End of August Weekly Update

Posted on August 25, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Hi everyone,

I don’t have a lot to update you about with my own writing this week. I still haven’t done any. One day this will change. My main focus is ensuring that I get ahead on writing the film reviews that I don’t miss a day.

At the moment I have the notes for 6 reviews, that just need typing up. I’m hoping this weekend, as it’s the weekend I have completely off (I work 2 out of 3 weekends), that I can sit down for 3 hours and just write them up completely. I also have a full review written for The Last Letter From My Lover, which I wrote a few weeks back. I did pitch this to another website to publish it there, to try and get my reviews spread about. They replied with some helpful feedback and I’ve taken that onboard and do think about it while I’m writing.

Sadly, after re-submitting it and being told they have added it to a publishing list, I haven’t heard anything else. They’ve stopped replying to my emails, so I’m going to wait until the weekend and if I hear nothing back I will publish it on here. They originally gave me a timeframe of 48 hours and it’s long passed that, which honestly I find a little unprofessional and more than a little bit frustrating.

With my reviews, next week from the 1st to the 5th September, I’m going to be covering the digital side of FrightFest (A mostly horror film festival from Arrow). I’ve got my ticket, and am currently deciding which ones to watch. The main attraction for me is The Show, written by and starring Alan Moore and directed by Mitch Jenkins. I got to see a short version of The Show back in 2012/2013 when Moore hosted a premiere in Northampton. I remember it being very David Lynchesque, so will be looking forward to the full film. I’ll have a full list on what I’m watching and reviewing ready for next Monday’s post.

The biggest and best news is I’ve been accepted to cover London Film Festival as a member of the press. I didn’t think they would accept me when I applied, but they have. I won’t be able to make it to London every day of the festival, but I’ll be attending as much of the online side of it as possible. It’s very exciting and I’m looking forward to the whole schedule being announced in a couple of weeks time.

With book reviews, I’m quite excited because I have another 4 review copies I’m currently working through. 2 Novels, a comic and a manga. I’m going to be getting these up as soon as possible, and might even have the manga reviewed and uploaded tonight. Maybe tomorrow at the latest. I’m looking forward to finding new things to read that are not what I would normally go for.

With health and fitness, I’m about the same as I was last week. I’m planning on a long walk this Saturday to kickstart the weekend, so that should be good. After that hopefully I can keep it up.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

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Pig – Film Review

Posted on August 24, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Michael Sarnoski

Written by: Michael Sarnoski

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin

Rating: ★★★★½

Liam Neeson had his daughter taken, Keanu Reeves had his dog killed and Bob Odenkirk very recently had his house broken into. Adding to the middle-aged revenge films is Nicolas Cage having his pig stolen. Unlike the other films, Pig is an emotional, slow-burn thriller with one of the best performances of recent times. This is Cage at his absolute best giving a career defining performance as Rob, the truffle forager.

To date Cage has starred in roughly one hundred films. Even in some of the trash he’s been in recently, Cage is usually the stand-out part. In Pig he commands the screen, giving a powerful and subtle performance. There are moments in the opening scenes when he’s just looking at his pig and you can feel his love for it. You’d believe it if that was Cage’s pet pig off-screen, even though it isn’t. There’s just a bond between them that’s palpable from the opening sequence.

The film starts with an overhead shot of running water, with the running stream loudly encompassing you. It’s a palate cleanser, telling you to leave everything from the real world behind and be absorbed into the world of truffle foraging. After a few scenes of Cage and his pig going about their lives, the pig is stolen, and Cage is left unconscious on the floor. He then awakes and sets out to find his friend with the help of an acquaintance Amir.

The premise sounds silly and something that Cage would normally do with high-octane energy and lots of manic shouting. In the hands of any other director that’s probably the film we would have gotten and I’m sure there would be some classic Cage moments in there. Instead, the premise is taken incredibly seriously. The kidnapping is horrific, with the pig squealing as it’s carried away into the night. The violence that happens shortly afterwards, confined to one scene, is brutal to watch. Cage carries the scars and blood on his face for the rest of the film.

Pig never goes where you think it’s going. The plot moves at its own pace, keeping one hundred percent of your attention every step of the way. There are moments where the set-up is familiar, but the outcome isn’t. This isn’t a film where Cage is going to run around shouting and shooting until his pig is safe. This is a film set very much in the real world, even if it feels like you’re in the criminal underworld of truffles at points. It’s sombre and dark film that mediates on the theme of loss and grief. It’s an emotional film that will shake you.

There is also a twisted sense of humour that runs throughout most of the film. Cage’s outfit looks sweaty and musty and seeing him in one of the fanciest restaurants being served prestigious dishes is a highlight. Followed quickly by the emotional destruction that Cage delivers to the chef by deconstructing his entire life in the same way that the restaurant serves deconstructed dishes.

The cooking sequence is shot with such precision that it’s the biggest cinematic love letter to food since Jon Favreau’s Chef. The food looks exquisite and the classic score in the background is the cherry on top of the scene.

Pig is a better film than anyone would think after hearing the premise. It’s Cage’s strongest performance in years and one of the best films of the year. It’s slow, subtle and an emotional story. This is one to watch and it will stay with you for a long time.

