Dream Horse – Film Review

Posted on June 5, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Euros Lyn

Starring: Toni Collette, Damian Lewis, Joanna Page and Owen Teale

Rating: ★★★★

Every so often a film comes along and picks up your spirits, takes your mind off the world and brings a smile to your face. 2021’s offering is Dream Horse a sports comedy/drama film from director Euros Lyn and screenwriter Neil McKay. Dream Horse tells the true story of Dream Alliance, a race horse that was bred by a syndicate as a bit of fun and ended up competing in the Welsh Grand National. 

Even if you have no prior knowledge of horse racing, like me, it doesn’t matter. The film does a great job of introducing you into that world and even if sports don’t appeal to you in the slightest, you will be routing for Dream Alliance to win every race and wanting to jump for joy in the cinema.

The film is genuinely funny and it would be hard to find a single person who didn’t have at least a smile on their face for the majority of the time watching the film. Even though the running time runs at almost 2 hours, this flies by and by the time the credits start to roll, you will wonder where the time has gone.

The Welsh countryside and scenery is beautiful and is presented nicely throughout complementing the small and rundown town that the syndicate lives in. Rolling green hills compared to run down pubs and old houses that need some love and care.

Even though this is a feel-good comedy, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t substance beyond the horse racing. There are universal themes of loss and feeling stuck. There is even a good sense of the snobbery in horse racing as others look down on Dream Alliance and the syndicate. It’s not shoved in your face, but this film does deal with the snobbery alongside other issues, such as class and wealth division.

The cast do a fantastic job bringing the town and syndicate alive. Toni Collette stars as Jan Vokes, a bartender/cashier at the local Co-op, who is in a rut with life. After hearing Howard Davies (Damian Lewis) speak of his glory days of owning a horse at the club that she works in, it inspires her to take her knowledge of pigeon breeding and competing and translate it into horse breeding.  Joining them are Owen Teale as Brian, Jan’s husband, Joanna Page as Angela Davies, Howard’s wife. There is even a small part from former Doctor Who Peter Davidson.

Every character, most are based on real people, are fully developed and you will care about them and their challenges, outside of the horse racing. If there is one thing that I think brings the film down, it’s that we don’t spend enough times with the characters. The film flies by and maybe a few extra minutes here and there with some of the side-characters would have really brought the film close to perfection. It’s a minor issue and for the most part the characters are vivid and you can’t help but want them to succeed in everything. 

Through great performances from the entire cast, a well told underdog story and a full laughs Dream Horse succeeds in being something we all need from time to time, pure uplifting escapism.

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The Father – Movie Review

Posted on June 4, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Florian Zeller

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Coleman, Mark Gatiss and Rufus Sewell

Rating: ★★½

Anthony Hopkins gives one of the best performances of his career as Anthony in The Father, who is suffering from dementia, and relies on his daughter Anne (Olivia Coleman) to live his day-to-day life in his flat. This is a film that thrives on its great performances. Alongside Hopkins, Coleman is also fantastic in her role. Both are completely believable and heart-breaking to watch. The problem is that beyond the great performances, the film is shallow. You’ll feel sad watching it, but there isn’t enough to really draw you in, beyond dementia is a depressing subject.

The film is from the perspective of Anthony, using a disjointed narrative and clever edits, to give you the experience of someone suffering from dementia. It’s confusing and disjointed as you feel that you are living the same day over and over. Characters are replaced by other characters as scenes start to repeat themselves. It’s very clever and original in how it is presented. The highlight of the film is Hopkins. His performance is outstanding. He can change mid-scene so subtly and with so much grace. It’s completely believable, moving from charming and funny to angry in moments. His mood swings are powerful and believable to watch.

I wish there was more to say about the film, but that brings me to my main issue with the film is that it is mostly style over substance. While the film is genius in the way it is presented, there isn’t much beyond that. I didn’t find myself engaged with the characters, because outside of this horrible disease I don’t know who they are. Not much happens throughout the course of the film. There are snippets of day-to-day life. 

