Bloodshot is the latest movie starring Vin Diesel and it has been made available on demand early due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

However, there’s one big question that needs answering: is it worth watching even from the comfort of your own home?

And here’s the simple answer: no, it isn’t.

Bloodshoot is a mess of a movie and worst of all, it’s boring, and it doesn’t bring me any joy to say that.

Is Bloodshot worth watching?

Vin Diesel in Bloodshot – Credit: Sony Pictures

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Before sitting down on my sofa to watch this latest Vin Diesel movie, I was really excited.

I know. It sounds a bit silly to be excited to watch a Vin Diesel movie these days, but I can’t really explain it.

I just love watching him in action for some reason. I have a real soft spot for Vin Diesel movies ever since watching Pitch Black.

However, as far as Bloodshot is concerned, it’s one of his worst movies in a while, and he’s made some pretty poor ones in the last few years.

Is it a good action movie?

Vin Diesel in Bloodshot – Credit: Sony Pictures

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OK, so it’s time to go over the film’s script. If you’ve watched the trailer, then you’ve basically watched the movie.

Vin Diesel plays former U.S. Marine Ray Garrison who’s wife is supposedly killed in front of his eyes after an operation in Mombassa.

He then gets shot in the head and wakes up and can’t really remember what happened.

He gets told by Guy Pearce’s obviously evil scientist that he died and he put some sort of nano bots in his blood that makes him basically indestructible.

Ray has some trouble remembering his past until he hears a snippet of Talking Head’s song, Psycho Killer.

He then remembers everything that supposedly happened to him and goes after the man who killed his wife, Tobey Kebbell’s Martin Axe.

To cut a long premise short, everything Ray remembers is a lie implanted there by Pearce’s Dr. Emil Harting.

Is Vin Diesel good in it?

Vin Diesel isn’t good in Bloodshot – Credit: Sony Pictures

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Harting just changes the face of the person he wants Ray to assassinate next in this memory.

This was all in the trailer and that’s one of the big problems with this movie – the whole thing was ruined by the trailer.

There’s also the fact that it’s a pretty boring action movie.

The director uses way too much slow-motion in the action sequences and he also seems to have an unhealthy obsession with red lens filters.

I get it. He’s called Bloodshot and blood is red, but not ever action scene needs to be lit with red lights.

Then there’s the added issue that Vin Diesel is now playing the same character in everything he’s in these days.

This could easily be a continuation of the Fast and Furious franchise.

Vin’s even wearing the same clothes he wears as Dominic Toretto.

He just loves wearing wife-beaters and spouting out cheesy lines about ‘family’.

Which Vin Diesel movies should you watch instead?

Vin Diesel in The Fast And The Furious – Credit: Universal Studios

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There are so many other Vin Diesel movies you can watch while in lockdown if you’re in the mood for some Vin Diesel action.

Off the top of my head I can think of The Fast and The Furious (Fast 5 is my personal favourite), there’s Pitch Black, The Iron Giant, Saving Private Ryan.

I even think his XXX movies are better than Bloodshot.

Then there are all the Marvel movies he’s in as Groot. I would argue he gives a better performance as Groot than he does in Bloodshot.

Even Diesel’s 2013 Riddick movie is better than Bloodshot, and that’s not a very good movie.

Maybe I’m sounding a bit harsh here, but I really don’t think there’s anything good to say about Bloodshot.

There was so much promise there because the comic it’s based on is pretty good and casting Diesel as the lead was a good idea.

However, I do wonder whether he had too much say in what happened and what was said in the movie.

Diesel’s at his best when he takes orders and stays away from the creative process.

Is the Bloodshot comic better?

Vin Diesel in Saving Private Ryan – Credit: Paramount Pictures

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As I mentioned quite a few times in this review, I really like the comic the movie’s based on.

If you want to see how it’s done, then I’d recommend you just read the comic.

It’s much more interesting that Bloodshot, the movie, and I think you’d have a good time reading it.

What do you make of this Bloodshot review?

Did you watch the movie already? If so, what did you think of it?

Let us know in the comments below.

What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post Bloodshot Review appeared first on Small Screen.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Blumhouse Pictures and Universal Pictures’ new horror/black comedy movie, The Hunt ever since watching the thing.

It’s such a strange movie that I found myself sitting in my seat in the cinema for about a minute after the credits had rolled thinking: “What on Earth did I just watch!?”

That makes it sound like The Hunt is a shocking piece of cinema, which might be giving the movie a bit too much credit.

It’s been described by some as Battle Royale meets The Hunger Games via Get Out, which I think is over-egging it slightly.

Let’s begin by making it perfectly clear, The Hunt shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence as any of those movies.

It’s not bad, but it’s by no means as good as any of those films which I think will go down in history as some of the best horror-based movies ever made.

The Hunt is the second best movie called The Hunt

Betty Gilpin in The Hunt – Credit: Blumhouse Productions

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One of the best things you can say about this new Blumhouse movie is that it’s the second-best movie I’ve watched called The Hunt.

2012’s The Hunt (called Jagten in Denmark), directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Mads Mikkelsen, is a much much better film.

