Zaleski, a dreamer who has a vision of building a pipe across America to get the futures stocks before anyone else, and therefore make more money. A balding Skarsgaard is the more introverted Anton, a coder and over-thinker whose job it is is to shave vital milliseconds off the travelling data tube.

As they put in motion the plans for their fibre-optic dreams, reality starts to intrude - and their former boss (Hayek, in greying wig) starts to take them on.

The Hummingbird Project is a film that's a little too dry to engage in its obvious underdog trappings.

Eisenberg brings his trademark fast patter and slightly annoying edges to Vinny, resulting in an ingenue that's hard to back from the off. Equally, Skarsgaard is so dialled down in his closed down Anton that his spouting about neutrinos and milliseconds is enough to make you detach completely.

These are characters that you don't fully engage in and at times, in this story where you want the underdog to win, it's a crippling factor.

That's not to say Nguyen doesn't deploy the film with a degree of skill; it just occasionally could have used a little more urgency. Though, in fairness, this is a film that's more interested in the two main characters rather than supporting players. Unfortunately, their surface deep personalities don't add much to the mix.

A little more depth over why Vinny is so driven would have helped, and could have lifted The Hummingbird Project into something of the realm of the truly thrilling, as opposed to the occasionally drab.

They Shall Not Grow Old: Blu Ray Review

They Shall Not Grow Old: Blu Ray Review

Sir Peter Jackson's harrowing, haunting and ultimately humbling documentary about those who went off to World War I is a must-see.

Recolouring footage from the museums and using archive interviews, Jackson pulls together a coherent narrative and fascinating portrait of army life.

The coup de grace comes when the "weedy, sallow, skinny children" are brought to life with colour, their time in the trenches imbued with pathos as well as pastels.

Jackson's to be lauded for not shying away from the brutalities of war either - bodies are seen, flies hanging around them and blood staining their clothes; every moment is writ through with humility and humanity.

Not once do the filmmakers resort to cheap tricks to bring their story to life. Respectfully selecting clips and chat with the soldiers, there's a veracity in They Shall Not Grow Old which is hard to ignore.

An essential viewing experience, They Shall Not Grow Old is the gold standard of war documentary making. By keeping every single face alive, and by never shirking from the horror (a returned soldier from the front walks past the camera, his hands visibly trembling), the film's an urgent portrayal of war life and a humbling salute to the bravery of those involved.

Mortal Kombat 11: PS4 Review

Mortal Kombat 11: PS4 Review

Developed by Netherrealm Studios
Released by Warner Bros Studios
Platform: PS4

Brutally engaging and OTT violent, Mortal Kombat 11's back to fighting form with a game that's as immersive as it is obsessed with blood and gore.

Following the MO of previous games and beat-em-ups like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat 11's story is about a corrupted Raiden who wants to protect Earth from her enemies anyway he can. And that involves fists and all manner of moves.

To be honest, the Mortal Kombat 11 game isn't really about story, and while that side of the game's competently handled, it has to be said the simplicity and relative fluidity of the game's moves make this more accessible than before to those who've never handled a brawler before.

With a roster of some 25 characters and some new and old favourites, it's clear Netherrealm's gone to extremes to make sure this covers all the bases in terms of popular appeal.

Tutorials are easy to navigate and prevent you from being overwhelmed with moves. The fighters handle themselves well and the game generally extends a hand to all, before bashing them to a pulp.

There's a lot of gratuity in the finishing moves, and while these are fun to start off with, after the umpteenth time of seeing them, the appeal's lost a little and the game flounders for something new to offer.

Small changes to previous iterations have meant a bit of an overhaul for the franchise, and while hardened Kombaters may find that frustrating, the open approach does work for newbies simply wanting to get involved.

Ultimately, Mortal Kombat 11 delivers the required amount of bash, offers a definite amount of development dash and will satiate those looking for a brawler with flair.