Maybe I’m missing something, as it is clearly connecting with others and is getting rave reviews. I do think that Hopkins is very much deserving of the Oscar that he’s won. Coleman deserves massive praise for what she brings to the role as well. There are little moments and facial expressions that she gives that are perfect and make you believe that this is really happening. I just wish that there were more to it. In the end it is forgettable and didn’t engage me. The whole point is that dementia is horrible, but that really goes without saying.  

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Earwig and the Witch – Movie Review

Posted on June 3, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Gorō Miyazaki

Starring: (English Voice Actors) Taylor Paige Henderson, Vanessa Marshall and Richard E. Grant

Rating: ★½

Earwig and the Witch

It’s been over half a decade since we last had a Studio Ghibli film and there is a lot to live up to. Studio Ghibli is known for high quality animation and story, with Spirited Away still being the only non-English language animated film to win the Oscar for best animated picture. Alongside Spirited Away is a whole list of amazing animated films from the studio, most notably from directors Hayoa Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.

The studio is finally back with Hayao’s son, Gorō Miyazaki directing his third film for Studio ghibli, Earwig and the Witch. Notably the first completely 3D animation film from Studio Ghibli, who have always stuck to traditional hand-drawn animation for the most part.

While there is still some of the heart of a Ghibli film in Earwig, for the most part it falls flat. The animation, while pretty in places, especially in the backgrounds, isn’t spectacular. The character models, especially their faces look lifeless and feel off. It’s not Pixar quality and from Studio Ghibli you expect a very high quality and something close to Pixar, which this falls short on. It’s not the worst animation you will ever see, but there is nothing about it that leaves an impression.

Earwig is title character of the film, who is left by her mother at a children’s home. The mother is a witch who has angered the other 12 witches in her coven. The head of the home renames her Erica Wigg. We then follow her growing up and trying to avoid adoption with her best friend Custard. That way of life comes to an end when she is adopted by a witch and ends up becoming essentially her slave. Erica starts to look for ways to escape her new home, and uncover the mystery of her new adoptive parents.

The best part of the film is the rock inspired score. A band also named Earwig is interwoven into the plot, and the film is accompanied by high energy rockish music that gives the film a much needed boost of life. It’s by far the best part of the film. The opening and closing piece of music, featuring lyrics written by Goro Miyazaki, are really enjoyable and are standout parts of the film.

The worst part of the film is the pacing. It’s quiet short at less than 90 minutes. For the most part, it feels like other Ghibli films, building slowly with character development and world building. Once you get used to the animation style it does draw you in. And then with about 5 minutes left it all speeds up and then just ends. It feels like you are missing at least half an hour of story. There are so many unanswered questions, and to really smack you in the face the credits are joined with traditionally drawn story boards showing what happens next, showing how nice the characters could have looked if they didn’t take a 3D style. In the films defence, the book it is based on also leaves a lot of unanswered questions and feels like it ends abruptly.

Earwig and the Witch is a messy film, with poor animation and a bad story that does not reward you for watching. The music is fantastic, but that’s the strongest positive about the film. This is the first Studio Ghibli film that really fails at being a must see. It’s just not worth the time.

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Cruella – Movie Review

Posted on June 2, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Craig Gillespie

Staring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Houser

Rating: ★★★★1/2

In the last 5 or so years Disney has been working through its back catalogue producing live action re-makes and re-imaginings of their beloved stories. Cruella is the latest in that series. Similar to Maleficent, we are presented with an origin story for an infamous villain. This time the dog killing villain from 101 Dalmatians.

We see Estella from birth to death. Being a rebel and someone not scared to stand up for herself in school, she is seen as a trouble maker and is kicked out. Her mother decides to relocate with her to London, with one stop on the way to see a friend to ask for help. It’s during this meeting that Estella sees her mother killed by dalmatians. She then travels to London by herself and falls into a small gang.

We are then transported, to the sound of She’s a Rainbow by The Rolling Stones, into the 70s and an adult Estella, played by Emma Stone takes the screen. She is part of a gang of thieves who move from job to job, always looking for a new angle for mischief. Estella has always wanted to be a fashion designer. One of her friends sorts her out a position at a clothes shop as a cleaner, and that’s where things really get going.
The cast is pretty fantastic in their roles. Emma Stone gives an amazing performance as Estella, bringing life to the villain. Emma Thompson is devilishly dark and cunning as The Baroness, Estella’s nemesis. Paul Walter Hauser’s English accent is a bit suspect, but his character, Horace, is full of charm and fun.

