The Revenant

The True Story Of One Mans Never Ending Quest For An Oscar

REVENANT - One who has returned, as if from the dead.

Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Release Date: 2015
Rating: 15
Running Time: 150 mins
Genre: Action/Drama/Western
Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter

'I'm not afraid of dying, I've done it already'

So Oscar season is finally upon us once again, and this year its an interesting bag, and so many we thought might be up for nominations of Best Picture ended up receiving hardly any nominations at all. Still none the less, there's strong competition for the clencher, it is looking like the Mexican director is in the drivers seat for winning, with his picture receiving 12 Oscar nominations. There's no doubt Inarritu is a truly talented filmmaker, unique with vision and execution of his films, ever since his controversial debut film Amores Perros, the first installment in his 'Trilogy of Death' won The Critic's Week award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Bafta Award for Best film not in the English Language back in 2001. Since then Inarritu has claimed multiple awards including, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture at the 2015 Oscars for Birdman proving what a capable filmmaker the man is, and its fair to say, The Revenant is no different. The survival story is favorite to follow in suit just one year on, really proving he is a truly exceptional director from the 21st century, and may shine a light on more of his indie films in the past. With The Revenant already snatching up other awards along the way, it's looking like Inarritu won't be the only one winning an Oscar as all film fans around the world wait and wonder if the long awaited Dicaprio Oscar might finally be unveiled in this early 19th century Western survival epic.

Fighting for survival after his group of Trappers are fooled into believing he's died from a vicious bear attack, Hugh Glass (Dicaprio) ventures on a mission driven by revenge, to get back to his comrades who abandoned him and take revenge on the man who left him for dead and murdered his son. In many ways, its a revenge film, the one thing that gives Glass something to live for, in other ways its a survival story about not giving up, even on the brink of death, but most of all I find The Revenant to be a truly visually stunning spectacle of movie making that surpasses its inspiring story. There's no doubt Inarritu is a truly captivating film maker, the cinematography in this film is astonishing. It's a wonder how they were able to create such complex long takes and provide seamless editing to make sure the camera never steers from the action, making it thoroughly authentic. Much like Birdman, the film features a continuous string of long takes, and tied in with the incredible scenery you look and watch and almost forget about the story. Leo is really pushed to the test in this film physically and mentally, whether it's going fifteen rounds with a bear (all in one take) or drifting helplessly down rough waters and sleeping inside dead animals to survive the cold northern nights, it makes you wonder if despite all this, he still made the right call not to call in at 'Minnie's Haberdashery', which I imagine was facing its fair share of bloodshed around the same time as Leo's battle to get home.

Despite both Dicaprio and Hardy doing what seems to be there best to 'out-mumble' each other, but at the same time win us over as exceptional actors we know them to be, its fair to agree the films actors are completely believable and extremely talented. Tom Hardy's had an incredible career so far, and now he might also be a potential winner going up against Rocky Balboa for best Supporting Actor. From his role of Bane in Nolan's The Dark Knight, to Welsh Construction foreman whose life falls apart driving home on the M1 in Locke, to taking on the role both Kray Twins in Legend, Hardy's showing his immense diversity being showing how he can play some of  the best likable villains in cinema, and some of the most interesting anti-heroes, the complex British actor is on the up and up. The supporting roles from rising stars Domhnall Gleeson (Who's been voted Total Film's Man of The Year) and Will Poulter showing he's not just a comedy clown, are both equally inspiring in their roles portraying decent men in such a savage time. The film does raise many questions about the morality of the U.S fighting the indigenous people who use to own the land they are slowly loosing. In many ways, there are both savages in everyone, and civilisation and culture as well, and this film is showing how different points of view can inspire people's beliefs and opinions about other cultures.

The Revenant stands a strong chance at claiming a fair amount of Oscars at this years ceremony. However, it may not be able to do what Peter Jackson did twelve years earlier taking home eleven Oscars, but it certainly won't go empty handed. With the fight for best picture being anyone's to claim, I think what we're all wondering is can Leo finally give his long awaited speech and take home the golden statue?

All in all, The Revenant is an incredible story, adapted into an incredible film, but maybe not for the same reasons. At the heart of the film its a touching account of Hugh Glass' amazing story, but feels maybe a bit too Oscar-hungry and stands out for other reasons than the plot. A great achievment in cinematics, but looses the narrative in the mix of everything going on.

