Marval Movie

When people are treated badly it builds up resentment and anger and usually leads to them talking that out on other people. When they get treated with kindness they usually are themselves kinder people and interact more positively with others. It is difficult to break the cycle of cruelty and it's not always the case of being kind to a person will make them kind also.

Our story stars with Three Billboards that are dilapidated because so few drive down the road because of the new highway. This goes noticed by Mildred (Francis McDormand). She goes to the office that owns the billboards and hires them out for a year (after clarifying that neither anything inflammatory or swear words can be on them) she gives a paper of what to put on them. While driving past, local police officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell) sees the first one that says "How come, Sheriff Willoughby?" the second reads "And still no arrests?" the third one "Raped while dying."

Francis McDormand has more than a few great roles under her belt (Marge Gunderson in Fargo is probably the greatest example) and this is another. Mildred Hayes is completely steadfast in her belief in putting those billboards up. Others come to to persuade or intimidate and she is indentured. Along with that she is written with plenty of wit and gets to show beautiful vulnerability which makes her a completely fully realized character.

Writer and director Martin McDonagh has always made funny movies that are built on heavy emotional themes. I would classify both of his two previous movie as comedies. Here, instead of the comedy being more forefront, it is used to pepper some of the scenes. A scene either opens on a joke, is inserted in the middle or ends on it. This is a dark comedy (emphasis on the dark) but because of the very serious subject matter I doubt that people will be talking much about the laughs they had (they are here though).

McDonagh has been criticized for his portrayal of women in his previous work (which he made into a bit of a recurring gag in Seven Psychopaths), they were mostly gorgeous and either got beaten and/or killed (not very progressive). Here is a woman who's story it is, who is the one that kicks off the story and holds true throughout it. This is indeed an amendment on his previous work.

The writing on the boards and revealing the details of why is merely our set-up. From there we get even deeper into the characters and the plot takes at least two brave turns. We have fun and moving moments with Sheriff Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) and Officer Dixon which are a mix of funny and poignant.

Through the movie we get well composed portrayals of people living their lives and how if you deal with people nicely they will probably repay that with kindness, if not then they'll be bad to you or most certainly to someone else and then we'll all be alone.

Rating: 4 stars out of 4

Aardman don't make animated movies like others. They are not Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks or Laika. They specialize in stop-motion and are known for their simple characters and plots but packing them with charm and creativity.

They take the familiar and layer it with the fantastical that animation can bring to things. In Early Man it is essentially a turf war story over a game of football, but told in the age of cavemen. Our story opens in Manchester when dinosaurs were still walking around and cavemen were also present. A meteor hits the Earth and wipes out the dinosaurs and the cavemen merely get pushed back by the blast (I feel there are some scientific inaccuracies here). The meteor is rather perfectly round shaped and the cavemen develop the game of football and make their home in the crater it causes. All this information is achieved without dialog.

A few years later and the descendants of the original tribe that lived there have forgotten about the game but are happily living their lives by hunting rabbits. The young Dug however believes that they are capable of more, like hunting mammoths. But one day big mammoths come marching in with plating on them, people get out and one of them is Lord Nooth that proclaims "The age of stone is over. So begins the age of bronze." Dug's tribe is powerless to fight them off but through story conveniences he learns about football and challenges the bronze people to a game.

Aardman have always been able to come up with creative visuals within their story. For example how does Cavemen alarm system work without electricity? Or where do sneakers come from? What exercise equipment can you get from this early age? There are answers to these and more and they're all funny.

Behind the puppets are some stars but the way they are cast and perform you would never guess. The performances themselves area good no matter who's behind them. Some characters are able to have a mix of sharp wit and being a dullard the next moment. Other characters are more basic and have a few lines to read and they don't really go through an arc, but they read their lines well. But back to the matter at hand, I would have never guessed that Eddie Redmayne played Dug or Tom Hiddleston Nooth or it was Maisie Williams playing Goona. I guess it's a testament to their talent and versatility.

The story is simple to grasp, the characters are not complex and everything has a lot of effort put into it by refined craftsmen. Young children will almost definitely be entertained by the falling down, expressive faces and easy narrative. Adults will find enough wit and winks to keep them happy in their seats during the run time.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4

Horror works best when the frightening moments are left in the blank spaces. We can have scream's and see horrific sights but the elements that truly grip us are what we do not see or the things that go by unexplained and we are left to conjure the terrifying within our own minds. The Secret of Marrowbone uses this as the launching point to hook us as audience members and keep us watching through the experience.

