onesixtyreviews

Lorene Scafaria absolutely kills it. Hustlers is a well written, tremendously directed film. The co-leads in Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians) and Jennifer Lopez (Jenny from the block...) act their asses off. For a $20 million production this film looks huge and glossy. It's everything you want your trip to the movies to be. Worth the price of admission and engaging enough to justify the large coke and popcorn.

I felt like for a portion of the film that some characters were forgotten about. They felt key to the character's motivations but went missing. These threads were picked up again however and it resolved my biggest gripe. The cast is quite large especially during the films first act. More and more cast members are added as the film progresses and the initial ensemble is made redundant by the plot. The girls were so charming at the start that I wish they'd found their way back into the story. This isn't a criticism so much as a wish for more of a good thing.

My experience seeing this movie was my main takeaway. I'm a self-professed film geek. Often when I head to the pictures I'm flying solo because my One Sixty cohort Shane is busy or finding like minded film fans is hard to come by where live. It's not uncommon to see a few other guys watching the film by themselves as well. What I saw during Hustlers was sort of unprecedented out in the 'burbs where I live (at least in my experience). I saw many women, by themselves, in the cinema seeking this film. Young and old alike.

It's no great mystery that movies are made, at least marketed, with men/boys in mind. Great inroads have been made in changing the opinion that they are solely for men and Hustlers seems like a huge leap forward in defeating this stigma. Whilst I was watching the movie the sense that this movie wasn't trying to appeal to my more basic man-brain became increasingly apparent. The movie wasn't exploitive of its female cast. It told the story as it was, it didn't fantasise.

I felt refreshed seeing a movie that I wasn't the target audience for. Seeing a movie that could easily have fallen into the trappings of becoming a male fantasy movie. Instead it was a female story. Told as it was. I am absolutely here for more mature movies that aren't just about the white male experience. As his history shows in order for anything to survive becoming stagnated it need diversity. We need more stories from more people. We need more stories from Lorene Scafaria.

A film about greed, told with grace:

4/5 Stars

Primal, the latest animated manifestation from the mind of Genndy Tartakovsky, is a brutal and beautiful journey through a fictional ancient Earth. 5 episodes of the 10-episode show aired during the week at midnight timeslots. I 'series passed' the show on Apple TV and binged this half a season in a feature-length viewing. What unfolded in front of me was 110 minutes of television the likes of which I had never seen.

This show is uncompromising in its vision of a merciless primordial world right from the off. The savagery shown in the opening of the first episode (Spear and Fang) sets the standard for what is to follow. Though Adult Swim has been existence for nearly two decades right from the off Primal lets you know that animation is not "just for kids".

The level of storytelling in this show is just unreal. Not a word of dialogue, bar some yelling and grunting, is spoken in any of the 5 episodes. The performance from the animators is key to telling the story. The shot choices and scene compositions are at the level that Tartakovsky achieved with Sym-bionic Titan and Samurai Jack. It's pure cinema on the small screen and if not for its episodic stories it would be right at home in a theatre.

I could not be more in love with this series. Even in spite of some triggering events that are unflinchingly delivered moments into the first episode. I could write so many more synonyms about this wonderful creation but I'll stop short of entering into fanboy love letter (if I haven't already crossed that line). If you like tough, adrenaline pumping shows with lots of blood and action then jump onto this. The show can be quiet and reflective but at its core it's a killer show about killing dinosaurs. Dig it.

If Genndy was looking to silence any Hotel Transylvania critics he just delivered:

5/5 stars

I think I just watched the most video gamey movie of all time. I've seen movies with Super Mario, Pokémon and Creed bearing Assassins but Gemini Man reminded me more of that medium than any other film. Imagine if Naughty Dog were to make a 2hr game and then the only way for you to access the game was to watch Ang Lee play it on Twitch. Then imagine that the stream was in 3D, 4k resolution (my screening was unfortunately in 2k) at a consistent 120fps that never dropped.

Technical innovation can often be scary when what once was ground breaking becomes tradition. I heard the horror stories of The Hobbit in 48fps which were said to resemble the presentation of a soap opera. I was planning to steer clear of this type of change but I had a change of heart after reading that Ang Lee was adamant that his piece of art be viewed only one way. My resolve to see the film as intended became even steelier when I heard that critics were being shown the film at 24fps or 60fps and wanted to see if it would truly make any difference.

I'm so glad I sought out the technically advanced version because I am all turned around on the higher frame rate presentation. The movie looked so crisp and so clean. I was totally blown away by how good it looked and how combined with the 3D I was continuously drawn into every frame. I remember reflecting on Avatar after I saw it at the cinema and thinking that despite the generic plot it was such a thrilling experience that largely to the 3D. Gemini Man should be categorised the same way as Avatar as a sort of "experiential" genre.

Plot wise Gemini Man is not all that strong. It doesn't quite reach the exciting heights of action adventures and it doesn't lean hard enough into science fiction to be a techno thriller. It does, however, avoid the clichés that many films fall into. There's no forced romance, there's real empathy and compassion shown by characters and the action isn't quick cutting "we'll find it in the edit" shlock. The film is also not as simple as Will Smith vs Will Smith as the marketing would have you believe.

Will Smith is in his usual good form, playing himself but with some real overtones of sadness and empathy. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, in breaking with the norm, is a very competent female lead. I particularly like the choices that were made with her character and how she isn't turned into a stereotype or a damsel. Clive Owen has some layers to his character and it was nice to see him in a big film. Benedict Wong isn't quite as scene stealing as when he's with Doctor Strange but he is still very charming.