This film’s plot is pretty simple really and something we’ve seen time and time again on the big screen.

Twelve strangers, referred to as ‘deplorables’ in the movie, wake up in the woods and discover that they are being hunted as part of a sick game designed for rich elites.

However, there’s a twist to this ‘Battle Royale’ style movie. These rich elites, rather than being your traditional conservatives are actually left-wing ‘nutjobs’.

The film was written by Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse and it almost feels as if they thought of this idea and weren’t really able to go beyond that point.

What this means is that The Hunt is just a rather interesting idea without any real substance.

It was based on a book called The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, yet I haven’t read it yet so I can’t comment on how the film stacks up to the source material.

The Hunt stars the likes of Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Glenn Howerton and Hilary Swank and the cast is really good.

Gilpin is especially good as Crystal. She really does shine in this role and I’d love to see her do more action-based stuff in the future.

The Hunt feels rather empty

Emma Roberts in The Hunt – Credit: Blumhouse Productions

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However, there’s not much else to latch onto in the movie because it’s more concerned with shocking the viewer rather than focusing on story development.

This might be the film’s biggest flaw. I was constantly thinking that its writers and director couldn’t stop congratulating themselves on how clever they’d been.

It ends up getting rather frustrating when they make yet another joke in the film about how they’ve turned the genre on its head politically.

Fundamentally, I do like the fact that it’s the left-leaning characters who are the bad guys here, however, the message ends up being rather muddled.

The people they end up hunting are still portrayed as being right-wing ‘idiots’ and there’s a reveal towards the end of the movie which drives home that point.

Perhaps Lindelof and Cuse were trying to say that both sides are just as bad as one another, but it didn’t end up coming off that way.

I can’t really review this film without talking about all the controversy surrounding it.

The Hunt was delayed following the shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Pason, Texas.

It had also been heavily criticised in the US due to its supposed negative depiction of Donald Trump supporters.

After having seen the movie, I can sort of understand why people felt it should have been delayed.

The Hunt would have made an interesting episode of Black Mirror

Betty Gilpin is the best thing about The Hunt – Credit: Blumhouse Productions

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That said, the violence is very over-the-top and obviously done for laughs that people shouldn’t have taken the film so seriously.

It was originally going to be released on September 27th, yet Universal Pictures decided to push it to March.

I don’t think The Hunt is the sort of film which should make people upset.

It’s so clearly a satire on the genre and what’s going on politically in the US.

It feels more like a rather gory episode of Black Mirror rather than a Hollywood movie.

It’s also rather short, which I appreciated. Yet, it made me wonder whether Universal and Blumhouse decided to cut certain scenes from the movie.

All in all, The Hunt is perfectly serviceable yet I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by it.

It’s a bit like a chocolate éclair with the filling taken out of it. It felt a bit hollow and tasteless.

There was the kernel of a truly great movie there, but it lacked any real substance.

The Hunt will be in cinemas in the UK on March 11th, 2020.

Let us know in the comments below.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

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When I first heard Universal Pictures and Blumhouse were partnering up on a The Invisible Man reboot, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit suspicious.

We’ve seen so many of these horror movie reboots over the years, and I just thought that we didn’t need any more.

I then found out that it was starring Elisabeth Moss and was going to be written and directed by Leigh Whannell.

Whannell is the man behind one of my favourite movies from 2018, Upgrade.

So, then I thought that maybe this was a film worth keeping on my radar.

That said, I didn’t want to watch any promotional material about the movie.

I wanted to go in completely fresh and just let the experience wash over me like a good hot shower.

Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man is the perfect horror reboot

Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man – Credit: Universal Studios

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Well, I’m delighted to report that Whannell’s The Invisible Man is one of the best horror reboots I’ve seen in years.

In recent years we’ve had the likes of Dracula Untold, The Mummy (starring Tom Cruise), The Evil Dead and The Thing.

We’ve had loads more – I’m sure about it – yet these were the movies that stood out to me as being very bad horror ‘reboots’.

They had nothing original or interesting about them, and they weren’t scary.

If anything, they were really tame and pretty darn lame.

You can’t say that about The Invisible Man. It’s original, spooky, incredibly well shot and I love the way Whannell updated the story for modern audiences.

The Invisible Man features a brilliant take on the original idea by setting it firmly in the science-fiction horror genre, which is where it’s supposed to be.

It’s based on a book by H.G. Wells about a scientist, Griffin, who invents a way to make himself become invisible.

He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but cannot reverse it.

He then starts to go on a murderous rampage and has become an icon on horror fiction and cinema.

Whannell has kept the character of Griffin in his reboot, yet updated it slightly.

Leigh Whannell knows how to direct mind-boggling action

The Invisible Man is the best horror remake made in a while – Credit: Universal

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In this movie, he has a suit, and the film starts off with his wife, Cecilia (played by Elisabeth Moss) escaping their Bond-villain-like home at the dead of night.

She manages to escape, yet Griffin almost catches her and smashed the widow of Cecilia’s sister’s car before they drive away.

Cut to two weeks later, Cecilia is suffering from PTSD and is hiding at her friend’s house.

However, things change drastically when her sister informs her that her husband killed himself after she left.

Cecilia then becomes convinced that her husband is still alive and stalking her somehow.

I can’t stress enough how much I loved and enjoyed this film.

It’s got practically everything. Great performances, especially from Moss as Cecilia. It’s got a great central premise.

It’s got an interesting plot, full of twists and turns. Finally, it’s directed incredibly well and has some breathtaking action.

Much like Whannell’s previous film, Upgrade, the action set pieces in The Invisible Man are incredibly captivating.

Whannell’s perfected a new way of shooting action scenes which make you feel like you’re moving with the characters.

It’s really interesting to watch and makes you feel part of the action.

The Invisible Man isn’t the scariest film ever, but that doesn’t matter

Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass in “The Invisible Man – Credit: Universal

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Sitting there, I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face, even though I was watching a horror movie.

I would say it’s not overly scary, but I found myself completely immersed in what was happening to Cecilia and there are some truly shocking moments.

That said, there are some CGI issues, which is to be expected from a film which was made of a relatively small budget.

However, the way they managed to shoot some of the scenes in which characters were being attacked by an invisible assailant were genuinely mind-boggling.

There are also some plot issues that I couldn’t quite work out.

Those slightly plot-related gripes might be cleared up upon second viewing, which is the other thing about this movie that surprised me – I want to see it again.

The minute I left the cinema I wanted to go straight back in to watch it again.

That doesn’t happen to me too often and it’s a testament to how good the film is.

What will Blumhouse and Universal do next?

We loved The Invisible Man – Credit: Universal

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It’ll be interesting to see what Blumhouse and Universal decide to do moving forward.

Will they opt to make an Invisible Woman movie, or will Universal try and have another crack at doing the Dark Universe movies with Blumhouse?

That could be something to consider. However, I liked the fact that The Invisible Man was a smaller budget movie set in only a few locations.

It made the film feel somewhat more grounded and the whole thing just felt tighter because of it.

The Invisible Man is in cinemas February 28. Will you be going to see it?

Let us know in the comments below.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post The Invisible Man Review appeared first on Small Screen.

When I first heard they were making a Sonic The Hedgehog movie, my reaction was the let out a long sign.

“Really? Do they need to make this film? Do they need to make a Sonic movie?”

Then the film’s first trailer came out and we all know what happened when that thing came out.

The version of Sonic in that very first trailer and nightmare-inducing and I’m pretty sure the memory of that anthropomorphic blue hedgehog kept children up at night.

Honestly, I saw that and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Sonic just looked terrible.

This started a huge online campaign to get the Sonic remade in the movie, and incredibly, Paramount Pictures agreed.

The film’s director, Jeff Fowler, also agreed, so they delayed the movie and redesigned Sonic.

They basically redid the movie because they had to painstakingly redo every shot Sonic was in.

It was a Hollywood first, and I’m actually pleased to report that the final product is actually pretty good.

It’s surprisingly good, because going into the movie, I really wasn’t expecting a lot.

Could Sonic The Hedgehog be the best video game movie ever?

Sonic The Hedgehog could be the best video game movie yet – Credit: Paramount Pictures

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I wasn’t expecting to come out of the movie, scratching my head and asking, “Was that the best video game movie I’ve ever seen?”

The answer to that question might just be, yes, it probably is.

To be honest, the competition in that area isn’t too tough.

Before Sonic The Hedgehog came out, I was thinking that Detective Pikachu might have been the best video game movie ever made, and that film wasn’t great.

Perhaps Tomb Raider starring Alicia Vikander was a bit better, but they’ve all be real duds as far as video game movie adaptations are concerned.

Honestly, I don’t know why this is. Why can’t Hollywood make a decent movie based on a video game?

Well, Sonic The Hedgehog might just buck that trend.

The film starts off explaining how Sonic ended up on Earth.

Basically, he was having a great time on his home planet as a kid (kid Sonic is super cute by the way).

However, he ends up having to leave because people are after his power.

The plot is a bit formulaic, but that doesn’t matter here

Ben Schwartz does an excellent job voicing Sonic – Credit: Paramount Pictures

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We all know that Sonic’s power is super speed, so with the help of his Owl protector, he uses these special rings to travel to Earth and hide.

Cut to the present day, Sonic’s living in hiding in Green Hills in Montana, yet things go a bit wrong when he accidentally causes a massive power outage.

This then brings Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik to Green Dales in search for whatever caused the outage.

And so begins the epic battle between Sonic and Dr. Robotnik.

It’s a rather simple premise, and at first glance, it does feel like one of those movies in which they retroactively bring a video game character into the real world.

It is one of those movies, but it’s actually quite enjoyable.

Sonic The Hedgehog’s plot is rather formulaic, but whilst I was sitting there watching it all predictably unfold in front of me, I was enjoying myself.

Part of it was down to Ben Schwartz’s genuinely perfect voice acting as Sonic, and the other part was down to Carrey’s performance.

Seeing him play Dr. Robotnik is like taking a trip back in time.

Jim Carrey’s back doing what he does best

Jim Carrey as Dr Robotnik in the Sonic The hedgehog movie – Credit: Paramount Pictures

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This role is perfect for him and allows him to make the most of his unique brand of comedy.

Carrey’s doing what Carrey does best in Sonic The Hedgehog, and I definitely laughed more than five times (which is the sign of a better than average comedy).

Maybe I’m getting softer in my ‘old age’, but I came out of the screening with a big smile of my face.

I was satisfied with what I had just seen and I wouldn’t mind watching another one.

I couldn’t say that about Tomb Raider and Detective Pikachu.

I’ll also say that the redesigned Sonic looked really good and I couldn’t help but marvel at the production team’s ability to completely redo Sonic in only a couple months.

Sonic The Hedgehog is the best video game movie ever made

You know what, Sonic The Hedgehog ain’t half bad – Credit: Paramount Pictures

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So, yes. It’s official. Sonic The Hedgehog is the best video game movie ever.

I can’t believe I’ve written that, but it’s there for everybody to see.

Sonic The Hedgehog will be in UK cinemas on February 14, 2020.

Will you be seeing Sonic The Hedgehog? Let us know in the comments below.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post Sonic The Hedgehog Review appeared first on Small Screen.

I’m going to be honest here, Birds of Prey – or to use its full and wonderful title, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) – wasn’t really on my radar.

I mean, I knew it was coming out and I was looking forward to watching it, but as far as my anticipation levels for this film were concerned, I wasn’t overly desperate to see it.

The film’s trailers piqued my interest, but I wasn’t thinking, “I really need to book tickets to see this film”.

I wasn’t watching and rewatching Birds of Prey’s trailers online and I wasn’t tracking down interviews with the cast and the film’s director.

However, after having seen it, that’s what I’m doing.

I want to see it again, and that’s the trademark of a great movie as far as I’m concerned.

After having seen it, I tweeted out an immediate reaction to the film, and I said that I “enjoyed it more than Joker”, and that I did.

Now, you have to take note that I used the word “enjoyed” here.

I don’t think Birds of Prey is a better movie than Todd Phillips’ Joker.

To be honest, I think it’s rather unfair to compare those two movies.

I also don’t think Joker is a movie that’s supposed to be ‘enjoyed’. It’s more a movie that gets you thinking rather than pumping your fists.

Birds of Prey is everything you want from a comic book movie

Nobody does Harley Quinn better than Margot in Birds of Prey – Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

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A better movie to compare this to would be David Ayer’s Suicide Squad.

What Cathy Yan and Margot Robbie have done is make the movie that Suicide Squad so desperately wanted to be.

It’s loud, bombastic, brutal, rude, funny, violent, exhilarating, and most of it, it’s just good comic book movie fun.

This is a proper comic book movie. It looks, feels and sounds like it’s been ripped right off the page.

Of course, it hasn’t. It’s called Birds of Prey, but it shares very few similarities with the comics, and I think that’s a good thing.

This is very much Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn vehicle and she’s surrounded herself with some excellent and interesting side characters.

I think the Birds of Prey in this movie are so much more interesting than the rest of the Suicide Squad were.

The film does a similar thing to Suicide Squad in introducing each character individually, but it was just a lot easier to follow.

The characters also felt like they all had a purpose, which wasn’t the case with Ayer’s movie.

They all had an interesting backstory and agency and I liked each and every one of them.

Bring on the pulpy violence

Here come the Birds of Prey – Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

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It just made it even more special when they all came together to fight a bunch of bad guys at the end (spoilers – there’s a big fight at the end).

Apart from Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn (which I think is perfect by the way), the other thing I really loved about Birds of Prey was the action set pieces.

You could tell that Yan worked with John Wick director Chad Stahelski in the film’s action scenes.

They feel very ‘John Wick’ and that’s a good thing. The John Wick movies have some of the best action scenes I’ve ever seen.

I’d argue that John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is one of the best action films ever made, and Birds of Prey shares the same DNA.

I was watching the film at a critics’ screening and even so, people were still whooping, cheering and clapping during these scenes.

It does, however, suffer from a rather drab and formulaic plot. Harley Quinn’s broken up with the Joker. She’s no longer got his protection.

Literally everybody in Gotham wants to kill her, and she has to find a way to survive sans Jared Leto’s Joker.

I won’t spoil the rest of the plot, but that’s the beginning ten minutes in a nutshell.

Birds of Prey is a comic book movie you shouldn’t miss

Margot Robbie is perfect as Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey – Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

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It’s narrated by Harley Quinn herself, and she’s the perfect unreliable narrator, and I’m constantly baffled by how Robbie nailed the character’s voice.

Birds of Prey’s timeline also shifts around a bit, which could be considered to be confusing for some people.

However, I never lost interest in what was going on and I could follow everything.

Perhaps the rather simplistic nature of the plot helped with that.

I would be remised if I didn’t mention Ewan McGregor’s performance as the film’s bad guy, Roman Sionis, a.k.a. Black Mask.

He delivers a weird, wacky and erratic performance as the villain and brilliantly matches Robbie’s Quin.

I would say he’s one of the most fun villains I’ve seen in a comic book movie. He’s just very ‘comic book-y’ which I love.

The rest of the cast is good too, and I think there’s a lot of room for them to develop their characters in future Birds of Prey movies.