Brightburn: Film Review

Brightburn: Film Review

Cast: Elizabeth Banks, David Denham, Jackson A Dunn
Director: David Yarovesky

More than just its idea of what if Superman was bad one shot comic foundations, horror Brightburn is a slow-burning claustrophobic film that plays with the puberty tropes and chilling edges.

Banks and Denham are Tori and Kyle Breyer, haunted by infertility and proffered hope when a spaceship crashes to Earth at the back of their farmyard. (So far, so Smallville).

Growing up loved, Brandon (Dunn, at times distant, and other times intense and unsettling) takes a turn for the worse on the cusp of his 12th birthday with something awakening deep inside of him.

Brightburn's a taut and occasionally frightening film, with jumps coming from the atmosphere of unease spun by Yarovesky.

Sure, it mixes edges of The Omen with Chronicle, flirts with the Smallville origins, and plays a little too close with its core small cast of characters, but within its 90 minute run time, it offers up something that's a mix of originality with a dash of We Need to Talk About Kal-El than anything.

It messes with the innocence of boys, and plays on the fact their nature can turn, regardless of whether the love is there or not. It's a nice twist on the concept, and Banks sells it well, always wanting to believe the best of their gift from the skies.

While Yarovesky's to be applauded for being less interested in setting up the mythology of where Brandon's from, and concentrating more on the jolts and creepier edges, there's definitely a feeling that Brightburn could expand further (though a final reel moment seems misjudged in the wash) and provide more than just a take on skewed adolescence.

Ultimately, Brightburn delivers on its premise within a brisk run time and works well due to the mother / son relationship, as well as the Take The World storyline that develops.

It may be criticised for some of its more open edges, but in truth, what's laid out on the screen is smartly executed, and riveting, in spite of some minor narrative flaws.

Aladdin: Film Review

Aladdin: Film Review

Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari
Director: Guy Ritchie

As the House of Mouse continues to plunder its own back catalogue for a seemingly never-ending list of live-action remakes, Guy Ritchie's Aladdin emerges as the latest contender.

Following the 1992 story down to a tee, it's the tale of street rat Aladdin (Massoud, largely wooden other than in interactions with the genie) who parkours through the bazaars picking up goods where he can to exchange for food.

When Aladdin meets Princess Jasmine (Scott, given a moment of empowerment towards the end) he's smitten. But before he can act on this, he's stolen away by the villainous Jafar (Kenzari, muted, but for reasons that are obvious next to Smith's genie) to steal a lamp from a mysterious cavern....

Guy Ritchie and the team behind Aladdin don't do anything to radically tamper with the formula, instead adding embellishments and Ritchie's patented slow-mo action sequences to street escapes.

The slowing down and speeding up of portions of the action (such as it is) adds to a sense of style and individuality that 2019's Aladdin has. The arrival of Prince Ali is more OTT Bollywood reveal now, and the costuming pops with colours and vibrancy.

But the film's nothing without its genie. And in truth, Will Smith delivers a different performance than Robin Williams' iconic and much-loved Genie. Less Williams, more Fresh Prince-cum-Big Willy style, Smith's charismatic in the role, and cartoony when needed. He elevates every scene he's in, and certainly Massoud, while looking the part, sparkles more in his interactions with the genie than through the rest of the film.

It's not damning Aladdin's 2019 iteration to say it's all right - while some may lament Jafar's apparently less villainous outing this time around, it's hard to go up against the energy of Will Smith's genie and not suffer. Anything OTT for the villain would have rendered this cartoon-like and that's not what the live-action films need to be - they need to have their own individuality.

At its heart though, Aladdin is a family film that hits the fun needed and is never better than its original songs like Friend in Me, which have stood the test of time.

It may not be a Whole New World for the audience familiar with the original, but it does offer a chance for a new audience to engage with it and while it's a little overlong at 2 hours, it's largely entertaining popcorn family fare throughout.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote: Film Review

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote: Film Review 

Cast: Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Olga Kurylenko
Director: Terry Gilliam

Once upon a time, Terry Gilliam was creatively ruined by this film, a stuck in production hell piece about Don Quixote.

