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Just For Culture

Review: The End of the F***ing World

1/3/2018

"I'm James. I'm 17 and I'm pretty sure I'm a psychopath." The End of the F***ing World starts as it means to go on: bold, dark, and witty as hell.

Produced by Channel 4, and shown there back in October, the show is getting huge international attention following its recent release on Netflix worldwide. For a few days, Rotten Tomatoes even had the show sitting at 100% critical approval rating. If rumours can be believed, Netflix are already looking into financing a second series. It seems that we Brits are still at the forefront when it comes to genuine black comedies.

In part it's a boy-meets-girl show. But it's also a crime thriller, as well as a coming of age story. The perspective is split between James, his sort-of, not-quite, maybe-just-maybe will be girlfriend, Alyssa, and two detectives who are trying to hunt the pair down.

But even the detectives' storyline is far from simple, as DC Eunice Noon (Gemma Whelan, a.k.a. Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones) and DC Teri Donoghue (Wunmi Mosaku) struggle to deal with their recent drunken one-night-stand.

Review: Wonder Woman

2/7/2017

Moving swiftly past the obvious gags about D.C. finally offering-up a watchable superhero film, it is possible to say that their latest offering, Wonder Woman, is at the same time more entertaining, and more aggravating for its relative competence.

Whereas Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad were exercises in sheer abortive blandness, Wonder Woman demonstrates an immediate, dramatic improvement. This is probably largely down to the work of an individual director (Patty Jenkins) with a specific vision in mind, as opposed to Hack Snyder’s drab Hollywood kowtowing.

Gal Gadot’s performance is a huge improvement on her dreadful, wooden appearance in BvS, and she maintains an effective balance in her portrayal of not so much fish-out-of-water, as godlike-warrior-out-of-water. Gadot performs with endearing warmth, and manages to be inherently likeable even though she also both incredibly powerful and somewhat lost. This stands in stark contrast to the angry, confused supermodel audiences were subjected to in the form of Henry Cavill’s Kal-El.

The film’s first-act suffers from the usual problems around its heavy-handed approach to exposition, however the sheer charm and beauty of the Amazons’ island Themyscira, as well as the fantastic costume design are able to carry the audience’s interest through. The middle-act of these type of films are often the most problematic and prone to bloat, however at this point Wonder Woman becomes an engaging, restrained spy/war-film, and for once D.C.’s desaturated misery actually becomes somewhat appropriate. What is it they say about a broken clock? The film has a little trouble navigating the no-man’s-land between portraying the true horror of the trenches, and also having to remind itself that this is a film largely aimed at capturing the imagination of a younger female audience. One thing that left a particularly bad taste in my mouth is the cool abandon with which young German soldiers are slaughtered by our heroes. This being WW1, the ‘goodie/baddie’ divide is not quite so clear-cut as it’d be if they were Nazis. Still, when Diana enters the trenches, we have our first true recent D.C. ‘superhero-moment’.

Sadly, things fall apart slightly in the third act, in which studio-interference is felt the most in this case. After an engaging, smart superhero/war/spy movie set-up, with some interesting moral questions having been set-up, we are subjected to the usual cringe-inducing CGI monster-fight. It’s difficult to try to grasp the shattered remnants of narrative and moral subtlety as they’re blasted away by flying, weightless, computer-generated crap.

Despite a lazy, heavy-handed ending, Wonder Woman is an entertaining, fun superhero film that, even if it doesn’t lend itself to multiple viewings, hopefully signifies the first unsteady step out of the quagmire that D.C. has immediately blundered into in its blind rush to catch up with Marvel’s patiently assembled universe.

3.5/5

Jonathan Falconer

JFC Writers Select… The Top 5 Films of the Year - 2016

1/1/2017

The bells have now rung and there's all kinds to look forward to on the big screen in the next 12 months, but before we lock the doors on 2016, let's take one last look back at the best from the film industry throughout the year.

We asked JFC writers Sam Johnson, Anna Williamson and Jonathan Falconer what their top five films were for 2016. Here's what caught their eye...

