TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episode Eight *SEASON FINALE* "Now Am Found"

"I Wanted Privacy. My Hope Being That We Could Resolve This Situation. Just The Two Of Us..."

With the previous two episodes of True Detective successfully managing to bring the heat of the drama to almost unbelievably levels of white knuckle tension, one could be forgiven for heading into the hotly anticipated finale with a stubborn mindset that something majestic and groundbreaking was set to fall upon us. In the case of "Now Am Found" however, whilst Season Three's extra long conclusion did manage to squeeze in an enormous amount of plot and narrative resolutions, the real overarching tone at the heart of the episode was a delicate balance between melancholy and optimism as the chapter widely seen as a much needed return to form finally closed its' doors. With the penultimate episode leaving the audience with the sight of 1990's Hays reluctantly head into the back seat of a vehicle belonging to the mysterious Hoyt, the introduction of Michael Rooker looking more Michael Rooker then Rooker himself as we witness his character swing on a bottle of bourbon whilst accompanying Hays to the outskirts of nowhere, resulted in a delicious back and forth battle of dialogue heavy wills as Hoyt suggested both took the time to confide in each other by swapping their more hidden and secretive confessions. With Hoyt being moved swiftly off-screen with just enough screen time to make a worthy impact, the horror inflicted sensibility of the series warmed up nicely as we finally saw old man Hays and West discover the remains of the Hoyt estate, and with a ripe genre soundtrack on full thrusters in the background as the purpose of the "pink room" was established, such a set piece sought to remind in an uncanny fashion a very similar set piece during the first season's finale regarding the final confrontation with the Yellow King.  

Whilst Hoyt was the obvious candidate to be Mr. Exposition in regards to the central mystery, this role instead went to the now identified Julius, the one-eyed black man from the caravan park and disruptor at Amelia's book signing, who casually bloated out and finely tuned the cause of both the Purcell child's death and the reason behind Julie's long-standing disappearance. Whilst I'm all for plot resolutions, particularly when it comes to a series with so many questions, and I understand that not every show is going to be as damn confusing and mind-boggling as Twin Peaks, the five minute sequence in which every single element is rather nicely tied up did seem a tad flimsy, particularly when one of the strongest points of writing this season was the certain oppressive nature in which there always felt a underlying notion that not everything ever seemed particularly right. With other points clarified and others left seemingly abandoned, the finer narrative points of Series Three still left some questions remaining, but with a really well executed final set piece in which Hays' continual memory problems really came around to haunt him, "Now Am Found" effectively made an immediate lasting impression, carrying out both the standout acting and interesting writings which have made True Detective's latest series a real treat to digest, dissect and review, and whilst many thought the series had died a disappointing death thanks to the divisive nature of the show's second season, Pizzolatto has successfully managed to put the show back on its' rightful course with eight hours or so of excellent, intriguing and compelling small screen drama. 

Overall Episode Score: 9/10

Overall Season Score: 8.6/10

TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episodes Six and Seven "Hunters in the Dark" and "The Final Country

"Hell Of A Day When A Gunfight Is The Second Most Exciting Thing To Happen To You..."

With the effects of the Woodard shootout still lingering in the forefront of the 1980's timeline this week, it very much seems that whilst the season's definitive action set piece seemed at the time to be no more than just a glorified, if well executed, gun fight, in reality, the death of Woodard and the discovery of particular elements pertaining to the Purcell case seems to have been the kickstarter for a much deeper and dark hearted conspiracy, one which became more evident throughout the two unbelievably addictive hours of television in this ever-improving chapter of a True Detective. With HBO's latest flagship show not only blossoming thanks to a much needed return to form, the decision to return to the almost psychological horror aspect of the show's debut season really makes the drama tick as we attempt to string together the wailing dots in order to come to some sort of amicable resolution come the final episode. With episode six coming to terms with the definitive notion of Julie still being well and truly alive, the tables all turned towards Tom as the lead candidate for her brother's murder, whilst the return of the now drug addicted Dan O'Brien and the first, more low-key interrogation of Officer James seemed to nod towards the opening of previously locked doors which pointed to a much ominous overarching explanation. With a full-on, nail biting sense of oppressiveness throughout, the tone of the episode felt comfortable in being able to resort back to the spine-tingling and wholly unnerving sensibility which the first season managed to get so spot on, and with creepy monologues from incidental characters both ambiguous and crucial to solving the many riddles at the heart of the central mystery, "Hunters in the Dark" also featured the discovery of the infamous "pink castle" and the creepiest conclusion to an episode this season by a considerable distance. 

