Hello Readers,
It’s been a while since I last used this blog but I have been immersed in cinema for the last couple of weeks and I have been inspired again to write about the films I have seen and loved or seen and thought were fine.
I recently got a cinema pass where you pay a fee per month and then are able to see as many films as you can fit into your schedule. Of course anything additional costs extra such as 3D, Event cinema or other types of screenings but being a film and cinema lover, I wanted to reignite my passion for the big screen and also save some money.
First film I have seen recently was Masters of the Universe. A film that has been much hyped among the superhero loving community and a possible rival to the Marvel and DC franchises? I would not go that far but if you are looking for something a younger audience might enjoy or trying to get back some childhood nostalgia then this film hits the spot.
As someone who works in Visual Effects, I was impressed. The vendors on the film certainly delivered against a mediocre script and some poorly timed innuendos. I think I understand what they were trying to do, a wink to the audience – the disinterested adults dragged by their kids or possibly unwilling friends or partners but instead of feeling like Toy Story or Shrek, it just felt crude and unwarranted.
The cast themselves feature well-known Idris Elba who has already been a part of the Marvel franchise as Heimdall, the guard to the rainbow-coloured Bi-Frost Bridge; Nicholas Galitzine, making a name for himself in the rom-com genre (Red, White and Royal Blue, The Idea of You, Purple Hearts) and the outside the box films (Bottoms, 100 Nights of Hero) and Camila Mendes who started on Riverdale and has since made a name for herself in straight to streamers such as Música, Upgraded, Do Revenge.
These actors do have a certain chemistry, Galitzine as Adam or He-Man and Camila as Teela have a strong childhood bond that does not yet evolve into romance but the lingering glances are circling. For me, the downside of the film was the script/story/ It was nothing that haven’t been done in many different ways with different characters and the general dialogue was not great. There have been some questionable superhero films in the past but with all the content available to draw inspiration from, my expectations were set a little higher than was delivered.
The best film I have seen recently is Tuner. It’s a classic good guy gets into a bad situation and the girl he’s just got to know gets mixed up into it story. It was executed very well with a great cast, leading man Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman as his grouchy father figure/boss; Havana Rose Liu, the love interest and talented music student, Jean Reno as renowned composer and Tovah Feldshuh as the mother figure to Leo Woodall’s Niki.
Niki and Harry (Hoffman) drive around New York in an old brown van, tuning up the pianos of the upper echelons of society. They are part of the furniture for most clients and revered by others. Niki has a hearing condition making his ‘allergic’ to loud noises. This put a stop to his burgeoning virtuoso future as a child. When Harry falls ill, money becomes a need and Niki happens to fall upon a team of men, breaking into safes or the rich and wealthy. His new-found safe cracking skills make him the perfect addition to the gang.
All goes well, Niki meets Ruthie while tuning the piano she rehearses on at her prestigious music school and falls head over heels. However it is very hard to get yourself out of hot water once you’re in it. I thought that this film was a really good thriller with plenty of heart, drama and suspense, written by someone who can feel the passion and connection that music can bring to someone’s life.
I would happily watch this again and hopefully it comes on streaming at some point too.
There are a few other films I have watched recently such as Disclosure Day, Boogie Nights (4K remastered version) and the Super Mario Galaxy film but this is all I will delve into today.
Happy Watching,
Robyn
