TV Review: Castle Rock - Series One Episode Three "Local Color"

"The Only Thing People Contemplate In This Town Is Suicide..."

With the opening set-up for the series out of the way, Castle Rock has begun to spread its' wings in the direction of a sprawling narrative which attempts to balance the slow release of historical events with the contemporary mystery surrounding the main characters of the piece thus far, and with the third episode of the series focusing primarily on Melanie Lynskey's Molly Strand, the anxious and paranoid house realtor with a penchant for Carrie-esque telepathic abilities, the horror element of the show was somewhat subsided for around half an hour in place of some much needed character development and interesting developments regarding particular secrets which are slowly and surely being unravelled. With an opening scene which highlighted a young Molly's crucial involvement in the folklore legend of Henry Deaver's disappearance and death of his father, such an event seemed to highlight a strong, seemingly affectionate bond between Molly and Henry, one which ambiguously brought to the table a much different relationship between father and son which ultimately resulted in Molly's decision to turn from empathetic pacifier into merciless, cold killer. 

When the horror elements of the show ultimately rear their ugly head however, Molly's dream sequences involving a guilt-heavy trip into her subconscious alongside a clear reference to the spooky imagery of the 2015 Austrian chiller, Goodnight Mommy, was effectively played, utilising the drawn out, lingering shots the genre is well versed in to dramatic ends, particularly in a concluding shot which undoubtedly sent shivers down the spine. More focus on Molly within the episode also meant more focus on Jackie Torrance, whose close friendship between the two seemingly holds no secrets regarding Molly's affection for the newly returned Henry Deaver, even if her true abilities are still a secret buried within, and with Molly's penchant for social awkwardness ultimately resulting brilliantly in the long-awaited meeting of Deaver and "The Kid", or the now aptly named "Nic Cage", the strange questions and ghostly eyed stare of Skarsgård's character continue to haunt, even when at times it feels necessary for the show to try and push his particular character's exploration a tad further, particularly when it has been nearly three hours of mystery with no real indication of where "The Kid" ultimately fits into the overall narrative, but for an episode primarily dedicated to one character, "Local Color" was an entertaining and surprising forty five minutes of one of my new favourite debut series. For the other one, check out Sharp Objects. 

Overall Episode Score: 7/10

TV Review: Castle Rock - Series One Episode Two "Habeas Corpus"

"People Say "It Wasn't Me, It Was This Place". They'd Be Right..."

Perhaps the most difficult episode of a debut series is arguably the curtain raiser's successor, an episode which is tasked with following on from plot points freshly spouted in the opening chapter whilst attempting to develop the tone of what that particular series is ultimately heading for in a manner which is intriguing to explore from the point of view of an audience whose journey through the series has only just begun. With Castle Rock's opening hour a delicate, slow-burning creep-fest, the same sensibility can be said for episode two, a shortened forty-five minutes which develops and introduces new characters from the titular town whilst beginning to throw in a wide range of Stephen King flavoured Easter eggs as it slowly builds its' way around the central mystery at the heart of the narrative so far. Whether it be blink and you'll miss them nods to Cujo during the discovery of a past local newspaper headline, or the voice-over of Terry O'Quin's former warden, Dale Lacy, referring to Stand By Me with the discovery of a body on the tracks, episode two of Castle Rock begins to explore the fun the show can have in wetting the appetite of eager King fans dedicated to hunt out every single reference the show decides to flaunt no matter how cryptic and hidden such a nod could be. 

