The War of the Rohirrim

 

The Lord of the Rings has a lot to answer for. As much as this trilogy has shaped cinema, whether those who dislike the films and fantasy don’t want to admit, TLOTR were three films to be admired. Changing the way blockbusters are made, stepping up the use of practical and VFX and not to mention the rich storytelling and world of Tolkien, these films have stood the test of time. However, once they had all released, they left a void that studios wanted, needed to fill. The Hobbit was made, but unfortunately three films was too much. Then Amazon decided we needed another prequel, and instead of following the many books Tolkien wrote about Middle Earth, we were gifted The Rings of Power. The show divided fans of TLOTR and the books alike. But the most irritating part of The Rings of Power is the use of The Lord of the Rings name, using like a brand. This was disappointing we; the audience couldn’t just enjoy the show for what it is, a story with new exciting characters. We are forever doomed to have the characters from TLOTR loom over these tales. When it was announced that there was another film on the horizon, this time animation and set in Rohan, there was intrigue and even excitement. But when once again TLOTR was slapped on the title, you could feel fan’s hearts sink. This branding that studios insist on having ruins the feel and tone of the film before anyone has even seen it. We are pre-programmed to expect to love what we are about to see just because of the branding. Something the studios really need to rethink. Leave The Lord of the Rings alone. By all means, create something new but stop branding it incorrectly, especially as War of the Rohirrim has nothing to do with TLOTR.

Set many years before The Hobbit, and years before The Lord of the Rings, we are told about Hera, daughter of king Helm Hammerhand of Rohan. Narrated by none other than the Shield Maiden of Rohan herself, Eowyn, she tells us of a tale about someone who could have very much inspired Eowyn’s actions in TLOTR. When Wulf, a banished son of a disgraced lord of Rohan returns for vengeance, set on killing Helm, Hera and her two brothers, the entire Rohan is threatened. After a brief battle, the people of Edoras retreat to their stronghold, a place very familiar for fans. There they try and out wait their enemies who surround them. After a series of tragedies, Hera is the one who stands up for her people and executes a plan to win back the crown and defeat this villain once and for all.

With very brief mentions of neighbouring Gondor and dig about how they cannot be trusted, along with one quick relevant cameo and a name drop. The War of the Rohirrim thankfully doesn’t fall into the same trap as The Rings of Power. The story and characters are heroic, stoic, and devastating but despite being new additions, they are far from fresh. Acting as stock characters in any other fantasy or historical drama, the story feels more like a Studio Ghibli film, complete with a ‘strong female lead’ who even mentions several times she doesn’t need a man and doesn’t want to get married. While this may seem progressive and what people think feminism is, by now, this feels old hat. Even the entire reason for the war in the first place seems like a very tired trope, with the villain, Wulf wanting revenge for his father’s death, it seems far more obvious he was annoyed Hera rejected him romantically. Thousands die - its war after all - but all because a woman said no to a man. Stripping the narrative to the bone, this is essentially what happens.

Another aspect that lets the film down is the length. A third of the film is set during a siege in Winter whether nothing momentous happens. Apart from a not so mysterious being is killing the enemy one by one. But this section drags out and it’s a shame as the action and momentum the film began with grinds to a halt and tries very hard to pick up the pace at the end but fails to rekindle the magic that could have saved it.

But it is not all cold weather and angry little men, we learn some of Rohan’s history and some mythology about certain creatures. Though the battle scenes feel and look very familiar, one is very much like the Pelennor Fields and the other is literally at Helm’s Deep (spoiler, the stronghold was named after Helm), but they are thrilling to watch, especially without the presence of Elves and the Fellowship. The animation is also the most stunning element of the film. The filmmakers have captured why we all fell in love with Middle Earth and focused in on lands that are (at first) intriguing to explore. But as for further tales of Rohan? If they were to be something completely new then they would be welcomed but of its more of the same, we have certainly reached journeys end.

The Secret of NIMH

 

There is an argument to be had about the animation renaissance and when it truly began. Most would say it came with Disney and The Little Mermaid, but some may equate the changes began with Don Bluth and The Secret of NIMH. Released in 1982 the film was released to a modest fanfare making double its budget at the overall box office but the real success was on home video, the old reliable (back then) VHS market. Based on the book, Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien, our heroine’s name changed to Brisby for the film due to trademark issues. The idea to adapt the book has originally been a possible project for Disney but they weren’t interested. Don Bluth felt there was a story needing to be told and he knew exactly how.

Recently widowed Mrs Brisby is in desperate need of help. Moving day has arrived early, Farmer Fitzgibbons is about the plough the field where she lives. But Timmy, one of her four children, is sick with pneumonia and cannot be moved. Advised by the wisest creature around, The Great Owl tells her to seek help to move her home from the mysterious and secretive rates that live in the rosebush. These aren’t just any rats, as they have a secret, just like Mrs Brisby’s husband Jonathan before he died, and these rats want something in return.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Robot Dreams

 

How do you encapsulate loneliness, friendship, happiness, desperation, and grief all into one story with no dialogue and yet speak volumes? Robot Dreams, released earlier this year but did the festival circuit in 2023, is an understated, beautifully created film that barely scratched the surface of the box office. 