A family enters a run-down old mansion way out in the middle of the countryside. The mother marks a line in the dust and says once they cross it all things before will be forgotten and this is their new start, especially Father. The family is Jack (George MacKay) the eldest at twenty years old, Billy (Charlie Heaton) the angsty younger brother, Jane (Mia Goth) the peacemaker and little Sam (Mathew Stagg). They live in the house under the name Marrowbone, fix up the house and have a fun time, one day out all of the children meet Allie (Anya Taylor-Joy). Meanwhile, the mother is getting sicker and sicker and eventually passes. If her death is known before Jack turns twenty-one the children will be put into care so it has to remain a secret. One peaceful day a shot comes through the window, Jane looks through and there is a man standing across the house, she yells, Jack runs and then it cuts to months later. This is where the movie truly begins.

Now it is months later and all the mirrors have either been removed or covered in sheets, there is a large red stain on the ceiling and they all speak of a ghost in the loft. Only Jack is allowed to venture into town for the essentials.

While in town one day he meets up with Allie and they clearly want to be together, however also on the scene is Tom (Kyle Soller) a lawyer that is also interested in Allie and is seeing to the Marrowbonbe's affairs.

The cast is one of the most solid elements of the movie. Everyone fills a certain role but they are able to reach different emotional levels, from being passive aggressive to full rage. The standout is Anya Taylor-Joy, who brings such realized, caring nature to the performance.

Some of the most effective moments of the movie are the sequences of fright. We all know them, dark room, something's in there, and somethings gonna go boo! But this movie times its shots very well and there is an appropriate amount of buildup to them. The most effective element is that there are moments when something can happen and all the air gets sucked out of the room for a few moments. Sometimes something does go boo, others nothing happens so we are always left guessing.

Within these moments are tender ones though, moments of the family having fun, joking. An entirely doom and gloom movie would ultimately become a purely depressing experience, contrast needs to happen.

By the end of the movie, all is revealed. Perhaps if all wasn't it would be a better movie, but I digress. It took me a bit to go over some of the details that didn't sit right with me immediately when everything was revealed but after going over it it does all hold up well.

The Secret of Marrowbone cuts deep by leaving you not knowing when it will cut or even what by. When it does it is sharp and efficient. It has a heart, which many horror movies lack, comes with a talented and invested cast and understands the mechanics of the genre very well. 

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 4

So this franchise train is happening whether anyone likes it or not. Some fans of this world will be along for the ride no matter what and they are legion so like the last movie it will undoubtedly due well financially. Let's proceed.

Fantastic Beasts isn't a bad concept and even then a seemingly bad concept can be elevated with great writing and craft. A character loves creatures and wants to understand and document them, being that this is a world of magic they are creatures with special designs and abilities. This could be charming, simple fun, yet for some reason, there must be a big bad and an overly complex plot throughout.

So in the first Fantastic Beasts movie, it was revealed that one of the characters was Grindelwald, a powerful wizard that seeks to elevate the wizards from their hiding. He was imprisoned in the last movie and when this one opens he escapes, obviously. Playing him is Johnny Depp and this is the best performance from him in a while, recently in his career, he's been gliding by with simply being quirky and not really giving much to his characters that made his name. He doesn't have a lot of screentime here (odd being that his character's name is in the title) and what he does I don't believe will cement him as one of the great villains of movie history, but he is much more on-point. Gracefully moves and poses like a superstar, with a sleek British accent making him a mix of charming and sinister. Along the course of the movie, he is responsible for a few deaths that cement him as a legitimate threat.

Like in the last movie we have Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, the gentle soul that is awkward around human beings but is truly at peace in the company of his magical creatures. This will probably be the character Redmayne will be most remembered for and being that he had another movie to practice he has made this role his. As soon as he is introduced he is quietly sitting by himself but begins to play with his pet stick creature, this moment of charm is what is most enduring about the character and these movies, pity the plot must butt in.

Credence, some kind of special wizard (I don't know, I still don't understand it from the last movie) is still alive and must be hunted down and killed. Also, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who has regained his memories from them being erased from the last movie is also back on the scene. So two big emotional impacts from the last movie meant nothing. Also, Newt has realized that he loves Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), this barely adds too much because with everything else going on their relationship has barely any time. The point is, everything is happening in Paris, so that is everyone gotta be.