With the opening title card for the episode a mirage of King's written word, one which focuses on famous phrases from Kings' most iconic novels to date, "Habeas Corpus" begins where the previous episode concluded, with Bill Skarsgård's "The Kid" supposed paranormal abilities being exercised within the heart of Shawshank, resulting in Noel Fisher's (Red) prison guard, Dennis, urging Andre Holland's Deaver to obey the wishes of the prison's most recent and ambiguous resident as quickly as possible. With Skarsgård's eyes undoubtedly being the star of the show so far, the devil symbolism which hovers over his character is elevated heavily with the sudden strange death of an inmate and a letter left behind by the former warden whose lengthy incarceration of "The Kid" seems duly justified considering the evil Skarsgård's character seems to hold within. With horror aficionado Jane Levy (Evil Dead, Don't Breathe) being introduced as Jackie Torrance, the familiar surname immediately pricks the ears as does her character's almost encyclopedic knowledge of the town, resulting in a quickfire history lesson regarding Deaver's mysterious disappearance as a child and the unexplained death of his foster parent which still haunts the town in the present day, and whilst at times the episode sacrifices clever writing for the overuse of swearing, episode two of Castle Rock remains a compelling, mysterious horror fan's dream with a splendid soundtrack and committed performers resulting in a second chapter which continues the strength of the show's debut.  

Overall Episode Score: 8/10

Film Review: Mission: Impossible - Fallout

"The End You've Always Feared Is Coming. It's Coming, And The Blood Will Be On Your Hands..."

With screenplays for the likes of The Usual Suspects and Edge of Tomorrow on Christopher McQuarrie's cinematic CV, it seemed only natural that McQuarrie would soon helm the US's most longstanding and successful contemporary action franchise, where the transition from sole screenwriter to director has formed a winning partnership with Tom Cruise since the release of Jack Reacher in 2012 and the critically acclaimed Rogue Nation three years later. Returning to the fold this week with Fallout, the sixth Mission: Impossible release, McQuarrie reunites with the majority of his cast from Rogue Nation including Rebecca Ferguson (Life), Simon Pegg (Star Trek) and Alec Baldwin (The Departed) as Cruise's Ethan Hunt is tasked with retrieving stolen plutonium cores before they fall into the hands of "The Apostles", a terrorist cell with connections to "The Syndicate", the primary antagonists from Rogue Nation which featured Sean Harris as their treacherous and anarchic leader. With spectacle in abundance, a barrage of breathless action sequences and an editing pace which holds your head in a storm of jaw-dropping disbelief, Fallout is the ultimate summertime blockbuster, an action movie which mixes style and substance as the best genre movies always do and a shining example of how a series can expand and improve when made with such precision and expertise.  

With the franchise in general being more and more renowned for Cruise's lust for practicality when it comes to stunts and set pieces, Fallout features some of the series' best examples yet of Cruise at his most insane and death-defying. Whether it be a high-speed The Dark Knight inspired vehicle heist, a Casino Royale and Jason Bourne-esque rooftop chase, or a concluding aerial helicopter pursuit which channelled the opening act of Sam Mendes' Spectre, Fallout perfectly blends the lines between fiction and reality, offering high-octane action on a constant basis in front of beautiful cinematography by Rob Hardy (Ex Machina, Annihilation) which makes you question how exactly a film which sees Cruise being put through the absolute wringer can be made without an over-reliance on digital effects. With an opening thirty minutes which does strangely drag after being bulked down with a crescendo of generic spy-genre exposition, Fallout isn't perfect but is undoubtedly saved by the remaining two hours which provide a cracking amount of evidence for being the best example of the genre since Mad Max: Fury Road, and with Cruise and co. so obviously enjoying exploring the capacity for how far the action genre can be pushed to the limit before certain death, from an audience perspective, long may it continue. 

Overall Score: 8/10

TV Review: Castle Rock - Series One Episode One "Severance"

"You've Been Gone Eleven Days. What Happened Out There...?

