Borderlands (2024)

Borderlands is a film that seems to be destined to make peoples worst top 10 and even a few top spots. I wasn't planning on seeing this at the cinema and instead waiting for it to arrive on streaming but because of the negative reviews it was getting I thought I would go and see if it was as bad as people were making out to be. For the record, I am not an expert on video games. I played the third one many years ago but I couldn't tell you anything about it in terms of how faithful it is to the games. 

This was the first film that I have ever seen that was directed by Eli Roth. He isn't a director known for making tasteful movies. I have no intention of seeing the Hostel films or Green Inferno so I am interested in seeing the one Eli Roth film that I would want to sit through. There was one red flag before I saw the film, the screenplay is written by Roth and Joe Crombie which is a pseudonym after original writer Craig Mazin asked for his name to be taken off the screenplay because of the changes that Roth had made who in interviews said he doesn't care if the characters in the film don't match the characters in the game.

Problems with the film don't just arise with the screenplay. The film was shot in 2022 with reshoots taking place in the summer of that year. Further reshoots were done in 2023 with Tim Miller taking charge. So to say that this film had a trouble production would be an understatement so the fact the film isn't a dumpster fire of a film is quite an achievement.

THE GOOD

Jack Black is funny in this. There is a fine line between love and hate when it comes to Jack Black and the humour that came from Jack Black worked quite well in the context of this film. I also thought that Ariana Greenblatt was fun as Tiny Tina. This character could easily have been annoying but I think it was played just right and she came across well. I thought that Kevin Hart was ok as well but his character didn't seem to have too much to do and I kept forgetting he was in the film when he was off screen. 

Visually it looked similar to the Borderland games. Like I said previously, my experience of Borderlands is minimal at best but from what I do remember about the visuals ring a bell and I quite liked the way this world looked. It could have gone down the route of mimicking Mad Max but they didn't do that and that showed restraint from a director that isn't known for restraint.

THE BAD

Jamie Lee Curtis looked like she didn't know what she was saying. She never seemed like she knew what was going on and so wasn't the big name lead that she was probably hired to be. Cate Blanchett is passable as Lillith but she seems somewhat miscast and I think that whilst she had moments like when she bonded with Tiny TIna, I couldn't help feel like this would have been done better by someone else. Also Edgar Ramirez is someone who I don't know why he keeps getting cast because I never find him believable and as the guy who put Lillith on her path it seems like he was lacking any menace or have something that would make me care about him getting his comeuppance. When he get dragged into the pit at the end of the film, I found myself not really caring because neither he or the film had done anything to make me feel something 

This one is a minor bad point but its that this film also owes a debt to Guardians of the Galaxy where it had a really good soundtrack but made me appreciate how natural in felt in those films whereas in this film it feels like Eli Roth just did it because it seemed fun to do.

OVERALL

So its easy to say that this film isn't terrible. The casting lets the film down but the visuals work quite well and I seem to like it a lot more than most people did. There is very little plot in the film but whereas the characters could do a lot to make the flaws in the narrative, it fails because with the exception of Hart, Black and Greenblatt, the casting was way off for what it should have been. Not sure this film would have been improved with a different director but any plans for a future film would appear to be non-existent.

Trap (2024)

This is remarkably the first M. Night Shyamalan film I have ever seen at the cinema. It’s also one that I have been intrigued with since I saw the first trailer. Set up of the film is the Cooper (Josh Hartnett takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a Lady Raven concert (Lady Raven played by M. Night’s daughter Saleka) but the concert is actually a trap for Cooper who is revealed (in the trailer) to be a serial killer. It’s fair to say that M. Night Shyamalan has had an up and down career but I do honestly think that he has turned a corner since After Earth and hoped this would be another step in the right direction.

THE GOOD STUFF

All the stuff in the arena is quite good. There is a sense of claustrophobia in such a huge building and that's not an easy thing to pull off. The question is how is Cooper going to get out and that is what the film should have been about. Josh Hartnett is very good as Cooper showing both sides of his personality with the nice father fireman side and then the horrible person who traps people in his basement for no clear reason. Ariel Donoghue was also quite good as Riley although she is a bit too willing to ignore things when Cooper's behaviour gets more extreme.

The proper twist being that it was Rachel that tipped the police off and ultimately set the trap in the final act was quite good. Some people might not like this twist but given that it came in the final act then it worked quite well. 

