Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

No 8 on my Most Anticipated

Synopsis: 

Two ancient titans, Godzilla and King Kong, face off against Skar King, a new threat from Hollow Earth.

Director: Adam Wingard

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Brian Tyree Henry & Kaylee Hottle

Runtime: 1 hour 55 mins

Genre: Sci-Fi Action Adventure

IMDb : Click Here

RT: Click Here

In January of this year, my wife and I watched Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+. Starring father and son, Kurt & Wyatt Russell the series takes you back to the start of Monarch and how the "Monsterverse" in essence all began. It was fantastic, for once putting the humans (who you genuinely cared about) first with monsters being sparingly and effectively used. 

Following this series, I introduced my wife to (and re-watched for myself), Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and finally Godzilla vs Kong (2021). 

In re-visiting the movies (pretty much back to back), on reflection I found I enjoyed the first two entries Godzilla and Skull Island much more this time round. The last two however are what I remembered them to be - mindless destruction porn CGI smash fests. Titans 1 - Humans 0.   

So, here we are in 2024 with the next and let's hope final entry in the Monsterverse movie universe. Last year we had the amazing Godzilla Minus One (2023) by Toho Studios which showed Warner Bros. how it's done. 

As for this movie, let's break it down..

Story and Plot

Set a few years after Godzilla vs Kong (2021), the humans and titans alike detect a strange signal coming from Hollow Earth. Turns out it's from a tribe that a massive Simian titan called Skar King wants to wreck shop and become well...King, turns out Kong and Godzilla have something to say about that. As for the plot points, well it's fairly basic, huge titan fight - human exposition and humour (Time for a toilet break or popcorn refill) and then back to another huge titan fight, rinse wash repeat. Oh yes, there is also the usual "Tell don't show" where the humans are literally explaining everything all the time and the movie is littered with deux ex machina moments. 

Cast

Honestly if you are going to see Godzilla x Kong it's not for the humans, but on the casting front, director Adam Wingard took the decision for this movie to not have two storylines run in tandem like in the previous entry, hence the absence of Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler's characters. This is a much more Kong-centric movie. Kong really is the movie's MVP. You feel for him much more than anyone else (Titan or not). Godzilla meanwhile (Who likes to sleep in Rome's coliseum - I'm not joking) is relegated to charge his Duracell Bunny batteries and help smack the bad guys.

Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle (Who is actually deaf in real life) resume their respective roles, as does Brian Tyree Henry. Newcomer to the franchise British actor Dan Stevens plays Trapper a plucky dentist? Medic? Pilot? not sure what he actually does but he replaces Alexander Skarsgard in the central male protagonist role. Hall and Hottle supply the heart whilst Stevens and Tyree Henry supply the laughs. 

Sound and Spectacle

300 foot titans are smacking the crap out of each other whilst levelling cities, so yeah I'd say there is spectacle. The CGI as well to be fair is really good, Kong is especially impressive. The movie is at it's best when you see the titans close up and get a sense of scale (Very much like in Kong Skull Island) but less so when they are running at each other ready for another smack fest. 

Top notch sound however, as you'd expect from this franchise by now.

On-screen Action

If you know what to expect (and why wouldn't you?) then the on-screen action is as per the previous entries. Massive titans wage war and stomp over well known landmarks with humans relegated to the size of ants. As with previous entries, the 3rd act is one long CGI-smorgasbord smash fest so I'd advise taking a tablet beforehand as it get's pretty wild. 

It's worth mentioning Monarch's tech, a world away from the Apple TV+ series (I know that's largely set in the 40s-50s) but given this movie is supposed to take place around our time, their tech is something straight out of Star Trek. 

Music and Score

Some interesting needle drops and not all of them worked. The score was fine, but nothing too memorable.

300 foot titans smack the crap out of each other whilst levelling cities, it's more of the same. Titans 1 - Humans 0. Grab a bucket of popcorn, pop some pills (The choice is yours) sit back and let it wash over you.

