wellthatswhatithinkanyway
Joined Nov 2000
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wellthatswhatithinkanyway's rating
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wellthatswhatithinkanyway's rating
STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
Trevor Bingley (Rowan Atkinson) is down on his luck, getting by as an odd job man at his local school, needing a substantial sum of cash to send his daughter to an exclusive private school. All his dreams are answered when he receives a call, asking him to housesit a luxury home in Central London. However, Trevor has another problem, in the shape of a baby left for use in the school nativity play, whose parents he can't trace, and whom he must look after, with hilariously disastrous results.
Netflix's 2022 comic series Man vs. Bee was a simple, unpretentious piece, that was the epitome of doing what it said on the tin, returning Rowan Atkinson to the physical comedy field that he mastered so memorably in Mr. Bean, managing barely more than half an hour an episode, even in spite of his advanced age. As such, it was quite a success, and so there was an inevitability about some kind of follow up. And so, we have the same formula, but with a different set-up.
What's most noticeable is just how alike this new series is to its source material, with Atkinson's hapless Trevor Bingley finding himself sprung into the same slapstick shenanigans as he did last time, but with a baby! But it just doesn't work as well, with an improbable set up that requires too much suspension of disbelief. But the worst thing is that it's just not as funny, with too much time between gags to have an effect. Throw into the equation two awkwardly inserted pro-vegan squatter characters, and its a recipe for a far less successful outing.
If they had to do a follow up, Man vs. Bee 2 would have been a safer bet. If you have to choose between working with children or animals, it seems animals would be the more plausible, effective option. **
Trevor Bingley (Rowan Atkinson) is down on his luck, getting by as an odd job man at his local school, needing a substantial sum of cash to send his daughter to an exclusive private school. All his dreams are answered when he receives a call, asking him to housesit a luxury home in Central London. However, Trevor has another problem, in the shape of a baby left for use in the school nativity play, whose parents he can't trace, and whom he must look after, with hilariously disastrous results.
Netflix's 2022 comic series Man vs. Bee was a simple, unpretentious piece, that was the epitome of doing what it said on the tin, returning Rowan Atkinson to the physical comedy field that he mastered so memorably in Mr. Bean, managing barely more than half an hour an episode, even in spite of his advanced age. As such, it was quite a success, and so there was an inevitability about some kind of follow up. And so, we have the same formula, but with a different set-up.
What's most noticeable is just how alike this new series is to its source material, with Atkinson's hapless Trevor Bingley finding himself sprung into the same slapstick shenanigans as he did last time, but with a baby! But it just doesn't work as well, with an improbable set up that requires too much suspension of disbelief. But the worst thing is that it's just not as funny, with too much time between gags to have an effect. Throw into the equation two awkwardly inserted pro-vegan squatter characters, and its a recipe for a far less successful outing.
If they had to do a follow up, Man vs. Bee 2 would have been a safer bet. If you have to choose between working with children or animals, it seems animals would be the more plausible, effective option. **
STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
Ash (Riz Ahmed) serves as a mediator between high-end corporations and those who have discovered incriminating evidence about them. Having safely seen away Hoffman (Matthew Maher), one such person, he is summoned to deal with Sarah Grant (Lily James), an employee of a firm that suppressed the truth about some genetically modified wheat. While Ash battles personal demons of his own, Sarah's own personal behaviour and motivations begin to send him down a dangerous path.
Director David Mackenzie is looking set to try and establish himself as one of the more acclaimed directors of modern times, and his latest effort seems to be a sort of love letter to the sort of paranoia-tinged thrillers that were popularised in the 70's. With a dull, grainy, uninviting camera palette that adds to the feeling of claustrophobia and paranoia, it would be more effective if the beginning worked more in developing the plot and characters.
With lead star Ahmed not speaking for the first part of the film, we're left to rely on the pace and momentum of proceedings, which feels really heavy, over-loading the senses with sub-text and plot detail. By the time we've come around to his recovering alcoholic subplot, he doesn't feel developed enough for us to care, but at least the plot has developed into something more intriguing, with some clever red herrings, before a staggering third act twist that shatters everything at the end.
