ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL REVIEW

Alita Battle Angel is a cyberpunk scoff film set several hundred years into the future in a slight dystopian world where humanity and technology have become interconnected with one another with cyborgs and humans living alongside one another.

Based on the manga series of the same name Battle Angel: Alita by Yukito Kushiro, the film is one of many manga adaptions over the past few years. James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) purchased the film rights many years ago and the film has been in development for over a decade. James Cameron had to hand the directing over to Robert Rodriguez in order to focus on his Avatar sequels.

As with most of James cameron's films, he constantly tries to push the standard to which films are made and Alita is no exception. One of the film's greatest strengths lies in the visuals. The cgi and performance capture is exceptionally well done and showcases a very vibrant lived in world.

The characters for the most part are well cast with a couple being either underused or miscast. The protagonist Alita played by Rosa Salazar is beautiflly realised with Rosa giving a very solid performance in both emotional and action orientated scenes and really helps drive the film forward. The rest of cast are also very good in particular Christoph Waltz as Ido, Mahershala Ali as vector and Jennifer Connelly as Chiren.
The soundtrack is also particularly good with a fun blend of action and emotion in keeping with the film's tone, a notable track being during the roller ball sequence.

If there was a weak link to the cast it would be the character of Hugo played by Keean Johnson. Whether it is being miscast or giving poor dialogue Johnson fails to keep up with the rest of the cast and proves to be quite a weak love interest. The other weak aspect to the film is the story which ins't terrible by any means but is a fairly simple story and it has the issue of trying to fit in a lot of backstory from the manga.

Overall Alita excels in giving a visually spectacular film with some great acting and world building and while it does end setting up a possible sequel, it is a story I would happily see more of.

GREEN BOOK REVIEW

Green book follows the real story of Tony lip (Viggo Mortensen) and musician Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) as they journey through the Deep South of America during the 1960s helping to promote Shirley's music.

Tony Lip, an Italian American man from the Bronx, is man affected by his surroundings garnering slight racist undertones. The film follows the unlikely pairs journey as they begin to warm to each other during the long car rides betweens shows.

The title Green Book refers to the travel book that coloured people at the time carried in order to find hotels and accommodation that they are allowed to stay at. Throughout the film there are several scenes which depict this divide and despite Shirley's talent and being a guest at these venues he is still treated differently.

The film is one that deals with prejudice and racism however what is surprising about the film is the level of comedy the film is able to achieve without sacrificing the dramatic tone. There is a nice blend and balance which allows the film to have moments of levity in-between dramatic scenes.

The highlight of the film is the back and forth between the two leads, Mortensen and Ali are fantastic and have great chemistry selling both the drama and comedy. It does help that the son of Tony Lip helped co-write the script to help give a level of authenticity.

While not breaking any new ground in terms of racial dramas, Green Book is a well acted, well shot personal story of two men from vastly different backgrounds finding common ground through the beauty of music, highly recommend!

A Collection of Nonsense - (Short Film)

For my first film I am making a series of comedy skits, 3-4, which I am directing, editing and starring in it.

This will be good as it will test me on various different skills and will help me to find what avenue I wish to pursue. Below is my initial concept ideas:

I will be entering this short film into the inter media college competition. I shall be posting the film onto youtube and onto my own personal weekly page. the initial trailer of the film is already up and I will provide the link below. going forward it will be important to take all manner of critique on board to help improve upon my skills for the next short film I will make.


https://www.seanmcgrory.weebly.com

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REVIEW

The greatest showman was one of the most popular movies of 2017. It proved so popular in fact that it remained in the cinema longer than Star Wars The Last Jedi, no small feat.

It was met with mixed critical reception from movie critics with a 55% rating on rotten tomatoes, however looking at the audience score with 87% liking it, it’s clear to see the strong divide between the audience and critics.

The greatest showman follows the story of P.T Barnum a famous entertainer who is credited with the creation of the circus. The film follows the key events of his life and the struggles to make his dream of the circus a reality. The film is also a musical with many set pieces throughout the film.

The film stars Hugh Jackman who has a history is musical theatre along with Zac Effron and Zendaya. The film was a passion project of Hugh’s and it’s clear to see the effort and passion that has gone into the film.

The film contains visually engaging set pieces with catchy songs and like all good musicals the songs help progress the story. Going back to the divide between audiences and critics, it’s clear that the critics feel the film does not accurately portray PT Barnum. The film takes a rather romanticised version of his story showing him as a more sympathetic character compared to what history will tell you.  

I feel however that Hugh Jackman wanted to make a film that was entertaining to audiences and carry a strong message of being proud of who you are and no matter what there will always be a place for you in the world. From strong performances to wonderfully catchy songs The Greatest Showman is definitely a crowd pleaser and more than worth buying a ticket for the show!

PERSEPOLIS MOVIE REVIEW

Persepolis takes place during Iran’s Islamic Revolution from the 1970s to the 1980s. The film is told from the perspective of a young girl named Marjane who grows up during this time. 