THE BAD STUFF

Pretty much everything after they leave the arena. Trap proves that M. Night has great ideas but has no idea how to implement them into a good story. There are ridiculous moments after ridiculous moments.  Firstly the FBI are quite stupid in this film as the Dr (Hayley Mills) says at one point that they are using ‘Protocol 4’ and then proceeds to tell us what it is. I know this is to give the audience the information but in the reality of this film it wouldn’t be needed just in case the target is listening. 

The subplot with Riley and her ‘friend’ Jody and Jody’s mom and Cooper having their conversation in the foyer ultimately led to nothing and so I could have easily done without that. I know it was probably something to distract us but I think that the film could have afforded to lose it.

So there is a moment where a crowd is surrounding a limo where Cooper is dressed as a SWAT cop and Lady Raven escapes and somehow Copper manages to take his SWAT clothes off, changes into something else and escapes the limo without anyone seeing him or pointing out that the guy is running away. The last moment of the film sees Cooper break free from his cuffs as he is being taken away which raises questions such as how is he going to escape when he will presumably be under armed guard when the door opens. A mate of mine says that this might be part of the same universe as Split and Glass and so this makes sense otherwise is a stupid way to end the film.

OVERALL

This was a disappointing film. The trailer makes it look like we were going to get something in one setting which are the kind of stories I like and even moving it away from the area wasn't a bad thing but it got so stupid towards the end that I was kind of annoyed at Shyamalan. Trap isn’t at the same level of terrible as After Earth but its a disappointment and another reason why I should watch trailers.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

There haven’t been many Marvel films since Endgame that I can say that I have really enjoyed. Guardians 3 was perhaps the closest that I have really enjoyed and Eternals was the low point. It’s been a rough couple of years for Marvel but with the recent announcement that Robert Downey Jr is returning to play Dr Doom, the question remains as to whether this signals a change in fortunes for Marvel. The short answer is…..potentially. If we get films that are fun and less tv shows which don’t cater to anyone then Marvel might get back to its glory days.

The plot isn’t really important, it's just about watching Deadpool try and convince Wolverine to do things. 

The film makes many many many references to Fox’s days of owning the X-Men franchise and when Deadpool runs towards the camera and F**k Fox that did make me chuckle as did the line about Disney making Jackman do the Wolverine stuff until he’s 90. There are so many jokes in this film that if one didn’t work for you then don’t worry cause another one will come along in about 30 seconds. The cameo’s are also are memorable as the jokes. There are so many cameos that its difficult to say which one was my favourite but I thought that the Chris Evans bait and switch was a genius idea by the writers. The only cameo that didn’t work really for me was the Henry Cavill one because it just seemed like a throwaway one and didn’t seem in keeping with the other cameos where they served a purpose and had something to do.

THE GOOD

I had slight concerns when I learnt that Hugh Jackman was returning as Wolverine as I thought that 2017’s Logan was my favourite Marvel film and the perfect end. They knew that this was the fear for most people because thats the first shot of the film and then its dealt with in a tongue in cheek way. It leads into the best opening for a Deadpool film. 

The performances are really good. I think Ryan Reynolds’ charm is what wins you over because that enables the jokes to work the way they do.  He is also able to do the heartfelt stuff just as well as the funny stuff.  Hugh Jackman gives another great performance as Logan. I have been watching the X-Men films in the run up to this and its clear how he seemed destined to play the role and gets better with each movie, even The Wolverine. 

Together they work quite well as the odd couple. I have seen how they are in interviews and behind the scenes and there seems to be a genuine friendship there and that just adds to the enjoyment.

THE BAD (A.K.A NITPICKING)

The villain was your usual Marvel villain in that its not a particularly strong one. I don’t know X-Men very well but I thought Professor X having a sibling that we didn’t know about just magically pop up in a film felt a bit weak and also the plot isn’t the strongest but they would be major problems in a normal film but in this one its a nitpick.

OVERALL

Deadpool & Wolverine is a near perfect film. It’s certainly the best Marvel film since Endgame. It’s funny, it is entertaining but I do hope that this is the last time we see Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. He got away with it this time but he may not be so lucky again. Marvel have been having a rough couple of years and whilst this film does completely turn the corner. It’s clear that with a few more films like this then they will be back on good form. Not every film needs to be a R-Rated comedy but with a bit of thought and some breathing space between films then the so called Superhero fatigue will be shown to be not true.