Mackenzie's latest is ultimately a rewarding and refreshingly different piece, that is sadly too clunkily developed to be the complete sum of its parts. ***
Ash (Riz Ahmed) serves as a mediator between high-end corporations and those who have discovered incriminating evidence about them. Having safely seen away Hoffman (Matthew Maher), one such person, he is summoned to deal with Sarah Grant (Lily James), an employee of a firm that suppressed the truth about some genetically modified wheat. While Ash battles personal demons of his own, Sarah's own personal behaviour and motivations begin to send him down a dangerous path.
Director David Mackenzie is looking set to try and establish himself as one of the more acclaimed directors of modern times, and his latest effort seems to be a sort of love letter to the sort of paranoia-tinged thrillers that were popularised in the 70's. With a dull, grainy, uninviting camera palette that adds to the feeling of claustrophobia and paranoia, it would be more effective if the beginning worked more in developing the plot and characters.
With lead star Ahmed not speaking for the first part of the film, we're left to rely on the pace and momentum of proceedings, which feels really heavy, over-loading the senses with sub-text and plot detail. By the time we've come around to his recovering alcoholic subplot, he doesn't feel developed enough for us to care, but at least the plot has developed into something more intriguing, with some clever red herrings, before a staggering third act twist that shatters everything at the end.
Mackenzie's latest is ultimately a rewarding and refreshingly different piece, that is sadly too clunkily developed to be the complete sum of its parts. ***
STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
1987, Oakland, California. As a mysterious green aura fills the air, a group of young friends stand up to an army of Neo-Nazi skinheads terrorizing their town. Meanwhile, two aspiring female rap singers must navigate through police corruption and the casual sexism of the time. Then, former contract killer Clint (Pedro Pascal) is talked into one last job by crime boss, 'The Guy' (Ben Mendelsohn), which leads to a personal mission of vengeance, before hot-shot boxer Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis) is headed on his own mission of vengeance after a home break-in.
The 80's were notable for delivering some of the most memorable and unforgettable action films of all time, so Freaky Tales is an interesting endeavour, if for no other reason than being an action film set in the 80's (and being an affectionate tribute to those films), a Pulp Fiction style tale of inter-linked stories, recreating one of modern cinemas most iconic ages. Writer/director's Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have given their film a flashy, funky feel that adds to its unique feel.
This is a project so lost in its wild, unconventional unfolding, that it becomes harder to judge it along the lines of a typical film. The first tale is one of inspiration, and rising up against injustice, the second a darker, more gritty standard revenge tale, and then an end tale that is, just...completely wild and outrageous, a Kill Bill tribute on meth that Tarantino couldn't better. It's a disconcerting, unsettling mix that makes for a perplexingly fun and different experience.
It's a wild, wacky ride, with heart and soul at it's core of its themes, not the most effective or unforgettable efforts, but a crazy train that'll take you on a pretty fun ride. ***
1987, Oakland, California. As a mysterious green aura fills the air, a group of young friends stand up to an army of Neo-Nazi skinheads terrorizing their town. Meanwhile, two aspiring female rap singers must navigate through police corruption and the casual sexism of the time. Then, former contract killer Clint (Pedro Pascal) is talked into one last job by crime boss, 'The Guy' (Ben Mendelsohn), which leads to a personal mission of vengeance, before hot-shot boxer Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis) is headed on his own mission of vengeance after a home break-in.
The 80's were notable for delivering some of the most memorable and unforgettable action films of all time, so Freaky Tales is an interesting endeavour, if for no other reason than being an action film set in the 80's (and being an affectionate tribute to those films), a Pulp Fiction style tale of inter-linked stories, recreating one of modern cinemas most iconic ages. Writer/director's Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have given their film a flashy, funky feel that adds to its unique feel.
This is a project so lost in its wild, unconventional unfolding, that it becomes harder to judge it along the lines of a typical film. The first tale is one of inspiration, and rising up against injustice, the second a darker, more gritty standard revenge tale, and then an end tale that is, just...completely wild and outrageous, a Kill Bill tribute on meth that Tarantino couldn't better. It's a disconcerting, unsettling mix that makes for a perplexingly fun and different experience.
It's a wild, wacky ride, with heart and soul at it's core of its themes, not the most effective or unforgettable efforts, but a crazy train that'll take you on a pretty fun ride. ***
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