Howe's World of Film and TV

The Great Gatsby (2013) – Review

A Warner Bros Picture, Written by Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce, Directed by Baz Luhrmann.

This film is based upon what is arguably my favourite ever novel and one of the finest pieces of American literature of all time, and with this comes priceless content and also huge pressure.

While I don’t think it is the perfect film, with an over reliance on CGI and a jarring use of modern songs in a period setting, I find it one of the most enjoyable films I have seen.

This likely due to my love of New York City, my love of the source material, or my love of the cast, but these are all very valid reasons. The film brings 1920s New York to life in a way that few films have ever done and it is such a joy to see.

The source material has such a fascinating take on the beauty and tragedy of the American dream, and while the film doesn’t dive into it quite as much, it still provides an interesting look at it and the “eyes of god” looking down on American society as a moral wasteland is powerful.

The central romance works for two reasons; the brilliant Young and Beautiful song by Lana Del Ray, and the captivating performances of Leo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan.

DiCaprio is simply the only person who could’ve played this part, bringing a sense of majesty, but also an inner turmoil to Gatsby, while Mulligan is a revelation as the conflicted, wishful and eternally beautiful Daisy.

The rest of the cast, led by Tobey Maguire, includes Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke, and they all play their parts very well.

The tragedy of Gatsby and the condemnation of society makes this a scathing yet beautiful film packed full of hugely enjoyable moments.

Rating = 4/5

Most Anticipated Films of 2020 – Thriller

2020 already looks like a year stacked full of brilliant films, and I have decided to break down by genre the ones I am most excited about. Some films are undated but sure to be out in 2020, and some may always change dates.

But for now, in order from bottom to top, these are my list of most anticipated thrillers due to come out in 2020.

10. Run

This film is due to come out very soon and we have seen very little promotion so I wouldn’t be surprised if it got delayed to later in 2020, but this is a psychological thriller starting Sarah Paulson, and that is all I need to know to buy my cinema ticket.

9. Things Heard and Seen

This is the first of multiple Netflix films on this list and it looks set to be a captivating film. It has a strong cast featuring Amanda Seyfried, James Norton, and Natalia Dyer among others. The main reason to see this is Seyfried, she is one of the most underrated actress working today her large, expressive eyes make her perfect for this genre.

8. The Last Thing He Wanted

Netflix brings us Dee Rees’ follow up to Mudbound in the form of this political thriller. It stars Oscar winners Anne Hathaway and Ben Affleck (who looks set to have a brilliant 2020) as well as Willem Dafoe and Toby Jones. Don’t rule this out being an awards play next year.

7. Rebecca

The incredibly talented Lily James stars in Netflix and Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s infamous romantic thriller. It co-stars Armie Hammer and Kristen Scott Thomas.

6. The Woman in the Window

An incredible cast featuring multiple Oscar winners star in this psychological thriller about a woman who is unable to leave her home and witnesses a crime. The campaign has already started to get Amy Adams her Oscar!

5. Last Night in Soho

This psychological thriller is Edgar Wright’s follow up to Baby Driver and starts two of the most exciting upcoming actresses in Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy, alongside the incredibly talented Matt Smith.

4. Death on the Nile

This is Kenneth Branagh’s follow up to Murder on the Orient Express and he again stars as Poirot alongside a stacked cast. It’s a shame Jodie Comer had to drop out due to scheduling issues but the stars I’m most looking forward to seeing here as Gal Gadot and Sex Education breakout Emma Mackey.

3. The Devil All The Time

This Netflix thriller has one of the best casts of the year; Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgård, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska, Jason Clarke, Riley Keough, and Haley Bennett. It looks set to be a star packed showcase for the streaming service and I can’t wait to see it.

2. Deep Water

This film sounds like something that is very rarely made anymore but was a huge thing in the 80s/90s, an erotic thriller. This sex filled tale of murder and deception will star Ben Affleck and one of cinema’s biggest rising stars Ana de Armas.

1. Promising Young Woman

My most anticipated thriller on 2020 is a film I was looking forward to but after the trailer cannot wait for. It looks like a neon dripped nightmare and this erotic/psychological thriller seems to finally give Carey Mulligan the showcase leading role she deserves after years of great supporting turns.

The Two Popes (2019) – Non Spoiler Review

A Netflix Original Picture, Written by Anthony McCarten, Directed by Fernando Meirelles.

The Two Popes is another great addition to Netflix’s 2019 awards slate, although it doesn’t have the energy and relevance that films like The Irishman and Marriage Story do.

What it does have is an fascinating true story that addresses some important issues and a big moment in history for many people. The screenplay is one of the best of the year and it flows incredibly well.

The two lead performances are exceptional, with Pryce bringing a real humanity to the lead character and Hopkins threatening steal every scene he is in, and I would not be surprised to see him get an Oscar nomination for it.

The end of the film which features the two popes watching the World Cup final is hilarious and one of my favourite movie moments of 2019.

Rating = 3.5/5

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – Spoiler Review

A Walt Disney Picture, Written by JJ Abrams, Chris Terrio, Colin Trevorrow, and Derek Connolly, Directed by JJ Abrams.