Already the form of this franchise has become clear. Each movie will take place in an iconic city of a different country. This is to break the franchise out of the narrow view it has set up previously with just the school of Hogwarts based in England. It's not a bad way to go about it, it allows for variations with the imagery, having different cultures and keeps the characters moving.

Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, the gentle soul that is awkward around human beings but is truly at peace in the company of his magical creatures. This will probably be the character Redmayne will be most remembered for and being that he had another movie to practice he has made this role his.

Like in the last movie it is the beast themselves that are the real stars of the show. They vary in all kinds of shapes and sizes with unique movements and quirks. Some are majestic, others are cute and will most likely make great toys while others are frightening. The actors themselves do a convincing job of seeming like they're interacting with these C.G.I. creations that aren't really there in front of them.

It must be pointed out that the people working on the visuals for these movies are some of the best in the business. From the costumes, the sets, props and digital animation there is so much effort and care put into all the stitching of the clothes, the details in each wizards distinctive wand and the numerous digital animations they have to create, these people are great craftsmen.

However, while the movie was playing out and we saw all these special effects and at one point a vertical and rotating library I was thinking "So what."It felt like a case of the tail wagging the dog, rather than the image be built on a point or lyrical meaning it just seems like someone in one of their departments said "Hey wouldn't this be cool!" and they decided to incorporate it into the movie.

Near the end, the main detriment of the last movie happens again, in which they come out and hit you with a revelation that comes out of nowhere. While it was playing out I did not understand it at all, I was so confused. I understand going into it and understand what comes of it, but the in's and outs of the details were a complete blur. Characters you don't know get named fast in a complicated series of events that is like an entire Agatha Christie novel told to us within the course of three minutes. When it was done I felt like the movie stopped, slapped me in the face with needless complexity, then carried on its merry way.

In terms of a tone that runs through the movie and plot structuring with things being set up and coming back or a visual that pay off later this is a more solid movie than the first, so maybe by the end of these five movies, we will have a really good experience on our hands. It is still troubled but less so.

Another glaring dilema with this franchise, which is much more obvious now that other familiar characters from the Harry Potter franchise are introduced is that the outcome of all the drama is already known. We know Dumbledore (Jude Law) wins and is alive and well at the end, Grindelwald loses, so why are we here?

Well, the first movie had its charm and was competent in the mechanics of filmmaking and had great artists to bring the world to life, but light tones of Newt and Kowalski shenanigans mixed with the dark unpleasant and complex elements also going on made it a confused package. This time around more is fixed and the tone is consistent. Though a few improvements on a not very good product don't make a very good product, just a lesser mess.

Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of 4

If you take the beautiful visual esthetic from Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and populate it with the jumping madness of Terry Gilliam characters with a few pinches of sharply worded obrolan from other pieces, then you might get the closest thing to a grasp on The Favourite.

There's something about historical dramas that are based on real people with beautifully crafted costumes, make-up and painterly composed shots that make you think that you are in for a quiet time with plenty of manners. This mentality is probably why the movie is so striking in the first place. Because though it takes place within a palace, has queens and high social standing people, this is a story of ego, treachery and deplorable that is just as shocking now as it would have been them.

The story opens in 1708 and Britain is in the middle of a war with France, Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman) reigns and is none too interested in the minute details of the war or even ruling the country, more about having hot chocolate (which upsets her stomach), playing with her seventeen rabbits and building a castle for her dear Sarah (Rachel Weisz). Sarah is best friends with Queen Anne and has her ear and those with the queen's ear has her power. She uses this to extend the war with France and make other manipulations like raising the local tax rate. Opposing many of Sarah's decisions is Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult), the Earl of Oxford.

Arriving however is Abigail (Emma Stone), a lady whose father lost the family fortune and lost her in a bet so she is down on luck and is seeking employment as the help in the palace. She and Sarah are distant cousins so she gets a position in the kitchen.

It is then revealed that the relationship between Anne and Sarah is not strictly platonic, but they do go to bed with each other. Abigail learns this and seeks a way to climb back to a position of power, by becoming the queens new favorite (hence the title). She makes allegiances with Harley and pays the queen flattering complements, unlike Sarah that is entirely honest with her when her new makeup makes her look like a badger or denies her hot chocolate.

The setting is politics and power, therefore the characters use their words like swords. There are eloquent back and forths between characters that implies ruin for the other or powerful allegiances to be made and sometimes when the other is obviously defeated they simply blatantly swear into the others face.