Verdict  - It's Fine

Kung Fu Panda 4 Movie Review

Kung Fu Panda 4

Synopsis: After Po is tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior, while a wicked sorceress plans to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished from the spirit realm.

Directors: Mike Mitchell & Stephanie Stine

Stars: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis & Ian McShane

Runtime: 1 hour 34 mins

Genre: Animated action adventure

IMDb : Click Here

RT: Click Here

My son, Jack absolutely adored this franchise growing up, The last time I took Jack to watch a Kung Fu Panda movie it was 2016 and he was 7 years old. Now he's a strapping 6 foot plus 15 year old, very much Jack Reacher in the making. So I was fairly nervous that after the eight year gap they decided to wheel Po and crew out for another adventure. 

So is my first animated movie of 2024 a worthy successor to the popular animated franchise or is it just a lazy studio cash grab?

Let's break it down..

Story and Plot

This time round, Po (Black) is still the Dragon Warrior and loves it, but he's told by Master Shifu (a fairly decrepit sounding Hoffman) that he must choose a new Dragon Warrior and become the master of the Valley of Peace. So he starts his search only to be interrupted by Zhen (Awkwafina) a talented street urchin fox that catches his eye. Add into the mix The Chameleon (Davis) who is hell bent (yes you've guessed it, she's the villain) on becoming a Kung Fu master by taking the talents of Po's former enemies. 

This movie fell into what I would call the "Further adventures of...(Insert character name here)" it didn't add anything new to the franchise and felt a bit flat and lacklustre. Apart from the odd laugh the jokes fell flat and the dialogue missed the "bite" of previous entries.

Cast

This movie is basically the Jack Black and Awkwafina show. Cranston, Hoffman & Hong (Sounds like a law firm) return to their established roles. Considering the movie's main storyline is the villain is bringing back Po's former enemies only McShane makes a return to voice Tai Lung. We do see other enemies such as Lord Shen and Kai but Gary Oldman and J.K Simmons must have never got the call? It was the movie's accountant that was making the calls. 

The Furious Five who were also so central to the previous entries and voiced by such actors as Angelina Jolie, Lucy Lu, and Jackie Chan are nowhere to be seen (With the exception of Seth Rogan). They are off on their own adventures. The adventures were called "In the Land of the Smaller Budget". As a result, this general lack of original VO artists makes Kung Fu Panda 4 feel more The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998) than The Lion King (1994). 

However, Jack Black continues to delight as Po and his voice work here is as flawless as ever. With regards Awkwafina, who I've never massively warmed to on screen or when she does voiceover work was good as Zhen the plucky street fox. A more toned down affair from her usual chalk-on-a-board hyper voiceover work.

Viola Davis adds class (As Viola Davis does to anything) as the villain Chameleon, Ke Huy Quan is good as newcomer Han, and Mr Beast of YouTube fame gets a blink and you'll miss it cameo as Panda Pig.

Sound and Spectacle

Flawless animation and gorgeous visuals are the de-rigour now for any studio financed animated movie. Kung Fu Panda 4 is no exception, it's amazing to look at and had great sound.

On screen Action

As with any Kung Fu Panda movie there is near non-stop action. But the action here felt flat and was very much set piece to set piece. The fighting is shot well enough but if you've seen a Kung Fu Panda movie before (And I guess you have) you have seen it all before.

Music and Score

One of the main things I loved about these movies was Hans Zimmer's fantastic score, Kung Fu Panda 3 was an especially strong entry. As for this fourth movie, his iconic Eastern inspired score is used somewhat at the start but then it's over to Steve Mazzaro who took the reigns for the majority of the movie. His score was fairly standard animated action movie fair by comparison. 

Special mention though must be made to Jack Black's band Tenacious D with their cover of Britney Spears "Baby One More Time" which plays over the initial end credits, well worth staying to listen to. 

A lacklustre paint-by-the numbers fourth entry in a franchise that didn't really need a fourth movie. Jack Black as Po is likeable as ever and Awkwafina's Shen complements him nicely but now it's time for this franchise to skedaddle rather than skadoosh. 