They need to make more of these

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in the poster of Birds of Prey – Credit: Warner Bros.

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I really do hope they make more of these and expand this area of the DC universe.

It’s fun, pulpy, cheeky and proper comic book movie fun. There are some plot deficiencies, but those are quickly forgotten thanks to Robbie’s performance and the bombastic action.

It also has a cracking score, which is something that Suicide Squad tried to do, but failed.

The songs chosen for Birds of Prey are much better suited to the movie. Think more Guardians of the Galaxy and less Suicide Squad when it comes to the film’s song choices.

Birds of Prey is coming to UK and US cinemas on February 7th. I really don’t think you should miss it.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post Birds Of Prey Review appeared first on Small Screen.

Raise Hell: The Life And Times Of Molly Ivins is quite possibly one of the most important documentaries to have come out in 2019, and you might not have heard of it.

Don’t worry, I didn’t either before being invited to a very special and exclusive screening of the movie and after having seen the film, I couldn’t help but think this documentary needs to be seen by as many people as possible.

Why, you ask? Because Molly Ivins was one of the most brilliant, witty, scathing and important journalists of the 21st Century, and very few people outside of the United States, outside of Texas for that matter, knows her name.

After watching Raise Hell, you’ll quickly find yourself Googling the journalist and looking for her books and articles just to get another hit of her incredible wit and pointed political commentary.

The documentary, directed masterfully by veteran documentarian and filmmaker Janice Engel, is basically a biopic, but don’t let that put you off.

Just because it’s a biopic of a dead person doesn’t mean this film serves no purpose or ends up being borning.

Molly Ivins knew how to Raise Hell

Molly Ivins was a very important and special person – Credit: Magnolia Pictures

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Much the contrary. One of the reasons why Raise Hell works so well and is so engrossing is because Engel opted to make it a biopic and just let Molly’s words do the talking.

Molly was part of a dying bread of journalist. She was someone who was categorically unafraid to speak her mind, and she was writing during one of the most worrying times of American and world politics.

She wasn’t scared of telling politicians exactly what she thought of them and she didn’t care about the consequences to her career, of which there were many.

Molly was a journalist who terrified politicians and they cared about what she thought of them because they knew people listened to her.

Try and think of any journalist like that today. You’ll find yourself struggling to name anyone.

The only people I can think of in today’s society that comes close to what Molly had are the likes of John Oliver, Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah.

They all present very political TV shows and have writers’ rooms.

Molly didn’t have that. She was her own writers’ room, and that’s part of her brilliance.

One of the things that really stayed with me about Raise Hell was that Engel was also unafraid to show the whole picture when tackling her subject.

Yes, it discusses all of her achievements, her brilliance, he charisma, her unique Texan charm and her wit, yet it also doesn’t shy away from the darker parts of her life.

The drinking, the drugs, her mistakes and missteps.

It’s really a documentary that gives you a well-rounded picture of the woman, and by the end of the film, you still love her.

In fact, you probably end up loving her even more than you would have done if it was just all the good stuff.

Where is today’s Molly Ivins?

Molly Ivins was the voice of Texas – Credit: Magnolia Pictures

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We live in a difficult, trying and worrying times. Our politics are all askew and it seems as though we live in a time that rewards hatred and extreme-right wing views.

We’re in desperate need of someone like Molly Ivins, but they are too far and few between.

The fact that I hadn’t heard of her up until the moment I sat down to watch the film is both a testament to my ignorance, but also to the fact that the mainstream media was never really willing to put her words in print.

We need people to call out our leaders. We need our newspapers to be braver about what they publish and be unafraid of the backlash.

We need someone like Molly Ivins to hold these politicians to account, and yes, we do have a few today, but nobody does it quite like Molly did.

Nobody has the turn of phrase and the ‘don’t fuck with me’ attitude that she did.

Raise Hell’s tag line is ‘Her Pen Was Mightier Than Her Politics’, and boy was it. The question I ask myself is where is the next Molly Ivins?

Raise Hell needs you!

Molly Ivins in Raise Hell: The Life And Times Of Molly Ivins – Credit: Magnolia Pictures

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One of the other things I love about Raise Hell is that it’s a biopic about a great journalist and a great woman, but it’s also about so much more than that.

By looking back at the past, Janice Engel’s film shows us how we are making the same mistakes today.

The only problem I had with Raise Hell was that it’s not easy to find.

It doesn’t have a UK or European distributor, yet Engel and the film’s producers, Carlisle Vandervoort and James Egan are looking for one.

You can watch the movie via iTunes and Amazon Prime Video, but it really does deserve to be seen in a cinema.

So, if you know of anyone who might be able to help out, then please contact the film’s producers or me and I’ll relay the message.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post Raise Hell: The Life And Times Of Molly Ivins Review appeared first on Small Screen.

Sam Mendes is back after having given us the rather disappointing James Bond movie, Spectre, with a much more personal and, I believe, important movie, 1917.

1917 is a war movie, but don’t let that put you off. It’s set during World War One and Mendes based the film’s plot on stories told to him by his grandfather, Alfred Mendes, who served in the Great War.

It tells the story of two young British soldiers being tasked with the next to impossible mission of going across No Man’s Land in order to deliver orders to a neighbouring battalion not to attack the Germans because it’s a trap.

Their phone lines have been cut, and one of the soldier’s bother, Lance Corporal Tom Blake (played by Dean-Charles Chapman), is part of the battalion which is about to charge headlong into a German ambush.

One of the reasons why I found this film to be so effective isn’t the fact that Mendes wanted to film it all in one shot, although I would argue that this decision was the correct one and far from being a clever gimmick.

No, the main reason why I found this story, and this particular war movie, to be so effective was being it’s a relatively simple tale, and not so much about the British beating the Germans, but more about individual bravery, friendship and perseverance.

1917 is a world war epic unlike no other

Sam Mendes shooting 1917 – Credit: eOne

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What makes 1917 such a moving and captivating piece of cinema isn’t the fact that it’s a ‘war movie’, but more that you feel bound to these two soldiers and feel like you’re going on this impossible and terrifying mission with them.

This is why I believe the choice to have it all be one-shot (apart from one much needed cut in the middle of the film) is actually vital and helps to tell the story effectively.

The ‘one-shot’ aspect of the movie is used as a plot-telling device, and that’s the best use of it. It’s not Sam Mendes going ‘look at me. I can make an entire movie all in one shot’.

That said, there is an aspect of that, of course. However, there’s an actual purpose here for the film to basically take place with no cuts.

It makes you feel like you’re bound to the hip of these soldiers and it makes the movie unrelenting, which is how it should be.

It’s almost like experiencing a war movie in VR, but in many ways so much better than that because it’s shot so beautifully.

That shouldn’t be a surprise given the movie’s cinematographer is the legendary Roger Deakins, who’s shot films such as Barton Fink, The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, No Country For Old Men, Skyfall, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049 and so many more incredibly beautiful movies.

As far as I’m concerned, Deakins is one of, if not the best cinematographers of all time, and he finally won his Oscar for Blade Runner 2049.

The ‘One-shot’ aspect of 1917 isn’t a gimmick

George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman filming 1917 – Credit: eOne

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I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to win his second for 1917, because the level of craft and ingenuity here is mind-boggling.

1917 is the best shot movie of 2019, and I doubt they’ll be a better-looking film in 2020.

Then you have the fact that the film’s two leads are excellent. Dean-Charles Chapman and George McKay basically carry this movie on their own, and they are wonderful as the two young soldiers.

You do have some cameos from some of Britain’s very best male actors around along the way.

The likes of Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden, but for me, it was Andrew Scott’s brief cameo which stood out. He can literally do and play anything.

There is one problem with this film, and it doesn’t bring me much joy to say that it’s the script. The film’s script is rather clunky in places and does take you out of the film on occasions.

I think part of the issue is that Mendes and his co-writer, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, were working from one person’s account of what went on No Man’s Land during World War One, and this cannot be called a historical film, because most of it is an invention on Mendes’ behalf.

This leads to some of the dialogue feeling a bit clunky in parts, which is a problem.

It looks like 1917 will win big at the Oscars

Benedict Cumberbatch in 1917 – Credit: eOne

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As I mentioned earlier, Mendes was inspired to make this film after hearing his grandfather’s stories, and that put a bit of a barrier between me and what was happening on-screen because I kept on thinking that most of this couldn’t have happened.

Mendes has spoken about his grandfather and the stories he told him as a child, and he did admit that in the stories it was one person going through No Man’s Land to relay messages to other battalions.

This, therefore, cannot be classed as a historical war movie like Dunkirk or even Saving Private Ryan because most it is an invention.

But then again, I can’t really fault it for that because Mendes is perfectly within his rights to come up with a story set in World War One.

I just think that you can’t really put the caption ‘inspired by true events’ at the beginning of this film because that will and does give the impression that all of this really did take place.

However, that’s a personal gripe I have with the film, and I thought I’d mention it because it did take me out of the film a bit.

That aside, 1917 is a war epic to remember and one which will inevitably sweep all the awards at the Oscars this year.

As Kate Winslet said in Ricky Gervais’ Extras, if you want to win an Oscar, then make a war movie. It’s rather ironic that this is what Winslet’s ex-husband, Mendes, has gone on to do.

1917 is in cinemas across the UK right now.

Have you seen 1917 yet, and if so, what did you make of it? Let us know in the comments below.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post 1917 Review appeared first on Small Screen.

Taika Waititi is definitely flavour of the month in Hollywood right now and it’s pretty easy to see why – his films are all brilliant and it’s tough to think of a director working today who so effortlessly manages to flit from blockbuster to smaller more ‘independent’ movie then back to blockbuster.

But, it’s not just that he’s able to play in both worlds of the film industry so effortlessly, it’s that he just makes good to great films. I genuinely can’t think of a Waititi movie I haven’t loved or been a bit obsessed with.

Back in 2016, Waititi made The Hunt For The Wilderpeople, which was my favourite movie of that year. Then he made Thor: Ragnarok, which not only made us all fall in love with Chris Hemsworth version of Thor, but it was also my favourite comic book movie of that year (2017).