Director Yorgos Lanthimos has a reputation of being bold, masterful as well as delightfully insane. He made a name for himself in 2009 with Dogtooth about a family where they keep the children separated from the rest of the world and then went on to gather critical acclaim through The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. I have actually never seen one of his movies before but have been aware of him. This was both a surprise as well as everything I was expecting by what I had learned about him.

Cinematographer Robbie Ryan utilizes wide angle lenses to capture as much of the characters and the set in all it's detail, along with this are a few atmospheric slow panning shots, scenes lit by fire or candlelight that invoke Barry Lyndon and a few times where the fish-eye lens is utilized to make the whole image appear warped.

History is filled with wonderful stories about people in a position of power rose to it or kept it through deceptive and cutthroat means. But history is history and a movie is a movie and can always do with a little bit of embellishing to spice it up. The Favourite takes the names and positions from actual history and fills in the blank spaces with what if's that only an insane person would conceive. To be sure Lanthimos is insane, however, he is also brilliant.

Rating: 4 stars out of 4

Myths and fables are the cornerstones of great narratives. For, if no other reason, they are the oldest stories to survive the test of time. They are journeys and battles of good and evil and are basic but deep so you can throw almost any coat of paint on them you want and they still ring the same emotional core. Not all though have to be set in ancient times. An essence of a story can be picked up and put in almost any aesthetic or time period. Take Star Wars, for example, dark lords, a princess in peril, it takes place a long time ago in a place far, far away, its a fairytale with a science-fiction setting. The Kid Who Would Be King knows this and takes one of the oldest (as well as British) myths and puts it into our modern kurun with a few new twists and turns.

The tale begins by telling the tale. Literally, the movie opens with a storybook opening and seeing illustrations and narration telling the tale of King Arthur, how it was a time of chaos and dark forces were on the rise and the people needed leadership, so came a young boy named Arthur that pulled the sword from the stone and became king of the land. But his stepsister Morgana was warped by greed and jealousy and sought to take the throne for herself, so Arthur, along with his wizard Merlin battled her and then banished her deep within the earth, but she vowed to return when the land is sick and the people are divided. Then we pull out of the book and are now in modern times.

We see a young boy named Alex Elliot (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) who is late for school (as it seems all leading children must be when they are the protagonist in movies). When he gets there his friend Bedders (Dean Chaumoo) is being bullied by Lance (Tom Taylor) and Kaye (Rhianna Doris), he refuses to let his friend be the victim and bushes back, resulting in all of them getting detention.

You will notice that each character is given their own color and has a unique silhouette. Such detail is important to notice and give credit to because it helps make the character instantly visually recognizable. Which, in a movie where the characters are simple and there's a lot of running about, is very important.

While running away from the bullies after detention Alex runs through a construction site. While there he sees a sword sticking out of the pillar of a building, he pulls it out and takes it home. While there he and his friend translate (through the aid of Google) the engravings on it. It read that it will be pulled out by the king of the land, they say that this must be the sword in the stone, which they laugh at the thought of. But when a strange boy suddenly enrolls in their school and one night a flaming skeleton soldier enters Alex's room, almost killing him, he starts to think that there is merit to some of this.

This strange boy is in-fact Merlin (Angus Imrie), the great wizard himself. In the actual lore, Merlin would age backward so this decision has some logic and credibility by staying true to the original mythology. Though at times he does revert into his adult form and is then played by Sir Patrick Stewart, who both seems to naturally take to playing a mighty, booming wizard and is clearly having quite a bit of fun with the role. While he is in this state he brings great gravity and seriousness to the moments, as well as comedy, though what would you expect from Stewart.

So begins the quest to train, assemble knights of the round table (that is foldable in one of their dining rooms) and defend the land against evil. It's a classic tale that has been told again and again and holds up. What matters is if it brings something new to the table and how well it executes its concepts. As has already been made clear taking the myth and setting it in modern day is something but there are other examples of this, adding all the modern pop culture references is something though I feel these are more of a deterrent to the movie. They are just there for kids to hear and think "Hey they said that thing I like, yay!" It is something that adds no real substance to the material and will most likely date it terribly, though this is a movie for children and it never forgets that so maybe I'm being too hard on it.
Writer-Director Joe Cornish seems to have found his niche in modernizing fables. His first movie Attack the Block, which I greatly enjoyed, was essentially a fable, just told in modern London with Aliens thrown into the mix. He writes fast-talking, personality-infused characters, with plenty of humor sprinkled about and always stays true to the emotional core of the whole project. If you enjoy the work of Edgar Wright (who Cornish has been writing partner to for many projects), particularly his Cornetto Trilogy, then this is the type of humor, style, and a journey that will appeal to you.