With such a dramatic discovery, it wasn't exactly surprising to see that the first act of episode seven was to see the lengths certain power-hungry figures will go to in order to keep the now solidified conspiracy under wraps and as far away from both Hays and West as humanly possible, with the death of Tom and his convenient suicide note one of the less effective narrative twists so far due to an alarming sense of inevitability. As pointed out by Sarah Gadon's Elisa, the nature of the conspiracy almost uncannily becomes quiet after a sudden act of violence and the discovery of a dead man, and with the elder Hays clearly misdirecting and misremembering her particular line of questioning, the "bad thing" involving Hays and West is finally revealed, with the accidental death and subsequent attempt at removing every trace of Officer James the enormous elephant in the room and potentially a deciding factor in Hay's penchant for mental illness and memory confliction. Add into the mix the return of the one-eyed black man and joyous, if slightly off-hand, link to the Rust/Hart investigation from the first season, and the cards heading into the finale all begin to slightly stack up, concluding with a long-awaited meet-up with the ambiguous figure of Mr. Hoyt, whose telephone conversation could not hide the fact that the man on the other end of the line was Yondu himself, Michael Rooker. With the tension unbearable, the tone now full on Wicker Man style oppressive and questions still remaining, next week promises to be either an enormous and jaw-dropping hour of television or a complete cop-out. We shall see. 

Overall Episode Score: 9/10

Film Review: Alita: Battle Angel

"I'd Do Whatever I Had To For You. I'd Give You Whatever I Have. I'd Give You My Heart..."

Reportedly placed on the indefinite James Cameron waiting list after his determination to focus on the long awaited Avatar sequels instead, Alita: Battle Angel sees the American pass the bulk of the buck down to Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Spy Kids) who directs and brings to life the world of Yukito Kishiro's famous manga series of the same name first published in the early 1990's. Utilising a screenplay formed by both Cameron and Avatar colleague. Jon Landau, Rodriguez's blockbuster combines a familiar steampunk, action-based sensibility with adventurous and top notch special effects for a movie which sees Rose Salazar (Maze Runner: The Death Cure) as the titular cyborg who is located by Christoph Waltz's (Django Unchained) Dr. Dyson Ido within a junkyard pile dumped in the heart of the aptly named Iron City. After repairing both her body and mind, Alita seeks to understand her ambiguous past and purpose amidst the threat of warring hierarchies, murderous contract killers and the sudden discovery of both love and friendship, all under the watchful eye of Ido who seems to be hiding a much greater understanding of Alita's secretive origins than one might expect. By seemingly gluing together an array of familiar famous movies which occupy the same genre space, Alita is a functional if wildly underwhelming cinematic experience which not only seems rather inconsistent and messy from a narrative point of view, but ultimately makes you wonder what could have been if Cameron was able to direct in the first place.  

Between the combination of Rodriguez and Cameron, whose reluctance to direct allows him the freedom of a highly influential production credit, it is clear to see that the main goal of Alita is to create a living, breathing and spectacularly cinematic fictional world, one filled with clear nods to Blade Runner and every single neo-noir futureworld since Ridley Scott changed the face of science fiction forever, and with the aid of simply brilliant digital effects and production design, they do manage to effectively pull it off, particularly in the case of the central character of Alita who although heavily falls under the bracket of the uncanny valley, is simply incredible to behold, with Salazar's performance effectively managing to come across a really interesting and engaging leading heroine. With wasted performances from many of the film's pedigree cast however, with the likes of Mahershala Ali (Green Book) and Jennifer Connelly (Only the Brave) struggling to give depth to their equally one-dimensional and overly forgettable characters, and a scattershot array of endless plot threads which not only become overly confusing but seem to live up to Rodriguez's claims that the film would push an extensive catalogue of the original manga all into one, such decisions ultimately weaken the final product as a whole, resulting in Alita becoming yet another frustrating example of wasted potential, and for a movie which is clearly seen as the start point of a whole new science fiction franchise, seems to be going absolutely nowhere, continuing a common trend of movies in the ilk of The Mummy and Mortal Engines by being films which dream big, but are ultimately let down by failing to address successfully the first hurdle which comes their way. 

