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Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

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Yes, its been over a year. Hopefully this post is the first of many to come but only time will tell. Below is my review of Joker: Folie à Deux – enjoy! Before even having a chance to see this film, my expectations had been significantly lowered due to the barrage of critiques ridiculing the film for a lack of substance, ultimately landing the movie a score of just 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. As a result, despite being a fan of the first film as well as a fan of Lady Gaga following her performance in ‘A Star is Born’, I was not majorly concerned with watching this film. That said, yesterday I did go to watch the film, and I did my best to cast aside any bias in opinion stemming from the media backlash. However, I suspect that the dramatically lowered expectation I had going into this screening served to make it a more enjoyable experience, being pleasantly surprised whenever my preconceived expectations faltered. Joker: Folie à Deux, picks up where its predecessor left off. Arthur Fleck (AK...
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The Batman (2022)

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Matt Reeves both directed and co-wrote this reboot of the classic Batman franchise. This time around Robert Pattinson has stepped into the hallowed cape with a superb performance, integrating both Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego into one solitude character relentlessly determined to exact his own form of vengeance against Gotham's hardened criminals. The film pulsates with gritty realism as we follow our beloved cape crusader ruthlessly patrolling the crime ridden streets of Gotham. A high-profile murder ropes Batman into the main plot as a letter addressed to 'The Batman' is found on the corpse of the city's mayor. From here on Lieutenant James Gordan and Batman team-up, following a breadcrumb trail of cryptic riddles plunging them deeper into Gotham's underworld, uncovering a deeply rooted infestation of corruption. The film adopts the common traits of film noir cinema, depicting Gotham as a cold, bleak city anchored in its peril by its criminal underworld. This und...
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Creed III (2023)

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Creed III. This is a film that I was eagerly awaiting having been a fan of the first two instalments in the series. This film, however, distinctly separates itself from its predecessors. The two major changes with the film were first, the absence of Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), a pivotal character in the first two movies and by far the most iconic character in the franchise, paving the way for Creed's story. The absence of his character implying Adonis Creed's full development as someone no longer needing any mentorship, mirrored in the narrative where he is depicted as a veteran of the boxing game, returning to the ring after three years in retirement. Despite Adonis' full development, the complete absence of Sylvester Stallone's character does almost seem to disrespect and undermine Rocky's impact on him. Previously Rocky is viewed almost as a family member and father figure to Adonis, whereas as in this film he is suddenly completely absent. The second major chang...
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The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

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I decided to review an album this time instead of a film. This is predominantly a film review blog, but the biography does say 'random reviews' so I thought I might aswell capatalise on this. Without further ado, this is my review of Eminem's 'The Marshall Mathers LP'. The Marshall Mathers LP is considered one of the most impactful albums in hip-hop, and is the album in-which Eminem solidified his position in the music industry. Coming off the back of the hugely controversial Slim Shady LP, where Eminem first introduced the world to his alter-ego Slim Shady, the album provides listeners with a closer look into the artist behind the controversy. The first noticeable difference that struck me when listening to The Marshall Mathers LP was the maturity and development, evident in the production and even the sound of Eminem himself who delivers lyrics with purpose and venom, with an air of retaliation. The album is executively produced by the infamous Dr. Dre, which is c...
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Nightcrawler (2014)

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Nightcrawler. This is a film I have seen previously and throughly enjoyed and so decided to watch it again to see if my opinion had changed. The protagonist Lou Bloom portrayed spectacularly by Jake Gyllenhaal is a captivating character to see on screen due to his psychopathic/sociopathic traits that leave the audience shocked and oblivious as to what he will do next. Gyllenhaal's character is very motivated to be successful with no afflictions to breaking the law or enacting morally wrong solutions to problems, depicting him as a ruthless, menacing individual. This further creates a suspensful atmosphere due to the accelaration in the serverity of his crimes, imploring the audience to wonder if there is anything Lou isn’t willing to do to in his crusade to success. Despite this, Gyllenhaal's character appears very pleasant in social situations and comes across as harmless due to his stature and demeanour. This oxymoronic behaviour further adds to the engima of his character. T...
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Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

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This film is brilliant. The cast is brilliant. The acting is brilliant. The storyline is brilliant. The film is simply brilliant. Nominated for eight Academy Awards including Jennifer Lawerence's Best actress award doesn't provide enough justice for the film at all. The acting in the film was immersing and full of emotion, with both Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence appearing with perfect portrayals of their characters. Chris Tucker also was a stand-out performer whenever he graced the screen, bringing with him a strong comedic presence in a light-hearted manner, adding significant value to the film.  The personal growth of both lead characters is delivered beautifully by the narrative, as the audience grow alongside Pat and Tiffany who both struggle to overcome the shackles of their past. The Solitano family dynamic is another area where this film excells as the dysfunctionality portrayed through Pat's personal struggles, and his father's (Robert De Niro) gambling a...
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The Wicker Man (1973)

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Having never seen The Wicker Man before, it initially struck me as an amalgamation of Ari Aster's 'Midsommer' and Edgar Wright's 'Hot Fuzz' as these, similar to The Wicker Man are constructed around the concept of an isolated society, where the inhabitants participate in extremely brutal rituals that appear extremely outlandish and horrific to the individual(s) that are unknowingly placed in the enviroment. The initial parallells I was able to make between The Wicker Man and other films I had previously watched stressed the impact that 'The Wicker Man' had on cinema, as it had hugely influenced the success of other films by providing an easily adaptable blueprint. The quality of The Wicker Man had vastly exceeded my expectations for a film released in 1973, in all scopes of cinema from dialogue to cinematography. However, this is likely due to my previous refusal to watch any film made before 2000, naievely thinking it would make strict use of Shakespear...
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