9/10

Creed

The Next Generation's Underdog

Director: Ryan Coogler
Release Date: 2015
Rating: 12
Running Time: 130 mins
Genre: Sports/Action/Drama
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson

'Time beat him. Time eventually takes everybody out. Time is undefeated.'

'So there's going to be a new Rocky film!'...Groans from some, shouts of joy from others, but most of all, people wondering, surely we've seen all that the Rocky's have to offer and then some more we didn't need, but as it turns out, there's still life in the Rocky franchise after all. A decade on since Balboa exited the ring for the final time, audiences and fans are given a new underdog champion to put on the gloves. This time it's Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the last descendant of legendary boxer in the Rocky franchise - Apollo Creed, and all that can be said is, Coogler and Jordan did not let the franchise down. The film is modern, cool, and breathes new life into the saga, that bridges the two boxing legends perfectly, proving that both Balboa still has some fight left in him, and Stallone does not let his character down delivering both great character and performance. I'll be honest, after Sly's performance as the ageing boxer, he's standing in excellent stead for a potential win, and I think we can all agree that seeing the trailer for The Expendables 4, and reading 'Academy Award Winner Sylvester Stallone' would be quite an impressive achievement. But not getting too far ahead of myself, with regards to Creed the star certainly gave his all in this performance, and if he wins the golden statue, it would be well deserved. I'll be honest I didn't think Sly still had it in him to deliver such a credited performance, especially returning as such iconic character, its good to see he's not going down the DeNiro road entirely. He's still got a fighting chance.

Taking place three decades on after Apollo Creed's fatal fight, his last son Adonis 'Donny' Johnson, born from a love affair Apollo had, learns of his dad's fame, success and friendship with legendary boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). After approaching Balboa in the hopes of gaining a trainer, Donny begins following in his father's footsteps as a natural born fighter, and good friend of Rocky, as he gets ready for the biggest fight of his life. The film also adds two believable and well-inserted love story to the film, one with singer Bianca (Thompson) giving Donny's character stability and hope, but perhaps more iconically in this film there is also a strong love that grows between him and Rocky, and to see the two of them form a strong friendship together. It gives the lonely and aging boxer something worth fighting for again, that is truly compelling and inspiring for the audience.

But let's actually talk about the dynamic duo that spurred this film into life. After the highly moving and well captured 2013 drama Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler is proving himself to be an exceptional director, with inventive and inspiring work on both Fruitvale and Creed. He has a gritty edge to his directing, it captures the realism and difficulties that life lay out. Through his portrayal of heroes from somewhat unprivileged backgrounds, it makes for a captivating accomplishment that slots into the Rocky franchise perfectly, almost mirroring the multi-Oscar winning Rocky (1977) in terms of grit, edge and unpredictability. Michael B. Jordan collaborates once again with the director, giving his all, both performance-wise and physically, due to him getting into unbelievable shape for the role, you would've thought he'd been boxing his whole life. Jordan gives fresh life to an underdog that audiences can get behind and believe in, both in and out of the ring, as well as matching Apollo in terms of delivery and drive. The whole time carrying out the films message of 'being your own person'. Adonis 'Donny' Johnson-Creed is an inspiring and immediately likeable character, despite his initial hot headed temper, and troubled up-bringing, A exciting and believable character we've all been left wanting to see more of.

One of the main debates of this film is, is it one for the Rocky fans, and wasted on everyone else? In many ways, it is for the fans. The audience already have a connection with Balboa, the training montages and of course it's theme tune, as well as certain iconic scenes such as the Philadelphia museums 72 steps. There's already a background knowledge of Balboa and Creeds relationship in the 70s and 80s and how it, began, developed and evolved, showing the impact one had on the other. You also will enter Creed with knowledge of Rocky's life and marriage with Adriane and long term friendship with her brother Paulie, adding more emotional impact when he visits their graves, and learning about his son. There are also echoes of Mickey, Rocky's original trainer, shown in the gym Donny is trained in, and of course the signature hat he wore that Rocky wears when Donny enters the ring. In many ways, its a tribute to the old films, and a way of saying that they can still be loved in a new generation through this similar but original franchise, However, having said this, if non-Rocky fans were to watch Creed, they wouldn't be disappointing or feel to be missing out too much, provided they know the basics, which the trailer happily fills in anyway. Many understandably will prefer to educate themselves with the old films first, but, as Donny learns about his dad and builds a relationship with Rocky, the same is happening for the audience. Coogler is showing us this world through Donny's eyes and therefore, new audiences are catered for in exposition and character development, in a way that doesn't slow the pace down for the die hard fans. The film gives us a new hero to believe in, and the script deals with Rocky perfectly, as he is able to win the hearts of old and new fans alike.