The music is almost another character in this film. It roars throughout, playing a wide selection of classic rock songs from the 60s and 70s; Queen, The Rolling Stones, Blondie, Tina Turner covers of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin and a bit of Iggy Pop thrown in there as well. There is barely a moment without fantastic music blaring from the speakers. It doesn’t detract from the film at all, and actually punctuates each scene perfectly.

The film is visually stunning, from its recreation of 1970s London, to vivid and contrasting colours that make the film seem even more cinematic. It’s something that begs to be seen on the big screen, and while this is available on Disney Plus at an extra fee, it is worth going out to see it at the cinema.
Finishing at around 2 hours and 20 minutes, the film does have a slight problem with length. It could do with some trimming down. It doesn’t get boring, and I didn’t check the time or wish it was over sooner, but it does feel a little bloated and could be made shorter.

Cruella is vivid and alive with colour and an amazing songbook. Emma Stone is fantastic in the title role. I have a new favourite live action Disney remake and it’s going to take a lot to take the top spot.

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A Quiet Place Part II – Review

Posted on June 1, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: John Krasinski

Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe and John Krasinski

Rating: ★★★★

I need to make it clear from the beginning that I didn’t like the first quiet place. I thought the characters were stupid and when they left the toy and batteries on the counter at the beginning of the film, in front of their child who is obviously going to pick them back up, It completely took me out of a film and no matter how much it tried, I wasn’t dragged back in. I also haven’t rewatched it to see if I can overlook this on a second viewing.

That being said, I was looking forward to the second film coming out. It looked good from the trailers. A Quiet Place part 2 starts with showing us the beginning of the invasion, showing Day 1. Lee Abbot, played by director John Krasinski, and family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe) are at a kid-league baseball match when the aliens hit down. The whole opening is full of tension and horror. It’s perfectly shot, with a fluid camera that follows the family as they run for their lives. It’s hectic, full of panic and truely scary. You’ll find yourself holding your breath with the characters, even though you know they survive at least day 1.

The film then skips to the exact moment the first one ends and gives a short moment of pause before the tension starts to build again. Now that the farm is destroyed Evelyn (Emily Blunt), takes her 2 children to where they know another survivor is holed up. Once they are there they pick up a radio broadcast and Regan (Millicent Simmonds) figures out that they could use this to broadcast the feedback from her hearing aid, which they discovered at the end of the first one would stop the creatures and unmask a vulnerability. Regan, followed by the newcomer Emmett (Cillian Murphy), travel to the source of broadcast.

Much like the first one, this film is filled with tension and a very quiet ambience that makes you feel guilty for moving in your seat or even thinking about taking a snack into the screen. It all adds to the tense horror on screen. There is a few jump-scares throughout but these aren’t heavily leaned on or overused. It works and does create a sense of dread that persists through the whole film.

There is one moment where the new-born baby is in danger of suffocation as they are stuck in an air-tight container to escape a monster. I think the tension fails here slightly. There is no way a mainstream horror film is going to kill a 2 day old baby by suffocation. It’s contrived to add extra tension that falls flat. There is also one moment towards the end that makes little sense. SPOILER ALERT – when they get to the town where the radio broadcast is, they don’t immediately take the hearing aid to broadcast it, which leads to the climatic scene. They leave it until the next morning, as if Regan isn’t bother about her siblings and mother being stuck and potentially surrounded by the monsters, let alone the rest of the survivors who are out there. – End Spoiler. This stupid plot point is just used to create a climatic finale, that could have been avoided if the characters acted like people who have spent the better part of 2 years in this post-apocalyptic hellscape.

Even with this though, it didn’t distract from the film when I was watching it. It bothered me a little, but nothing like the opening of the first one. I enjoyed this one a lot more and I hope a sequel is on the way. It’s just over 90 minutes, which flies past and feels a lot shorter.

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