With 2017 a year packed to the rafters with Stephen King forged entertainment both on the big screen and the small, the tantalising pallet of King-led adaptations which ranged from the outstanding success of It to the little-seen Netflix gem, Gerald's Game, brought with it a timely ultra-relevant reunion with a writer whose works were once again being flouted and ear-marked for Hollywood intervention after a somewhat absent hiatus in which the writer seemed to be vacant from mainstream media and strictly focusing on the written word. With the success of shows such as Netflix's Stranger Things showcasing the influence of the American's bibliography on even contemporary tales today, King's writings have once again been brought back successfully into the limelight, resulting in the creation of Castle Rock, a Hulu original horror series produced by J. J. Abrams (Star Wars - The Force Awakens) and King himself, which attempts to nod to as many King-based stories and characters as possible in a gigantic fan-boy love-in for the die-hard dedicators of the Maine-born writer, alongside a particularly creepy cast who too have their own personal links to previous King endeavours which have serviced their own careers rather well indeed. 

With dark, supernatural stirrings and a range of interesting set-ups, Castle Rock's debut hour bursts with King-styled influences and creepy flavourings as we are introduced to the familiar setting of Shawshank State Penitentiary, albeit without a Tim Robbins or Morgan Freeman in sight, with Castle Rock's portrayal of the prison one much seedier and claustrophobic than anything in Frank Darabont's famous 1994 drama, The Shawshank Redemption. After the discovery of "The Kid" from within the depths of the prison, the skinny-built, pale faced and blood-shot eyed presence of Bill Skarsgård is immediately captivating, if not as genuinely unsettling as the actor's take on Pennywise in last year's It, and with Moonlight's Andre Holland taking on the role as town lawyer, Henry Deaver, his own mysterious background begins to pull the two leading characters of the show in the same direction. With supporting performances from the likes of Sissy Spacek (Carrie) and Scott Glenn (Daredevil), Castle Rock already gleefully wallows in the sheer absurd amount of fundamentally uncertain characters, aided spectacularly by the direction of television stalwart, Michael Uppendahl, (The Walking Dead, Fargo, Legion) who knows when and how to linger the camera just enough to make the audience feel uncomfortable, and with more than enough substance already to engage even the most casual of Stephen King obsessive's, Castle Rock is a show that deserves to be kept an eye on. 

Overall Episode Score: 8/10

Film Review: Hotel Artemis

"We've Been Here For Twenty-Two Years. This Hospital Was Built On Two Things: Trust And Rules..."

Written and directed by British filmmaker, Drew Pearce, whose previous credits include screenplays for the likes of Iron Man 3 and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Hotel Artemis features a generously stellar cast set as they are whacked slap band in the middle of a dystopian riot zone and forced into the titular, secretive building where entry is gained for members only and is ran with strict rules and regulations by Jodie Foster's (The Silence of the Lambs) Jean Thomas AKA The Nurse. With flashes of neo-noir crime drama and a underlying, wacky black comedic sensibility, Pearce's movie is a strange, tonally manic mess of a movie which sacrifices plot for excruciatingly annoying characters and a narrative through line for dull set pieces, all taking place within a set location which seems to have forgotten to pay the lighting bill, and whilst Pearce in the past has worked alongside the likes of Shane Black, a filmmaker renowned for making dark comedy work successfully, Pearce's debut doesn't take any tips from his cinematic learning curve and is unfortunately a painfully dull and excruciatingly boring waste of ninety minutes in which stuff just happens without any sense of reason or point.  

With an opening backdrop which introduces a future-world Los Angeles in which privatisation of the area's water supply has sparked mass rioting and protest from the lower class of the populous, Pearce's movie follows Sterling K. Brown's (Black Panther) Waikiki after a bank heist gone wrong forces him into the Hotel Artemis, an off-the-books NHS for the criminal underworld which reeks heavily of The Continental Hotel influence from the John Wick series. Cue the introduction of Jeff Goldblum's (Thor: Ragnarok) The Wolf King, who seeks vengeance for the theft of his multi-million dollar priced jewels, and soon the action and violence breaks loose, resulting in the likes of Dave Bautista (Spectre), Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) and the ever radiant Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde) all flexing their action muscles in an attempt to overshadow their meaningless characterisation. With Charlie Day (Pacific Rim: Uprising) once again proving to be the most annoying Hollywood actor currently employed, Hotel Artemis fails on a fundamental movie-making level by not only lacking a straightforward central narrative, but also a movie which doesn't manage to be at all accessible or believable, and by the time the movie crawls its' way to the finish line, it almost felt heavenly to leave the seat in which I had been violently squirming in for the preceding ninety minutes. 

