Bruised – A Tried and Tested Story That Still Kind Of Works – Film Review

Posted on November 25, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter
Bruised (2020) - IMDb

Director: Halle Berry

Writer: Michelle Rosenfarb

Starring: Halle Berry, Danny Boyd Jr., Shamier Anderson, Adan Canto, Sheila Atim, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Valentina Shevchenko

Rating: ★★★

After premiering over a year ago at Toronto International Film Festival, Bruised, has finally found a wide release on Netflix. Halle Berry’s directs and stars in the sports drama about a former UFC fighter, that feels very similar to Rocky.

Jackie Justice (Halle Berry) has been living with her manager/boyfriend since forfeiting a major fight. Her once promising career has been left by the wayside as she struggles through demeaning jobs to make ends meet. After Jackie’s mother appears one night with Jackie’s son, Manny (Danny Boyd Jr.), she makes the decision to restart her fighting career and get her life back on track.

The parallels between Bruised and the original Rocky film scream out throughout the story. The lead characters are both struggling with money, leading horrible lives. They’re both given an opportunity for a title fight and take it despite their trainers initially thinking they’re too old to do it. Both films have the same structure, both have training montages, and both end in a match where it doesn’t really matter if the lead character wins or not, because they’ve proved to themselves and everyone else that they’re capable. It’s a very safe story structure and there isn’t much new added here.

At first, this doesn’t feel like a Rocky clone. The lead up to the first fight, in an underground club that Jackie’s manager takes her to, is brutal and violent. It ends with Jackie headbutting her opponent over and over with a bloody result. There’s a lot of anger under her surface and it looks like this is going to be a lot grittier and more brutal, but then the training starts, and it feels like it’s in a very safe zone plot-wise. It doesn’t take long for Jackie to have her chance at a title fight against Lady Killer (Valentina Shevchenko) and once that’s announced it’s what everything is leading towards.

The film isn’t just about fighting in the ring, it’s also about the struggles outside of it. Jackie’s been stuck in an abusive relationship with her manager, that always feels like it’s on the verge of turning violent. Her mother isn’t much better, an addict who didn’t protect her daughter when she was younger. Manny witnessed his dad die and hasn’t spoken a word since. There’s a lot going on in Jackie’s life, and while the first half of the film does make it a focal point, it does get left behind as the fight gets near.

Jackie leaves her abusive partner, with no real issue or resistance from him and then he doesn’t reappear again throughout the story. She gets her moment to stand up to her mother, but there’s no real resolution there. She gets to know her son and they bond nicely, but becoming a new parent doesn’t really stop her training. Thankfully her trainer, Bobbi (Sheila Atim) is very understanding and apart from one moment where Jackie misses a training session, there’s not much struggle there either. It all feels like padding to get to the main fight at the end.

Halle Berry is phenomenal in this film. She’s gives it her all both behind and in front of the camera. Her performance is incredibly strong both with the emotional story and the fighting. At times it does have hard hitting moments and really works. Jackie’s relationship with Manny is the heart of the film and without that it would all fall apart. Even with its flaws, the film remains entertaining and never feels boring or too long. It flows nicely and ramps up to the final fight, even if it does drop the side-plots along the way.

Bruised is a decent film. It uses a tried and tested formula that still works. The characters are great, and Berry’s performance is phenomenal. It’s not as brutal or as daring as the first fight would suggest and by the end, you’re just stuck with that feeling that this has all been done before. It’s still a good film, but it’s not going to last in the same way that Rocky has.

Thanks for reading, and if you liked this review please subscribe below to never miss a post:

Posted in film reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Encanto – Another Instant Classic From Disney – Film Review

Posted on November 25, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter
Encanto (2021) - IMDb

Directors: Bryon Howard and Jared Bush

Writers: Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith

Starring: Stephanie Beatrix, John Leguizamo, María Cecilia Botero, Diane Guerrero, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, and Wilmer Valderrama

Rating: ★★★★★

Walt Disney Animation Studios have been on a massive winning streak recently with their animated films. It genuinely feels like they can’t go wrong. It’s been over a decade since Tangled came out, and since then there hasn’t been anything less than amazing. They’ve struck gold again with Encanto, the 60th film in their almost 85-year history. With this one, they are teaming up again with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is have a stellar year himself and wrote the lyrics to all songs in Encanto.

