Howe's World of Film and TV

Devs (2020) – TV Review

This statement is both strong praise and also a natural comparison after watching this show, is that ‘Devs’ is the closest thing TV has produced to Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.

The main reason this is an obvious comparison is that it features some of the most striking and visceral sound and visuals that I have ever seen on a television show, very similar to the impact 2001 had over 50 years ago.

Above those points, the story itself is a twisty, thoughtful, slow burn look at the universe, and our very understanding of time and life itself.

Alex Garland created the show, and the man who directed Ex Machina and Annihilation, also writes and directs all eight episodes himself. You can very heavily feel his unique style, and the whole thing is a refreshingly singular vision.

The cast is impressive as well, with Nick Offerman and Alison Pill in particular impressing me as they do something different than I’ve seen before.

It isn’t perfect and it’s a very slow burn, but it is a remarkable piece of television that should really be experienced by as many people as possible.

Rating = 4.5/5

Batman (1966) – Review

A 20th Century Fox Picture, Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr, Directed by Leslie H. Martinson.

Superhero cinema is the dominate force in the movie landscape right now, with the MCU and Worlds of DC dominating the box office. However, it all had to start somewhere, and this is one of the very milestones.

This film was launched the same year as the ‘Batman’ tv show in 1966 to huge attention, and is still looked back on fondly.

If you think to Batman in film, a lot of the iterations have been dark, serious, and sophisticated. However, this is far from that, and it never tried to be.

It is intentionally funny and a spoof of itself, with both slapstick physical humour and hilariously delivered ‘cheesy’ lines giving the film a real feel good factor.

Adam West, Burt Ward, and Cesar Ramero, as well as some other members of the cast, as still remembered as a certain generations favourite versions of these characters, and they deserve that.

Rating = 3.5/5

Killing Eve Season 3 – Predictions/Hopes/Fears

In response to the game changing third episode of season 3, which delivered a huge moment in the show and also lead to even more speculation, I have decided to do a post looking at my hopes, fears, and predictions for how the rest of this season of Killing Eve will play out and lead into the fourth (and likely final) season.

Hopes

My main hope is that by the end of the season, Villanelle and Eve will have to team up and probably be on the run together as they take on the 12 and try and finish this ‘battle’ once and for all, while also continuing to develop their complicated relationship.

We will have a strong and satisfying twist regarding the death of Kenny, which will have big consequences for all of the characters and their futures, therefore making his death a truly worthwhile moment.

I also hope, as the season develops, more will be built on the kiss between the leads, and they will both finally act on the clear attraction and the moment the show is building towards, them sleeping together, will happen this season. They can finally become the ‘enemies to lovers’ that they seem destined to be.

Fears

My absolute main fear is that they will kill off Jodie Comer’s Villanelle at the end of the season. Many shows have done this to a marquee character played by a rising star before for shock value and regretted it. Comer is absolutely the best thing about the show, her performance is incredible and even though she is becoming a huge star, she clearly loves Villanelle and would surely be happy to stay for one more season.

Another fear is that even if Villanelle survives (I believe she will as they surely aren’t silly enough to kill her) then they will separate Eve and Villanelle again at the end of this season, which would now really become an issue, after they’ve finished the ‘mirroring endings’ in the last two seasons.

A small fear is that after the kiss, Eve will regress again and go back to Niko, or even a relationship with Jamie, which they seem to be setting up. But non of them compete with Villanelle, so I doubt this will last long.

Predictions

This is where it gets more difficult, as actually predicting what will happen is much more difficult than just expressing what you would like to happen.

I think that Villanelle will discover some secrets about her past that really change how she thinks about herself, and therefore potentially altering her behaviour going forward.

I think Dasha will betray Villanelle, and I also suspect Dasha will be involved in Kenny’s death somehow. I also believe one of the ‘Bitter Pill’ team will be involved somehow and that they are not what they seem.

As for Eve, I think we will see the definitive end of her relationship with Niko and that the mystery she is investigating will take her to a dark place, where she can’t trust anyone, potentially leading her to the only person she may be able to depend on, Villanelle.

While it may be wishful thinking, I think potential events; Dasha’s betrayal, Konstanin’s death, Kenny’s murderer revealed (all of which are still just speculation on my part anyway) will lead Villanelle and Eve back to each other and they will have no choice but to work together by the time the season ends.

Extraction (2020) – Review

A Netflix Original Picture, Written by Ande Parks, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Directed by Sam Hargrave.

Joe and Anthony Russo are the directors of the biggest movie of all time, and now have three movies of theirs that have made over $1 Billion (two of which made over $2 Billion) and they are using their post Marvel capital to grow their production company and give opportunities to new directors, and this is one of the first major ones.

The Russo’s are screenwriters and producers here, and former Marvel stuntman Sam Hargrave has followed David Leitch and Chad Stahelski in the route to directing, and Marvel alum Chris Hemsworth stars.

There is a very clear issue with the ‘white saviour’ here and if that is enough to not watch this, that’s totally understandable. While Hemsworth isn’t a ‘whitewash’ character, he is the only white main character and is killing a lot of people who are in their own city, when he is forcing his way in, so I understand the issues.

However, the film itself features a strong leading man performance from Hemsworth and some superb choreography and camerawork that make it feel like a big screen blockbuster (with the surface level story to boot).

Hargrave and Hemsworth both come out of this very well, but I don’t think it will go down as any sort of classic.

Rating = 2.5/5

Veep Season 4 (2015) – TV Review

In Season 4, ‘Veep’ continues to establish itself as one of the funniest and simply best comedy shows of the 21st Century.

It is not just a great insight/parody of the behind the scenes chaos of politics, but it is also packed full of great characters that we now know very well, and are fascinated to see what happens to them.

In this season, Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is dealing with being made president and yet immediately having to fight an election, while the usual antics go on in her team.

The season is packed full of great character developments, with this season allows Tony Hale and Timothy Simons in particular to shine.

It sets the table for a brilliantly bonkers season 5 to come, and is a truly great show to watch, especially during a time like this.

Rating = 4.5/5

Cradle to Grave (2015) – TV Review

Peter Kay is a British comedy legend, from his stand-up, to his writing/directing/acting in numerous iconic sitcoms.

Kay is only acting here though, with the writing going to Danny Baker, who is reliving his upbringing in London.

The show is amusing, with a great theme tune and lead performance from Kay, and some entertaining supporting performances.

However, the writing and tone of the show is very all over the place, as it tries to mix the over the top memory of childhood with a very grounded setting, never quite working.

It’s certainly an amusing show and by no means bad, but the presence of Kay gave me the hope it could be another classic.

Rating = 3/5

Killing Eve Season 3 – Meetings Have Biscuits (Reaction)

It finally happened Killing Eve fans! In one of the shows most electric episodes in all 3 seasons (written by soon to be season 4 showrunner Laura Neal no less) Villanelle and Eve finally reunited.

Not only did they see each other again, but they violently fought each other on the top deck of a bus, until Eve unexpectedly kisses Villanelle. This is not a massively passionate kiss or a slow romantic kiss (hopefully that is to come). This was instinctive, awkward, and it was perfect for this context.

It is a huge moment for the show, finally putting to bed any doubt that the show is truly about a ‘enemies/lovers’ relationship between its two leads, and hopefully setting us up for more romance and interactions between the two as the season goes on.

The rest of the episode was packed with tension and the mystery of the season continues to grow, and we see more superb performances from Jodie Comer, Sandra Oh, and Fiona Shaw.

The season is now set up perfectly and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

In Suzanne Heathcote and Laura Neal we trust…

The Witch (2016) – Review

A A24 Picture, Written and Directed by Robert Eggers.

Robert Eggers is a firmly established member of the ‘A24 family’ now, following this film and his hit ‘The Lighthouse’, and while I enjoyed this film, you can see he really upped his game with his second feature.

‘The Witch’ is packed full to atmosphere, folklore, and a stunning performance from Anya Taylor-Joy and all these factors make for a mostly satisfying movie experience.

However, I did personally struggle to get invested in the story and never felt particularly scared or tense, and was occasionally amused by the wild accents.

I do think this film is full of promise though, and is a real star making vehicle for both Taylor-Joy and Eggers, and both of them are incredibly talented (and I look forward to their reunion in ‘The Northman’ whenever that is able to film).

Rating = 3.5/5

Flipped (2020) – TV Review

Quibi seems to have had a very mixed launch, with recently decent subscriber numbers (although that will include a 90 day free trial) and a lot of staff at the company seem to be leaving.

I am still struggling to get on board with the idea of ‘films’ cut up into chapters and viewed on phone, but this show is the best example of how it could work for the streaming service.

‘Flipped’ itself features two very strong lead performances from two great comedians in Kaitlin Olson and Will Forte, and they can be really funny at times. There is also a strong supporting turn from Arturo Castro that is a nice surprise.

There is a real set up for a second season and I would genuinely like to see that, although I wish Quibi didn’t require you to completely watch on a phone.

Rating = 3.5/5

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019) – Review

A Warner Bros Picture, Written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Rob Letterman, Derek Connolly, Nicole Perlman, Directed by Rob Letterman.

I am not a fan of Pokémon. It’s not that I dislike it, I just never got into the property in any of the forms it took, so I was concerned I would not understand or enjoy this film.

However, this proved not to be the case, as even though the film is a fully formed world where all Pokemon live and is clearly packed full of Easter eggs and references that fans will love, it also operates as a mostly straight up Detective mystery, with elements of ‘buddy cop’ comedy and also fantasy.

Justice Smith makes for a very impressive lead, and Kathryn Newton also more than holds her own, with both of the young stars showing they have the potential to be real movie stars.

Ryan Reynolds brings a lot to the film as the voice of Pikachu, and while he does his usual Ryan Reynolds thing, it is very effective and helps the film greatly.

I’m not sure if a sequel will ever come, but I certainly would look forward to seeing one.

Rating = 3.5/5