Anna's Picks

5. Captain America: Civil War (Dir. Anthony & Joe Russo)

This film follows pretty much the same format as every other Marvel film; good guys versus bad guys, internal struggle and obstacles occur, then good guys win. It's a winning combo. It was a gamble whether putting all the heroes together in one film again would work, but any film with Chris Evans (hot), Scarlett Johansson (hotter) and Robert Downey Jr. (hottest) is a winner for me.

4. Imperium (Dir. Daniel Ragussis)

This is maybe the first film where I don’t constantly refer to Daniel Radcliffe’s character as “Harry”. Radcliffe is totally convincing as Nate Foster, the FBI agent who infiltrates a group of white supremacists. Interspersed with real footage from rallies and KKK activities, this film was incredibly tense from beginning to end. Terrifying subject matter, excellent movie.

3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Dir. David Yates)

I was sceptical that this film could live up to the hype, and while I don’t know if it quite managed it, I still loved it. The love story seemed like an unnecessary addition, but the imaginative creatures, engaging characters and outstanding CGI more than made up for it. At the end of the day, anything that keeps the Harry Potter magic alive a little longer is alright by me.

2. Finding Dory (Dir. Andrew Stanton)

Sequels can be tricky, and since Finding Nemo is the best-selling DVD title of all time, this sequel really had its work cut out. But Disney/Pixar rose to the challenge and created yet another magical, loveable, adorable hit. All your favourite characters from the first film make an appearance, plus some hilarious new ones. Fishy fun for all the family – again!

1. Hail, Caesar! (Dir. Joel & Ethan Coen)

It’s not that this film doesn’t have a plot, it’s just that it’s ended up being the least important thing about the film. Which sounds like a negative, but is actually just because everything in this film – from the cast, to the set, to the production – is outstanding. It’s beautiful, and dazzling, and genuinely funny. Without a doubt, my favourite film of 2016.

Opinion: Star Wars Missed An Opportunity With 'Rogue One'. Here's Why...

19/12/2016

We’re currently saturated in Star Wars. It’s everywhere. We’ve got yearly film releases, a ‘Battlefront’ game series, countless Lego models and enough branded merchandise to last us until the next millennium (resists urge to make falcon pun).

In some ways I love it. It’s an exciting nostalgia trip to hear lightsaber sounds through cinema speakers again. It’s exciting to watch young children aspire to be Jedi and Sith when they grow up. It’s great that the film industry has taken and nurtured one of my childhood film memories and delivered back a product that lives up to my high expectations.

However, I do feel somewhat over-filled in my appetite for a galaxy far, far away. Much like the impending Christmas dinner, you can only eat so much before you begin to feel a little bit sick.

So, along ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ has come in late 2016, promising us a fresh, fertile story of how the Rebel Alliance acquired the structural plans to the Empire’s fearsome Death Star. Sounds like great foundations to build a story about a group of plucky Rebel operatives performing the greatest heist the galaxy has ever seen? Yep, well, not quite…

Instead, Rogue One hits all the common story beats you’d expect from the Star Wars series; there’s shady, backwater Imperial planets. There’s mysterious Empire-run science facilities on inhospitable planets. There’s the evil bureaucracy of the Empire and their grey suited, clean shaven forms. There’s a space battle. There’s mention of the force. There’s a noble sacrifice or two. There’s X-Wings. There’s Stormtroopers. Vader. Blasters. Spaceships. You get the point.

My issue, is that for a film that uses the word ‘rogue’ in it’s title, it plays the entire thing a little safe.

We’ve got biennial releases of Episodes 7, 8 and 9 in 2015, 2017 and 2019. In these I fully expect the standard Star War’s fare of lightsaber battles, dogfight and the force. But I can’t shake the feeling that Lucasfilm missed an opportunity to produce something more interesting and alternative with this feature length entry to punctuate the in-between years.

They had all the setup and components for a Star Wars-style heist film; a rag-tag group of rebel operatives plan, prepare and sneak into one of the Empire’s top research facilities. Omit the dogfights and cancel the explosions. Or a story about Imperial spies and Rebel double-agents, performing a dance of deception and death in the heart of the Imperial capital. But they chose the safe and secure route. The standard Star Wars fare.