The Madrigal family all have special gifts, from controlling the weather to super strength. It all started when Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) tragically lost her husband in an attack from invaders. At the time she was holding on to a candle that is enchanted with a miracle, that protects Alma and her three children. Over the years every member of the Madrigal family has been gifted powers from the miracle, all except Mirabel (Stephanie Beatrix). They use their powers to help their local community. Mirabel feels left out, but she soon finds out that her actions hold a vital role in the future of the family.

There’s a lot of refreshing ideas in Encanto. While the film is about a superhero family, this is a much more personal and focused story than you’d expect from its premise. Most of the film takes place in the Madrigal house, with very little taking place outside. There isn’t a villain that’s trying to destroy the family, it’s a much more internal and emotional struggle that the family is going through. It deals with the idea of burden and responsibility. They have these incredible powers, but they use them to help the community they live in and must deal with the pressure that can create.

As you’d expect from a Disney film, this is a treat for people of all ages. There are enough silly and wacky moments to keep children enthralled and more complex characters and dynamics that keeps everybody’s attention. While there isn’t the lovable and silly mascot, like Olaf from Frozen, that we’ve all come to expect from every new Disney film, there’s still a lot of laugh out loud jokes. It just doesn’t have a character that everyone will want as a cuddly toy, which could be a good thing this close to Christmas.

The film is just over ninety minutes long and doesn’t feel it at all. It’s completely gripping, and the time just flies by. The story, which focuses on the cracks in the family house that Mirabel discovers, has many little twists and turns and doesn’t feel padded out or rushed. After the fantastic Raya and the Last Dragon, which is a world-spiralling adventure, Encanto is a much more insular and fun story that’s full of emotion. Mirabel feels left out, without any gifts, but still tries to help the family however she can. You feel her struggle as those around her single her out.

There’s no surprise that the songs are excellent. There isn’t one that will be on repeat forever like Let it Go, but they are all catchy and fun. Miranda’s lyrics are energetic and punchy like you’d expect from the man behind the songs of Moana, not to mention In the Heights and Hamilton. Germaine Franco writes the score, which works perfectly with the lyrics. The animation is simply breath-taking. There isn’t another studio that comes close to Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film feels real, like you could reach in and touch it. It takes a moment to forget that you’re watching animation as you’re whisked away into the story.

Somehow Disney just keep on creating instant classics with their animated films. It’s fun, moving and completely captivating. It’s the perfect treat, just in time for Christmas.

Thanks for reading, and if you liked my review please subscribe:

Posted in film reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pirates – Film Review

Posted on November 24, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter
Pirates (2021) - IMDb

Director: Reggie Yates

Writer: Reggie Yates

Starring: Elliot Edusah, Jordan Peters, Reda Elazouar, Kassius Nelson, Youssef Kerkour, and Rebekah Murrell

Rating: ★★★★

Reggie Yates makes his directorial debut with Pirates, which he also wrote. It’s his first full length film after making shorts and a TV film last year. As you’d expect, with Yate’s background as a radio DJ and Top of the Pops host, Pirates is a love-letter to garage music of the 90s. It’s also an entertaining and at points moving film about friendship and growing up.

It’s 1999 and Cappo (Elliot Edusah) is coming back home from university for New Years. His one thought is that he has to tell his best friends Two Tonne (Jordan Peters) and Kidda (Reda Elazouar) that he’s not going to manage their group anymore. He finds that his friend’s pirate radio show is picking up and growing in numbers. Without knowing Cappo’s plans, the three friends set out for one last night like the good old days before everything changes.

At its heart this film is about three eighteen-year-olds who are on the cusp of adulthood. Kidda keeps on saying that he doesn’t like change, and that’s what’s happening to the world around him. It’s a new year, new millennium and things can’t always stay the same. It’s a coming-of-age story that feels very relatable.

The three main cast are excellent. They’re instantly likable and all three give a fantastic performance. You instantly believe they are best friends with the way they interact with each other. The dynamic between them is why this film is so good. They’re really funny and you just get a sense of their relationship straight away. Reda Elazouar is incredibly funny, with so many one-liners and jokes that had everyone laughing. All three of them are great, but Elazouar steals the show.

While the film isn’t even eighty minutes in length, and it does absolutely fly by, a lot happens. They go on a mini-road trip to get the tickets to an exclusive new year’s party. After the tickets, they still have time to plan a heist to get clothing, that has a nice spin on some of the tropes of the genre, a haircut, and get a meal before heading to the party. There’s not one moment that feels like it’s slow. It starts out at a high speed and carries on right through to the end. If anything, you want to spend more time with the fantastic characters once it’s over.

