Film Reviews by Piehawker

It's an very well made film, and has stuck with me since, however I found Bong Joon Ho's mystery drama definitely his most inaccessible. The lead character, brilliantly played by Kim Hye-ja, was deliberately hard to read and get a handle on (which was the point) and her son equally so. While this makes the drama and the mystery work, it did make it hard to root for them or engage with their emotional struggles. It made for a somewhat detached experience.

Most of Bong's films feature slightly wayward lead characters who ride the line of being unlikeable but there is an understanding of why which humanises them (the chancer family in Parasite doing what they can to escape poverty, the small town cops in Memories of Murder based on their frustrations of solving a case they are out of their depth with, the family in The Host based on their grief and confusion of a lost child) This film has much less of that sense from the leads, which I found hard to engage with as much. The Oedipal themes and relationship between son and mother is complex and creepy was harder to connect with.

I appreciated the filmmaking craft, excellent cinematography and the powerhouse lead performance from the titular Mother, it was a very unique character and really refreshing to approach a complex character in a crime drama with that type of actor.

The film also has stayed with me long after it finished (the sign of a good director??) and after writing this review has made me want to revisit it again which is a good sign. But I did find it the least accessible Bong Joon Ho film (which isn't to say it's not a decent film) His films like The Host and Memories of Murder have a rewatchability, Parasite has the social commentary and dark humor and Snowpiercer and Okja have more of a western film influence as they have American and British actors mixed into the production, whereas Mother slightly stands out as a bizarre low key mystery drama which I found was a bit harder to latch onto.

Definitely worth watching if you are a Bong Joon Ho completist and is an excellent film, but I found his most unique and least engaging.

This film is definitely not for everyone. There's no real narrative, it's almost 3 hours, has mixed voice overs from often unknown sources and many lingering shots of nature amongst battle. I think it's a masterwork from Terrance Malick and one of my favourites almost because of the reasons I addressed. It's a film I can just soak into, the pacing, cinematography and Hans Zimmer score makes for a dreamlike poetry and cinematic experience.

The cast is all excellent, but Jim Caviziel in particular stands out as a soulful presence gliding in and out of the lives of others. He seems to be observing the world and the war and the nature all with a detachment and also a spiritual awareness. A moral centre to the violence and war. The scenes of him and Sean Penn's character (who shares the opposite world view) are especially strong.

John Toll's cinematography is incredible, long grass blowing in the wind and smoke amongst trees has never looked so cinematic. The build up to the journey to the line sequence is also outstanding with a flowing steadi-cam or crane moving through the chaos accompanied by the Hans Zimmer score building and building to an emotional climax. Very powerful.

I do have to be in the right mood for this classic though. But the blu ray is an excellent transfer and looks and sounds brilliant. Highly recommended.

Another excellent drama from Zhang Yimou who gets fantastic and natural performances from the children. The film is emotional and dramatic, whilst any sense of sentimentality. There is some stunning cinematography and although the film doesn't having a driving propulsive narrative, I found it captivating.

There is a harsh and authentic look at rural schooling, the rationing of the chalk and a 13 year old being put in charge as a substitute, and the film doesn't shy away from the poverty and hardships. However there is a warmth and defiance in the spirits of the characters (especially Wei as a girl forced to grow up quickly when thrust into the city) and the ending was moving and emotional without being excessive or mawkish.

I've not seen a Zhang Yimou directed film that hasn't had an extremely high standard of craft and quality, and this definitely one of his lighter warmer films than say Shanghai Triad or Raise the Red Lantern which are masterpieces, but quite heavy and tonally grim. This has a more fairytale magical feel (which being very grounded and down to earth) with Wei almost on a small scale but significant heroes journey. Highly recommended.

A highly recommended documentary. A loving tribute to Roger Corman, which isn't afraid to poke fun at the penny pinching and low budget projects. There are plenty of interviews with the majority of A-listers who got their break working with Corman, who often seem as if they are having blast reminiscing about the old days.

Alex Stapleton directs fast and fun, and frames some enjoyable backdrops for the interviewees (Bruce Dern having a haircut, Jonathan Demme driving around in a car) and Corman makes for a pleasant, down to earth and knowledgeable subject.

A must for film fans.

A minor note: It's a shame there are not as many extra interviews and more material, as it feels as if a few subjects are cut short or films not elaborated on.

This film has incredible cinematography by Tat Radcliffe (which integrates 16mm for daytime and digital for the night scenes) and a moody pulsing score from David Holmes so has more of a feel of a night time suspense thriller like Assault on Precinct 13 or The Warriors, rather than a political drama. I appreciated this approach, as it made the film more accessible.

There is a well constructed footchase and an escalation of the violence which lends a sense of danger and confusion.

Jack O'Connell plays his part more understated than I'd seen him in other things and his character being thrown into the chaos and his bewilderment is portrayed effectively.

A taught thriller which is well worth checking out.

I like the atmosphere of this film. There's a washed out hazy vibe and an excellent soundtrack. Zac Efron makes for a solid leading man and the dynamic of him and his bromance with his buddies is handled well. This is also good supporting roles from Wes Bentley as an aging jaded DJ and his girlfriend played by Emily Ratajkowski, who Efron has decent chemistry with.

Some of the visuals are very impressive too. With graphics and animations on screen to show off BPM and heartbeats, and the hazy smoggy Hollywood hills are well realised in a dreamy way.

It's somewhat lightweight as a piece of drama but for the popping colours, attractive cast and upbeat soundtrack, I enjoyed it.

Despite reading the generally poor reviews, I decided to give this a watch based on my appreciation for Zac Efron (an underrated actor imo) and the soundtrack composed by John Carpenter and I really enjoyed it.

It's not life changing or particularly terrifying, but as it was 90 minutes and had a small scale vibe, it reminded me of a standard mid budget Stephen King adaptation old school VHS rental which didn't outstay its welcome. The editing was refreshingly low key and there was some really strong cinematography in the final act. The John Carpenter score really lifts the atmosphere too.

The score, performances and cinematography make up for a meh script. It does have a limp 2nd act, and not much in the way of a driving narrative until the last 20 minutes, but that just added to the John Carpenter/80s vibe for me. The script doesn't quite tie things together, as there are many subplots which don't seem to be fleshed out (it's clear it's compressing a lot of things from an existing book). Because the narrative doesn't really push the characters forward with much direction, it can feel a bit meandering. Several character deaths and other significant events are also often glossed over and the overall final conclusion/scene is a bit of a damp squib.

Ryan Kiera Armstrong gives an excellent performance as the young girl trying to control her powers, and when they are unleashed (accompanied by the pounding John Carpenter score) the film picks up, especially in the final act.

Hardly up there with the classic Stephen King adaptations, but certainly not the bottom of the list either. For a 90 minute easy watch, with some decent performances, an excellent score and some strong cinematography and old school vibe, I enjoyed watching it.

I stepped away from all the hoopla of the controversy of this film and just watched it on its own terms as a piece of drama. It's well shot and acted but is a fairly conventional drama with some thriller elements, but hardly an edge of the seat gripping drama. I was impressed with the cinematography and production design, adding a good sense of place and scope to the story.

The subject matter is not shown or handled in a crass or graphic way but there is a sentimental tone to the film, which felt a bit at odds with trying to portray such a dark story.

The script and editing are definitely lacking a sense of pace and not really showing the conflict of what is at stake for Tim Ballard. There is little shown in the way of personal cost: his marriage doesn't suffer, his finances aren't on the line, his career isn't at risk, there is little trauma hinted at so nothing really feels at jeopardy. The film also doesn't really elaborate as to why, after having experienced so much of the darker side of life for many years, this one particular scenario with lost children causes him to quit his job and pursue to rescue them personally.

There were also some strangely presented sequences which felt a bit unbelievable (in fairness, could have been based of reality...) The direction of some of these situations didn't quite translate in a realistic way for me. The catalyst of the story involved a father leaving his two children in a hotel room with strangers for 8 hours, then returning and being shocked to find them missing, felt quite forced. Plus the idea that a lone kidnapper and an abducted child could travel on planes in America and openly across borders with no ID (rather than an underground operation shipping them, which is shown in the film too - more effective and realistic) did stand out as distracting. Plus some of the supporting characters are cast/portrayed as a bit cartoonishly creepy.

There is very little in the way of religious elements/preaching in the film (despite what I'd been told before I saw it) but Jim Caviezel does play the character as slightly pious and his nobility rising above all the darkness. The rescued children just instinctually know he's honourable and bond under his protection immediately (he takes a rescued child out for a burger after arresting the abductor, and the child shows no suspicion about going off with another unknown man) so there is very little shown of the children's paranoia and mistrust of him after all they've been through. It almost comes across as sentimental which didn't really work for me considering the subject matter.

The child actors are very good, but they don't seem to have the blank dead eyes or malnourished/bruised appearance of what they have experienced. That could have been portrayed a little better with make up or direction. The sequence when a group of children all start singing in unison minutes after a rescue operation had saved them ("That's the sound of freedom" says a federal agent) felt quite cheesy and unrealistic after all the horrors they'd experienced up to that point.

Other films and TV shows have explored darker subjects in more dramatically effective ways (True Detective/Incendies/You were never really here) or in more action thriller ways (Taken/Spartan/Rambo: Last Blood), whereas this film has a more sentimental and earnest mawkishness (which is bordering on corny at times...)

It's a film worth checking out to make your own mind up about. It was much less controversial as a film as the hype had been (it's actually quite conventional as a drama and the characters and slow pace could be considered a bit dull). It has great cinematography and decent performances though and does address a serious subject. Plus as it was distributed outside of the Hollywood system, it is unique in that regard.

The much maligned Michael Bay directs with his typical visual panache and explosive dynamics. I found the film surprisingly compelling and suspenseful (I didn't know much about the true event) Michael Bay is clearly passionate about the characters/story and the film shows some surprising restraint at times and largely steers away from the politics of the situation (yes, I am aware of the scene with the Libyan militia machine gunning an American flag in slow motion!) to focus more on a blow by blow account of the events getting out of hand.

The final hour goes full Bayhem, bullets and explosions galore and he certainly knows how to get plenty of bang for his buck. Bay detractors will still not be won over by the bombast, fast cuts etc. But I found it gripping and exciting, and does a very good job of portraying the extreme escalation of what happened, the claustrophobia and the chaos of who is on whose side.

Similar to something like Black Hawk Down (although I actually preferred this, as I found the actors very well cast and seemed believable as a team)

A decent blu ray transfer helps the cool blues of the dusk/dawn sequences and the crushed blacks of night and the bright orange of explosions/gun fire is nicely contrasted. I'm personally a fan of Bay's visual style and this is a good fit for him as a director, and he pulls back from the comedic wackiness of some of his other films and actually generates some decent drama and emotional performances. Even allowing the film to slow down and his characters to show some emotion. Recommended.

The film had its heart in the right place, an clearly a passion project for Emilo but it wasn't brilliantly written/directed by him. A lot of broad strokes were given to the 'good' and 'bad' characters. The film presents lots of easy answers to a complicated situation (there was a passing reference to the mental health and drug addiction of the homeless characters, but outside of a seizure one older man has, which may or may not have been drug related, no one inside the library seemed too affected by addiction or mental health issues)

*spoiler*

Emilio being a former rough sleeper/recovered drug addict turned book lover seemed all a bit too pat. I wish there'd been more complexity. Also throwing in comments about fake news and the environment, and so many of the homeless being noble ex-veterans with no former criminal past seemed a bit of a cop out. Decent film, but compared to Dog Day Afternoon or the excellent documentary Dark Days, sadly lacking in research and creditility.

Just rewatched this on blu ray (I saw it at the cinema) Excellent film. Engrossing and surreal (definite shades of Werner Herzog and Stanley Kubrick), with a compelling narrative and some incredible imagery. Worth checking out.

Well filmed action schlock from James Glickenhaus (The Exterminator/Macbain/Blue Jean Cop) and a curio to see the first attempt to make Jackie Chan an American action star in the 80s. He's partnered with Danny Aiello, and they have decent chemistry, but he's cast as an Asian Dirty Harry. Gun toting and sweary. He's not the likable everyman persona he's adopted with more success since, and his English isn't quite there to carry the drama without the stand out action a Jackie audience expects. There's some fun set pieces and production value, and an enjoyable audio commentary from Mike Leeder but it's a curio b-movie.

The film has a slow burn/intro which I slightly struggled with. But once it gets going, it's edge of the seat tension and clear narrative. Two sequences involving bridge crossings in a storm are fantastic and there's strong performances all round. A soundtrack by Tangerine Dream really anchors the film and suspense (fans of John Carpenter scores/The Warriors and Drive should check out the soundtrack) Well worth checking out. One which had gone under my radar from a long time, but glad I was able to see the blu ray. Excellent transfer and a solid film.