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Reviews
King Richard (2021)
6.5/10
This is the new sports drama/biopic starring Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis stars Venus and Serena. It tells the story of how he pushed them to tennis stardom against the odds and took on the traditional tennis establishment much to his and their own risk.
Will Smith's performance is probably the best thing about this movie. He plays the role well of a determined, uncompromising, stubborn but ultimately inspirational father who wanted his daughters to be respected in a way which he wasn't and a better life for them that he didn't have. Many say, it is an award worthy performance.
However, as a film, I felt that it dragged, was a bit slow and was a bit too long. Compared with other tennis movies of recent years, I overall didn't enjoy it quite as much. It didn't quite have the intensity of "Borg vs McEnroe" or the humour of "Battle of the Sexes". That said, the inspirational story behind this film makes it worth a watch.
Overall, the leading performance from Will Smith and the story make this a decent watch. They could easily make another movie about Venus and Serena Williams with more emphasis on them as they have done so much for sport. The pacing and run time do make watching it more of an effort. An inspirational story and an uplifting, feel good film without being mind blowing.
Nou fo (2021)
7.5/10
This is the new Cantonese action crime thriller set in Hong Kong. It stars Donnie Yen as Cheung Sung-pong, a highly respected and experienced cop with a long history of success on dangerous cases. His path crosses with that of his former protege Yau Kong-ngo (Nicholas Tse) who after 4 years in prison in a case where Cheung gave evidence against him forms a gang and seeks revenge on those who have wronged him.
I couldn't quite get into this film at the start, I thought the story was a wee bit cheesy. However as the film progressed it got much better. There was a clear good guys vs bad guys dynamic, the bad guys ambushing a drug deal, stealing the proceeds and then going on to target the high profile individuals who were involved in putting them in prison for what they believed was an injustice. Donnie Yen has over the years become one of China's main action movie actors. The action scenes and martial arts were brilliantly done and the last 30 minutes were pretty cool.
Overall, it took a while for me to get into it but it is one of the action films of the year. If I'd watched this film 10-20 years ago, I'd have been blown away. This film took me back to the action films I enjoyed growing up. A clear good guy/bad guy, some brilliant shootouts and a massive showdown towards the end. 7.5/10.
Cry Macho (2021)
6.5/10
CRY MACHO
This is the new light neo-western drama directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. He plays Mike Milo, a former rodeo who retires after a major physical injury. One year later, his former boss asking him to go to Mexico to bring back his 13 year old son Rafa (Eduardo Minett). He reluctantly agrees and travels over the Mexican border, when he meets the boys mother Leta who insists Rafa is to stay in Mexico however he also meets Rafa himself and the pair develop a pseudo-parent bond over time as they endeavour to get out of Mexico and avoid capture from Leta's henchmen plus the corrupt federale. Their car breaks down and they end up in a village near the border where their car breaks down and the pair of them bond with the villagers including a potential romantic interest for Mike.
At 90+ years old, Clint Eastwood stills seems to have the charm with the ladies and the grit to defeat the bad guys. This is a more clichéd light-hearted film. I didn't quite enjoy it as much as his previous outings in "The Mule" and "Gran Torino". This film is less serious despite touching on some heavy themes at points. The banter and chemistry between Mike and Rafa is a major positive in this film. However, it is maybe a bit too light-hearted to really make a massive impact and be memorable. Also the way the film ends was very abrupt and there's not much of a climax.
Overall, it is a nice film with some light-hearted charm and perhaps some good philosophical points about life and being "macho". One that I'd watch with the parents as not too heavy. It is one you can watch and not think too much about. Not massively impactful but likeable. 6.5/10.
The Card Counter (2021)
Great Central Performance & A Subtly Powerful Film
This is the new drama/thriller directed by Paul Schrader starring Oscar Isaac as William Tell. An anonymous gambler who drifts from casino to casino playing Blackjack and counting cards. Usually winning modest amounts of money so as not to draw attention. He then comes across Cirk (Tye Sheridan) who is troubled and potentially dangerous and we learn that they both have a common enemy from their past.
The central performance from Oscar Isaac is what stands out and is the best thing in this movie. He plays a troubled man who carries a huge moral weight from his time as a prison guard and interrogator. He drifts in order to keep himself to himself and as a coping mechanism for his guilt. He takes in Cirk as a travel companion hoping to help him as a form of redemption.
The pace of this film is very slow and dreary but what Paul Schrader has done is given an insight into one of the dark sides of America. The tone of the film is dark and there are flashback scenes of Tell working as a prison guard, the torture and violence is not visceral but implied. If you like movies such as "The Mauritanian", then this is quite similar in some respects.
Overall, this movie isn't for everybody but is powerful in a subtle way. This isn't a cool casino movie about a guy who plays Blackjack and wins a fortune but a darker movie about playing cards as a coping mechanism and a distraction from the moral guilt and weight from his past decisions. A five star performance from Oscar Isaac but the film overall a 7/10.
Spencer (2021)
Not My Kind Of Film But....
This is the new historical drama starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. The story is a fictional one but has a lot of metaphorical truths. It tells the story of her visiting Sandringham estate to spend Christmas with the royal family. It doesn't explicitly state which year but it is set in the early 90s post Prince Charles's affair.
It does however look at her tainted relationships with the Royals, and her mental health issues caused by having her autonomy and sense of self taken away by the system she lives within. It explores her eating disorders as well as her anxiety. In addition, it also looks at how regimented and precise the expectations are for those who are either Royals or work in the estate.
The central performance from Kristen Stewart is what makes this film stand out. She has clearly done her homework and researched Diana. She has the accent, the Diana mannerisms down to a T. Timothy Spall also plays a good supporting role as head butler and supervisor Alistair Gregory. However as a film itself, whilst it's watchable again and I'd recommend to those who follow the Royals, it's not really my kind of film. It's not one that I'll remember in months and years to come. But it has a lot of good points. 6/10.
Eternals (2021)
A Fresh New Set Of Superheroes
This is the new Marvel movie directed by Chloe Zhao and has an all star cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie and Barry Keoghan among others. They play "The Eternals" a group of immortal beings who have lived among humans for thousands of years and have been forced to re-unite to protect the earth from the evil alien species known as the Deviants.
This movie represents a new chapter in the Marvel universe and is set after the major battles of the Avengers vs Thanos. The Eternals are instructed not to get involved in any human conflict unless Deviants are involved. They are a fresh new set of superheroes to continue the MCU.
This film has divided opinion among critics but for me there were actually more positives than negatives. Chloe Zhao has gone from directing "Nomadland" to directing a Marvel movie which is quite a leap across genres. But she's done a good job. The cinematography and filmmaking style with a lot of background and scenery is one unique to her. And she has brought a slight indie vibe to the MCU. There was also of good humour and gaffs brought to this in particular from Kumail Nanjiani. The only real negative that stood out was the battle scenes as good as they were, were a bit samey and wasn't really anything new compared with earlier Marvel films.
That said, it had enough depth and character development coupled with good humour and good visuals that it is worth a watch. I wouldn't say the same level as the better Avenger films but decent and I would watch the sequel. 7/10.