Behind almost every moment of the film is a soundtrack of garage music that punctuates everything on screen. Even if this isn’t the style of music you’re usually into, the passion from the cast and Yates is so infectious that you’ll enjoy it regardless.

Prates strangely shares some plot points with another British comedy from this year, People Just Do Nothing: Big in Japan. It’s not exactly the same, but they are comparable. While People Just Do Nothing was entertaining, Pirates is the better film. The cast are incredible, and the comedy is brilliant.

Thanks for reading my review! If you liked it, please subscribe:

Posted in film reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Updates and Fallen Behind

Posted on November 24, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Happy Wednesday everyone! I’ve fallen a little behind with posts, thanks to going out for the weekend and trying to catch up on sleep. I’m hoping to be back on top of it by the end of the week, so the plan is for tonight to be a review for Pirates, tomorrow morning to be my review for the new Disney film, Encanto and then Bruised tomorrow evening.

I then have Friday off, so that will be my day to catch up with everything and hopefully get a little ahead. Before I had issues with the Internet in October, I was a whole week ahead with posts, and then that happened and I haven’t been able to get back into that position. My plan is just to dedicate Friday to writing and then I should be back on top.

I’ve started reading Are We Monsters? by Rollin Miller. I’m a couple of chapters in so far and really enjoying it. It’s a mystery story at the moment, and I’m really looking forward to finding out more about what’s happening. It’s going to be good.

Other than that, I’m walking more. Getting at least 10,000 steps a day every day. I think I’ve made some good progress with my journey to get fitter, I’ve lost a few more pounds and most importantly I didn’t suffer that much at the convention with queuing and standing around for most of the day.

It’s not a long update today, but I start work pretty soon and just wanted to get this out beforehand. Hopefully, this time next week I will be back on top of everything.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

Posted in Updates | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wales Comic Con 2021

Posted on November 23, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Last weekend, I went to Wales Comic Con with my family. Funnily enough it’s not actually in Wales, after moving across the border, to a bigger venue a few years back. I had a very mixed time. It’s my first convention in over 2 years, and while it was definitely good to be back in one, I do think this was oversold. On the Saturday we were pretty much stuck in queues all day, without really doing much. I missed the talks I wanted to see. For me and Tabby it was pretty much just a James Masters convention. He had his own room that was completely separated from the rest of the con, and he was incredibly busy, signing and taking photos the entire day. Thankfully we did get to meet him and the other things we had booked for the Saturday, but if that was the only day we went I wouldn’t ever want to go back again.

Thankfully the Sunday was the polar opposite. The queue was a lot shorter, so we were in on time in the morning. I am someone who gets up early for conventions, so the wait on Saturday was long. Sunday was a breeze. There was also a better atmosphere with Stormtroopers directing traffic and Jawa’s trying to trade chocolate coins for people’s children.

The Sunday was a blast, we had a lot to do, so still missed the talks, but Tabby added 2 more people to her Fellowship of the Ring collection, Sam and Gimli and I got 3 more signatures on my Empire Strikes Back poster that I’ve been taking to conventions since 2014. It was a lot of fun. My highlight, to be completely honest, was meeting Veronica Taylor who was the original voice of Ash from Pokémon when I was growing up.

No description available.

I used to watch Pokémon every day before school. I wanted to be Ash, I had my own Pikachu cuddly toy that I carried around everywhere with me, as well as a toy Pokédex. While I’m not really into Pokémon anymore, it was still a massive part of my childhood and I was very happy to meet her and get this picture. It doesn’t show too well in the photo, but it’s s shiny picture like the cards used to be.

The other highlight was meeting Troy Baker, who voiced Joel from The Last of Us and Kanji from Persona 4. He had a long queue, but seemed very nice and happy to meet people. We got a Joel picture signed and he spoke about Persona briefly, as well as saying on of Kanji’s catchphrases in character.

II also found a couple new books to read from independent authors, which I’m looking forward to starting. Both of them are horror novellas.

The other good thing about the weekend a was the walking. I managed to walk well over 10,000 steps a day. My watch was all greens when it came to my targets. It’s a massive step in the right direction.

Thanks for reading, and until next time,

Ashley

Posted in Updates | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment