Patti Cake$
Developed at the
Sundance lab by writer and director Geremy Jasper, this story
about New Jersey rapper Killer P aka Patti Cake$ aka Patricia Dombrowski
who works at a dive bar where her mother goes every night to get drunk and sing
karaoke. Patti and her best friend Jheri want to get out of their nowhere town
and make it big as rappers. They meet the talented and very quiet self-named
Basterd who creates their music. Together with Patti’s Nana they write, record
and self produce an EP. Even though I’m not a huge music fan, I like what I
like and that’s that BUT I appreciate a story about a talented women just
trying to get on with her life, dreaming big but also ready to take chances
even it means being put on the spot. Patti is brave and even when she hits rock
bottom, her friends are there to talk her back up. The lyrics themselves are
good and the performance the group PBNJ gives is epic. 4/5
Bombshell: The
Hedy Lamarr Story
Famous actress
Hedy Lamarr is an enigma. A woman who was indeed very beautiful but who longed
to be appreciated for something other than her looks. She was actress, producer
and inventor. When tapes from a long lost interview are found behind a bin in a
journalist’s office, Hedy gets to tell her side of the story. Starting from her
life in the city she loved and longed to go back to, Vienna, to her time acting
and going to Hollywood, to when she invented technology that is still used
today to her last year as recluse when she didn’t even see her family, the
documentary interjects her voice in the interview with interviews from those
who knew her. It’s a sad story of a talented woman who wasn’t entirely
appreciated for all her talents. 3/5
Tomb Raider
I originally went
to see this film because I was intrigued by the positive reviews and because it
was so damn cold I need to be inside somewhere warm. I’m not a gamer nor am I a
fan of Angelina Jolie so I never saw the first films. But with a fresh start
and actress I actually admire, an action film seemed like a great choice for a
Saturday afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the film,
genre clichés and all! Alicia Vikander deserves more credit for sure and the
story was pretty darn good. Lara Croft still in denial about her father’s
disappearance decides to pick up the mystery where her father left off and sets
in motion a dangerous journey to an island that shouldn’t exist. Far better
than expected, complete with an Indiana Jones vibe that isn’t tacky but
actually pretty darn spooky. And no hideous ‘love’ story to be bored with
either, Roar Uthaug, you’re just spoiling me now. 3/5
Isle of Dogs
Review of this
superb animated film can be read on VultureHound HERE. 5/5
Annihilation
Boy
Taika Waititi's wonderful
second feature that never got a release in the UK until recently. With a few
rare screenings around London, the film finally got a DVD release. Boy is about
an 11 year old Alamein Jr who lives with his four young cousins and 6-year-old
brother Rocky and their Nan. He is obsessed with Michael Jackson and makes up
stories about where his Dad has been. But when his Dad, just released from
prison returns, he thinks will get better. It’s not quite a coming-of-age
story, more a comedic family drama that is full of imagination, ending on the
inspired Thriller- Haka. I can see why this was such a hit in New Zealand and
hopefully will be seen by more people now, as it deserves its time in the
cinema sun. You can also see Waititi's style emerging from his feature debut,
'Eagle Vs Shark' to 'Boy'. 4/5
Deidra and Laney
Rob a Train
A Netflix original movie that
if it hadn't been on Netflix would have most likely missed. These are the films
that do well on Netflix. There are a few originals that are queued up and happy
to see on a smaller screen because it’s more about the storytelling and
characters than it is about being a spectacle. Siblings Deirda and Laney need
money after their mother has a breakdown and is arrested. With Laney reluctantly
taking part in a pageant and Deirda keeping her family together and trying to
apply for college, they are desperate enough to literally rob trains and sell
on the stolen good they find. The sisters (Ashleigh Murray and Rachel Crow) are
superb with natural chemistry and likable that they are relatable too. Even
though what they are doing is wrong, they have fair reason to do what they do.
But overall it’s about what family will do for family. 3/5