The shots in this film are simply incredible, and its baffling to me how the Oscars could snub Creed for Best Cinematography, Editing and Directing. In one fight scene, we see the two fighters get through several rounds all in one take from beginning to end making for a true spectacle of viewing in such an original and incredible achievement. There are other aspects of the photography that work in reimaging the Rocky's, but perhaps one of the most iconic and fan pleasing moment in this film is when Donny gets into the ring and he's ...... with the Rocky theme tune. The soundtrack is fitted perfectly to the film combining hip-hop, a bit of blues and most iconically the song Last Breathe by Future, remixing the original tune and giving it new legs to spur the Creed franchise on, why the song isn't up for an Oscar remains a mystery however.

The future of Creed is still an ambiguous one, MGM claim there's no doubt they'll make a sequel, but the big question is, will Coogler, who is scheduled to direct Marvel's Black Panther will have the time to be involved in the production. Ideas however are flying around with Sly and Coogler for a Godfather Part II-esc film flying between Apollo's life and Donny's, which I think fans would definitely be interested in seeing. All that's for sure is, Sly is definitely going to carry the franchise on, even if Coogler can't. Now I have recently changed my mind about the aging star having seen him in Creed, but here's to hoping he doesn't 'Rocky V' this franchise and do what all Hollywood writers end up doing to great films and franchising them for a quick buck with the same shit different day style of film-making.  All I will say is that Creed has started a strong franchise with a lot of potential having hit the ground running, now keep the style of gritty realism, but keep it fresh, and with the beauty of hindsight, they can see how Rocky dipped and avoid doing the same to this potentially great series.

9/10

The Hateful Eight

8 Angry Resevoir Dogs

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Realease Date: 2015

Rating: 18

Running Time: 165mins

Genre: Action/Western/Mystery

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russel, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen

"If any of you move you're going to get a bullet, not a question, not a warning shot...a bullet"

So I've got to start by coming clean and saying, I am a "Tarantino Fan Boy". I think think his films are not only great stories but they're also great cinema. If you ever want to see a film where the bastards "really get it", you're going to want to find yourself a Tarantino collection. With memorable characters and quotable dialogue, his films are cool, slick and modern, delivering exactly what you'd expect from the director since he started, nearly 25 years ago.

Having said this, he is not a man who targets his films at the faint hearted, no he does not. In fact if you're not a fan of over the top bloody sword-fights, wrestling and shoot-outs he's a man you should certainly avoid. So when it comes to The Hateful Eight, there's no exception, this film bares all. All the blood, twisted Tarantino humour, dialogue heavy scenes, memorable quotes and in recent years excessive use of the N word and of course Sam Jackson bringing the perfect combination of cool and comedy and appearances from so many Tarantino regulars, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and so many others. It features the whole shebang (albeit maybe lacking the soundtrack that could compete with Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction & Resevoir Dogs).

"So let's slow it way down", having read so many reviews and talking to fellow movie goers alike, it was a mixed bag. I wasn't surprised to see people say they didn't like it, it's not for everyone. Yet I was surprised at the high level of that responded so negatively. Many said that the violence and sodomy was too much, but some found the first act so boring they couldn't get into it. I'll give you dialogue may be slow, but it's going some where, everything the director has written is serving a purpose. The fact is that with this film he is introducing us to 8 complex characters, all of which require a bit of getting to know, and consequently we are spoon fed exposition for all of these enigmatic Cowboys, but stay with it. The Hateful Eights story is a great mystery, posing the question: can you trust a thing that's being said about anyone, and what's more if you know anything about Tarantino, who's getting out alive?

It is a complex story, and in a Hitchcockian fashion takes place in predominantly one room. The tension grows and grows, the mystery drags you in further and with a blizzard hammering on windows of Minnie's Haberdashery outside, it's not long before the paranoia kicks in and guns are loaded. It's a film of which the second and third acts cannot be discussed, but all I will say is remember it's a Tarantino film, and he hasn't missed a trick using all the devices that makes the man who he is, and I'm not just talking blood.