That was a year which included the likes of Logan, Wonder Woman and Spider-Man: Homecoming. I’m going to be honest, it was a close run thing between Ragnarok and Logan, but I just had so much fun watching Waititi’s take on the comic book movie genre.

He’s done the very same thing with Jojo Rabbit by making a movie which ended up being my favourite movie of the year.

Jojo Rabbit would have been 2019’s movie of the year

Roman Griffin Davis and Taika Waititi in the film Jojo Rabbit – Credit: Fox Searchlight

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I will admit that I watched it in 2019, but I didn’t have it in my best of the year lists because it didn’t hit cinemas until January 2020, so I didn’t include it for that reason alone.

If I had done, Jojo Rabbit would have been my number one because Waititi’s take on Nazi Germany is simply put perfection.

I loved the premise of this movie. Jojo (played by Roman Griffin Davis) is a ten-year-old who’s desperate to fight for the country he loves, and his obsession with Adolf Hilter results in him having the Nazi leader as an imaginary friend.

This imaginary version of Hitler is perfectly played by Waititi himself, who’s at his manic best in this movie.

It’s a joy to see him on-screen and his chemistry with Davis is just brilliant and they light up the screen whenever they have scenes together.

I must say, there’s a bit less of his Hitler in the movie than I expected, as he’s not the film’s main character.

Jojo Rabbit shows another side to what it was like living in Nazi Germany

(From L-R): Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Roman Griffin Davis in the film Jojo Rabbit (Credit: Fox Searchlight)

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This film is mostly about Jojo and him having to come to terms with his misconceptions about Jews, which is utterly down to the fact that he’s living in Nazi Germany.

When he discovers that his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johannson) is hiding a young Jewish girl in a secret compartment in Jojo’s deceased sister’s room, he’s torn.

Does he inform the officials – risking his mother’s life – or does he keep her secret and find out what Jews really are about?

It’s a really fascinating take on what it would have been like to be a young german boy living in Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and this is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

It’s a completely unique vision and casts a new gaze upon what took place during World War II.

Waititi uses all his talents to elevate the film above your standard war movie. He uses his wit, his charm, his unique shooting style and his storytelling abilities to craft what is a glorious piece of cinema.

Taika Waititi is one of the best directors in Hollywood today

Thomasin McKenzie and Roman Griffin Davis in the film Jojo Rabbit (Credit: Fox Searchlight)

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Jojo Rabbit will make you laugh, cry, smile, sigh and think about how we look upon the events of the Second World War.

Have you ever stopped to think what it must have been like to be German during World War II? I’m not sure if I had ever done before watching Jojo Rabbit.

More than that, have you ever stopped to think what it was like to be a child, most of whom would have been brainwashed to believe all the propaganda spouted by the Führer? Me neither.

Jojo Rabbit is a funny movie, some people might call it a comedy, which it is to a certain extent, however, much like The Hunt For The Wilderpeople, this movie packs a real emotional punch and there’s much more about this film that just being ‘funny’.

That’s why I wanted so desperately to put this film as my number one movie of 2019. That said, I would be very surprised if another movie comes along in 2020 which I believe is better than Waititi’s picture.

What did you make of Jojo Rabbit? Did you like it as much as I did? Let me know in the comments below.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post Jojo Rabbit Review appeared first on Small Screen.

OK, let’s get one thing straight. Anybody who tries to tell you that Netflix’s new Michael Bay movie, 6 Underground, is the director’s return to form, they’re either lying, or they’re being sarcastic (insinuating that Bay never had any form).

What I will say about this movie, is that it’s definitely ‘un film de Michael Bay’, in the sense that he’s kind of become an ‘auteur’ filmmaker in this own right.

I can’t think of any other filmmaker out there making these bombastic, nonsensical and borderline sexist movies on such a massive scale as he is.

If I told you that Netflix forked over $150 million to get this film made, I’m pretty sure you’ll roll your eyes up at me and say, “no. How much did they really spend…”

Netflix spent $150 million on 6 Underground

Ryan Reynolds as the Billionaire (Credit: Netflix)

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I’m not lying. This film’s budget is over $150 million, and I can tell you that not one cent of that money went to trying to develop an actually coherent script.

This film was ‘written’ (I use that word very lightly) by Deadpool writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese and I think we’re starting to see the limits of their abilities as scriptwriters – the limits being, let’s just get Ryan Reynolds to be Ryan Reynolds, and then have some explosions put in the mix.

Seems like the perfect film for Michael Bay to direct, who I’m becoming more and more certain is actually a fifteen-year-old trapped inside the body of a middle-aged man.

The guy is literally a teenager. Big explosions. Check. Shots of women’s bums. Check. Shots of women in bikinis. Check. Scenes with big guns. Check. Scenes with fast cars. Check. Scenes of gratuitous violence. Check.

6 Underground, just like most of Bay’s movies, is a teenage boy’s dream movie. It’s got everything a teenage boy would want, but what it doesn’t have is a plot.

Michael Bay is a teenager trapped in a middle-aged man’s body

Michael Bay sure does love his explosion (Credit: Netflix)

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Let’s just list some of the problems with this film, and I won’t go into all of them because I don’t have space and frankly, I can’t be bothered.