Twisters (2024)

I’m not sure if the world really needed a Twisters sequel but here we are. 28 years after the Bill Paxton and Holly Hunter we get a sequel which isn’t really a sequel as there is no connection to the first one. There are no returning characters, there are no nods to the previous film. There are a couple of references that the film makes but they aren’t pushed in your faces and will only stand out if you have seen the first one. The use of Dorothy is perhaps the biggest one but they do have a part of the film where an actual film is being watched. In Twister it was The Shining but in this film it was Frankenstein. Presumably to say that the tornado is the monster. Also a perhaps not knowingly but Kate is dressed quite similar to Helen Hunt in the previous movie.

The set up of the film is Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a Tornado Chaser and after her boyfriend and two friends are killed, the story moves along five years with Kate is lured back by her one friend that did survive Javi who is working with someone who is acquiring land but Kate is trying to come up with a plan to ‘tame’ tornados and ends up working with Tyler who has a YouTube channel and is quite over the top and opposite to how Kate is.

THE GOOD

I thought the dynamic between Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell was really good and I also liked how they did a slight bait and switch with having Kate joining her friend but then it turning out that she is on the bad guy’s team. I also thought that the effects were quite good. Even though it’s been 30 years since the previous film, the effects have moved on but they still feel quite impressive. I also liked how the whole attitude to tornados has changed with amateurs seemingly willing to get involved even though thankfully they aren’t really a part of the story.

THE BAD

As much as I liked Javi’s intentions. It did seem like the whole selling information to some land developer did seem a bit half baked. The only real purpose it served is that it meant that Kate could jump sides with a decent excuse. I also thought that the journalist didn’t really add anything an could easily have been took out. There isn’t really much to fault this film for.

OVERALL

I was impressed with how good this turned out to be considering I was quite dismissive when I saw the first trailer for it. I think that the film manages to feel like it’s a proper sequel but doing enough to stand on its own which is harder to pull off than you might think. I was a fan of Lee Isaac Chung after Minari and was worried whether he would be able to handle something far bigger in the technical sense and it was a relief when it was clear that he could. Not sure if we need any more if they are as much fun as this one was then I wouldn’t mind.

Longlegs (2024)

Longlegs is a film that seems to have been getting quite a lot of buzz which is unusual for a horror film that isn't a familiar property like Halloween. I went in to this film not knowing much apart from the fact that Nicholas Cage is in it and its directed by Osgood Perkins who is the man that directed Gretel & Hansel and The Blackcoat's Daughter. The set

THE GOOD

One thing that Perkins is very good at is atmosphere. The plot isn't a million miles from what we would see on some criminal procedural drama but in the hands of Perkins, it is made to feel like its greater than it actually is. The slow pace is also something that I liked as it something that will always win me over if its done in the right way. There is slow and then painfully slow and this film never did that. There are also the performances from Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage. I went to see this film with a friend and he thought that Monroe was a bit wishy washy but I found to be really good. There is a slight awkwardness to her and I thought the scene where she is on Ruby's bed and its clear that she is struggling to find things to say is a brief moment of comedy that I enjoyed. Nicolas Cage is amazing. I didn't realise it was him underneath all the make up and prosthetics. I think this is what he would look like if he had a really bad reaction to bee stings. Before you say anything I realise he got stung in The Wicker Man. There are a couple of moments where we get top tier Nic Cage in terms of over the top acting and for this role in this movie, that was easily one of the best parts.

THE BAD

The telepathy aspect of the plot got dropped pretty quickly. I know that it was a plot device but it seems like the fact it was never mentioned or referred to again made it feel like a slightly lazy form of story telling that I wouldn't expect from Osgood Perkins. There is also the fact that the plot seemed rather ordinary. It was the sort of thing that you would see on a procedural drama which doesn’t mean the story was bad or that there is anything wrong with cop dramas but when the trailer makes it seem like it is Silence of the Lambs and we get something that definitely isn’t that film then anything is going to disappoint.

OVERALL

I think that this film will probably go down as a disappointment for most people as its been billed as something that it ultimately wasn't. This is a big reason why I generally don't watch trailers (unless they are at the cinema). I didn't find Longlegs disappointing but neither did I find it as good as I wanted it to be. Not sure whether its worth seeing at the cinema but its definitely worth seeing in the dark at home maybe around Halloween.