Released by Curzon in the UK, it might have appeared that Robot Dreams was an arthouse film, an animation not particularly aimed at children and more for adults who know all too well what the Dog and Robot are each going through, to a point. Having no dialogue make seem like its cutting itself off but with no speech to change the tone of the story, the characters that inhabit this world (animals, some anthrophonic) are free to just be. Retaining some typical characteristics, such as Dog’s happy wagging tail, actually makes these characters more relatable, aligning with the animals with what we already recognise. This aspect could also be appealing to children in the audience. But overall, the absence of dialogue gives more space to take in everything. This beautifully animated and on the whole joyful style of the film is pleasing to the eye. The story is told through actions but it is the expressions that really hit home. This is the part for the adults watching to appreciate. Animation has for too long been associated with a younger audience, but its films like Robot Dreams, showing there is a careful balance so anyone can enjoy the story.

Robot Dreams certainly is a gem hidden among all the bigger animation studios and probably even overlooked in favour of the ‘bigger’ films, but its one that stands on for its style, story and unconventional approach to those more complex situations we can find ourselves in.

Your Monster

 

When soft spoken actress Laura (Melissa Barrera) goes back home to recover from surgery and a Cancer diagnosis and a devasting breakup, she discovers something quite terrifying and unexpected. An intimidating, yet strangely charming Monster (Tommy Dewey) has been living in her closet. At first there is resentment for having to share the space, but this unusual set up soon grows into something more. 

Barrera and Dewey as Laura and Monster have effortless and incredibly charming chemistry, its entertaining whether they’re smashing plates, reciting Shakespeare or inciting violent acts. Your Monster perfectly encapsulates how to weave together two opposing genres. Following the beats of a typical rom-com and weaving in horror elements to even compliment the story and the characters is sheer delight. Whether you want to accept the ‘true’ nature of Monster or want to be suspended in disbelief when it comes to the fantastically dramatic and beautifully sung finale. Your Monster is an oddball of a film, complete with familiar but unique characters, its something new and unexpected, plus you’ll think twice before looking under your bed.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

My Old Ass

 

Circumventing the typical coming of age cliches is a difficult task, the key is creating fun, refreshing characters and My Old Ass succeeds all round. Not only do we have a lead character on the brink of leaving for college, but she also has an existential meeting with her older self which throws curve balls in her plans she never would have expected.

Meeting your older self could be seen as one massive spoiler, but Elliott the younger is still able to have the same experiences as her older counterpart, most likely made richer after taking advice from Elliott the elder. Her rollercoaster of emotions and discovery, in such a short space of time, feels condensed and maybe too much is meant to happen, but in retrospect a lot can happen and change your life in just a few weeks. A strange dream like scenario, as who wouldn’t want to talk to their older selves, Elliott faces this truth and accepts the situation very quickly, a trait, she points out, that is of the young. As always Aubrey Plaza, as older Elliott, is a gift on screen and even though she is only on screen (voice for the most part) for a short time, she leaves a lasting impression. But this story belongs to Maisy Stella, who plays the younger Elliott and she displays a panache for the dramedy. Encapsulating the fun carefree side of Elliott but still able to display wisdom that her older self could also learn from, the balance is maintained.

My Old Ass, is a light hearted, unexpected twist on the coming-of-age genre with a little bit of something extra thrown in. Supposedly science fiction, but who knows!

Risky Business

 

You know the scene, you know that image of very young Tom Cruise’s grinning face in sun glasses, you already know something about the film even if you’ve never seen it. Sliding around the floor in just his socks, underwear and shirt, parents gone, house to himself. This scene is the one that everyone has seen before. But what’s incredible is that this is but a snippet of what Risky Business is about. 

 

When his parents go away on holiday, leaving him in the house alone, High School senior Joel decides to make the most of it. After been hounded by his friends, Joel invites call girl Lana over. But after a night of sexual pleasure, Joel finds himself stuck with never ending problems, including having to fix up his father’s prized car. To try and help, as well as helping herself, Lana convinces Joel to have party, he invites his friends and she’ll invite her friends/co-workers.

With the famous scene near the start of the film, there is room to sink in and just watch the chaos ensue as Joel makes one bad decision after another. Joel’s naivety is what brings him down throughout the film. Teased by his friends for not having sex yet, practically hoodwinked into ending up with a call girl and then being abandoned when he needs help, at least they all show up for his extra special party. Joel can do no right in this film, except maybe in Lana’s eyes. Despite the mad dash to the finish line to have everything in the house back in order, all it takes is one tiny crack in a glass egg for his parents to be disappointed. The sense that, Joel was doomed no matter what, makes the film have a slight scent of reality and grounds the whole story just for a minute.

Unlike his friends, Joel isn’t shown to have a special skill or academically inclined, he’s painted as an average, half decent guy just trying to get through high school. But he comes into his own when he must ‘sell’ the party to his friends. Though, enticing wealthy teenage boys to come to a party with lots of willing beautiful girls isn’t a tough sell. But still, Joel seems to be finally in his element and there’s even a hint to that typical Tom Cruise ‘charm’ that we’ll see in all his later films. Pairing opposite Cruise is Rebecca De Mornay as Lana, who almost matches his energy. Coming across as someone who takes opportunities where she can Lana is an enigma and unlike Joel who we seen some development, Lana remains a mystery. We’re never quite sure who truthful she’s being, anything she does to ‘help’ Joel is also beneficial for her. From over dramatic and ethereal entrance to her ambiguous last few lines, Lana never gives too much away, which would be infuriating if the story was over a longer period but a week, she’s just a base character, she could have been more.

There’s no question as to why this 80’s teen comedy is considered a classic. It is not just the breakout roll from one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, it represents a teenage boy’s dream and pure farcical entertainment at naïve boys for the teenage girls, a common trend in 80s teen movies. Risky Business is entertaining and though would never have worked outside its release era, there’s still many laughs to be had.