Overall Score: 5/10

TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episode Five "If You Have Ghosts"

"Tell Him To Leave Me Alone. I Know What He Did. That Man Pretending To Be My Father..."

After commenting this time last week on a distinct lack of standout action set pieces within a series renowned for breaking the rules of what is allowed upon the small screen, this week's episode of True Detective was undoubtedly the most proactive and efficient hour of storytelling since the opening episode, blending together a narratively crucial and well executed resolution to last week's cliffhanger and playing its' hand in terms of answers to the widening array of key questions much quicker than before. Concluding tantalisingly with the prospect of a full blown massacre last week, the attack on the Woodard household not only ended in exactly that, resulting in the death of not only his attackers, but police officers too, but also put to bed the question of the original conviction regarding the Purcell case, with key evidence including burnt clothing and one of the missing children's backpack being conveniently found in the household of a now dead but understandably suspicious leading suspect. With the 80's timeline of the narrative strictly limited to the Woodard set piece, the majority of the action this time around once again lands deep in the 90's timeline, with the hunt for the missing Purcell girl well and truly afoot, resulting in the continuation of the clash of heads between Hays and West who seem to have their own individual notions of how most effectively to deal with the biggest puzzle piece so far. With Tom caught up to speed in the doings of his once presumed dead daughter, her potential involvement within a "family" of runaways and continued search for her missing brother results in a live witness appeal, a particularly interesting scene which brings to light the strong sense of bad blood from many regarding the original case, with the conviction of Woodard seeming considerably rushed and overly fraudulent. 

With discoveries of missing evidence, the complete lack of basic forensic awareness and the potential planting of key items at the original crime scene, 90's Hays too begins to wonder whether the death and subsequent conviction of Woodard felt perhaps too timely and ideal for the true murderer who potentially may have had all the time in the world to dispose of crucial evidence, and with a strange, oddball question regarding the disappearance of a local detective at the time of the second investigation, does the confliction raging inside Hays point towards something much more disturbing than one might originally believe? With his absolute refusal to speak about the case outside of the confines of work, an awkward dinner conversation seemed to hark back to the first date between Hays and Amelia by showing how far and how disillusioned the couple have become due to just one case, and whilst it has always seemed that Amelia's eagerness for the finer details regarding the Purcell investigation has always seemed to be her own way of dealing with the trauma, this week seemed to offer up a darker, seedier alternative regarding her true motives surround both Hays and the Purcell's. With this seed firmly planted, the heartwarming reunion of the now aged pairing of Hays and West was hampered by Hays' memory regarding the pair's last meeting, and with the death of Amelia as far as I'm aware not exactly being cleared up completely, this week's episode of True Detective thoroughly enjoyed being able to tease and play with an audience which was once again treated to a riveting and thoroughly entertaining hour of damn good television. 

Overall Episode Score: 9/10

Film Review: Green Book

"You Never Win With Violence. You Only Win When You Maintain Your Dignity..."