Verdict  - It's Fine

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Movie Review

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

No 4 on my Most Anticipated

Synopsis: When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.

Director: Gil Kenan

Stars: Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace, Annie Potts, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson & Kumail Nanjiani.

Runtime: 1 hour 54 mins

Genre: Comedy Action Adventure, Horror

IMDb : Click Here

RT: Click Here

Ghostbusters: Afterlife, released in 2021, introduced us to a new generation of Spengler's & friends as well as being able to re-visit the iconic OG Ghostbusters from the 1984 original. I really enjoyed the movie and felt it was a classy continuation of the original franchise. 

As for this movie, let's break it down...

Story and Plot

This movie picks up two years after the events of Afterlife and takes place over just a few days of summer in NYC. Having now been purchased by Winston (Hudson) (now a millionaire businessman) the iconic NYC firehouse is home to Callie (Coon), Gary (Rudd) as they co-inhabit along with her two kids Phoebe (Grace) and Trevor (Wolfhard). 

They're busy busting neighbourhood ghosts such as Hell's Kitchen Sewer Dragon when Nadeem (Nanjiani) sells OG Ghostbuster & shop owner Ray Stantz (Aykroyd) a mysterious orb that when opened unleashes Garraka the movies main villain. It's main job is to employ a "Death Chill" to threaten New York whilst freeing all the ghosts from the previous NYC based movies. That should be the movie right there but no...there's more...a lot more.

You've got in-family bickering of the Spengler's kids now firmly teenagers who are rebelling galore, Phoebe's friendship with Melody a ghost trapped between the afterlife and earth. Then you've got returning side characters from Afterlife, who added nothing to this movie and should have been left in that one.

Then you've got a whole raft of new characters and then you've got oh who are they again? Oh that's right the original Ghostbusters. 

The movie has also caused a bit of stir on the Internet in that there seems to be several scenes in the trailer and promotional stills that did not feature in the movie that leads me to think that there may have been trouble behind the scenes?

This movie was an unevenly-paced overstuffed hot mess. 

By the end of the movie it was not only the ghosts who wanted to escape. 

Cast

What I liked about Afterlife is the movie featured a small likeable family at it's heart with just a few quirky side characters. This movie has no less than fifteen characters, it is so stuffed with new and returning faces. It's not only the sheer number, it's the way some are used. The actors who take centre stage are Rudd, Grace and Aykroyd, and newcomer to the franchise Kumail Nanjiani. Coon is grossly underserved here considering her central role in Afterlife, Wolfhard is literally a side character. The movie also introduces Patton Oswalt as a librarian (Who I liked actually) and bizarrely cast British comedy actor James Acaster who just doesn't fit into the movie at all.  

And what of the original crew? Well Aykroyd gets the biggest bite of the Big Apple with Hudson second. Annie Potts' as Janine Melnitz is basically a recurring cameo and as for Bill Murray's Peter Venkman, arguably the franchises biggest character, it's frankly embarrassing. They should have just handed him a cheque for the three times he came on screen. 

One final point on casting how did William Atherton’s disgraced Walter Peck from the original movie get elected Mayor? It’s a lazy way just to re-introduce a familiar face from the 84’ classic.  

Sound and Spectacle

Ghostbusters has always been a greenscreen franchise, there is a lot of CGI on display. It was pretty good, but nothing staggering. The problem is, as I was not engaged in the movie it was just noise. There was just something about this movie that made it not feel like a Ghostbusters movie. One that its predecessor did well.   

Maybe it's because much of the movie was shot in Reading's Shinfield Studios, UK. The iconic firehouse was painstakingly reconstructed along with an entire NYC city block of the Tribeca street where the original building stands. The original building and locale was scanned from top to bottom.

The use of sound was good but I'm noticing a trend in movies in recent years (The Last Jedi for example) that before a big explosion the screen goes completely silent, maybe it's a new trend?

On screen Action

They might have been bustin' ghosts but I didn't feel particularly good.