If there's a definite weak element to the movie it is the acting. These are not great child actors, they are the overreacting type you often get from child actors. When they are shocked or surprised their mouths hang open and eyebrows raise, when they are upset the eyebrows go down and they pout their lips. Though I must give credit to Serkis, who is able to convey pain just through an expression and without dialog. The best actor within the movie is Sir Patrick Stewart but that seems unfair to compare these children to this well-experienced master of his craft.

I appreciate the incorporation of real problems with these characters. Some are insecure, or have to face truths about the world is harder than they'd like it to be. This grounds it and adds weight to the story, it makes the characters real in a way that goes beyond simply having them say what their favorite drink or color is.

This is one of the oldest stories ever told. About a land in need of a satria and a sword chooses the said hero, about dark forces and a group that unites to slay it. it stays true to that core and wraps it in modern day with the lingo and names so that the youth will find it easy to connect with. It does its job well and distinguishes itself while doing it.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4

Let's be honest, we know wrestling is fake, or at least scripted. But people buy into it because of the drama, conflict, and flash. We get invested in the narrative and the showmanship. Much like any other dramatic performance, we become engaged through the sincerity and all the flash and color just make it more interesting.

Fighting with my Family is another family drama movie about the pursuit of a dream but with the unique twist of populating it with characters that aren't weird, but unconventional and rather rough around the edges. We open with a little boy watching wrestling on the TV, his sister changes the channel so she can watch Charmed, for this he puts her in a headlock, Dad (Nick Frost) walks in and does not break them up but instructs the boy on how to properly put her into a headlock, then Mother (Lena Headey) enters telling her to get out of it by herself. Both mum and dad are wrestlers and are heads of a local wrestling company, very low scale and just about getting by though they aren't above doing some dodgy things to bring in some extra cash. Tonight they need an opening act so they get the kids to fight, she doesn't want to but after they promise she'll like it and it's something for the family she does. While in the ring, and they are playing their parts and she hears the crowd cheer, she does indeed embrace the act of wrestling. Cut to years later and she has truly fallen in love with wrestling and is a screaming beast while in the ring.

Her name is Saraya Knight (Florence Pugh) and she along with her brother Zak (Jack Lowden) perform their family act in their local community center or gym, wherever they can, and get by with what they have but dream of the big time. They get others involved, Zak goes out into the town and brings in the local kids the be a part of wrestling, it focuses them, builds up their teamwork skills and keeps them away from drugs and other shady activities. He even gets the boy from the neighborhood who's blind into the ring.

One night they get a call back from the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) that they have reviewed the tapes they've sent of Saraya and Zak in the ring and they've been called in to audition and that could lead to pembinaan in California.

Making two very announced appearances in the movie is Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Small independent movies have a tough time getting made so they probably needed some kind of big name behind to get the financing. Being that he is also the producer why not give him a place in the story? As has been proved with his career in the ring and in front of the movie camera he is a force of charisma, when he is on-screen it is a delight. Both times he appears is for a crucial element of the plot so it is not simply inserting an iconic celebrity to simply make the audience that's for fans gush but of structural importance to the narrative.

During the audition they are assisted by Hutch Morgan (Vince Vaughn) that is strict, to the point and easily throws around a few cutting remarks, but if they can't handle this one mans remarks how will they stand to have thousands of people screaming obscenities and booing them? In the end, Saraya and only she goes through the next round. So she has to go to California alone, but she perseveres because this is for her family.

Wrestling pembinaan doesn't just consist of getting toned, they need to learn how to communicate between each other, what moves the other is doing and how to appropriately roll with the punches and get in the right position to take a fall or catch the other. If they don't then one could break the other's nose or even cripple them. Also how to start the match by talking smack to the other wrestler to get the crowd fired up and build tension between their two characters, also how to deal with hecklers.

Taking on writing and directing duties is Stephen Merchant, most famous for being Ricky Gervais writing partner on The Office, Extras and other movies. He goes out on his own to make a movie purely that is his. Writing is definitely is the strongest ability, being able to structure a plot and infuse the characters with their unique voice and have one scene start as a comedy and then into a serious moment. He is able to make great use of visuals with the wide space of the stadium and some nice visual gags.