Overall Score: 3/10

Film Review: A Prayer Before Dawn

"I Got No Family, No Money, Just Give Me This One Chance, I Wanna Fight..."

Based on "A Prayer Before Dawn: My Nightmare in Thailand's Prisons" by ex-con and former drug addict, Billy Moore, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire's debut, high profile release elbows its' way into cinemas this week, dragging along with it a bruising sense of harsh realism and the full-blooded nightmare of Moore's journey as he is incarcerated within the confines of a Thailand prison for drug dealing and is forced to fight for his survival in a sense both literal and dangerous. Shot on location at Nakhon Pathom Prison, a staggeringly un-hygienic mosh pit of overpopulated prisoners, both dead and alive, where violence is mandatory for staying alive and gang rape is part and parcel of being proclaimed as the weakest in the populous, Sauvaire's movie is a grueling, non-stop and overly horrific portrayal of survival which incorporates a menacing backdrop to iron over the cliches of the plot, even when the fundamental story is that of reality and not fiction, and with a standout central performance and an editing pace which works particularly well considering a complete lack of meaningful dialogue, A Prayer Before Dawn is a successful and daring directorial debut from a filmmaker unafraid to tackle the darkest tales of man and the instinct to survive, no matter the cost.

With Joe Cole of Peaky Blinders and Green Room fame playing the younger incarnation of Moore, his journey from angst-ridden junkie to dedicated fighter brings with it a frighteningly authentic physical performance, one which rivals Tom Hardy's Bronson in Winding-Refn's spectacular movie of the same name for levels of incarcerated danger, aside from the pantomime sensibility of the latter which is strikingly absent, and in its place, a much more humane and regretful character arc which develops as Moore becomes used to the ways and means of his newly found incarceration. With Cole's powerful performance resulting in every jab, bruise and serious injury being well and truly felt, it's a crying shame that the screenplay for the movie doesn't entirely hold up to similarly spectacular levels, with the path of the narrative funneling through from a run-of-the-mill prison drama in the vein of Animal Factory or David Mackenzie's equally gritty Starred Up, to a bog-standard boxing conclusion, all wrapped up within a thematic sensibility which reeks of a combination between The Raid 2: Berandal and Warrior, and as amazing as that ultimately sounds, Sauvaire's debut doesn't stamp its' foot on the equal quality of its' predeceasing familiars and is ultimately a movie saved by his stellar direction of a leading performance which demands to be visualized and lauded. 

Overall Score: 7/10

Film Review: The Secret of Marrowbone

"At Last, We've Found The Place Where We Can Be Safe..."

Written and directed by Spanish filmmaker, Sergio G. Sánchez, whose previous credits include screenplays for the likes of The Orphanage and The Impossible, interesting and successful movies directed by fellow compatriot, J. A. Bayona, who is currently making waves in the box office with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Secret of Marrowbone is a equally fascinating thriller chiller which merges ghostly horror with secretive deceptions as the movie follows the Marrowbone family after the untimely death of their loving mother in 1960's America. Led by George MacKay's (Pride) Jack Marrowbone, the reclusive family soon become haunted by a seemingly supernatural entity buried high within the household, adding to the perils of the local lawyer, as played by Kyle Soller (The Fifth Estate), who attempts to derail the family's ownership of their one safe haven, and whilst Marrowbone is a movie bursting with splendid performances, subtle creepy asides and beautiful set designs, Sánchez's movie ultimately doesn't hold a candle to his previous works, but still remains a solid, if overly predictable, gothic floor-creaker. 

