Another delay with getting film reviews to you, but what with buggering off to Toronto for my wedding anniversary (blog post coming up), being snowed in during the Great British Blizzard (no blog posts but plenty of chit-chat about bread and milk, for reasons unknown), and, well, watching said-films, I don't feel like apologising much. But then I am British, so I'm very, very sorry. Anyway, here are four flash film reviews with another three (at the moment, at least) coming right up. Sorry again.
Maze Runner: The Death
Cure
O'Brien returns to the_ What? Oh, yes, that's the kid from Love, Actually.
Dylan
O’Brien returns to the fold as maze survivor, Thomas, who continues in his
quest to take down corrupt agency WCKD alongside fellow maze escapees and rebels.
Meanwhile, WCKD leaders, Janson and Ava, work desperately to synthesise a cure
to the “Flare” – the disease that has long-since ravaged the entire planet.
While, like its predecessor, The Death
Cure sadly abandons the neat formula of the Lord of the Flies-inspired and maze-based original (in their
defence, they are based on a series of books by James Dashner), perhaps it’s
the lesser of two evils, with the other being likely contrived repetition. The
series-concluding threequel gets off to a slow start (even with an impressive
stunt-filled opening sequence), but in its final – and darkest – hour, expect a
surprisingly-gripping and poignant farewell to what is, in hindsight, a YA
series far more superior to the overhyped and undeserving Hunger Games films.
The Cloverfield Paradox
Daniel Bruhl fought desperately to stop this disaster
Netflix’s
deal with Paramount in bringing the anthology-threequel to fans months earlier might
have seemed like an exciting idea at the time, but you’ll end up wishing it had
been given the same meticulous attention as its two predecessors. Instead,
brace yourselves for a Netflix-worthy monstrosity whose shoddy concept doesn’t just
obliterate the intriguing, less-is-more mythology of 2008’s Cloverfield and 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, but now carelessly renders
the anthology series anything but. Both the original films were released under unique
and clever marketing gimmicks; the first using viral campaigning to tease
cinemagoers, while its follow-up went under a different guise entirely until
just weeks before its release. Perhaps then, the deeply-confused prequel-sequel-threequel
Paradox has simply followed suit with
its switch-to-the-small-screen-instead-of-silver stunt, in which case we can
live in hope that the next film, Overlord,
simply won’t exist at all.
Insidious Chapter 4:
The Last Key
This demon clearly misunderstands the whole "key to a girl's heart" thing...
Insidious is nothing short of a
horror masterpiece, and while its sequels have been far from bad, they have
become progressively lacklustre nevertheless; each lacking the nightmarish
atmosphere of the original – a result of its claustrophobic cinematography,
good old-fashioned camera tricks and its dream-inspired and therefore relatable
depiction of the astral plain, “The Further”. Now, Linda Shaye’s semi-fearless
clairvoyant Elise returns to investigate a haunting that’s entwined with her
own disturbing past. There’s very little to be afraid of here, though, but then
how can one fear for Elise’s life when she was killed in the first film? Yes, The Last Key might be labelled “Chapter
4”, but the entire film series is non-chronological – a blatant response to the
producers’ regret in hastily bumping her off. It will be a boxset worth buying,
though, because at least then you can rearrange the DVDs into their rightful
order.
Darkest Hour
Getting into character, or ever-so-smugly celebrating a certain Oscar months in advance?
An
unrecognisable Gary Oldman delivers an Oscar-winning performance as Winston
Churchill in this true story that follows his first thirty days as Prime
Minister of Great Britain. With a Nazi invasion imminent, Churchill faces one
of his greatest challenges within just days of being in office, but refuses to
surrender to and negotiate a peace treaty with Hitler, despite the opposing
views his own party and the overwhelming odds that are stacked against the
country. Not only does this drama – and one not without a fair share of humour
from the eccentric Mr. Churchill himself – serve as a great reminder of the
unenviable decision-making that took place behind the scenes of World War II, it’s
a worthy portrayal of the most defining moment in British history; of its
darkest hour. This is undoubtedly Oldman’s tour
de force, with an equally-solid supporting cast including Ben Mendelsohn
and Stephen Dillane.
With the BAFTAs and the Oscars now done and dusted, it's time to get the drums rolling on the 2017 Rookies Awards, which will be arriving in the next few days. So join me for a look into last year's overlooked gems, as well as the screen-splattering turds worthy only of the Crookies Awards. In the meantime, stay tuned, and stay curious.
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