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The Illusion of Gravity by John Dyer – Book Review

Posted on August 24, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review

In book one of The Anye Legacy, on a distant planet a lab experiment goes wrong which leads Rivan Saraf on a journey that could save the people on his planet. Hostile foreign government agents, known as the The Vanya are in town and hunting Rivan down.

This book starts with a lot of information about the history of Anye world. It’s a lot to take in all at once and does make the book feel daunting. I would recommend reading it and not worrying if you don’t take it all in, you can come back later if you feel the need. Once the book actually starts it eases you in with a great opening that introduces Rivan and his family. It really slows the pace down nicely and gets you settled in before the main action starts.

When the accident happens the pace picks up massively with incredibly short hectic chapters that are exciting and absorbing. It’s when the book slows down again that it really shines. When the characters and events are given time to unfold. I wish there was more of this in the book to give more time to take in what’s happening. At points it does feel that you are skipping over the place with very short chapters that are skipping forward in time. That’s not a big issue, I enjoyed the book I just wish there was more of it.

There are moments that are quite shocking in a good way. There’s a moment towards the end with a prisoner, that I won’t tell you too much about, but it’s an excellent few chapters that take the book in a really dark direction for a short while. I think this was my favourite bit, because I didn’t see it coming and it’s really well written.

This is a dialogue heavy book and that’s not a bad thing because John Dyer writes some really punchy and natural dialogue. You do get a sense of who the characters are through the way they are written and it won’t take long before you are invested in them.

I quite enjoyed The Illusion of Gravity, even though it’s not something I would normally read and I would recommend it to people who like sci-fi that isn’t dumbed down, this is a book that rewards you for paying attention. There’s some great characters and the story has some great moments throughout. I will be looking to read more of this series at some point.

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My Film of the Week and my Upcoming Watch List

Posted on August 23, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Hi everyone,

I wanted to start this week’s post slightly differently and start with my top film of the last week. This goes to Censor, the new horror film from Prano Bailey-Bond. It’s a fantastic horror film that’s a love letter to the video nasties of before. It’s a must-see for any horror fan.

The film to avoid from last week is Sweet Girl. A cliched bore that isn’t worth the time.

Now for this week, I have a couple of blu-rays to watch. Tabby got me the new 4K edition of Argento’s Cat O’Nine Tails that was released today. It was a nice surprise and a final birthday present. Looking forward to watching that this week. I’m also planning on watching the new Criterion Collection release of Deep Cover. I’ve never seen the film before, but read some good things about it.

Cinema-wise, I’m really looking forward to Candyman that’s coming out this Friday. I’ll be watching that after work on Friday. The other films available at my local cinema this week are Our Ladies and The Pebble and the Boy. I’ll be trying to fit these in at some point over the weekend.

I’m sure there will be some other films I fit in as well. Do you have any plans to see anything this week, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

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Sweet Girl – Film Review

Posted on August 23, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Brian Andrew Mendoza

Written by: Philip Eisner & Gregg Hurwitz

Starring: Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Raza Jaffrey, Justin Bartha, Lex Scott Davis, Michael Raymond-James and Amy Brenneman

Rating: ★★

Sweet Girl starts with one of the most overused clichés of action films. It starts towards the end of the story, shows an over-the-top situation, this time Momoa on the roof of a stadium running and jumping into the water, and then switches back to the past. For the majority of the film, we are then waiting to get back to this spot. You know nothing can happen to the main character, because we must get back to that spot. With Sweet Girl when we get back there, we are met with a twist. A twist that works well and answers some of the questions raised by earlier moments in the film, but it can’t follow this up with a great ending. Instead, It’s more clichés and a long dragged out finale.

Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Game of Thrones) is completely believable as an action star, but his character isn’t. He first shows his fighting skills on a train after a reporter is assassinated, and you’re left wondering where he learnt to fight of an assassin. He’s clearly got anger issues, threatening to kill the head of the pharmaceutical company that pulled the drug that could save his wife’s life, on live TV.

Momoa plays Ray Cooper, who’s only defining character trait is that he has a daughter and his wife has died of cancer. Six months after his wife dies, Ray receives a phone call from a reporter asking to meet. Once the reporter is murdered, the film skips another two years into the future where Momoa sets out to solve the mystery behind the pharmaceutical company. After fulfilling his promise and killing the CEO, he sets off on the run with his daughter, Rachel played by Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold).

Both Momoa and Merced give a fine performance with the script they are given, but nothing spectacular. The real downfall is the pacing. It’s such a long and drawn out film that it becomes boring very quickly. The action isn’t that entertaining. There’s a chase sequence, just before we reach the opening scene again, and it’s so dull. The only exciting bit is the twist, which is revealed nicely and makes you sit up and pay attention. There’s even a little bit of you that’ll want to go back and re-watch the film to see the clues leading to it, but you won’t because it’s just so incredibly dull that no one will want to sit through it twice.

The assassin that is hunting down Momoa and Merced from the train sequence throughout the film, must be the worst assassin in cinematic history. He constantly lets the main characters escape and after having a conversation with them in a diner, tells them who hired him. He’s an awful character that’s dreadfully written.

Sweet Girl is not a good film. The actors are decent, the twist is great, but everything else is just bad. It’s a waste of time and is only good if you’re suffering from insomnia because by the end of the almost two hour run time, you will be asleep.

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