It’s more of the same ghost busting action. The set pieces were fine but nothing that kept me very much engaged. There are only so many times you can see a Proton Pack and a trap capture a ghost. 

Also the cute mini Stay Puft marshmallow men (Who were inventively used in Afterlife) are reduced to annoying Minion-esque antics, and a cheap ploy to sell toys. 

Music and Score

Dario Marianelli did the score, it was okay but nothing memorable. What is memorable is the iconic titular Ray Parker Jr. song which disappointingly only got shoe-horned in at the end. 

As Legacy sequels go, Frozen Empire is an over stuffed, unevenly paced hot mess. Too many characters, set pieces and forgettable action. It's time to hang up the Proton Pack for good. 

Verdict  - It's Fine

Road House Movie Review

 

Road House

Synopsis: Elwood Dalton (Gyllenhaal) an ex-UFC middleweight fighter ends up working at a rowdy bar in the Florida Keys where things are not as they seem. 

Director: Doug Liman

Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior & Conor McGregor

Runtime: 1 hour 54 mins

Genre: Action

IMDb : Click Here

RT: Click Here

Road House, a remake of the Patrick Swayze 1989 cheesy classic had in January one of the most successful trailer debuts of this year so far.

The movie itself however has not been without controversy with the director himself, Doug Liman threatening to boycott the SXSW premiere as he was said he was originally promised a theatrical release by the studio for it only to be dumped onto Amazon Prime video. Liman did eventually turn up at the premiere only to stay in the audience and was not on stage to announce the movie, which fell to the movies lead actor, Jake Gyllenhaal. 

As for the movie itself, let's break it down...

Story and Plot

Road House, it's not exactly Shakespeare, but it delivers on the promise of the premise. A trashy silly remake of a trashy silly original. A former UFC fighter takes a job protecting a bar from local scum as bigger forces start to come into play, whilst having to deal with the fallout of what happened to his career. That's it, that's the story. As for plot points, it's as you'd expect, Dalton's opponents start off as fodder for his fists and much like in a video game as the movie progresses so do the difficulty of his opponents, until the inevitable smack down with McGregor at the end. 

I enjoyed the first act the most as the ever calm Dalton delivers some jaunty justice to local goons. After the introduction of McGregor's nut job the movie takes a more cartoonish turn.

Cast

Gyllenhaal is perfectly cast as Dalton. His sheer physical presence and ripped physique aside, it's the intensity that he has brought to previous roles, such as Nightcrawler (2014) that shows you he is an actor where it's all in the eyes. Like a pot of boiling water, he is nicely simmering through the first two acts and starts to boil towards the end. In the words of Dalton himself, "It takes me a lot to get angry, but when I am, I just can't let go". It's his intensity that is the heart of this movie. 

Billy Magnussen suitably eats the scenery as Daddy's rich spoilt son who is trying and failing along with his various goons to scare the watering hole into submission.

Road House also marks the acting debut for UFC star Conor McGregor whose on-set presence due to his sheer physicality and very real fighting skills added a real sense of danger to the set. McGregor was keen though to dispel this image. He made it clear to Gyllenhaal that he was very much a newbie when it came to being on set. Gyllenhaal took him under his wing and together thanks in turn to McGregor's fighting skills formed an effective on-set partnership. As for his on-screen debut, the jury is still out, whether they are afraid to come back into the room I'm not sure, but they are definitely still out. He has an animalistic presence on screen and I'm sure he will be cast again in similar roles. When you look and fight like McGregor, you don't need RADA. 

Unfortunately, Daniela Melchior's character Ellie as Dalton's potential love interest is really underwritten and there is not enough on-screen time for the two characters to develop any real chemistry. Their romantic relationship (which basically consists of a scene in A&E and then later on a beach) could have been cut and it wouldn't have made any difference to the story. The chemistry between Patrick Swayze and Kelly Preston was much more natural and if I remember pretty steamy in the 80's original.  

On screen Action

It's a movie about fighting, so yeah there's quite a lot of action. Liman and his stunt team used The Four Pass process, employing a nifty use of pads, slo-mo shots and reaction shots to make the fighting feel more natural and less choreographed. Making you really feel the punches as they land.