MaXXXine (2024)

This is the third film in the X series after X & Pearl with MaXXXine taking place six years after the events of X. We follow Maxine as she tries to become a movie star in Hollywood whilst there is a serial killer in town. The film takes advantage of the type of horror films that existed in the 1980’s so this has a more more traditional plot like a lot of 80’s horror films have. MaXXXine is soon connected to the deaths of the women by the police and soon a private detective is following her to try and force her to meet his client. 

There is a portion of the film which takes place around the Bates Motel and House from Psycho II which was released in 1986 the following year this film was set and normally its a sign that the film has nothing left when it starts invoking better horror films (FYI Psycho 2 is a very good horror film and well worth your time), however this film manages to get away with it. The whole idea of having Maxine become a movie star helps create this atmosphere about the era of 1980’s cinema where it was clearly coming out of the gritty period of the 70’s but there was still some seediness to it. 

There was the subplot of the serial killer but there is a line that is bought up by either Michelle Monaghan or Bobby Cannavale (both great by the way) where they say that the women killed in the film aren’t being killed by the serial killer comes to be quite true when its revealed that the actual killer is Maxine’s pastor father who isn’t too happy about his daughter’s career choices. When this twist was revealed I didn’t see it coming and I usually take that as a good thing because if it were obvious then that would mean the film is not entertaining enough and there is time in the movie for me to put two and two together. When I am engaged in the story then I don’t stop to think about these sort of things. They might still be obvious to some or most people but to me this is how I can tell if a film is working for me or not.

Mia Goth is great as Maxine, she has consistently been good in these films and I never felt sorry for Maxine because she’s never written or portrayed in a way which makes her seem less than strong and determined to better herself. Kevin Bacon is chewing the scenery but is clearly having great fun as the shady and at times creepy John Labat. Giancarlo Espoito is clearly having fun as well as Teddy who basically helps clear up Maxine’s problems including squashing John Labat in a car crusher. 

MaXXXine is very different to X and Pearl but thats not a bad thing. I enjoyed myself a lot in the screening and you know a horror film is working when it makes you look away and I’m not ashamed to say that it did. The scene where Maxine gets the Buster Keaton impersonator to strip down and then she squashes his….erm…..little busters was something that i wasn't expecting but it was horrifying and that is what a horror film should do, produce something horrifying. We are currently in a period of TV and film where the nostalgia for the 1980's has been driven into the ground to the point where it just becomes obvious that its a cash grab and involves little effort but MaXXXine isn’t like that. It’s clear that time and effort has been put into making the whole thing feel authentic even down to the way the credits appear on screen with the slight flicker on it. Hopefully there is more because if its done right then this could be a franchise that is stronger in terms of quality than some of the greats like Halloween or Friday the 13th. Maybe.

Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

I’ll be honest that I wouldn't normally have gone to see a romcom with Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum but at the cinema I go to they had a special screening at a reduced price so I thought why not? Johansson plays Katy who is hired by Woody Harrelson’s Mo to try and put a positive spin on NASA after a series of mishaps and Channing Tatum’s Cole isn't pleased with the changes she is implementing just as he is trying to get Apollo 11 literally off the ground and Katy is then told to fake the film landing in case the real moon landing fails. 

The romance part of the story didn't bother me as much as I thought it would and thats because its not really a soppy romance film. There is a connection between Katy and Cole but its clear that this is going to thaw as the story progresses and it does so that means the Apollo 11 part of the story takes centre stage which I liked because that was the more interesting story as opposed to the Katy/Cole love story. Scarlett Johansson was quite good as someone who is confident but isn't flawless and that makes her a more interesting character than I thought she would be. Channing Tatum isn't the greatest actor in the world but he did impress me in this as he came across as someone who was serious about his work and wanted PR to be as far away from the attempt to land on the moon as possible. He’s believable in this role and he has good chemistry with Johansson. The rest of the supporting cast does well and there isnt a bad performance in the film with Ray Romano being fun to watch and Woody Harrelson chewing the scenery going from being likeable to the bad guy back to being likeable again.

Fly Me to the Moon isn't a groundbreaking film by any means but its a fun film with some good performances from the central cast and the Apollo 11 portion of the film is dramatic and tense and was very well shot. Not sure whether its the sort of thing that should be seen in the cinema. Instead wait for it to either come out on Apple TV or rent in on Amazon. It's worth the cost of renting it but not driving to the cinema in the middle of the working week. What I will say is that the film is the perfect running length. I was never bored and thought that it ended at the right time which is a rarity for most films nowadays.