Review: Why 'Suicide Squad' is So Shit It's Basically Not Even a Film

23/8/2016

‘You are evil!’ bellows Will Smith’s Deadshot before firing a gun at a small bomb that’s meant to destroy a poorly rendered witch-goddess-thing and her recently constructed McGuffin-machine that does…something for…some reason?

I’ll be the first to admit I’m clueless, and so apparently were those responsible for the making of this patronising, aggravating product of a ‘film’.

In Suicide Squad, a secret organisation brings together a group of ‘bad guys’, i.e. antagonists of the D.C. universe to defend the Earth in this new world of gods and monsters. Conveniently, it all kicks off more-or-less the next day (actually largely because of the organisations program), and the Suicide Squad are sent in to neutralise the threat. Anyway, what follows is the most tedious, nonsensical filmmaking I’ve seen for a long time.

Comic book adaptations, in particular superhero films, are often viewed and judged on a different level of criteria by those who go out of their way to enjoy them. That’s to say that fans of the genre are often more concerned with shallow matters of whether or not their favourite characters do or do not adhere to the looks and behaviours that they expect or are used to from the comic books. In Suicide Squad, DC (I refrain from blaming a singular director or producer for this, it is clearly a product slapped together by committee) seem to have cynically cottoned on to this and have set about muddying the waters by shifting focus onto surface-level issues of how the characters ‘look’ etc.

There is no doubt that Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Jared Leto’s Joker are above-par in their performances, however, this is immaterial. It is almost admirable that a film has been made where the film itself seemed to be the last thing on the agenda, but to Warner Bros. this doesn’t matter. After the first few trailers, the work was done, the cheques cashed. Those who were and weren’t going to like the film had already decided, and they aren’t going to let something so silly as the film itself get in the way of their opinions.

Suicide Squad is not a film that exists on the screen, in a film canister, nor will it in peoples’ minds, memories, or hearts. Suicide Squad is almost conceptual in its charmless vacuum of disappointment. Neither good nor bad enough to be fun, the film merely exists as a simulacrum of potential entertainment where none was ever intended to exist, like the child-catcher’s lollipops in Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang. And we’re the poor little bastards who’ve been caught.

By Jonathan Falconer

Review: The Neon Demon

10/8/2016

Within the opening seconds of director Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest film The Neon Demon, it is immediately obvious where his influences lie.

Primary-coloured, textured title cards and a shrieking, O.T.T. synthesiser score immediately puts one in mind of kitschy horror-thrillers of the 70s and 80s, particularly the hyper-stylised, violent, Italian ‘giallo’ flicks of schlock-meister Dario Argento. As well as contributing to one’s understanding of the origins of the unique visual palette of the film, the immediately recognisable stylishness makes certain expectations operative within the viewer. It is through both adherences to, and (more often) deviations from these expectations that Refn unleashes the taboo power of The Neon Demon.

Anybody who comes away from this film complaining in any way about ‘the point’ of the movie has, ironically enough, missed it. The most crucial thing The Neon Demon tries to emulate through its sonic and visual allusions to 70s/80s shock and sex cinema is that of immediate, unfiltered experience. The film industry now seems more than ever to be adhering to a binary where a film is either ‘smart’ or ‘dumb’, where the ‘smart’ movies are more often focussed on drama, internal conflict etc. while the ‘dumb’ movies are big action blockbusters, or carbon-copy horror franchise flicks.

The thing about the latter is that while the material is more-often-than-not subpar, the films do offer pure involvement and instant emotional gratification for the viewer, as opposed to sombre reflection and slow-burning emotional tension. What The Neon Demon does is marry the formal immediacy of an action film with the imagery and content of a drama. The end result is a film that, rather than moving conventionally through a series of pre-set narrative pit-stops on the way to a ‘satisfying’ conclusion, works through a series of emotionally and visually intense ‘nows’, as opposed to ‘ifs’ or ‘whens’ and the oft prescribed expectation/fulfilment formula audiences are used to.