Arriving in the United Kingdom just in time for the Academy Awards later in the month, the multi nominated drama, Green Book, comes forth with an abundance of critical pleasantries and expectation that amongst the likes of A Star is Born and Roma, the small, independent latest from the director of Shallow Hal and erm, Dumb and Dumber To may pip such works of excellence to the post of walking away with Best Picture. Based on the true life relationship between African-American jazz pianist, Don Shirley, and the Italian-American streetwise bouncer, Tony Vallelonga, Green Book is a quaint, engaging and highly entertaining dramatic crowd-pleaser which floats gently across the line between saccharin and sweet as it blends together two opposing figures of 1960's America with enough charm and interesting underlying subplots to gloss over a story which many audiences have already seen before. With many declaring Green Book as essentially a contemporary adaptation of Driving Miss Daisy, albeit with a particular twist regarding the ethnicity of both driver and passenger, Peter Farrelly's latest shines brightest when left in the company of the film's leading stars, with both Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence) and Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) both providing stand out performances worthy of their recognition from this year's Oscars, and whilst Green Book as a whole fails to match the excellence of its' brothers in the field of Best Picture, the particular parts which do happen to shine brightest are indeed worthy of taking the time to seek out and admire.  

With the movie opening with Mortensen's Vallelonga, the work dependant, cocky hustler burdened with the apt nickname of "Tony Lip" due to his almost joyous penchant for saying things as he sees them, the screenplay concocted from a combination of Farrelly, Brian Currie and Tony's son, Nick Vallelonga, allows the first act of the movie to swiftly play out with a fun sense of purpose as we bear witness to Tony's alarming appetite for food, his ever-expanding family and his reluctant on-off relationship with the local crime gangs. Seeking gainful employment after being predisposed from his work as a bouncer, Tony falls upon the graces of Ali's Don Shirley, a majestically cultured and wonderfully talented pianist who enlists the services of Tony as he makes his way into the deep South in order to fulfill his promise of a musical tour. As the screenplay moves into an almost road movie-esque sensibility, it is here where the comedic element of Farrelly really shines, with gorgeous interplay between both Tony and Shirley resulting in some genuinely memorable and laugh-out loud set pieces as we gradually see the differences between both both come together in a clear synchronisation of loving friendship. Whilst the clear racial undertones of the piece begin interesting and poignant, the repetitive nature of such a notion does become slightly tiresome come the end, with Green Book undoubtedly the type of movie where the nuanced approach fits the mood of the piece better than the show-stopping, award seeking monologues which the trailers are filled with, but with two really superb central performances from reliable and watchable actors with a clear admiration for the script, Green Book is a really heartwarming slice of drama, just served with extra cheese.    

Overall Score: 7/10

TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episode Four "The House and the Day"

"Justice Is Not Ours To Deliver. Justice Is Not In Our Power, It Is In His..."

With the fourth episode of True Detective's debut season reinventing how stylish and powerful particular levels of drama upon the small screen can ultimately become, with the famous and unbelievably tense one-shot biker gang escape laying the ground for familiar set pieces in the the likes of Game of Thrones and Daredevil, this week's episode of HBO's crime series understandably fails to feature anything as majestic or jaw-dropping, instead continuing to prolong a sense of quieting and growing desperation as the many strands of the central investigation continued to both confuse and intrigue. With most of the action switching between the 1980's and 90's this week, "The House and the Day" did manage to tick off a solid amount of unanswered questions presented in previous weeks, with the origin of the creepy, The Wicker Man inspired dolls being revealed alongside the background regarding the young Purcell's rather spooky hand gestures when his body was found back in the opening episodes. With religion seemingly the go-to answer behind such mystery, the visit to the local church and priest of course had to involve a overarching off-kilter vibe, with the leading notion behind the main suspect relying on their attendance to the local parish not exactly seeming to bother such parish's leader who felt more inclined to speak in riddles than genuine answers. Elsewhere, the visit to the local caravan park in order to identify the black male seen in the out-of-place sedan both reminded of the tension which True Detective is ultimately renowned for whilst bringing to the forefront more than ever before the notion of the underlying racial politics which Season Three has embraced, with both Hays and Roland understanding the nature of a society where cops are more likely to shoot a white man in a moment of tension rather than feel the heat of shooting their black brothers in arms in the same exact instance. 

