July 2019 – The Film Ramble

Review: The Matrix

July 25, 2019August 5, 2019Posted in Film, ReviewTagged 90s film, Carrie-Anne Moss, Cinema, Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburn, Matrix1 Comment

So guess what was on in the cinema last week…

From the opening green text on a black background, flying through the air to the last moments with a kick-ass song from Florence and the Machine, The Matrix is still very much a lesson in how to do Sci-fi correctly, still holding its own twenty years later. Did I care about the characters lacking depth? No. Did I care about the plot holes? No. Did I care that I would have to watch two allegedly bad sequels to get to the end of the story? Possibly.

For all of the flaws that plague the film and the genre, what the matrix does to make it a cult classic is to get the very basics right in a way that not many can. The world building is fantastic. You see some odd things, start to question them and then get thrown into this mind bending reality, which will leave you pondering it in the days, weeks and months to come. It hits you and lead character Neo head on from the moment he takes the red pill. The idea that you are merely in a simulation has been made iconic by this film. But what this film does is take it further, showing a dystopia where humans generate heat and energy for the artificial intelligence and are nothing more than batteries. If you knew this, would you rather have taken the blue pill and forgotten everything about it? This is the question that Matrix proposes to you. It makes you think. While there are clear morals set out, the decisions we could make are blurred by constant ambiguity.

Take the Red pill and read the rest of the review

Review: Yesterday

July 19, 2019August 5, 2019Posted in Film, ReviewTagged Cinema, Danny Boyle, Film, Himesh Patel1 Comment

A Danny Boyle film about the Beatles? Could this be any more British? Well, probably not unless we see a cameo from the queen (But she’s too busy with her Corgis). But unlike a bastion of the world that some would have you think, this film ends up more of a post brexit rubble (Okay, not quite that bad).

Jack (Himesh Patel) is a wannabe pop star who sings in pubs with his guitar. However, his mundane lyrics and over reliance on power chords mean he’s never going to make in anywhere. That is until one day the power goes out and he gets hit by a bus. Upon waking up, he learns that nobody else remembers who the Beatles are. He then uses their songs to make himself a world wide music star.

Delve deeper into the review (VIA Yellow Submarine)

Review: We The Animals

July 13, 2019August 5, 2019Posted in Film, ReviewTagged Cinema, Film, Film Review, Indie Film2 Comments

With X-Men, Men in Black and Godzilla all providing an avalanche of CGI , a film like We The Animals can be a welcome change of pace. However, just as CGI doesn’t guarantee a good film, a lack of it means a solid story, action and cinematography is required. What WTA offers is a beautifully told intimate story.

Based on a book of the same name, WTA focuses on Jonah, a 10 year old mixed race Puerto Rican/American boy and his two older brothers Manny and Joel. As the only mixed race boys in the neighbourhood, they have the attitude of them versus the world. Almost inseparable, they are synchronised and have one anothers back. They live in poverty with their mother and father. We see the gritty story of these boys growing up as their parents have problems, ranging from poverty and unemployment to depression and domestic abuse.

WE WANT MORE, WE WANT MORE, WE WANT MORE

Review: Toy Story 4

July 13, 2019August 5, 2019Posted in Film, ReviewTagged Ally Maki, Animation, Annie Potts, Film, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves, Kids Films, Michael Key, Pixar, Tom Hanks, Tony Hale1 Comment

As this is a new release, there will not be any spoilers

When a precious film gets a sequel, your first feeling is that of dread. By the end of the forth Shrek, I felt let down. Therefore, after the end of an almost perfect trilogy of toy story, one could be forgiven for considering this film nothing more than a potential stumbling block. However, the good news is that this film doesn’t dampen the legacy left by Tom Hanks and co and brings about a new age for Toy Story.