Due to this juxtaposition of the aesthetic and set-up of a run-of-the-mill 70s/80s thriller, the content of a damning cultural indictment of L.A, and the direct configuration of its formal approach, The Neon Demon does not make sweet, satisfying love to the viewer. It’s a rubber-clad, goose-fleshed fuck of a film that refuses to cuddle you afterwards.

Jonathan Falconer

Review: The Conjuring 2

31/7/2016

Director James Wan’s problem is that he is too good for much of the material that he directs. In previous films, such as Saw, Insidious, Insidious 2, and The Conjuring, Wan, with his evident understanding of and playful approach towards the horror genre, has repeatedly elevated uninspiring material to unexpected levels of entertainment.

Having had a borderline obsessive fascination with the paranormal in my younger years, the child in me reacted with unprecedented excitement when I first learned that Wan would be basing his next horror entry on one of the ‘hauntings’ I used to scare myself shitless reading about under the bedsheets, that of the ‘Enfield Poltergeist’.

A largely debunked case from 1977 in which two young girls were terrorised by a ‘demon’ in their council-flat bedroom, The Conjuring 2 recasts the story within the context of the investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Fresh from investigating a certain house in Amityville, New York, The Warrens reluctantly take on the case of the Hodgson family in Enfield, England, and are swiftly met with more than they bargained for.

If the premise sounds familiar, it’s because it is. The plot, characters, and writing in this movie are utterly unremarkable, however it is probably one of the more effective of the recent paranormal-based horror films. Not in terms of quality, such as the remarkable The Babadook, It Follows, or The Witch, but in terms of utilisation of settings and the situation. The formula of extended silence followed by a deafening shock is indeed a cheap one, however The Conjuring 2 does feature some fantastic set-pieces, bolstered by the fact that it is set in a small, semi-detached council house.

So many recent haunted-house movies are rendered slightly ineffective due to the proliferation of gorgeous rich families being haunted in luxurious mansions. The scaling down of the setting makes the suspense sequences all the more effective as most people can relate to being a terrified child sneaking downstairs in the dark for a drink of water and being unable to take their eyes off that one shadowy corner of the room.

The Conjuring 2 is by no means a great, or even a good, film. Aside from previously mentioned problems with general writing, it runs about 20 minutes too long, and there is an almost laughably bad scene involving Ed Warren doing his best Elvis impression. However, anyone looking to be simply and effectively shaken up for a couple of hours (and possibly longer) could do a lot worse.

Jonathan Falconer

The Men The Oscars Forgot

28/2/2016

Roll out the red carpets and brush off the golden statues, it’s time for the Oscars.

There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the 88th Academy Awards ceremony, with many criticising the institution for its all-white nomination lists.

Right now though, we’d like to remind our readers of another great debate that gets brought up year after year: when is Leo going to get his Oscar?

Leonardo DiCaprio has been nominated four times now for the highly coveted title of Best Actor (as well as once for Best Supporting Actor, and once for his role as producer), and yet he’s never been able to take that golden statue home.

Fans all around the world have their fingers crossed that this will be his year, as he is nominated for his outstanding performance as Hugh Glass in The Revenant. Less than two weeks ago, Leo won the BAFTA for this very role, but the Academy Awards panel have always proved themselves to be harder to please.

While everyone at JFC wishes Leo well, let’s not forget that he’s not the only one to have been snubbed, ignored, or outright forgotten at the Oscars. Here are five others who have shared the same fate...

Ralph Fiennes

Shockingly, Ralph Fiennes, has only ever even been nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role for The English Patient, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Schindler’s List.

Granted, Fiennes doesn’t win our hearts as the handsome hero, but he is the man you love to hate – he’s Voldemort for God’s sake (and you’ll have to forgive us for saying the name out loud)!

Despite playing roles in hugely successful movies such as Schindler’s List, the Harry Potter films, Skyfall, Spectre, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fiennes hasn’t been anywhere near the Oscars since 1996. Well, Ralph, we still love you, or love to hate you at least, and we’re looking forward to seeing you in Hail, Caeser! later this year.