With an episode which was determined to build as much character development as humanly possible, the moments away from the central investigation involved a sombre, heartwarming first date between Hays and Amelia, the beginning of an unbreakable bond between Tom Purcell and Roland, with the latter attempting to save the former from his trainwreck emotional and mental state, and even a chance for Lucy to partially redeem herself during a total emotional release in front of Amelia before resorting to her true, monstrous nature by coldly screaming racist slander after being convinced of Amelia's attempts to woo her into sharing secrets she is clearly unwilling to spill. With the beauty of the beginning steps of Hays and Amelia's relationship being contrasted with the complex manner of their family life in the 90's, Hay's return to the Purcell investigation results in a complete change of personality, proving that the angst and depressive state he was in was undoubtedly due to a feeling of uselessness and inadequacy, and even with the added emotional response to Amelia's focus on her book detailing the case which has transformed both his career and his life, the unbreakable bond between two people very much in love is one of the more upbeat notions of a series dripped in melancholy and regret. With old man Hays admitting that the Purcell case is the only thing keeping him fresh and alive, his attempts at locating both Roland and new facts about the case from Sarah Gadon's crime reporter seem to emphasise the fact that no matter how far down Hays digs, the truth may still never come to light, and with so many answers still floating around in the world Pizzolatto has built this time around, Season Three's conclusion may be the most compelling one yet. 

Overall Episode Score: 8/10

TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episode Three "The Big Never"

"Why Aren't You Out There Looking For Her? That's Where She Is, Out There. She's Alive..."

Teasing the oh-so loyal True Detective audience with a full-on two hour mystery headrush last week, Season Three of HBO's latest big talking topic returns to the much milder sixty minute dose of stylish drama this week, continuing the many dangling plot threads and cancelling already a high proportion of particular online theories which made for rather compelling, and at times hilarious, reading through the past seven days. With the three different timelines now clear, concise and most crucially, rather simple to follow, the layout of "The Big Never" shifted focus ever so slightly, moving further away from the central mystery somewhat with no real jaw-dropping findings, and more into the aftershocks and toll the investigation has taken on many of the key players at the heart of it. Transitioning the 1990's deposition timeline from Hay's viewpoint to that of Stephen Dorff's Roland West, the state detective turned Lieutenant, particular questions began to arise regarding elements of the original investigation, whether it be the sloppiness of the original search or the involvement of a newly sourced suspect in the form of a rather out-of-place luxury brown sedan. With the now family ridden 90's version of Hays coming off as a groggy, moody and rather annoying sod, the effects of the Purcell case result in both a strange jealous treatment of Carmen Ejogo's Amelia during the opening publishing stages of her non-fiction observations of the case in question, and onto his children too, with an over-the-top, knee-jerk reaction to the sudden wanderings of his daughter a real testament to the shivers which the case which has defined his life sends down his normally calculating and cool spine. 

Whilst at times the mumbling, overly thick area defined accent from Ali results in a quick swoop for the subtitle button, his performance in what is essentially a trio of different central roles, is still quite remarkable, aided by the choice of Pizzolatto to move away from a wide range of leading characters as used in the previous seasons to simply one standout performance, and whilst "The Big Never" attempted to bring depth and substance to the likes of West and Scoot McNairy's Tom, the real magic undoubtedly happens every time Ali appears back into the picture. With the dangling hints of the Purcell case occurring mostly in the 1980's timeline, it is here where of course the most dramatic sections of the story ultimately really come together, with particular nightmarish findings, including a picture book entry with a very familiar pose, and an overriding sense that not everyone seems to be telling the truth, resulting in the most atmospheric portions of the story, aided once again by the thunderous, Blade Runner esque musical store featuring echoing bellows and thunderous heart beats. Whilst the third episode of what continues to be a must-watch season of True Detective was always going to struggle to keep up the high levels of intrigue set up by the opening two chapters, "The Big Never" still managed to be an expertly crafted hour of drama television, a chapter low on action but one which felt comfortable in its' decision not to rush into anything and show its' hand too early, and with the show already at the halfway mark next week, things continue to look up for a show which delights in keeping the audience guessing away. 

Overall Score: 8/10

TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episode One and Two ""The Great War and Modern Memory" and "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye"

"You Ever Been Some Place You Couldn't Leave, You Couldn't Stay, Both At The Same Time..?"