With supporting performances from the likes of young, genre aficionados such as Charlie Heaton and Mia Goth, with the latter rising to fame in Netflix's Stranger Things and the former starring in the likes of A Cure for Wellness and the upcoming remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria, Marrowbone's leading performances are all effectively finely tuned for the overall mood of the piece, particularly that of MacKay, whose transition throughout the course of the movie works primarily to the actor's commitment and belief in the role. With the ever-splendid Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) taking a slightly different path to what fans of her work are used to, her character helps channel the absurdity of the plot come the final, overly predictable twist, a narrative jump which not only does not work as hauntingly effective as Sánchez's work on The Orphanage, but one which opens up a spectacular can of worms regarding the meteor-sized plot holes it leaves behind in its' wake. Featuring, but not relying on, a couple of well-timed jump scares and spooky set pieces, Marrowbone isn't your straightforward haunted house piece as it weaves through to more of a Gothic-infused, Shutter Island esque psychological conclusion, and whilst Sánchez manages to prove himself as a director in his big screen debut, its' surprisingly the script which doesn't exactly hold together, resulting in a movie which begins in puzzling fashion yet ends on a slight bum note. 

Overall Score: 6/10

Film Review: Skyscraper

"The Pearl Is The Tallest, Most Advanced Building In The World..."

With Rampage up there with one of the most tedious examples of over-inflated, digitally enhanced works of blockbuster trash so far this year, following on from the similarly painful endurance test which was last year's Jumanji remake, it's fair to say my opinion of Dwayne Johnson's acting pedigree has somewhat deteriorated recently, but with the release of Skyscraper, the latest movie from Rawson Marshall Thurber who reunites with Johnson after their work together on Central Intelligence, Johnson returns to the bombastic, B-Movie-centric blockbuster hero many have come to love in a movie which revels in its' utmost absurdity and succeeds in being nothing more than one heck of a fun ride. Based on a screenplay written by Thurber, Skyscraper is the type of disaster movie unashamed to scream out its' influences as it swerves between a mix of Die Hard, The Towering Inferno and Panic Room, with Johnson's former FBI agent turned amputee security adviser, Will Sawyer, forced into a perilous situation as he attempts to save his family who have been trapped within the titular structure coined "The Pearl" and a terrorist plot helmed by Roland Møller's (Atomic Blonde) muscular if underwritten Kores Botha. 

With the movie taking no time out of its' harmless ninety minute runtime at all for meaningful characterisation, with even Sawyer's opening catastrophic life-changing injury flashed through without cliff-notes, Thurber's screenplay is much more interested in using Johnson's physicality to influence the story in a fashion which was gratingly absent from the actor's previous endeavours on screen, particularly in the likes of Rampage when Johnson's natural charisma was wasted in favour of over-inflated digital pixels and explosions. Whether it be a bruising and practical one-on-one fist fight, holding up crumbling bridges with just his hands or taking a leap of faith with the movie's most bananas moment as his character evades certain death when jumping from a crane into the heart of the fire ridden tower in order to save his family, Skyscraper is indeed ridiculous, but the type of movie which manages to phase through its' cheesiness and leave you with an almighty grin, even with the inclusion of corny plot exposition and character deceptions which are so obvious there really wasn't any need to attempt to hide them in the first place. Whilst offering nothing new whatsoever to the genre in which it sits, Skyscraper is a ninety minute guilty pleasure which reinforces the love for Johnson that was once lost, proving that when placed in the right scenario, The Rock is the man you need to save you from certain death.  

Overall Score: 6/10

Film Review: Muse: Drones World Tour

"How Can We Win When Fools Can Be Kings..?"