The CGI is amazing but also still at a point where we're still staring into the uncanny valley. The bold choice to set a lot of the CG heavy scenes in the daylight ultimately comes back to bite the film. It's in the bright sunlight that the film really looks like a video game and this time that's not a compliment. The 20+ year wait for this movie was supposed to be because the technology was finally here to bring this concept to the screen but it still feels like we're a little bit away from that being the case.

To go back to my comparisons at the start of the review this film feels a lot like a video game. And you know what? It probably would have been a lot better if it had been. This story is being told in the wrong medium and I wish that blockbuster films still had video game tie-ins because I would play the hell out of it.

Ultimately the film is not essential viewing but it was enjoyable nonetheless:

3/5 Stars

Before The Walking Dead made it one of the top cable channels in the US, Breaking Bad along with Mad Men was helping build AMC as a home for some of the best written shows on TV.

For 5 seasons up until its final episode, in September 2013, Breaking Bad was considered by many as one of the greatest shows ever created and as one of the few tv dramas to have a satisfying ending.

Surprisingly a prequel series was created involving the supporting character Saul Goodman, it seemed like an odd choice but turned out to be a show worthy of being in the Breaking Bad universe.

Even more surprisingly Netflix and AMC announced plans to produce a 2 hour movie following what happened to Jesse Pinkman after the show ended.

The movie picks up exactly where the show ended, with Jesse driving away from where he had been held captive for years. From there we follow Jesse try to get rid of the El Camino he drove off in, get money he needs to pay off a debt and then attempt to get the hell out of Albuquerque.

What we get here is a film made solely for fans of the show that wanted just that little bit more time in this world. The film is unnecessary as the show didn't leave any loose ends that the audience was craving to have resolved.

While uneccessary it was nice to have the focus shifted to Jesse as he would often get put on the sidelines in the series as the show was understandably in love with its lead character. So it was nice to see Jesse as the lead and Aaron Paul acted like he had never taken a six year break from the show.

There are appearances from some characters of the show. Some important ones and some that were in one episode. The one other character from the show that plays a decent sized part in the movie is Jesse Plemons as Todd. I love Plemons in this role, he plays the character as dumb but also unhinged and could do anything to you at anytime. He is legitimately scary.

Fans of the show should get a kick out of this. A nice farewell for Jesse Pinkman and a good reminder of how great the show was:

4 stars

Rob Zombie returns to the characters that first gave him true fame as a director: the Firefly family. It's been 14 years since we last saw the Rejects in what was, in my opinion, the best film of his career 2005's The Devil's Rejects. So is the third entry in this series worth checking out?

Well yes and no.

There is a lot to love for Zombie fans. Bill Moseley is once again the highlight as Otis B. Driftwood. He is having a ball in this role and is always the most interesting part of the film.

The addition of Richard Brake as younger brother Winslow is a solid addition to fill the void left by Sid Haig's Captain Spaulding. Haig does appear in the film for a short time and was nice having a last moment to honour his recent passing.

Sheri Moon Zombie's performance as Baby Firefly, however, is a mixed bag. She isn't a very strong actor, never has been, but she obviously loves this character and puts her all into it.

The movie is split into two halves. The first half follows where the characters ended up after the events of Devil's Rejects and how they came to reunite over the span of a decade. While the second half is the Firefly family's past catching up to them.

The first half is the weakest as it moves really slowly and the story struggles to get going. The second half, however, is a lot stronger. More fun and and feels like The Devil's Rejects but more light hearted.

Overall I don't think this film needs to exist. It doesn't add anything new or interesting to justify its existence. Seems to just be Zombie wanting to reunite with old friends and have some fun with them.

The Devil's Rejects ended on such a perfect note I can't really understand the exact reason to do this film. It feels as though this film is mainly for hardcore Rob Zombie fans.

Not as good as The Devil's Rejects but far better than House of 1000 Corpses:

2 Stars

Joker doesn't open with the DC logo, seemingly proud to not announce its affiliation. Instead the film begins not as a film trying to shake its comic book roots but rather as a film that wants to be taken seriously. The film has far too many references to other Joker/Batman lore that to say it's not a comic book movie would be a fallacy. Just like the recently released Ad Astra this is a film that draws heavily from the films, themes and feelings of movies released in the late 70's by the new wave of film-school filmmakers.

Joker by all appearances draws heavily from Scorsese with particular inspiration coming from Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Two films about overlooked people on the margins of society who take to extreme measures in order to be noticed. These are obvious oversimplifications of these films as it is, indeed, an oversimplification of Joker to solely compare it to them. Joker has a lot to say, particularly about the "systems" treatment of mental health and the redistribution of wealth.

Whilst the film could be read as a call to action and militarisation of the bottom rungs of society it seems to me to be more of a condemnation of healthcare in the United States. The non-treatment of mental health sufferers, the inaction of social services and the greed of the elite are all startlingly relevant themes that plague the US. The film could seen as a call to arms for the right but really it's a film rooted in the left, it's a call for socialistic reform in a country plagued by violent, mentally unstable people that have created a culture of mass shootings.

All of this in a film that's pretty good. It does struggle along for a while and really doesn't find its feet until the third act. The tension breaks in the end but the first two acts don't fully create a sense of strain that quite deserves this descent into chaos. Phoenix is stellar and gives us a Joker that for me made me feel very uncomfortable for much of the film. The supporting cast (Robert DeNiro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron, Frances Conroy and Brett Cullen) are largely underused and their characters underserved. As much as this is a "Joker" movie I would have loved some more time with some of the other characters.

I think the film loses points for how much it leans on other films and how long it takes to get going. That said it's a stylish movie that's very well made and finally demonstrates Todd Phillips ability as a filmmaker. The shot choices are fantastic and a shout out has to be given to the soundtrack which is both really catchy and creates stark contrasts with what's on the screen.

The origin story we never asked for but the filmmaking leap Todd Phillips needed:

4/5 stars