Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World

 

You would think a film with a title made up from two books and a plot that is loosely based on three books from the popular series by Patrick O’Brian would end up a mess. Following the crew of the HMS Surprise with Captain ‘Lucky’ Jack Aubrey at the helm as they fall into frequent battle with a French ship is hunting them down, as well covering themes of friendship, life at sea, the perils of war and maintaining hobbies would seem too much for just one film. The mouthful of a title, Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, is probably a film that sailed by most in 2003, what with the excitement of The Return of the King released around the same time and it’s a shame as it truly is a marvellous film that certainly deserves a revisit. With the 4K release out this month, there isn’t a better time to appreciate the craftsmanship of Master & Commander.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Warfare

 

Pieced together from memories of the people that were there, Warfare is a slightly different ‘war’ film than we’ve seen recently, but only because the concept is far more intriguing than the finished result.

Warfare depicts a Navy SEAL platoon during an encounter in Ramadi, Iraq, set in real time. During the events, a solider is injured and the platoon request a medical evacuation, but this results in an IED exploding. The fall out of the explosion is as visceral and bloody as you can imagine, there is no holding back, we hear, see and feel every reaction from each member of the platoon. As the battle ramps up, the situation only becomes more dangerous, there is a slight shift as the rest of the platoon arrive as backup but the barrage of pain and noise never lets up.

It's interesting to that these people’s memories are what brought this film together. What each member of the team remembered and what they saw. Stripped away from this being based on real events, this is a simple concept and the cast really are to be admired, in particular Cosmo Jarvis, Will Poulter, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (who plays co-director and co-writer Ray Mendoza) and though not long on screen, Charles Melton. The pacing and energy makes the film somewhat play out like a thriller in a warzone, and never lets up once the explosion happens.

However, there is the constant feeling that this is snapshot of a wider story, what fresh viewpoint is it bringing to the genre and overall subject. It’s hard to answer the question as well as who is this film for other than those who enjoy these stories and maybe those who were there when it happened (at least from the US side). As the credits roll, you’ll end up reflecting on who is the audience more so than the good performances and decent filmmaking.

Six Minutes to Midnight

 

There seems to be a standard British film set just before, during or just after the Second World War that is released each year without fail. Sometimes these films are sent straight to digital platforms, some enjoy a stint in cinemas and others are swiftly given a DVD only release. It’s difficult to tell the fate of Six Minutes to Midnight as it is slightly unusual central plot, has an impressive cast list, has some beautiful shot of the English coastline but there is something lacking from the entire film. 

 

Full review is over at Filmhounds HERE.

Beanpole

 

I remember there was comic called Beanpole I came across years ago about a very tall girl at school, this film is nothing like that random comic. 

 Russia's entry to the Oscars and screened at Cannes, this was one of the films I missed at LFF but wasn't sure about. As the film was about life after war, I thought it was going to be quite depressing and thankfully I was wrong, this was delightful, despite not being entirely cheerful. The beautful colour palette lets you into the world of Iya and Masha and their close unlabeled bond and just a glimpse into the loses of war. 

My full review is available to read at FilmHounds HERE.

Why Jojo Rabbit should win Best Picture

Part of Zavvi's blog leading up to the Oscars, each film critic backs one of the nominees and the horse that ran out of the gate was 'Jojo Rabbit' by a mile, in my opinion. Its a black comedy war film where director Taika Waititi also plays Hitler, that's all you really need to be a winner. But if you want to know more about why I think this film deserves the 'top prize', head over to HERE.

Jojo Rabbit

Even though I saw this last year at LFF, here’s my review of Jojo Rabbit, besser spät als nie.

Going into a Taika Waititi film there is an expectation these days. Before with his earlier releases you literally went into the cinema no knowing what you’d get but you knew you’d be laughing. Looking over his past films, Thor aside, there’s been an odd mix of wonderfully wacky characters within stories exploring love, abandonment, grief, boyhood and usually featuring an odd pairing. ‘Jojo Rabbit’ is all of these elements rolled into one, but the difference between all the past creations and Jojo is that, this is a war film. This is something to bare in mind when going into Taika’s latest with expectations.

‘Jojo Rabbit’’s plot had been loosely explained as the film where Waititi plays Hitler as an imaginary friend of a ten-year-old boy which is literally all you need to know about the film’s plot. But just to add a bit more clarity the film is set in Germany, weeks before the end of second World War. Jojo is an avid member of the Hitler Youth Organisation but after a traumatic incident, he starts to doubt his allegiance to the cause, despite having Hitler as his imaginary friend. His doubts become greater when he discovers that his mother has been hiding a Jewish teenage girl in their home and has to decide whether to turn her in or not.

With star studded cast fleshing out the supporting adult roles, the younger cast are given the main part of the drama which is the real strength of the story. The comedic tone overall is hilarious, poking obvious fun at the Nazi’s and their beliefs about Jews and how they functioned, even to the end of the war and the fall of Germany. The humour is dark in places but as this is a war film, its expected and is still enjoyable for the most part. Waititi’s Hitler is a highlight and brilliantly ludicrous, as in one scene he is seen eating a unicorn, but he actually features less than you’d imagine, which in story terms make sense. All the scenes with Jojo and Elsa, the Jewish teen, played fantastically by Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie are a delight, watching their tentative friendship unfold. Archie Yates as Jojo’s friend Yorki is just so adorable and steals a few scenes. With Scarlett Johansson as Jojo’s mother and Sam Rockwell on absolute top form as a German Officer, the adult and mainly comedic cast round out the story but this film really does belong to the young cast.

There are laughs to be had and comedy is the film’s second nature, war being its first, the balance between the two does work. Smaller elements such as famous pop songs sung in German and random cardboard costumes thrown just give the film that Waititi touch. Overall the film feels like an step towards the unknown which I welcome as I always look forward to what he’ll come up with next.