Finally, it sees the light of air.

Adapted from Miguel de Cervantes classic novel, and starting with the phrase, "25 years in the making and in the unmaking", it's the story of Adam Driver's Toby, a cynical advertising director, who finds himself trapped in the outrageous delusions of an old Spanish shoe-maker who believes himself to be Don Quixote (Jonathan Pryce).

As he negotiates the relationship, his grip on reality comes and goes.

There's a large degree of folly in The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, a movie that meanders and rambles as much as it crumbles with the weight of expectation.

It starts off well, with Driver's Toby losing command of a shoot bringing parallels to Gilliam's problems with shooting the film. And Pryce delivers a masterful turn as a man whose grip of what's going on is simply lost.

There are many parallels here - it's almost as if Pryce's Quixote is the perfect film, lurching back and forth from the grasp of Toby's director, hinting at what could be and sucking him in with his delusions. Maybe Gilliam was too close to this for too long, but The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is a film that's bathed in pretensions and threatens to get too close to delirium.

There are moments of humour throughout, and Driver's a likeable enough lead to pursue this film down the rabbit hole, but ultimately, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is a film that just tests the patience rather than fully embracing what it could have been.

Rocketman: Film Review

Rocketman: Film Review

Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Madden
Director: Dexter Fletcher

The musical biopic is so hot right now.

On the coat-tails of Bohemian Rhapsody, its global success and its unexpected awards success, it's no surprise that Rocketman arrives in cinemas with a weight of expectation.

With its more verite approach thanks to singing actors, rather than a performer miming, Dexter Fletcher re-teams with his Eddie The Eagle co-star Taron Egerton to take on the story of one Reg Dwight.

Beginning with the neglect in his childhood from his father and distant mother, to the discovery of his piano skills through to the tales of excess and stardom, Fletcher weaves an interesting tapestry of Elton John's life from the early years.

It's crowd-pleasing, conventional, and in the latter stages, somewhat camp, but never anything less than a spectacle.

Fletcher knows what the tropes of the genre are (early childhood adversity, self-doubt, midlife adversity, lovers adversity and ultimately self-acceptance) and skirts through them with ease.

At times, this is both a good and a bad thing for Rocketman, with the film feeling very much like outside of Elton John himself, it  skirts over some character edges, which is much to its detriment. (The only female character of note is John's grandmother).

Even the darkness of Elton John's life are given a light touch, but are never shied away from, as Fletcher pulls what could easily be a stage show, framed as it is with John's AA group confessional, into something that becomes a jukebox piece tale of acceptance, dishing out the hits when the energy hits a lull (as it does in the final third).

In truth, Rocketman is never better than when it's a balls-to-the-wall brazen musical.

From the younger version of Elton John bursting through a pub and segueing into Egerton's look to Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, to John's Troubador club appearance in the US where the music literally lifts the audience through euphoria, via Pinball Wizard's swirling piano as the film shuffles through numerous outfits and John's need to be his on-stage persona cycles through, Fletcher's smart enough to deploy some visual flourishes to keep the film engaging as the energy levels teeter dangerously high to exuberant.

It's less successful in some of the more human elements - but not because of Egerton's efforts as Elton John.

Moments when Elton interacts with his stifled father desperate for love are given a tremendous resonance in their brief outings. And while Richard Madden brings a dangerous smouldering to his manager-cum-lover, it's Egerton who sells the relationship with the most subtle of touches.

Ultimately, much like Bohemian Rhapsody, it won't matter what critics make of Rocketman.

In places, it soars, a spectacle of a tried-and-tested story of acceptance; elsewhere, it's grounded. But audiences will adore its commitment to being crowd-pleasing, its desire to entertain and its salutation to the early part of the Elton John legacy.