Created in Devon but born on the world stage with their heightened sense of musical ridiculousness, alternative rock trio, Muse, bring their lavish extravagance to the big screen this week with the Drones World Tour, a ninety minute spectacle which merges footage from the titular tour in support of the 2015 album, Drones, as it glues together songs performed at three different venues in an attempt to offer the best musical and visual representation possible. Succeeding before with the likes of the Wembley Stadium based H.A.A.R.P and Live at Rome Olympic Stadium, the latter of which was shot completely in 4K, Drones World Tour takes a slightly different stance by strictly containing the footage within the confines of arenas, a decision which does indeed restrict the bombastic scale of Muse audiences many are used to, but on the other hand does allow for a much better sound quality and mix then previous examples of the band's genuine outstanding ability when playing live. With the vocals and guitar antics of Matthew Bellamy finely tuned to match each other with a sense of rawness and expertise, the resulting equalisation of the film is undeniably its' biggest strength, offering a genuine sense that the audience have been transmitted right into the heart of gig itself and touching distance away from each of the core members.

With the camera swinging between the trio, the audience and the rather wild stage set-up, floating, LED-sphere drones and all, the visuals of the performance are mesmerising enough even when the band themselves have chosen to understandably focus heavily on performances from the Drones album and leave behind the more well-respected, early tracks from the group, resulting in perhaps even the most dedicated Muse fan questioning the logic of two book-ended performances of the choir based "Drones" in favour of a "Stockholm Syndrome" or a "Plug in Baby". That said, the one-two riff heavy opening of "Psycho" and "Reapers" wholeheartedly sets the tone for what lies ahead, with dark, catchy riffs being perfectly balanced with Bellamy's falsetto, Christopher Wolstenholme's under-appreciated bass work and Dominic Howard's steady percussion, with the likes of "Hysteria", "Knights of Cydonia" and "Time is Running Out" the standout examples of when the group all come together at the top of their respective games. Directed by long-term band accessory, Tom Kirk, whose previous credits also include directorial duties for a couple of tracks from Metallica's latest album, Drones World Tour is space-rock at its' most absurdly enjoyable, a movie undeniably for die-hard fans of the band's work but most importantly, a movie which understands the necessity to make the viewer feel part of the action, a feat the movie manages with great success. 

Overall Score: 8/10

Film Review: Incredibles 2

"It's Time To Make Some Wrong Things Right. Help Me Bring Supers Back Into The Sunlight..."

With the likes of Inside Out, Zootropolis and this year's Coco categorically proving that the twentieth century has been open ground for a wide range of superb animation releases, the much anticipated return of the power-inflicted Parr family in Incredibles 2 after a prolonged fourteen year wait since their first appearance on the big screen back in 2004 mightily continues the winning streak which Disney is currently relishing in. Directed and written by Brad Bird, the brains behind the original, whose ventures in between the two films have included the rather enjoyable Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and the not so enjoyable Tomorrowland, Incredibles 2 is a uproariously entertaining animated blockbuster, one which attempts to balance two separate story-lines as it revels in reverting particular familial stereotypes and one which ties into the conventional superhero mould by blending action spectacle with an abundance of rib-tickling humour, and whilst at times the twists and turns are rather unsurprising and the movie carries an overall feeling that two hours is far too long for most movies, let alone an animated feature, Brad Bird's fourteen year project in the making does have flaws, but thankfully the many positives result in his latest feature being a damn fun ride. 