I always thought The Last Jedi would be the most controversial Star Wars film, until I finished watching this one.

I still have incredibly mixed feelings about The Rise of Skywalker. One one hand, it goes unnecessarily out of its way to re-write The Last Jedi, it feels like major plot points were taken from reddit, that it tried to be an entire trilogy in one film, and that in its attempts at fan service it actually did the opposite.

However, this is a franchise I grew up on and it is incredibly special to me, and I feel this film gives the original trilogy characters a respectful and powerful send off, whilst also bringing the franchise full circle and providing an emotional finale.

The main issue with the film for me is the revelation of Rey as a Palpatine. It takes away from the idea of “anyone can be a hero” and also entirely undercuts Ben Solo’s arc as the link to the past. The film spends most of its run time with Rey battling against her “sith” legacy when this hasn’t even been hinted at before. Rey is an interesting character and a really powerful action heroine, but this film tried too hard to make everything about her and therefore threw her under the bus. Daisy Ridley is an absolute triumph in the role and does her best with that she is given, and I can’t wait for the career she will build.

Kylo Ren has been the most interesting part of this trilogy and while we do get more of his conflict and his eventual redemption here, he is sidelined and eventually dies for Rey. Ben Solo finally embraced his destiny as the last Skywalker and fought alongside Rey against the Sith in a fantastic moment, but it was all too fleeting, and his sacrifice after the Reylo kiss (Driver and Ridley’s chemistry was electric and the absolute best thing about this trilogy) felt entirely forced. Ben and Rey should’ve ended this film together because that would’ve been a fitting end to the story and would’ve brought true balance to the force. Adam Driver is simply the best actor the Star Wars franchise has ever had and he does the best he can in this film, but the Last Jedi remains his best work in the franchise.

Palpatine’s scenes are really thrilling and McDermaid does a great job, but his role in the film just seems so rushed and forced, and therefore really impacts negatively on the entire story.

As for the new trilogy cast, Oscar Isaac finally becomes the Poe Dameron we all wanted to see and gives off strong Han Solo vibes throughout, something I wish he’d had the chance to do all through the trilogy. As for the rest, they all have less to do but they do it well and everyone mostly gets a chance to shine.

When it comes to the original trilogy, everyone gets a meaningful moment that pays respect to the legends they are. The appearances of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, they all get powerful scenes that truly feel like their characters at heart and it was emotional to see. The short Luke and Leia training flashback will stick in my mind for a long time. Lando, Chewie, C3P0 (a stand out), R2D2 and all the others all get fitting ends too.

While it is so ingrained in our society that it doesn’t get respect, John Williams’ score in Star Wars is the greatest movie score of all time and that is no different here. He is truly the greatest of all time.

Rey gets her own “I Am Iron Man” moment just after she hears the voices of all the Jedi’s of time gone (which was a nice moment) but the actual line Rey has feels very forced and cheesy, especially with Ben Solo being so sidelined.

The final shot was entirely predictable, but still gave me goosebumps to see. Despite Rey taking the name Skywalker feeling wrong as Ben should’ve been there with her, and it seems odd for her to go back to being alone after falling in love and finding her family/friends, the actual final shot of Luke and Leia looking over Rey as she stands and looks at the two suns is very powerful and really feels like the end of the saga.

Rating = 3/5

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – Non-Spoiler Review

A Walt Disney Picture, Written by JJ Abrams, Chris Terrio, Colin Trevorrow, and Derek Connolly, Directed by JJ Abrams.

This is far from a perfect film. In fact, it’s a sloppily edited, poorly plotted, and mostly badly written film that is probably the lowest in quality of the trilogy. However, from a simply fan perspective, while I didn’t like some of the decisions, it still found a way to provide a mostly satisfying end to the saga.

Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver stand out due to the complexity of their roles, and while we know Driver has a long and prestigious career ahead of him, if Daisy Ridley chooses her next roles well, then she could too, as she is very talented. Oscar Isaac finally gets to play a version of Poe that we all wanted to see and he does so brilliantly.

On a side note, for those of you like me who love British actor Jodie Comer, she is in this film in two small but key scenes, which is great to see, and I can’t wait for her film career to launch big time next year.

I will go into much more details in my full spoiler review, but what I can say is that this is a very Rey centric story that feels like multiple films stuck in one, and that slightly too many moments may have been inspired by reddit or the like. It mostly rewrites the Last Jedi and therefore makes itself seem silly in places with crazy plot ‘twists’ but it also has many lightsaber battles and some really interesting action scenes to keep people entertained.

Most of all, it finally finds a way to mix the old and new casts without disrespecting either, and this therefore goes a long way to make it feel like it isn’t just the end of the trilogy, but it’s the end of the saga.

This film made some bad choices, it made some good ones, it was way too ambitious and also slightly cynical, but most of all, on a simply emotional fan basis, it provided a powerful and definitive end to one of the greatest sagas in cinema history.

Long live the Skywalkers!

Rating = 3/5

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Last Jedi (2017) – Review

A Walt Disney Picture, Written and Directed by Rian Johnson.