First hitting the small screen a whole five years ago now, HBO's anthology flagship crime drama, True Detective, finally returns after a three year hiatus in which the critical and public divisiveness of the Colin Farrell/Vince Vaughn led second season threatened to derail the series into a complete dead end. Brought back from the dead by long-term showrunner Nic Pizzolatto, the third season of the American's hotly anticipated series once again offers a fresh new cast, story and setting, this time led by the superbly talented and now Academy Award winning graces of Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Luke Cage) in a bid to return to winning ways in the eyes of many, even when personally, Season Two really wasn't anywhere near as bad as many people made it out to be. With the opening two episodes dropping at the same time, what a relief it is to say that True Detective wonderfully returns to the atmospheric eeriness of the acclaimed first series with an entire new complex mystery to work with, and whilst at times the similarities may seem a little bit too uncanny, Pizzolatto does ultimately know how to create a world filled with substance and depth and rightfully seems unfazed in being able to write what he believes is the right path for his series to take. Set across three separate time periods, Season Three sees Ali as Detective Wayne David Hays as he recollects the events of the so-called Purcell case and its' impact within the years of 1980, 1990 and 2005, and with a familiar central setup to the first season, the storytelling delightfully jumps throughout each decade with enough space at a time to keep the tension building and the big questions rightfully unanswered. 

With the 1980's Hays coming across as a young, broke, cocky detective with recent memories of his part in the Vietnam war, where his nickname "Purple Hays" followed a reputation for his skills as a ruthless tracker and hunter, we are soon taken by the hand into the disappearance of the Purcell children, the son and daughter of Scoot McNairy's (Gone Girl) Tom Purcell, a resident of the local Ozark community with a domestic-heavy marriage to his unfaithful and absent wife. With a familiar mystery-heavy setup in regards to the opening missing person search, it becomes abundantly clear quite quickly just how well True Detective manages to make even the most basic of storytelling matters so darn stylish and sharp, with the buildup of atmosphere and tension expertly handled thanks to some dark, brooding cinematography from Germain McMicking and a faint, eerie musical score featuring ghoulish howls, growls and the constant incision of a bass heavy heartbeat. Aided by Stephen Dorff's (The Iceman) equally growling and rugged, Roland West, whose saddened expression at the death of Steve McQueen naturally indicates a lightened respect for the strong, silent type of hero, the investigation swiftly results in the discovery of death, supposed cult-inspired worshipping and the potential for the small-town community to quickly implode in a similar manner which made the likes of Twin Peaks and Broadchurch so utterly compelling, and with a clear tonal approach which focuses on the grounded, dirty realism of the events at play, the intrigue and desolation of the South immediately reminds you why the series is loved so much by so many.  

As we move away from the 1980's and into the year of 1990, we see a now desk-bound and family-tied Hays awkwardly the subject of a deposition after new evidence regarding the case comes to light, a particular narrative function which obviously pays homage to the show's first series, whilst the latter day and now retired 2015 version of Hays sees him being interviewed for the aptly named show, "True Criminal", led by Sarah Gadon's (Enemy) educated television director. Whilst the 1990's timeline supplies the intrigue from the central mystery sense, the 2015 timeline is undeniably the more crucial period regarding the series as a whole, with Hays' penchant for memory loss forming a The Great Gatsby inspired notion of unreliable narration as we look back on events as they happen, a particular idea emphasised by startling moments of fourth-wall interaction and most crucially, the second episode cliffhanger in which an entire scene is intercut by a lone and confused Hays wandering the darkened streets in his nightwear. With the first two episodes directed by the rather excellent hand of Blue Ruin and Green Room director, Jeremy Saulnier, the tonal similarities between the American's handling of the material and upcoming Bond director, Cary Joji Fukunaga's, work on the original series, is equally as impressive and makes a case for why Saulnier doesn't continue behind the character going forward, and with a clear subtext regarding the tension of race relations in an area dominated primarily by a white population, Season Three of True Detective begins in deep, intelligent fashion which demands a constant and keen eye throughout, and with Ali blessing the series with a trio of superb differing performances, HBO's most conflicted televisual baby finds its' mojo once again. 