This is a comedy, mostly. There are some very funny moments in it but it also has deep cutting drama. You get to know these people and how they've come together through wrestling, how it's redeemed then and they've hung their entire hopes and dreams on hitting the big time and to be denied it is one of the biggest blows they can ever face.

When the big fight came for the climax of the movie (which of course was gonna be the climax of this movie) I found that I was truly engaged in it. I knew that the characters themselves were in no real risk, these were professionals, but I cared about how hard it was for them to get to this point and what victory would mean to them. I was able to understand that it was performers but able to connect with the emotional journey happening and isn't that what movies themselves are?!

Rating: 4 stars out of 4

Two sisters, one is already the queen of England, the other, younger to be the queen of Scotland. They could have both ruled peacefully throughout but pride and the manipulation and other greedy men forced conflict and led to the death of one. Mary Queen of Scots tells the story of Queen Mary (Saoirse Ronan), her arrival in Scotland and most of the events that lead to her execution, that wasn't a spoiler, by the way, its the scene that opens the movie.

Mary's boat pulls in on the isle of Scotland and her and her followers set up in a castle. Greeting her is the Erl of Moray (James McArdle) her half brother, also there is John Knox (David Tennant) the protestant cleric, he is against Mary taking up the throne because she is Catholic and after he makes this very clear and shows her little to no respect she dismisses him from her court.

As portraits and historical accounts tell us Mary was a great beauty and Elizabeth had harsher features. This is how they play it in the movie but we can clearly see that Margot Robbie is a very attractive woman in her own right. Even after she suffers an illness and has to be caked in heavy gaudy makeup we can still see through that and know she is beautiful. This is a case of the movie saying one thing while we can clearly see that this isn't the case. To Robbie's credit, this is a role where she challenges herself and does something different.  Throughout her career, she has not been content with simply relying on being one thing. She made her name as a sex bomb in The Wolf of Wall Street, became the bouncing mad Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, a manic colorful killer in Terminal and a very rough around the edges figure skater in I, Tonya. She is usually the best thing in whatever movie she's in even if the movie is less than stellar. Her she plays the iconic queen that was by all accounts fastidious and kept composure at all costs, along with her flawless English accent this is another notch on her impressive and diverse filmography.

All the actors are very good here. These are accomplished actors that have to go through multiple moods within the movie, except for Tennant who is a grumpy bearded man throughout. They adjust themselves depending on who they are talking to. Whether they are talking to an equal, someone below them, someone they're attracted to or someone who's trust they are trying to gain and after they've gained it speak to them differently.

For the historical accuracy of the movie I cannot attest to, it is one of the many periods I have a blank space on. I know a little but not in any way to call foul on. However I do not believe that matters so much, history is history and a movie needs to tell its story, for as much historical accuracy as we can get seek out of book or documentary. I have no issue with a movie taking the overall tale that really happened and tweaking it for narrative purposes, only when they insult the spirit of the real people or make something so different that they might as well have just made something original, to begin with. There is a scene near the end which I know is completely fictitious but it's fine because it serves as a correct narrative climax.

In the end, things are said and we end on the black card with white text that reads to us what happened afterward. These characters and this world never really seems to come alive, striking cinematography and intricate costumes and hair, but it's all show. The elements for a good movie are here, it just needs a breath of life within it.

Rating: 2 stars out of 4

Man from the big city that is a big shot ends up in a small town where he meets salt of the earth people and doesn't really get them, he discovered potential to sign the local musical band, but they are not interested because they don't do it for the money just for fun and love of the music, while he signs them he learns that there is more to life than being a big shot and comes round to their simple but purer ways. City people are shallow and terrible while the real people that are of true substance are in the countryside and have roots and history. This is the movie if you are interested in being surprised then turn around now and seek something else.

Hmm, thats really it, but I guess I should elaborate more.

Fisherman's Friends is one of those movies that does not get by on it's screenplay or technical feats, but through the acting and personality of the characters. On these two things it does succeed but I feel there are some major detracting factors that need to be talked about.

Some London friends get together for one of their bachelor weekends, the main characer Danny (Daniel Mays) is one of them. They go to Cornwall for a fun time, while there they spot a performance of the local grup band comprised of local fisherman and life guards. They sing Sea Shanty, a type of work song that are very old and tell stories, not like todays music or what they play in the big city thats all electronic and not about anything.