The film is based off the graphic novels of Marjane Satrapi which are a semi-autobiographical account of her life growing up in Iran. From the start of the film it’s clear that Marjane is very curious of her surroundings, always asking questions, sometimes to the point of irritation of her peers.
The film is also animated and is limited to a monotone colour palette helping emphasise the sombre tone of the film. The animation is very striking and some of the more surreal imagery is visually effective in showing Marjane’s child-like view of her world. 

We follow Marjan’s family as they deal with this huge political and social change within their country. Once things start to take a dark turn in, order to keep Marjane safe they send her away. 

The film explores Marjane’s experience with pop culture, specifically western pop culture. It delves into the traditions of her culture and the impact it has on the women of Iran. It’s this balance of cultures that stand as Marjane’s core conflict. 

Persepolis tells a personal story of coming of age, hope, discovery and dealing with different cultures and the difficulties they present. It’s clear to see the passion behind the project in the engaging characters, story and animation. Satrapi succeeds in providing a snapshot into Iranian culture and the journey she has gone through to reach this point. 

HEAVENLY CREATURES REVIEW

Heavenly Creatures is a 1994 film by Peter Jackson who both directed and wrote the screenplay along with his wife Fran Walsh. The film is based on the true story of Juliet Hulme and her best friend Pauline Parker as they form a close bond and the terrible lengths they go to to keep their relationship intact.

The film follows Pauline, a quiet slightly frumpy girl who doesn't seem to have a lot of friends, this changes when a new girl joins the her class, Juliet. Juliet is smart, free spirited and lively and the pair soon become good friends.

They share their love of stories, drawing, film stars and music. the girls become inseparable and spend almost all their time together. As the film progresses we start to see some of the demons the girls carry with them and how similar they are. Pauline injuring her leg when she young and having to spend a lot of time bed-bound. Juliet too fell ill at a young age and she was left alone for several months to recover.

Its this fear of abandonment and loneliness that strongly connects the girls, as no matter what happens they will always have each other. This is when the parents of the girls start to become concerned with the amount of time they're spending together leading to the speculation of the girls sexuality. The parents make several attempts to separate the girls which leads them to concoct a plan to make sure they can stay together.

The film showcases the trials and tribulations of being a teenager and trying to discover who you are, it delves into the psyche of the girls and how they cope with their past and interfering parents. They are several scenes in which the girls travel to their imagined world a kingdom of their own creation to escape the horrors of the reality.  Despite the film's dramatic and horrifying ending, it allows us the see the journey that led them to this conclusion and maybe understand why they would commit this act.

The film manages to blend its genre, taking a mostly dramatic tone but there overtones which wouldn't be out of place in a horror film as the film builds to its close. A strong dramatic emotional film that captures the tragedy and danger of friendship and love and serves as a strong showcase for Jackson's talent which he would go on to solidify in his magnum opus, The Lord of The Rings Trilogy seven years later.

THE INCREDIBLES 2 REVIEW

I have always been a huge Pixar fan, ever since I saw Toy Story on VHS, I have enjoyed pretty much every movie Pixar has made with one or two exceptions, *cough* Cars 2 *cough*. one of my favourites is The Incredibles directed by Brad Bird, who also directed The Iron Giant and Ratatouille both films I also really enjoy.

The Incredibles was a fun action adventure following the Parr family as they adapt to a world that has banned superheroes. the first film came out in 2004, so it has been over ten years waiting for a sequel so no pressure Brad!

The Incredibles 2 picks up moments after the original ended, with Mr Incredible and his family taking on the Underminer. The Underminer escapes however and the damage caused leaves the public feeling bitter and the government cancels the superhero relocation programme leaving the Parr family stranded without financial aid. a lifeline is giving to them in the form of Winston Deavor, CEO for a large telecommunications company with the aim to improve the superhero image and bring them back into society.

This time however we follow Mrs Incredible as she is asked to help kickstart Winston's plan much to the dismay of Mr Incredible who thought he was going to be chosen. It's a welcome change to let Mrs incredible take the reins as the last film focused heavily on Mr Incredible.
The film then follows these two threads with Mrs Incredible of fighting bad guys and being super while Mr Incredible must look after the kids leading to all kinds of problems and usually contains the film's funniest moments. there are plenty of fun cameos such as Frozone and Edna Mode and some great additions in some of the new superheroes introduced.

Looking at the film technically, the animation has improved significantly, the films looks incredible, no pun intended, the characters are still as fun and likeable as you remember with essentially the entire cast returning to reprise their roles bar Dash who's voice actor has grown up and likely had his voice break. The soundtrack is also great in keeping with the punchy superhero vibe of the original.
If I had to chose one aspect of the film I didn't like, it would be the villain. in the first film you had Syndrome who worked very well as he had a personal connection to Mr Incredible. The villain is kept a mystery in this film for a large portion of the film only being revealed in the last act. The villain here feels a little undercooked and the reveal isn't so shocking with many people admitting they saw coming.

I feel that since such a gap was left in between films, expectations were just too high and it was never going to exceed the original, however Incredibles 2 is a well acted, animated sequel that should give fans of the original alot to enjoy and is a worthy addition to the Pixar line up.

Overall Incredibles 2 was just not quite as good as the original but I really enjoyed the movie and I'm glad to see that Brad Bird has yet to disappoint me with his animated films. Would highly recommend 8/10.