JFC Nomination: Best Supporting Actor in Harry Potter

Bradley Cooper

He’s handsome, he can act, and he’s constantly paired with the world’s current favourite actress Jennifer Lawrence – what more does the Academy want?! Perhaps known best for his role in The Hangover trilogy, Bradley Cooper has proven that he can play a variety of roles, as well as being involved in the production of a number of the films he has starred in, including Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.

He has managed to achieve three nominations in three years, something that has only been done by a mere ten actors before him (and the Oscars have been running since 1929!), and yet he’s never been given the prize we believe he deserves.

JFC Nomination: Best Actor in Limitless

Film Review: Joy

18/1/2016

Though parodied much less than contemporaries Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson, David O. Russell definitely has his common tropes.

Based on a true story, a typical O. Russell will feature one of his all-stars (Mark Wahlberg, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams) playing someone with a dream they've never really had a chance to live. This is due in part to their difficult family who have problems with neurosis and/or addiction. With the help of a friend or love interest, the lead character will reach the top against all odds in one of the cinematic year's 'feel good' moments. The movie is both devastating and hilarious in equal measure. Christian Bale will probably show up at some point having mutilated his body for the role.

As formulaic as his films may be, the director has a pretty great track record, with The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle all brilliant and deservedly decorated.

In the case of Joy, Jennifer Lawrence plays real life inventor Joy Mangano who, as a child, was incredibly creative. Due to to her staying home to help her parents through their divorce instead of going to college, and her mum refusing to patent her self-releasing dog collar, she didn't quite live up to her potential. After cutting her hands wringing a mop full of broken glass, she has the idea of the self-wringing mop and looks to her father's eccentric, wealthy girlfriend to invest in selling them as a business.

JFC Writers Select... The Top 5 Films Of The Year

2/1/2016

There’s something nice about the Christmas film fix over the festive period; re-watching the classics, reproaching that mate who hasn’t seen Miracle on 34th Street, deleting them on Facebook because they won’t stop quoting Elf.

Of course, there’s something even nicer about returning to the world of regular viewing once it’s all done, with the Oscar season ahead and all sorts of future prospects to get you excited.

But let’s not be too hasty. Before we get hyped for 2016, let’s look back at 2015 and give it the credit it’s due. It’s been a good one. Here are our pick of top films from the past 12 months...

Jonathan Falconer's Pick:

5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The much-anticipated seventh chapter in the intergalactically popular sci-fi franchise makes my list because considering the immensity of rebooting one of the most popular sagas in film history, Abrams pulls it off with a heady balance of excitement and sheer nostalgic joy.

4. Macbeth

Shakespeare adaptations often forgo stylish credibility, choosing instead to use the bard’s poetry as a creative crutch. Rather than just being a vehicle for the play, Justin Kurzel’s scorched, bloody miasma of madness and gore succeeds in manifesting texture and atmosphere.

3. The Lobster

Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ black-comedy has inverted the ‘twisted-film-that-happens-to-be-funny’ formula of Dogtooth and created a sublime comedy with veins of violence, cruelty and true despair throughout. Equal parts repulsive yet utterly irresistible, this absurdist balance made The Lobster my comedy of the year.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road

The latest installment in George Miller’s post-apocalyptic ‘ozploitation’ franchise revs up action movie conventions and smashes them through the wall of expectation in a gasoline-soaked juggernaut of tongue-in-cheek, tribal chaos. Miller’s stylish execution of controlled lunacy made this my favourite action film of the year.

1. Carol

Restrained yet emotionally rocking performances by both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, as well as gorgeously-grainy cinematography inspired by the photography of Vivian Maier, combine to make Todd Hayne’s romance Carol one of the most beautifully moving films of the year and beyond.

Lewis Gillies' Picks:

5. Inside Out

Inside Out is Pixar’s best film since WALL-E. Emotionally intelligent, smart, funny and a whole lot of heart, Inside Out is an animated film that can stand up against this years biggest live action films.