The fights are also well shot, of course director Doug Liman is no stranger to on-screen action having helmed The Bourne Identity (2002) Mr & Mrs Smith (2005) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014) he does a solid job. The movie is also produced by seasoned action producer Joel Silver, so the movie comes from experienced hands. 

Sound and Spectacle

There are some decent set pieces, a little too CGI in one sequence but nothing that took me out the movie. There is also a particularly good sequence when Dalton (who is on foot) is chased down by a raging pickup on the Seven Mile bridge in the Florida Keys.

Music and Score

It's a good score by Christophe Beck, although it never plays a huge part in the movie. 

On the subject of music though, I did find it curious that the various bands kept playing in the bar regardless of how trashed it became! 

An enjoyable trashy tongue-in-cheek remake, Gyllenhaal is great in the lead and McGregor's debut is as unhinged as I'd hoped. Grab a beer, get some mates round and stick it on, you'll have a SMASHING time.

p.s. stay tuned there is a mid-credits scene.    

Verdict  - Good not Great

Coming Next Week

 

March Movies

After Road House coming out tomorrow, it's time out until next week. 

It's a stacked movie review schedule next week;

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Wednesday 27th March

Kung Fu Panda 4 - Thursday 28th March

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - Friday 29th March

Click on the movie title for the trailer

Watch this space...

2024 so far

 

2024 So far...

We are just over half way through March so how does 2024 look so far for 

worldwide box office?

Here are the top 10 films of 2024, with worldwide grosses for each movie so far.

1. Dune: Part Two ($494 Million) -  92% RT 

Est. Budget: $190 Million

2. Kung Fu Panda 4  ($176 Million) - 72% RT

Est. Budget: $85 Million

3. Bob Marley: One Love ($169 Million) - 43% RT

Est. Budget: $70 Million

4. The Beekeeper ($152 Million) - 71% RT

Est. Budget: $40 Million

5. Mean Girls ($104 Million) - 69% RT

Est. Budget: $70 Million

6. Madame Web ($97 Million) - 13% RT

Est. Budget: $80 Million

7. Argylle ($95 Million) - 33% RT

Est. Budget: $200 Million

8. Exhuma ($80 Million) - N/A RT

Est. Budget: $N/A

9. Night Swim ($53 Million) - 22% RT

Est. Budget: $15 Million

10. Demon Slayer ($43 Million) - 86% RT

Est. Budget: $15 Million

I'll post an update mid June and let's see how the likes of Monkey Man, Civil War, The Fall Guy, IF, Furiosa, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Inside Out 2 will re-shape the list?!

Sources: Box Office Mojo , IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes (RT)

Movie review coming Friday...

 

Road House

Drive-Away Dolls Movie Review

Drive-Away Dolls

Synopsis: Given the job of returning a "Drive-away" car back to it's owner, BFF's Jamie (Qualley) and Marian (Viswanathan) embark on an unexpected road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way.

Director: Ethan Coen

Stars: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan & Beanie Feldstein

Runtime: 1 hour 24 mins

Genre: Comedy Road Trip

IMDb : Click Here

RT: Click Here

Ethan Coen (Of Coen Brothers fame) decided to fly solo on this movie, with his wife Tricia Cooke who co-penned the script. I'm not sure whether it's because this is not a Coen Brothers movie in the classic sense or whether I was just not the target audience but Drive-Away Dolls was a big disappointment.

Before we go any further just for the record I'm a heterosexual white male but I didn't like this movie because it's just not a good movie. I'm not saying it's a bad movie for the sake of wanting to bash a movie about Lesbian women. Just Sayin!

Anyway, let's break it down...

Story and Plot

The premise as laid out above on paper works well, but I just wasn't invested in the lead characters and their story. For starters I know they say opposites attract (even with friends) but these girls could not be more different and I had a hard time convincing myself they were BFF's. They have nothing in common. 