The most divisive film in the franchise’s history, and the film I am most torn about myself.

On one hand, it is a brave and bold deconstruction of the franchise, with the emotional power of the Kylo/Rey/Luke storyline being incredibly interesting (even though I didn’t like all the decisions) and the film is also visually stunning, easily the best cinematography from the franchise so far.

However, on the other hand the storylines for Poe and Finn are so misjudged and take up such a big amount of time away from the most interesting story that it really feels like a film of two parts.

Star Wars is an odd beast and maybe it wasn’t the right franchise for a talent like Rian Johnson to tackle, but at least he can say he really took some risks.

Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley are very good here, both showing the internal conflicts of their characters and having simmering chemistry with each other. However, it is Mark Hamill who dominates the film with one of the best performances the saga has seen as a broken, yet still heroic in the end, Luke Skywalker. His final moments are some of the most epic the franchise has done (the throne room scene with Rey and Kylo is also up there).

A brave, compelling, and occasionally misjudged film.

Rating = 3.5/5

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) – Review

A Walt Disney Picture, Written by JJ Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, and Michael Arndt, Directed by JJ Abrams.

This is one of the highest grossing films in history and the first theatrical sequel to the iconic Star Wars trilogy. Many people say that it is essentially a remake of A New Hope, and that is a fair statement, but it is packed so full with surprises, nostalgia and excitement that I can’t help but enjoy it.

The mixing of the old and new casts is done seamlessly here, with Harrison Ford (who famously did not want to return) offering a great performance as an older Han Solo and someone who the new characters look up to.

Speaking of the new cast, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac are two of the best actors of their generation, and while they are great in the franchise, they don’t have too much to do in this specific film.

The two stand outs are Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, both of whom were essentially unknowns but are triumphs here. Ridley brings a likeable naïveté and kindness, that mashes well with a inner strength and hidden powers she is yet to discover. John Boyega is incredibly charismatic and makes for great comedic relief, whilst also having some important character moments of his own.

The film is far from perfect but it is such a joy to be back in this world and with these characters that I love.

Bring on The Last Jedi…

Rating = 4/5

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) – Review

A 20th Century Fox Picture, Written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan, Directed by Richard Marquand.

At the time of release, this was the much anticipated end to one of the defining trilogies of modern cinema, and with that in mind, this film does exactly what it needed to do. It is a compelling end to the story of this specific story, and a fitting end for these characters.

While it isn’t the dark character drama of Empire, it still digs further into who Luke Skywalker is, and specifically how his family will define the future of the galaxy. His decisions throughout the film are fascinating to watch, and feel very right.

All the characters get their due service and the cast as always does a good job. Carrie Fisher made the whole world fall in love with her all over again in her gold bikini (a very exploitative sequence that surely wouldn’t happen now) and she is great again here, but this is absolutely Mark Hamill’s show and he delivers.

This turned into not the end, but the start of a sprawling saga. While it is occasionally poorly paced and a bit silly, it is Star Wars to the core and is a powerful conclusion to this specific story.

Rating = 4/5

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Review

A 20th Century Fox Picture, Written by George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, and Lawrence Kasdan, Directed by Irvin Kershner.

This is quite simply one of the greatest sequels in cinematic history. Instead of resting on the laurels of the first films incredible success and rehashing the plot points, we instead get a dark, character focused entry that expands the world and changes it forever.

The introduction of characters like Lando, the Emperor and Yoda taking further steps to reach out the Star Wars universe and make it feel like a sprawling place.

We also get Harrison Ford’s best performance in the franchise, a performance that is so charismatic and engaging that he steals every scene he is in.

The darker examination of what being a Jedi could really mean for Luke and the people around him is really impressive, and the absolutely game changing twist not only completely changes the franchise, but also is still the greatest twist in movie history.

This was the film that really established Star Wars as one of the biggest and best cinematic franchises in history, as opposed to a one off hit.

Rating = 5/5

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) – Review

A 20th Century Fox Picture, Written and Directed by George Lucas.

This film was the start of a new era of cinema, and it will always be known as one of the most famous and influential films of all time. It is a perfect mix of fantasy, fairytale, romance, and sci-fi, creating one of the most memorable fictional worlds in history.

George Lucas crafted a film that feels so familiar and yet so original, with effects that were groundbreaking at the time and still stand up to this day. Most of all, the characters he created became some of the most iconic in history.

There’s too many to go into each one here, but Darth Vader is such an imposing figure in this film, that even if this had been a one off, I think he would’ve gone down as one of cinema’s greatest villains.

Alec Guinness brings gravitas to the role of Obi-Wan, adding a sense of star power and real acting depth to a cast made up of mostly newcomers.

The central trio is electric and magnificent. Hamill grows into the role throughout the trilogy, but even so, here he makes for a very interesting hero. Harrison Ford dominates the screen as the rogue Han Solo, and it is one of the most definitive movie star performances of all time. Princess Leia is Carrie Fisher, and Carrie Fisher is Princess Leia, and they are both incredible, strong, feisty, and hilarious.

Something truly special was born here.

Rating = 4.5/5