Like always there's the controversy of violence, anti-heroes and some things you wouldn't want to discuss with your grandparents. But the age old Tarantino debate of plagiarism will surely arise from all the walking walking anti-Hollywood film encyclopaedias claiming he's ripping off a Japanese film of some kind that many of the western world have never heard of. But that's not to say they're wrong, the man loves cinema and will so often choose therefore to quote, re-imagine and tribute the works he grew up with and marvelled at. However, I'll challenge anyone to find a film like The Hateful Eight, made in the same way and with the same outcome, sure the premise may be similar but this film is surely one of a kind, with its perfect combination of Suspense, mystery and most of all complete shock factor. There really isn't nothing like it or people wouldn't be writing reviews about how shocking it was.

Someone asked the question of "Would fanboys be so in love with this film if it wasn't by Tarantino?" But that question just cannot be considered. The film through and through is so absolutely without a doubt Tarantino-esc that if this film wasn't made by him it would be a completely different film with a completely different feel.

So I'll finish with this. It's not a film for everyone, it will disgust some, and bore others and maybe it is targeted at a younger audience or those with "certain tastes" in what they like their cinema to contain. But (and this is my final but), if you like Taranino and the film sounds like it ticks the boxes go and see it. If think it starts slow, stick with it, have faith that it's all there for a reason. Believe me, it will be all worth it approaching the third and final unforgettable act.

9/10

The Lego Movie

Everything About This Is Awesome!

Director: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

Release Date: 2013

Rating: U

Running Time: 100 mins

Genre: Animation/Comedy

Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Ferral, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman

"Come with me if you want not to die"

When you first see posters for this, you'll assume its for kids, but when I sat down the other day with a group of friends for what would be my third screening of this, I quickly realised, this is a film for everybody.

As children, everyone enjoyed playing with lego. The concept of building some amazing things and just simply being able to marvel at our creations was always an exciting feat. The Lego Movie shows us how amazing and imaginative a childs mind is, and reminds us how it use to be for us. But more than that, it reminds us, Lego is awesome!

Not only is it highly entertaining and extremely comical, with almost every other line making us laugh, it's a fantastic representation of a capitalist society. We follow rules, we obey everything the government says and we're distracted by mediocre comedy and other things that aren't relevant to real every day life. A fantastic quote is when our protagonist Emmet states "President Buissness is such a good guy, he makes all kinds of good stuff, surveillence systems, all history books voting machines...wait a minute". It says a lot about how we're controlled and have no real idea of what's actually going on...pretty deep stuff Lego. So, it backs up my argument that kids films are made to amaze and excite kids, but also keep the parents entertained and thinking too. One of the reasons, despite now being seen as too old for kids films, they are still such a guilty pleasure. 

With a cast full of famous faces, well in this case voices, we're provided with a lot of laughs from the likes of Morgan Freeman, Will Ferral, Elisabeth Banks and of course, our highly comical and lovable protagonist voiced by Chris Pratt. I guarantee that this film will have you laughing a lot along the way, through it's interestingly laid out plot, right up to the final moments when (spoiler alert) the Lego world is met by creatures from the land of Duplo. I've no idea how long the script took to write, but it is so humorous and funny, its bordering on genius. 

All I can say is, from watching it with a range of different people and hearing what they had to say, I doubt you'll meet many who won't enjoy it. It's so well made, the crew involved in producing this film have to be given a huge amount of credit as it is simply fantastic cinema viewing.

This is how animation should be.

8/10

The Room

What Is Going On...Seriously?

Director: Tommy Wiseau
Release Date: 2003
Rating: 15
Running Time: 100mins
Genre: Soapy crap
Sarring: Tommy Wiseau

"I didn't hit her, it's not true, it's b*llsh*t, I did not hit her....Oh hai Mark"

Wow! Wow wow wow! I knew this film was awarded a status of 'The Worst Film of All Time', but I thought, can it really be worse than Piranha DD? The Keith Lemon Film? Sharknado 2? MegaShark vs GiantOctopus? The answer, yes. For me, normally any kind of film that is the title with any kind of fish mutation in it should be branded as complete crap. Even film like The Human Centipede Trilogy, which I find to be a complete insult to cinema and should never have been made, surely have a better story line than this pile of soapy crap, Tommy Wisseau decided to inaptly name The Room. Names more applicable could've been The Never Ending Sex Scene or Throw up in your popcorn at the sight of my bare ass or even Haha You've Given Me You're Money For This Sh*t. But no, he chose The Room, and in doing so, made cinema history, for pretty much all the wrong reasons.

You cannot help but laugh at this dross. It's not laughing with, that's one thing I should really stress. It's laughing at. Not only is the script so poorly written and filled with so many sudden mood changes, and a serious lack of narrative flow and structure, the acting is just abismle. Tommy Wiseau cannot act. He just can't. Audiences love him, but I think more pity him. The man is a complete enigma. Where he found the films budget of $6 million anywhere is a complete mystery, and why anyone would green-light this...whatever it is...is beyond me. 

Not only do we have to sit throw these awful scenes, we then have to sit through them constantly as they are recycled over and over again, with different costumes and less members of the audience to watch. You have to wonder if half of this film is made up with just establishing shots, which I'll be honest, are the best parts of the film, giving audiences a chance to shout (entirely out of boredom and lack of excitement) 'Meanwhile in San Francisco...' to which the film continues, even if our hopes of ever getting out grow thin. I'm presuming that the reason so many of these comical games were created around viewing this film, is to simply pass the time and get through it without loosing the will to live. Needless to say, if you watch this film by yourself, you will be, bored, uninspired, confused and have I said bored already? Nope, the only way that you will get through The Room is to sit with a big group of people that are open minded enough to stay for the whole film and scream abuse at its entirety. 

So, the big question is...Is Tommy Wiseau a genius? Was he a man that knew exactly what he was doing, making a low budget soap opera ending in something that we just wish happened at the start. Or is he still a complete narcissist that believes his film is a work of art? Either way, it was bad enough to get everyone talking and curious to watch it and for that, he's gained a lot of love and success. I don't know what it is, and maybe no one does, but people enjoy watching the poor guy attempt to act. If Tommy wasn't in it and the character of Johnny was played by a different actor, would the film still be credited for being so funny, my guess is no. Instead, it would be just awful..er.

So The Room, how can you sum it up? It happened. And we have to all live with that now. But seriously, if you haven't seen it, I suggest you do, and that way you can decide if it really is as bad as you think. Wiseau actually stated once that 'You don't have to like The Room, but there will be something, maybe the tiniest thing that will make you think, hang on? I want to see more'. Well Tommy I'm not one hundred percent sure if that's right but I think we can all walk away having had many laughs, so should we love it for that reason? In fact, a close friend of mine actually stated that he thinks the film to be 'a masterpiece', but is this just sarcastic irony? Maybe we all take away something from this, or maybe it is just shallow nothingness. Either way, I've never seen anything quite like it, but does that make The Room's unique status something to be marvelled at.

We could spend hours trying to encript secret messages and meanings spread out through The Room, but really, it just sucks.

1/10

Straight Outta Compton

Just Talking To Their Diary

Director: F. Gary Gray
Release Date: 2015
Rating: 15
Running: 140 mins
Genre: Biography/Drama
Starring: O'Shea Jackson jr, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell

"Speak a little truth and people loose their minds"

F. Gary Gray gives us another fantastically well portrayed film, this time about the growth, success and breakup of the legendary Hip/Hop group N.W.A. We see some of our favourite rappers portrayed by a group of young, and incredibly talented actors, with a very similar likeness to the legends they're portraying. Including Ice Cube's own son, Oshea Jackson jr, taking on the role of..well, you can probably guess. Despite none of the actors having any serious acting roles in the past I've got to begin by saying, the boys nailed it.

As a film fanatic and massive N.W.A fan before the films release, when I finally came to seeing this biopic, I loved it. Straight Outta Compton was the type of biopic that showed audiences how you can start at the very bottom and still achieve stardom and success. The boys in N.W.A showed us, their passion and love of music as well as their anger with stereotypes and racism, showing us that despite your background, it's possible to escape the crime and danger around you to make something of yourself. You can only admire the musical abilities of the young guys, starting their own company, producing their own music and gaining almost instant success. 

I've got to talk about one particular point to do with critics response to the film that I found actually rather startling. It's a point I didn't really pay much attention too until after viewing the film, that being that, despite the films highly successful appreciation from fans and audience members, not all critics were so full of praise. In fact, the popular film website IMDB have noticeably snubbed the films success by failing to add it to the site's top 250 film page, despite the film achieving a rating worthy of being on it. One argument reasoning why this has happened is, it 'promotes black crime and overall is a film showing the criminals coming out on top'. You have to argue therefore how films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino portrays white crime and are highly successfully and regularly re-watched and loved by audiences. The argument has to be, that these films show both a rise and a fall, whereas in Straight Outta Compton's case, there is a rise and then an escape of a demise, except (spoiler alert) of course for the tragic death of Eazy-E in '93 from AIDs. However, there are many films portraying white criminals who do actually come out on top or get away with it, such as Chicago, No Country for Old Men, the Hannibal/Silence of The Lambs film series and most famously The Usual Suspects. Arguably though, these are mearly stories, and the biographical element of Compton may questionably mean that its too much for some critics to therefore praise.

Nevertheless, this film is very much seen as an anti-police film, and is therefore incredibly controversial, but we could argue this fact about other anti-police films such as the critically acclaimed French '95 drama La Haine. Also showing the impact of police brutality and unfair treatment of those living in poor areas. We see the members of N.W.A all experience different forms of police brutality, like Ice Cube being randomly assaulted and unfairly searched right outside his own front door after being suspect of possesion, to Dr Dre being arrested when he claim after to be 'literally just standing there'. However, we have to look at the fact that this film was actually produced by Dr Dre and Ice Cube, and therefore its them recalling their own experiences, and in this case, you have to wonder if the figures portrayed in the film were wholly innocent, or is it almost an anti-police film out for revenge? Ice Cube and Dr Dre are shown to be the ones portrayed to be in some senses, upright, moral people who turned their back on the criminals in their lives. However, we know Ice Cube was an angry guy, and we're shown this when he smashes up his managers office with a baseball bat, and even Dr Dre is allegedly notorious for being a 'woman beater', so maybe they aren't as much the heroes we're shown on screen. It's a controversial topic, but I choose to believe that, the Hip/Hop role models I look up to, were truthfully shown and they're artists we can admire for this. Of course, no film is wholly truthful but I feel fans and myself included can look at this film as a fair representation of the groups struggles and successes.

What can be said about Staight Outta Compton is, it was a long anticipated film, that in turn did not disappoint. It's arguably one for the fans, much like the Biggie biopic Notorious. But there was something about this great film that Notorious lacked, and I think it's the story that what happened. It wasn't always in N.W.A's hands, and really, the guys were trying to escape the poverty in Compton and  make the best of a bad situation. In this way, this film was highly captivating, even for the audiences that weren't N.W.A fans going in. Straight from the beginning scene before the title is hauntingly flashed up on the screen, I knew this was going to be more than just Hip/Hop artists, it would be a view into the real lives of those who grew up in the criminal ghetto: Compton and how some were able to rise above the crime by spreading an honest message. As a Hip/Hop fan myself, I feel like this film will do a lot for the controversial genre of music. It's now going to influence a younger audience who weren't aware of N.W.A first time around. You could see this as a marketing attempt from 'The worlds most dangerous group' to re-image themselves as people who inspire rather than agrevate, especially as it was released as the same time as Dr Dre's new album Compton, which is surely no accident. A quote from a recent N.W.A interview, done by current renowned rap artist Kendrick Lamar, showed DJ Yella stating "I think we're going to be more famous now than 26 years ago." Which is true. It says a lot about the power of film and how its able to manipulate us into watching the true story of this fascinating group of young artists.

It's an extremely disputable film and one that will definitely get people talking, even those yet to see it. But overall it's highly entertaining and surprisingly moving. Audiences won't guess from the almost, in some cases, comical songs from N.W.A, how dangerous their lives were. I myself didn't realise the extent of the police brutality, racism the boys faced. And despite knowing it was coming (Spoiler Alert), I found Eazy-E's death at the end so moving and harrowing that it's clear why Dre chooses to rap about his best friend so much in his music and keep his legacy going.

It's a film about friendship, making something from nothing and most importantly how powerful music can be, They group changed and revolutionised how music can be used to express themselves and say what so many others feared to say. It showed us the real start of the Hip/Hop we know today, and I feel that we're only going to see more from rappers and artists in years to come due to the legacy that N.W.A started. A great biopic that will have us talking for a long time to come.