For a movie who's runtime is only 84 mins, this movie dragged. I had heard good things and was looking forward to watching it but it just didn't deliver for me. One of the main gripes I have is the movie doesn't really know what it wants to be, as a result is a tonal mess. From the pretty violent opening scene I didn't know whether to laugh or wince.

It's clearly marketed as a comedy, and whilst there were a few titters here and there, thinking about it there were more tits than titters. (Lesbian horniness is central to certainly Jamie's story, so expect a fair amount of making out and sex but it's done in a light-hearted manner). Anyway, I saw the movie in a pretty crowded predominately female audience and you could have heard a pin drop for most of the film.  

As a road-movie it felt messy with sloppy pacing and there just wasn't any feeling of tension (even in comedy's there should be tension) as the criminally inept goons closed in on the girls. Finally when the contents of movies McGuffin (a beaten up metal briefcase) are revealed, the director at least for my money was more aiming for a cheap laugh than to deepen the mystery. 

Cast

Margaret Qualley (daughter of Andie McDowell) and last seen in Poor Things (2023) grew up in North Carolina but her Texan drawl (at least to these British ears) is at times indecipherable. She is clearly a star on the rise though and had a blast playing the socially free always horny Jamie. 

Geraldine Viswanathan most notable so far for John Cena's daughter in Blockers (2018), is also a star who clearly has a bright future. She does well as the button down (or should that be buttoned up?) prim-and-proper Marian. 

Beanie Feldstein could have stolen the movie as Jamie's partner Suki if she had had more to do. As it is she is left very much on the side lines. 

The movie also features cameos from A-Listers such as Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon and Colman Domingo, but their roles are so minor (Okay Domingo plays a bigger part as The Chief - head of the goons), I'm scratching my head to think of any other reason that they were cast than to shove them on the poster for marketing. 

Joey Slotnick and C.J Wilson as the goons chasing the girls could have been a great bumbling double act if they had a decent line to say. 

Bill Camp (The Queen's Gambit) as the drive-away rental agent Curlie was actually my favourite character, despite also being a minor role. 

Sound and Spectacle

Not a huge amount to say on this apart from some trippy LSD style sequences that are sprinkled throughout the film for some inexplicable reason. I'm sure there is a reason but I can't be bothered to find out.

On screen Action

For a road movie where our heroines are being chased there is precious little action other than some dust ups with the goons and their boss The Chief (Domingo).

Music and Score

No disrespect to Carter Burwell but I can't even remember the score or any of the music. 

Despite likeable turns by it's lead duo this is a woefully unfunny road movie that is a tonal car crash. 

Verdict  - One to Miss

 

2024 Oscar Round-Up

So let's start with my score card, out of 23 categories I successfully predicted 15!

Best Picture 

Oppenheimer

Best Director

Christopher Nolan

Best Actor

Cillian Murphy

Best Actress

Lily Gladstone

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Downey Jr.

Best Supporting Actress

Da Vine Joy Randolph

International
Best International Film - The Zone of Interest

Documentaries

Best Documentary Feature - To Kill a Tiger

Best Documentary Short - The Barber of Little Rock

Animated

Best Animated Feature - The Boy & the Heron

Best Animated Short - Letter to a Pig

Live Action

Best Live Action Short - The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Sound and Score

Best Original Song - What Was I Made For?

Best Score - John Williams - Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny

Best Sound - The Zone of Interest

On Screen

Best Cinematography - Oppenheimer

Best Visual Effects - The Creator

On the Page

Best Original Screenplay - The Holdovers

Best Adapted Screenplay - American Fiction

Production & Post

Best Production Design - Barbie

Best Editing - Oppenheimer

Costume & Make Up

Best Costume Design - Poor Things

Best Make Up - Poor Things

Source: AMPAS

Post Oscar Report

Intro

So what started in September of last year with this season of awards culminated in last night's Academy Awards. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, (who was excellent and should now be the de-facto host), the ceremony started this year at 4pm PT (3 hours earlier than it's usual 7pm slot).

It was an excellent ceremony. Classy, elegant, relaxed and lean, it flowed nicely and the 3½ hours zipped by. 