6 Underground’s plot makes no sense. It’s so dumb and annoying that I don’t want to describe what this film is about. What I will say is that Ryan Reynolds plays a billionaire who brings together a team of people to stage a coup. That’s all you’re getting because that’s the extent of it.

6 Underground’s editing is terrible. The music is awful (honestly, Muse shouldn’t be heard in a movie ever again). The shacky cam is vomit-inducing. There are a stupid number of continuity errors (and when you actually start noticing them, then it becomes an issue). Not one of these characters talks like a normal human being. And the jokes aren’t funny.

There are an awful amount of other things wrong with this film, but they’re just too many to list here.

However, the most blatantly obvious thing is that Ryan Reynolds is just not funny any more. He’s been doing the same thing over and over again for what seems like years now.

Ryan Reynolds’ shtick is getting very old

Ryan Reynolds might be the problem here (Credit: Netflix)

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He’s literally playing Deadpool in every film he’s in, and the reason is because he’s just playing himself. Ryan Reynolds is a guy who loves to joke around and make quips, no matter whether they’re funny or not.

He’s easily the most one-note actor working in Hollywood today, and he was probably paid a huge amount to be in this movie.

There is one saving grace in 6 Underground and that’s Mélanie Laurent, who plays an ex-CIA agent called 2. She’s brilliant, and I couldn’t stop thinking that I wanted a movie with just here in it.

She’s so much better than anybody else in the movie, and she was the one reason why I watched until the end.

All this to say, that Netflix’s 6 Underground needs to be buried deep underground. It doesn’t need to be seen, but it’ll probably be one of Netflix’s most-streamed movies, just like Bright was, and they’ll make a sequel.

Thank God for Mélanie Lauren in 6 Underground

Mélanie Laurent is the best thing in this film (Credit: Netflix)

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Oh, how disappointing life can be sometimes.

6 Underground is available to stream now on Netflix.

Have you seen 6 Underground? If so, what did you think of it? Let us know in the comments below.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post 6 Underground Review appeared first on Small Screen.

What’s it like being involved in a movie which you wrote, directed, produced and starred in. One of the very few people who can answer that question is Edward Norton, who did exactly all those things with his latest picture, Motherless Brooklyn.

Edward Norton is the director, star and writer of the film Motherless Brooklyn, which is set in 1950s New York. Norton plays Lionel Essrog who works for a detective agency in the city.

Lionel suffers from Tourette syndrome which means he’s prone in involuntary vocal outbursts. However, he has an incredible photographic memory, which makes him a vital part of Frank Minna’s (played by Bruce Willis) team.

However, things take a nasty turn when Frank is murdered and this spurs Lionel on to figure out who his killer really is. Lionel ends up becoming entangled in a web of city-wide corruption.

First and foremost, Motherless Brooklyn is a true gem of a movie. It perfectly encaptures the Noir vibe I believe Norton was going for, and it’s one of those movies where the city is just as much a character as anyone else in the film.

Edward Norton shines in Motherless Brooklyn

Edward Norton directing Motherless Brooklyn (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

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The film is bolstered by a spellbinding performance from Norton and you can’t help but fall in love with his character, Lionel. He’s plagued by his disorder, but he doesn’t let it control him or stop him from getting to the bottom of this perplexing and dark mystery.

He actually uses the gifts he’s been given to track down clues, and if anything, Lionel ends up becoming a better detective than his boss, Frank, ever was.

Backing up Norton you have the likes of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who plays Laura Rose in the movie, and she’s wonderful as ever. If you’ve seen Belle, then you’ll know how much of a terrific actress she is.

Laura Rose is more than just a love interest in the film, and most of that is down to Mbatha-Raw’s incredible performance.

Alec Baldwin also delivers a fine performance as Moses Randolph, the councillor in charge of the city’s development. Baldwin certainly shows that he still has what it takes to shine in dramatic movies.

Motherless Brooklyn has an incredible cast

Gugu Mbathra-Raw is brilliant in Motherless Brooklyn (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

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I’ve been a bit worried that he was getting typecast as the guy who does an awfully good Donald Trump impression.

Even Bruce Willis gives a performance which makes it seem like he actually cared about this film, which he may very well have done.

Most of this film was funded thanks to help from Edward Norton’s friends, and many of them did the movie for free in an effort to help Norton get it made.

It’s clear to see that this is a real passion project for the actor, who wanted to make the movie ever since he read Jonathan Lethem’s book of the same name on the set of Fight Club, which was quite a long time ago.

Motherless Brooklyn isn’t the kind of film movie studios make any more. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Noir thriller, but it certainly wasn’t in the last ten years, and that’s such a shame because it’s such a wonderful genre of movie.

However, it’s more than just me saying “they don’t make this kind of movie any more”. You could very easily make a Noir film and it be alright. However, Norton’s movie is incredibly captivating and full of wonderful performances and beautiful shots.

That said, they really don’t make this kind of movie any more and I’m so happy Norton got the chance to make Motherless Brooklyn.

Motherless Brooklyn is in UK cinemas right now.

What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!

The post Motherless Brooklyn Review appeared first on Small Screen.