9/10

Sullivan's Travels

A Journey We Can All Learn From

Director: Preston Sturges
Release Date: 1941
Rating: U
Running Time: 90 mins
Genre: Screwball Comedy
Sarring: John McCrea, Veronica Lake

"But nothing's going to stop me. I've got to find out what it's like to be without friends, without credit, without chequebook, without name. Alone"

I was recently introduced to the concept of Screwball Comedies having had no idea about the genre in the past. Thriving in the 1930's and 40's, the films adopted a genre of comedy similar to that of Film Noir, but with a slightly more light-hearted twist. The films distinguish themselves for their masculine and feminine characters battling for control and also for their battle of classes in those times. Needless to say the films featured a generous amount of conflict yet shown in a rather comical way to create the humorous element that was almost seen as a rarety when the film was first released.

With regard to this film, Sullilvan's Travels, one of which I will shamefully admit, despite being an early Hollywood classic, I had never actually heard of before viewing. We're taken on a journey with our lead: Joel McCrea playing John R Sullivan or Sully to his friends, an ignorant movie director, who wants to see the world through the eyes of a poor man suffering poverty, before then making a picture about the topic. It's an interesting concept for a film, and highlights perfectly the class conflicts that were common in the genre around the time. But what's more interesting about Sullivan's Travels is the way that Sully keeps being warned not to make this picture, it's not what he knows and it's not what the people around the time wanted to see. Emphasising how in cinema, people wanted escapism  rather than realism. Even at the end, Sully expresses how he wants to make a comedy instead of a drama, which his producers and crew are still surprised by. This is interesting given that the film itself is infact a comedy and you can wonder if Sturges battled with the same problems making the film as his protagonist.

In the early parts of the film we see him heading down the road in a Pingu like fashion, wielding a scrawny satchel and followed by a lorry full of his film crew. It's hard to really get a grasp of what's going on in the early parts of the film due to the fast dialogue and, if I'm honest slightly unclear narrative. I struggled to understand quite a lot, and clearly it's a film that may require a re-view. 

For me, it's a film where we see the story go from bad to worse in the characters case, but for the audience, it leaves us with some hilarious moments. It's feel is light overall, though does gradually get darker throughout the film, although the end message leaves us feeling positive understanding of the importance of people's laughter and how the people rely on it so much. It represents the time as well of course, early 40's, and how there was a lot of harrowing events occurring: poverty, bankrupsy, depression and of course the outbreak of WWII. It's a reminder of how important it is to simply, laugh.

There's a strong sense of how important money can be to people, and in John R Sullivan's case, he feels as though it can buy him whatever he needs, whether that's friendship or even freedom. We see him suffer poverty, assault and even imprisonment, but the whole time I felt that, the rich cannot understand the poor in the same way, no matter how hard they try. It didn't matter on the situation, or how bad things got, Sully could always get out of the problems, with proper health care, food, comfortable sleeping that his money was able to buy him, where as a man living in severe poverty like Sully was trying to, would not be awarded the same luxuries. This shows a lot about the American ideologies such as the 'American Dream' and how for many, it was something never experienced. The film gave the feeling of a protagonist who in this case was slightly flawed and not really one you can really get behind in support of. Everything bad that goes on, which (Spoiler alert) is quite a lot, happens purely Sully's own decisions, showing how he himself is flawed and the dark comedy element is brought out. 

One famous face I did recognise in this film however, was the very beautiful and famous Film-Noir actress Veronica Lake. I found Lake's performance to be one of a strong female character, but due to the time, had no real power in any circumstance during the film. She made important suggestions and showed how smart women in that time could be, but still the film, like most 40's Hollywood, felt to be slightly misogynistic.

So maybe these two characters, flawed for different reasons, tied in with the poverty aspects can sum up perfectly the function and intention of a Screwball comedy. There are as well, a few narrative flaws which are glossed over, and there's a lot of motifs and symbolism revolving trains, they themselves playing a huge part in the story, but if I'm being honest, I struggled to work out one exact answer for this enigma. Overall however, it was an enjoyable watch, proving how early 40's classics can still stand out as great cinema, which, though now only really targets a niche audience, it can still entertain and be loved.

7/10