How Did I Watch It?

I watched the ceremony live from the UK via ITVX but chose to join John Rocha on his YouTube channel for a live watch along together with over 400+ other movie buffs. Thank you to John for his sterling efforts, and for helping me avoid what I understand (this morning) was woeful coverage on ITVX. 

More information on John's YouTube channel can be found here.

The BIG Winners!

The big winner of the evening as expected was Oppenheimer, whilst not winning all 13 nominations, the deserved team went home with no less than 7 awards; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Score.

The next big winner was Poor Things, collecting 4 awards including Best Actress for Emma Stone. 

The Ceremony Itself

As for the ceremony itself it was a return to form for the Oscars after many years in the wilderness. The varied selection of movies nominated this year reminded me of why I love cinema so much, and this year's ceremony reminded me of why there is no award's night like the Oscars. One of the highlights of ceremony had to be Ryan Gosling singing his nominated song "I'm Just Ken" it was never going to win but was a great moment. Best Song went to  Billie Eilish for "What Was I Made For?"

Viewing figures are yet to be published but I'd say it will be considerably up on previous years.

The Host

Kimmel was excellent (as with the great Billy Crystal) he made it about the nominees and not about himself. I especially loved the jibe at Donald Trump towards the end of the show, in responding to a ridiculous post from the former President Kimmel's line "Isn't it past your jail time?" got a raucous response from the audience. 

What about the locks, snubs and shocks?

Locks

As expected, Oppenheimer won for Best Picture, Christopher Nolan for Best Director, Robert Downey Jr. for Best Supporting Actor, Da Vine Joy Randolph for Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers and finally The Zone of Interest for Best Foreign Film.

Snubs!

For snubs, yet again Bradley Cooper is unable to crack that Oscar egg with his movie Maestro not picking up a single award having been nominated in 7 categories. Likewise for Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, despite being nominated for 10 Oscars was firmly shut out. 

Shocks!

No real upsets, (Other than some might say The Zone of Interest, taking Best Sound instead of Oppenheimer). For Best Actress, Emma Stone was genuinely shocked she won for Poor Things, I think her split second reaction may even have been one of disappointment that fellow nominee Lily Gladstone hadn't won. 

Brits Had a Great Night!

As I'm British I would be remiss to not mention what a great night the Brits had! Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy (The first ever Irish born actor to win a Best Actor Oscar no less) equally for Oppenheimer. The Zone of Interest for Best Foreign Film, along with a bevy of awards for costume, make-up and hair. 

A Couple of Quick Notes. 

One brief segment that worked well was Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt's zingy tribute to the "Unsung Heroes" that are the industries stuntmen and women (This is a clear nod to their next movie The Fall Guy due out 3rd May). Instead of finishing the piece with "We salute you" the Academy has to follow in the footsteps of it's newly created Best Casting category (To be debuted next year) in creating Best Stunt Performance, so these heroes walk away with a golden statue rather than just a thanks. 

Although I had The Creator for Best Visual Effects, I am delighted that Godzilla: Minus One won.

What Didn't Work So Well

The only small gripes I had were firstly, when giving out their award the banter between Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy just didn't work. 

Secondly, whilst I enjoyed the live performance for the "In memoriam" section I think this portion of the ceremony may be better served by a classy choice of music than a live performance as I was forced to split my attention between the screen and the performer.

Thirdly (and most notably), whilst not topping Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway's La La Land debacle in 2017, whoever decided that Al Pacino should give the final Best Picture award (without doubt the biggest award of the night) will no doubt be ruing the day. 

The iconic Oscar winning actor who at the age of 83 years old is understandably showing his age, fumbled his way through, not even listing all nominations. His lackadaisical reveal of Oppenheimer as the winner had a hesitant audience trying to understand if his approach was intentional or a genuine faux pas. 

I understand the gravitas of this final award and for it to be read out by a suitable industry heavyweight, but consider the situation of the talent first. 

...and Finally

Congratulations to all the winners!