Ditching the real life time gap and picking up three months after events of the first film, Bird's screenplay sees the Parr family attempting to rebuild their life after the outlawing of superheroes, and with the help of Bob Odenkirk's (Breaking Bad) Winston Deavor, a superhero-loving millionaire, the matriarchal figure of Helen Parr/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter, The Big Sick) is placed front and centre of a scheme to reintroduce powered saviours back into favour of the world's ever-watching eyes. With Helen's absence therefore, the job of stay-at-home parent falls to Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson, Gold) who attempts to juggle the stress of managing his three children and wife's new found success alongside the threat of the ominous Screenslaver, a tech-savvy terrorist type whose intentions seem to be aimed towards the newly popular band of superheroes. Jumping in and out of the two main narrative strands throughout the course of the movie, the primary superhero plot involving Elastigirl and her discovery of Screenslaver is solid enough fun, incorporating flashy and bright action set pieces including a high speed monorail chase and some epilepsy inducing boss battles, however the real winning streak of the movie falls in events back home with Mr. Incredible, particularly in the discovery of infant Jack-Jack's new-found powers, an extended gag which offers a wide range of set pieces which genuinely land up there with some of the best on-screen comedy I have ever seen. With eye-catching animation, a heartfelt centrepiece message at the centre of the story and a heavy balance of enough there to fulfil both child and adult audiences alike, Incredibles 2 isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it offers enough of a good time to be more than worth a visit to see its' ravishing pleasures. 

Overall Score: 7/10

Film Review: The First Purge

"If We Want To Save Our Country, We Must Release All Our Anger In One Night..."

With The Purge: Election Year correctly signalling the conclusion of a trilogy which had already outstayed its' welcome after a triage of films which never really managed to balance the interesting socio-political ideas at the heart of the series with effective elements of horror, even if some of the genre-inspired masks were actually quite creepy, for reasons which can only be regarded as monetary, here we are once again with The First Purge, an unwarranted series prequel which showcases the events of the first ever Purge-related experiment as the idea is authorised for testing within the area of Staten Island, New York City. Written and produced by series stalwart James DeMonaco, who this time takes a backseat from directorial duties and instead hands the reigns to Fruitvale Station producer, Gerard McMurray, The First Purge is a languid, pointless and utterly worthless work of gratuitous nonsense which falls into the trap of its' predecessors by simply exploiting its' fundamental notional cornerstone in favour of graphic violence which is eagerly presented without any real sense of meaningful purpose, and even when the same can be said at times for the preceding three movies, McMurray's take is the first entry to miss the mark in astronomical fashion.

With newcomer Y'Lan Noel's Dmitri portrayed as the central hero of the piece, a character who earns his money through exploiting a poverty stricken community via drug dealing and murder, it's fair to say that in terms of the movie's sense of peril or threat, the radar lands on a resounding zilch, and even with the inclusion of Lex Scott Davis' morally central, Nya, and brother Isaiah, as played by Joivan Wade (Doctor Who), the chance to break away from the two-dimensional characters in which the actors represent is never offered, resulting in a movie which is tonally cold and utterly un-engaging. With the movie also struggling to contain a lid on the various tonal strands it embarks on, with elements of horror, action and unwarranted comedy all jumbled together like a cinematic equivalent of spin art, the constant and untimely gags end up feeling jarring, with a scene of a sexual assault in particular concluding in a chuckle-some Trump-targeted pop which literally had my mind exercising somersaults of disbelief. With Marisa Tomei (Spider-Man: Homecoming) being criminally underused in favour of happy-go-lucky drug dealers and endless cheap jump scares, The First Purge is a wasted opportunity to represent the series with a new, interesting light, the type of movie which ironically enough, should be purged from our cinema screens as violently as possible.

Overall Score: 3/10

Film Review: Adrift

"I Sailed Halfway Around The World To Find You..."

With Icelandic filmmaker, Baltasar Kormákur, having a recent cinematic back catalogue which can arguably be regarded as somewhat patchy, the 2 Guns and Everest director returns this week with Adrift, a romantic survival drama based on the true story of reckless adventurers, Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp, as they venture into the Pacific Ocean in order to sail a luxury sail boat from Tahiti to San Diego and end up coming face to face with a destructive and dangerous hurricane. Based on Tami Oldham's own memoir "Red Sky in Mourning", co-written with Susea McGearhart and published in 1998, Kormákur's latest follows a familiar "lost-at-sea" narrative as it attempts to juggle the central relationship between Oldham and Sharp, played on-screen by Shailene Woodley (Snowden) and Sam Claflin (My Cousin Rachel) respectively, with a hard-edged tale of survival, and whilst the performances of the central duo are pleasantly believable and committed, particularly Woodley who gives her best on-screen performance since Snowden, Adrift is annoyingly a middling, overly mediocre affair which features zero sense of peril and an overriding sense that we have been here many, many times before. 