Overall Episode Score: 8.5/10

Film Review: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

"My Name Is Miles Morales. I'm The One And Only Spider-Man. At Least That's What I Thought..."

With the superhero genre reaching some sort of unprecedented cinematic peak in 2018 with the likes of Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War in particular reminding that even in a climate stuffed with familiar tales of heroism, there are still many tales left to be told, the last month of the year has reserved just a few more before returning once again with a new handful of highly anticipated releases come 2019. Produced by the successful American pairing of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the first of two big comic releases this month is of course, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a barmy and maniacal addition into its' respective genre which continues the recent success of the pair's ventures into animation after the likes of the rather excellent The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie, with a movie which utilises the versatile figure of Marvel's web-slinging cash cow for a dazzlingly designed superhero adventure which attempts to offer something slightly different to the same old comic-based routine many of us are well and truly used to. With a gorgeously orchestrated animated design and some snappy comedic dialogue, Into the Spider-Verse is an entertaining if slightly functional Marvel addition, offering some of the best visual splendour available this year but suffering ever so heavily from an overstretched running time which does unfortunately begin to test the patience as it ticks just under the two hour mark.

With an overly familiar Lord/Miller tongue-in-cheek sensibility running through the central core of the film, Into the Spider-Verse begins by poking fun at the varying cliches attached to the superhero genre, particularly in regards to the many origin-based stories and similar cinematic developments of Spider-Man himself since the turn of the twentieth century, and with a clear understanding that many in the audience will undoubtedly be comic obsessives themselves, the snappy dialogue and in-house running gags prove effective, even when the core storyline does strangely end up falling right into the familiar superhero plot devices the script finds joy in making fun out of. With the central appeal of the movie hanging on two key factors, the first of which being the jerky, stylised animation which more than ever before seems to be a direct three dimensional transition of the comics from paper to screen, and the second of course being the chance to see radically different versions of the Spider-Man character all appear together on-screen in order to combat the central threat of the larger than life, Wilson Fisk, the question remains whether such selling points actually benefit the movie as a whole or are simply nothing more than cinematic gimmicks. In the case of the animation, a high proportion of it is indeed spectacular to behold on the big screen, with sweeping, soaring wide screen views of an animated New York really quite breathtaking, but as the movie moves into its' predictable climax, the overreliance on stuffy, messy and maniacal splashes of pixelated colour brings the film on par with Teen Titans! Go To The Movies in terms of the headache inducing pain your eyes endure before the credits ultimately roll, but with a stellar supporting voice cast including the likes of Hailee Steinfield, (True Grit) Nicholas Cage, (Mandy) and Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Into the Spider-Verse is an entertaining, if flawed, sugar rush of a movie with enough to like to counteract the migraine you may obtain after watching it. 

Overall Score: 6/10 

Second Opinion: Moonlight

"I Won't Let You Go. Hey Man. I Got You. There You Go. Ten Seconds. Right There. You In The Middle Of The World..."

Within the final paragraph of my first review for Barry Jenkins' Moonlight not but a week past, I came to the conclusion that the eight time Oscar nominated picture was indeed an impressive piece of drama, but too a film which seemingly didn't hold up to the impressive amount of hype which had surrounded its' release for months since it first hit the festival circuit in late 2016, at least on first watch. With the review out for everyone to see, the usual state of affairs would be to forget the film and move swiftly on to the next one, particularly as on first glance, Moonlight didn't seem to be the masterpiece many had declared it to be. However, in a rather surrealist fashion, this past week has been one in which a wild conundrum has been constructed within my cinematic mind, questioning my original decision regarding the movie's qualities, due mainly to the fact that the sensual feelings and visuals of Barry Jenkins' dramatic coming-of-age tale cannot escape my mind long enough for it to be regarded as something other than a work of excellence. For a reviewer who finds it hard sometimes to admit when he is wrong and hold his arms out to graciously accept a slice of humble pie, Moonlight is a strange case of a film which hypnotises you the more you think about it but more impressively, captivates you the more times you sit down and admire it. 