The way that the people in the city are framed is like modern dressing, up to the minute talking bussiness people that are obsessed with whatever is fashionable and are shallow, etc. etc. People that live and are successful in a city have to work very hard, it may not be the same kind of manual work in the country but it is work, true some come from privilaged backgrounds so they have it easier but they are the minority and sucsess is still not garanteed.

The overall message of this movie seems to be that having roots in one place and legacy builds character, to that I say why not travel? Traveling gives you a sense of how big the world is and expand your mentality to other peoples way of life. Not this movie though, it seems to think that you are born in one place and you set up there for life and you and your decendantmust do the same, keeo that up for six generations and you'll become a soild person. Granted it does break out of some of these ideals but it holds pretty true to it for most of the run time.

Almost every line in this is predictable. Literally, within the first thirty minutes, I was able to predict what was basically going to be said and sometimes word for word what came out of the characters mouths.

But even with all this said as the third act rolled around I must say that I found that the people had started to grow on me. They do have their charm and personality and along the way, they do get in a few jokes that are winners while even a few tender emotional moments that do indeed strike deep.

There are just about no surprises in this movie but some handsome cinematography, a few winning moments of humour and of course very good music and you have something that is worth a watch. I just wish they would have tried doing something new with the plot or at least thrown in some unconventional obrolan instead of the most conventional.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4

There is a difference between listening to an album and a greatest hits collection. An album has an idea in-mind that informs the other songs and in some cases there even a journey to be taken by listening to the whole things in order. Take for example Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars, or LOGIC Everybody. Greatest hits are just the gems, they are great listens but the whole experience is a little disjointed. ROCKETMAN, about the man and the music of Elton John, is more like a greatest hits.

Opening the movie is a hallway and emerging the door at the end is a figure backlit by heavenly light. He is dressed in a shiny, flamboyant devil costume. He marches through the hallway and enters a room where other people are sitting in a circle, he lists off his troubles, drug addict, sex addict, alcoholic, and shopaholic. He's here because he wants to get better and begins by recounting his early childhood, this sequence is segwayed by the song The Bitch is Dead (rather bitter and tasteless).

For the song sequences themselves, they are some truly out-there imagery, this movie is not interested in having the songs play over footage that is meant to a representative of the true events, they want to stylistically express it. They are beautiful, having some characters float, or go on for long uninterrupted shots and some cool things going on with the lights, these are some entertaining and stylish music videos that are inserted into the narrative.

Targon Egerton has been gathering a wide range of projects under his belt and has shown great confidence, panache in his roles, here, as well as embodying a rockstar he also provides his own singing voice to the songs. the actor

For the other characters surrounding him during his childhood he was raised by his mother (Bryce Dallas Howard) who was never the most interested in him or his needs as long as he isn't a bother, his grandmother (Gemma Jones) who by contrast does indeed fill him with love, attention, and encouragement, his father (Steven Mackintosh) who is a void of any kind of feelings towards him at all. When he breaks out into the world he discovers Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) who's a lyricist and a kindred spirit, he writes the lyrics, Elton writes the music and what a team they make! Later his path crosses with John Reid (Richard Madden) a smooth-talking, suit-wearing, talk dark and handsome entity that promises John the big time.

Just so everyone knows writing and recording a song is a lot of work and takes a very long time. From the multiple drafts of the lyrics to putting down the core music to then recording the song in its entirety (of which they do multiple times to get it right), then finally producing it in the studio. A full album takes about nine months from start to finish. These biopics would have you believe that you need to be born special, have something of significance happen to you then the song is busted out fully formed like Santas present under the tree.

What we have is a movie about a man that started, sang, got into drugs and alcohol, hit rock bottom and then bounced back, but what story are they really telling? It all seems like it's a string of events that happen, songs are played and it ends, so what.

There has got to be a better and more unique way to end a movie about a real persons life than wih black cards (maybe accompanied by pictures) with text about how they're life turned out after the movie ends.

On a personal gripe, why wasnt Are You Ready For Love in this soundtrack? Thats my favorite Elton John song and I was quite disapointed with it being left out.

In terms of watching each musical number as a music video or listening to the tracks ceperately then that is probably a fine enough experience. Though when it comes to sitting down and listening to the peice as a whole then I would say listen to albums and a find a better movie than this.

Rating: 2 stars out of 4