With a time-jumping narrative which continually switches between the past and the present, the historical scenes sees the core relationship between Sharp and Oldham begin to blossom in the most cringey, overly saccharin way possible, with even Oldham's character in one scene apologising for being too "cheesy", but even with a screenplay which feels very much the typeface template for approaching on-screen Hollywood depictions of love, it's to the leading duo's credit that you still successfully believe in the pair as a genuine couple hunger for exploration and excitement on the rough seas. Cue the scenes of the present and it is here where Adrift ultimately and strangely becomes ever-so cliched, with the movie somewhat sitting between the all-out physicality of All is Lost and the ripe sentimentality of Titanic, but all-the-while feeling incredibly boring and wholly un-engaging even when Woodley gives it her all, peanut butter covered fingers and all. With a concluding twist which not only feels convoluted, cheap and utterly ridiculous, such a black hole of jarring inconsistency raises questions about whether the majority of the film was ultimately needed, but with a resounding sense that both Claflin and Woodley somewhat save the day, Adrift sort of gets past the finish line, albeit struggling and hanging on for dear life. 

Overall Score: 5/10

Film Review: Tag

"We Lose! He Beat Us! The Game Is Over..!"

Beginning his big-screen career with a collection of Hollywood stars and a mildly comedic central gag to play with, debutante director, Jeff Tomsic, adapts Russell Adams' 2013 article, "It Takes Planning, Caution To Avoid Being It", an account of a true story published in The Wall Street Journal which focused on a group of life-long friends who spend one month each year playing the titular game of tag with overly dedicated and sophisticated measures in order to succeed. With a band of usual American comedy suspects including Ed Helms (Father Figures), Hannibal Buress (Blockers) and Jake Johnson (21 Jump Street), Tomsic's movie follows the reunion of four particularly immature friends as they team up in order to finally "tag" Jeremy Renner's (Captain America: Civil War) swaggering, soon-to-be married Jerry before his self proclaimed retirement at the end of their chosen month in which the game takes place. With a handful of child-like slapstick set pieces, seething bromantic chemistry and an overarching sensibility which relies on its' audience to be as similarly immature as its' leading characters, Tag is indeed a solid comedic winner, one which although suffers slightly from a violently overstretched central gag and a couple of strange narrative add-ons, works due to a likeable array of personalities and sharp, well-timed gags which managed to make even this hard chestnut giggle with childish amusement. 

With an opening act which introduces the central relationship between Helms' Hogan Malloy and Jon Hamm's (Baby Driver) Bob Callahan, a successful businessman who hides his inner paranoia and low self-esteem behind sharp suits and formal haircuts, the movie's first set piece in which Malloy takes a job as a janitor at Callahan's place of work in order to tag him pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the movie, with the zippy one hundred minute runtime being crammed with slapstick inspired chase sequences which move from golf courses to wedding receptions as particular characters attempt to evade the embarrassment of being it. With Renner as the self-proclaimed master of the game whose transition from child to adult has remained free of ever being tagged, his planned wedding is the battleground for one last attempt, and whilst Renner is only used sparingly at times in favour of the core quartet of friends, his performance is joyously entertaining, with Renner clearly embracing the sheer nonsensical nature of the script which he is working with. With a concluding attempt to pull at the heartstrings, the movie does finish on surprisingly rank terms, particularly when the tone of the movie pretty much throughout is utter silliness, but within the rather middling genre of contemporary American comedies, Tag is trashy fun which passes the time rather neatly. 

Overall Score: 6/10