It was a great night celebrating the movie industry at the highest level and one that once again set the Oscar's above the rest.

96th Academy Award Nominations

 

2024 Oscar Predictions

The Big 

6

Best Picture 

Oppenheimer

Best Director

Christopher Nolan

Best Actor

Cillian Murphy

Best Actress

Lily Gladstone

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Downey Jr.

Best Supporting Actress

Da Vine Joy Randolph

The Other Categories

International

Best International Film - The Zone of Interest

Documentaries

Best Documentary Feature - To Kill a Tiger

Best Documentary Short - The Barber of Little Rock

Animated

Best Animated Feature - The Boy & the Heron

Best Animated Short - Letter to a Pig

Live Action

Best Live Action Short - The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Sound and Score

Best Original Song - What Was I Made For?

Best Score - John Williams - Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny

Best Sound - The Zone of Interest

On Screen

Best Cinematography - Oppenheimer

Best Visual Effects - The Creator

On the Page

Best Original Screenplay - The Holdovers

Best Adapted Screenplay - American Fiction

Production & Post

Best Production Design - Barbie

Best Editing - Oppenheimer

Costume & Make Up

Best Costume Design - Poor Things

Best Make Up - Poor Things

Source: AMPAS

Damsel Movie Review

 

Damsel

Synopsis: A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt.

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Starring: Millie Bobbie Brown, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett & Robin Wright

Runtime: 1 hour 48 mins

Genre: Fantasy adventure

IMDb : Click Here

RT: Click Here

Damsel, released on Netflix today is their latest partnership with actor Millie Bobbie Brown, having previously collaborated on the Enola Holmes movies (Not a fan of the first, but really liked the second) and also a relatively unknown project called Stranger Things. This latest fantasy-adventure offering yet again sees the 20 year old actor take centre stage.

Millie Bobbie Brown (engaged to Jake Bongiovi, son of rock legend Jon Bon Jovi) plays Elodie, a princess married off to save a kingdom but at the potential cost of her own life. She is the damsel, but it is we the audience that is very much in distress, this was a terrible movie.

Let's break it down

Story and Plot

This laughably predictable fantasy-adventure written by Dan Manzeau who brought us such classics as Fast X (2023) and Clash of the Titans (2012) is stuffed with "Yawn - we've seen it before" plot points that leads to the inevitable conclusion. The biggest complaint is it just didn't feel real at any stage. Talk about low stakes, this had no stakes, There is a complete lack of tension which put this movie firmly into Sand Timer territory (See 4 Types of Movies at top of homepage). Despite all of Elodie's hardships and obstacles which includes being chased around a series of caverns in scenes pretty much ripped from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (2013), you just know she is never really in danger, and that everything will be just fine in the end.

Cast

Millie Bobbie Brown is a very good actress (She is fantastic in Stranger Things) as is Robin Wright and Angela Bassett is an acting legend but the clunky stilted dialogue stunts the casts performances. The great Ray Winstone is staggeringly miscast as Elodie's father and as a result along with the rest of his peers phones in his performance. What's more I just couldn't get over the fact that as everything looked so false, it felt like the actors were just playing dress-up, like I was just watching a very bad pantomime. 

CGI and Look of the Movie

What made the story not feel real as well was the way the movie looked. Set in some indeterminant time around the 18th Century the look is way too clean, everything is over polished and the DP Larry Fong made the locales (Which are hindered by really bad and obvious CGI) look too gaudy.

There was clearly not enough of the $60-70 million dollar production budget to allow for anything to be shot on location. The movie takes the Jungle Cruise (2021) approach to "outdoor" shooting.

Action

You've seen it all before, heroine in danger, heroine escapes, she get's into more danger, and oh my god she escapes again...rinse wash repeat.

Music and Score

Music was by David Fleming. It's a nice enough score but pretty run of the mill. Surprised to learn it was produced by Hans Zimmer. 

A paint-by-numbers misfire for both Netflix and Millie Bobby Brown. This desultory fantasy-adventure is more fatal than femme fatale.

Verdict  - One to Miss