 Like many films before it in which repeat viewings has either resulted in a film being better or worse than it seemed on first watch, Moonlight is a movie which I now can fully understand for what it is; a social realist drama about the conflicted nature of love within the confines of Miami's drug-ridden gang-lands, and although the film does still suffer from a middling final act in which the quest for ambiguity and exploration in terms of its' character's emotions does still become slightly repetitive and arduous, Trevante Rhodes does do a superb job of portraying a character who although is powerful and intimidating on the surface, underneath is a firework of emotions, lit by the calling of his one and only experience of love, concluding in a battle of repressed emotion which bears similarities to Casey Affleck's performance in Manchester By The Sea, a similarly low-key drama which focuses on the understatement of feelings rather than the dramatic pull of shouty soap-like confrontation. As stated previously, Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris are indeed the stars of the show, with the former cementing an unforgettable performance of a cliche-avoiding drug dealer in the short time he has on-screen and the latter on second watch coming across as a terrifying entity of drug-infested mania, with the scene in which her character is filmed backwards harking towards more of a surrealist horror infliction and boy is it startling. 

Another element of Moonlight which was more noticeable on second watch was the superb choice of music encompassing the film's score, with Nicholas Britell mixing a crafty selection of modern hip-hop, classic soul and a striking use of strings, particularly "The Middle of the World", a violin-heavy piece of music which hits an arrangement of nerves in an almost Lynchian and somewhat surrealist fashion, adding breadth to the evidence of the film's more horror-inflicted elements. Concluding this particular feature therefore, Moonlight is indeed a working progress of a movie, where although La La Land and Manchester By The Sea are arguably more effective as an entire body of work, Moonlight is a movie which just can't seem to escape my train of thought for any meaningful length of time. What Barry Jenkins has here is a movie which has been scuppered by the tremendous level of hype surrounding it and whilst many would have shared similar views to my own on first glance, a second watch has improved and highlighted its' more impressive elements ten-fold. Whilst La La Land is still my personal preference for the Best Picture nod, Moonlight is the type of movie which wouldn't surprise me if it took the prestigious gong instead, a particular statement I wouldn't have said a week ago. How things change...

Overall Score: 8.5/10

(At Least on Second Watch)

Film Review: Moonlight

"At Some Point You've Got To Decide Who You Wanna Be..."

Striding hand-in-hand with La La Land for the two most hyped cinematic releases of the year, Barry Jenkins' Moonlight is the type of movie of which its' reputation more than precedes it, gathering overwhelming critical response from across the critical stratosphere and a fair number of Oscar nominations to support its' claim as a modern masterpiece of cinema. Where La La Land managed to actually exceed expectations, so much so that two visits to see it in the cinema just isn't enough, Moonlight is yet another example of a film-going experience which just doesn't seem to correlate with its' preconceived notions of excellence, with it being yes, a movie which is made with a huge degree of gentle care and dedication to its' source material, but is too also largely nonexistent in attempting to create a succinct relationship between its' leading characters and the audience, resulting in a movie which follows in similar strides to Martin Scorsese's Silence earlier on in the year in the sense that although its' craft is admirable, the final result isn't the masterpiece I was hell bent on expecting. 

Following in three acts the troubled early life of Chiron, a conflicted and withdrawn character born into the drug-ridden and crime inflicted surroundings of an unnamed geographical area of America, Moonlight delves deep into the organic nature of life itself, with its' central protagonist slipping through year after year without a crystal clear notion of his own true identity in a Boyhood style tale of discovery amidst the backdrop of an atmosphere that bears similarities to the nihilistic portrayal of society within HBO's The Wire. Although each of the three depictions of Chiron throughout the movie give solid performances, the true standouts of the movie are the double-header of House of Cards/Luke Cage star Mahershala Ali and Moneypenny herself, Naomie Harris, who each give rousing and emphatic performances within the quite shocking minimal time they actually appear on screen, amidst a screenplay which relies on the element of understatement to quietly and sometimes tediously get where its' attempting to finally go. Moonlight is no doubt a impressive piece of drama from second-time writer/director Barry Jenkins, but it too is a film which doesn't hold up to the impressive hype surrounding its' release, at least on first watch.

Overall Score: 7/10