4. The Lobster

Absurd, disturbing and the funniest film of the year, Yorgos Lanthimos finds the perfect balance of these elements in his dystopian sci-fi to make one of the most original and intriguing films of 2015.

3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

J.J. Abrams and Co did it, and they pulled it off. Awakens is a massively enjoyable new foray in the Star Wars universe with stunning visual effects, captivating characters and an overall feel that captures everything to love about the franchise.

2. Slow West

John Maclean’s directorial debut is a unique entry into the western genre. It's story is fairytale-esque and feels like a lilting folk song full with dark humour, bloodshed and naive sweetness. The beautifully directed and shot ending set piece is enough to make Slow West a 2015 stand out.

1. Ex Machina

Since I first watched Alex Garland’s directorial debut back in January I had a hunch that it would be my favourite film of the year, and nothing over the year has managed to top it for me. Ex Machina is a dark sci-fi that explores humanity and artificial intelligence. Stylish and intriguing, I can’t stop thinking about Ex Machina or watching it either.

Honourable Mentions: Carol, Bridge of Spies, The Martian, Me Earl and The Dying Girl, Macbeth

Grant Robertson's Picks:

5) Trainwreck

Judd Apatow's films were so self involved that he was writing, directing and producing films about his family, starring his family. By stepping back and assisting Amy Schumer in creating her first movie, he's made his best film since Knocked Up, possibly ever. Trainwreck stars a brilliant and diverse cast all completely hilarious.

4) Steve Jobs

After hearing its bizarre structure, I went into Steve Jobs with scepticism. However, its repetitive and contained nature makes it almost playlike, and with Aaron Sorkin on board, has unsurprisingly sharp writing. Fassbender is fantastic as the unabashedly-arsey Jobs, and seeing how the relationships change in between segments is a real treat.

3) Kingsman: The Secret Service

There have been so many spy movies this year, including Spectre and Mission Impossible 5. My favourite though, was Matthew Vaughan's Kingsman. Vaughan's second Mark Millar adaptation takes the classic Bond formula and takes it completely off the chain. The hyperviolent yet cartoonish action scenes are fantastically choreographed, and Colin Firth is brilliant as the year's least likely action star.

2) The Martian

I've always found Ridley Scott's films a little joyless. However, with the Martian, he and screenwriter Drew Goddard have created the funnest film of the year. Matt Damon is incredibly likeable as NASA botanist Mark Watney and the writing, adapted from the Andy Weir novel, is both uproariously funny and completely gripping.

1) Ex Machina

Ex Machina utilises its very small cast and contained environment to terrific effect in telling this thrilling and creepy story. It's intense, scary, sexy and even funny at bits with fantastic performances from Alicia Vikander as robot girl Ava and Oscar Isaac as her megalomaniac but oddly likeable creator Nathan.

Honourable Mentions: Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spectre and Legend

Robbie Ambrose's Picks:

5. The Martian

Matt Damon sciences the shit out of everything. It was smart, exciting and actually really funny. My inner optimist and nerd had a wonderful time and Ridley Scott has managed to make another brilliant sci-fi with a completely different tone.

4. Spectre

Whilst it was definitely a step down from Skyfall I’m a complete sucker for a Sam Mendes film. If the current Bond films feel formulaic that’s probably because they are, but I’m enjoying it and I hope they keep the grittiness for at least another film.

3. Black Mass

Johnny Depp back to his best. I think this had one of the best trailers of the year and the film was just as dark and twisted as expected. The fact-based drama will grip you and leave you cold, so it’s not going to be one for everyone.

2. Ex Machina

Originally this was a little lower down the list but after watching it again (twice) I’m not sure many other films have managed to stimulate so much discussion and still be thoroughly entertaining. It almost felt like Black Mirror film, and a really good one at that.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Unless it was truly awful, this was always going to be my top pick. A brilliant blend of nostalgia and new faces, it left me with a few bits that bugged me... but it’s Star Wars, and Star Wars done right. How could you not love it?

Honourable mentions: Mad Max, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation