Clerks III – Film Review

Posted on September 15, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Kevin Smith

Writer: Kevin Smith

Starring: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Kevin Smith

Clerks III is finally here and it’s worth the almost decade wait. In that time the film was at one point scrapped, other now-cancelled films were in the works, Kevin Smith had a heart attack, and then brought back the iconic Jay and Silent Bob in their Reboot. Now we get to catch up with Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) inside the Quick Stop.

Not a lot has changed in their lives in the sixteen years since the end of Clerks II. They’ve both gotten older, but their routines are largely the same as it was almost thirty years ago. The biggest difference is that Dante is struggling with the loss of his wife, Becky (Rosario Dawson, who died in a car accident in 2006. Randal, however, is still exactly the same, with no real ambition in life, that is until he has a heart attack that causes him to re-evaluate his legacy. Seeing that his existence has added up to nothing, Randal decides to make a film about the store that he’s worked in for most of his life, and sets to recreate his life.

This entry to the View Askew universe takes the meta-references to the next level, showing a timeline where the idea of making Clerks didn’t occur to the young Kevin Smith stand-in, Randall, and instead he’s almost fifty while still working at the Quick Stop. It’s a self-reflective story about the choices made in life, while also showing that no matter how ordinary our lives may seem there’s a great story in every one of them.  

As you’d expect from Kevin Smith, there are plenty of laughs to be had. Most of the humour comes from call-backs and references to jokes from the previous films, with Dante and Randall setting forth to recreate the funniest moments of their lives. The jokes still work, and Smith doesn’t miss the opportunity to make comment on some of the jokes, highlighting how times have changed in the years since Clerks was first released. It’s not a one-trick film though, and there’s loads of new comedy, and even a group of great cameos who turn up to audition for Randall’s film.

Underneath the humour there is a deeper element. Both Dante and Randall are looking back at their lives, for different reasons, and realising that they’re both stuck in the past. While Randall’s side of the story is much more silly and about making the film, plus the comedy that comes with that, Dante’s story is much darker. When Becky died his life was put on pause, and he can’t move on. For something from Kevin Smith, it’s really moving, and Brian O’Halloran does a great job at making it feel real and impactful.   

For anyone familiar to Smith’s podcasts, you’ll notice the similarities in his own life in this film. If you’ve heard him talk about his experience having a heart attack, then you’ll instantly recognise that story in Randal. It’s played out exactly the way that Smith describes it, really driving home how the characters and stories from Clerks have been borrowed from his own experiences.

Clerks III spends a lot of time looking backwards, recreating the greatest hits of Kevin Smith’s previous films. What makes it better than a clip-show is the surprising amount of emotional depth to it. The ending hits hard, and like Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, it shows a more sentimental side to Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse.

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Here Are the Young Men – Film Review

Posted on September 14, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Eoin Macken

Writer: Eoin Macken

Starring: Dean-Charles Chapman, Finn Cole, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Travis Fimmel, and Conleth Hill

Rating: ★★★

Here are the Young Men, which is written and directed by Eoin Macken, takes its name from the song ‘Decades’ by Joy Division. It’s a coming-of-age story about three friends who witness the death of a young girl, a car in a car accident, and all deal with the event in different ways, as it makes the fact that they’re going to die at some point really hit home.

The actual tragedy marks the moment that they are no longer children, which coincides with the end of school for them. They have to go on to live their lives and find their way in the world. They aren’t able to express to each other how they actually feel about the event, beyond that it was shocking. It isolates them. With most of their thoughts being shown to us in an imaginary TV studio rather than the characters actually connecting with each other.

Kearney (Finn Cole) doesn’t let the girl’s death affect him, as he knows that death is inevitable. His character is completely unhinged and he’s on the road to becoming a full-blown psycho, and he knows it. He can’t reveal his true nihilistic thoughts and disturbing lack of empathy to anyone, as he knows how they will react. All the way through the film he’s pushing it further and further, seeing how much he can get away with. It’s the origins of a truly chilling character, and the character arc is the highlight of the film.

Beyond that though the film is a poor attempt at capturing growing up in the early 2000s. It doesn’t really connect until the main plot gets going, and it spends a good twenty minutes meandering before that happens. It does feel that this film is trying really hard to be generation defining, like Trainspotting, but it just doesn’t work. It just doesn’t connect in any poignant way and that side of the film falls flat. What shines is the brilliant performances from the central cast and the demented and broken characters they play. Once you get past the first act the film really does come together and is very engrossing to watch.  

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Eagle vs Shark – Film Review

Posted on September 13, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Taika Waititi

Writer: Taika Waititi

Starring: Jemaine Clement, Loren Horsley, Craig Hall, Joel Tobeck

Rating: ★★★½

Taika Waititi’s first feature length film, Eagle vs Shark, was released in 2007. It’s a romantic comedy/drama about Lily (Loren Horsley, who also co-wrote the story with Waititi), a shy fast-food worker who has a crush on one of the regulars, Jarrod (Jemaine Clement). At lunch time, shortly after Lily has found out that she’s being let go at the end of the week, Jarrod comes in to invite one of her co-workers to an animal costume party. Instead, Lily decides to go dressed as a shark and she starts daring Jarrod shortly afterwards.

Almost immediately it’s clear that Jarrod has some strange qualities. Without giving any reason, he pranks calls someone in front of Lily just after they’ve gotten together, not making any explanation for why he’s done it. He then invites her to see the new Wolverine film, and doesn’t show up, blaming it on his depression. He’s a very odd and quirky character, and you’re not always sure that he’s the right fit for Lily. He’s not sinister or creepy but is desperately seeking his father’s approval and lies at every opportunity to gain it.

The main plot of the film is about Jarrod taking Lily back to his home town, not so she can meet his family, but so he can challenge his high school bully to a fight and get revenge. He only really takes Lily as her brother drives him. In general Jarrod doesn’t treat Lily very well, lying about her accomplishments to show off. He’s flawed character and despite that you do feel sympathy towards him, which is due to how well he’s written. Lily also feels very authentic, as someone who’s optimistic and is a bit of an outcast of the world. She’s a relatable character and Loren Horsley gives a great performance.

Even though this is Waititi’s first film you can already feel his style shining through. There’s the mix of drama, comedy and quirkiness that define all of his films. The characters are all off-beat outcasts who don’t really fit in and there’s a quirky sense of humour that doesn’t always take centre stage but there’s enough funny jokes to balance with the drama of the relationship.

You can also feel Wes Anderson’s influence over Waititi in this film, as the characters feel like they would fit right into the world of Bottle Rocket or Rushmore. There’s also some really beautiful stop-motion animation that blends into the live-action at points, which adds to the fun and whimsical nature of the film.

Eagle vs Shark is a story about outcasts finding love. It’s quirky and filled with outcast characters and feels completely unique.  

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Three Thousand Years of Longing – Film Review

Posted on September 12, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: George Miller

Writers: George Miller and Augusta Gore

Starring: Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton

Rating: ★★½

George Miller’s latest film, his first since Fury Road, is the romantic fantasy Three Thousand Years of Longing. It’s a visually stunning film, that doesn’t really have enough substance to back that up. Tilda Swinton stars as Alithea, a narratologist, who travels to Istanbul to give a talk on the subject. While travelling she finds a bottle, that contains a Djinn (Idris Elba). The Djinn needs Alithea to ask for three wishes in order to gain his freedom, while Alithea knows

Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba are both fantastic, making the story feel completely believable with their dedicated performances. There is a lot of chemistry between them, and they are both completely believable in their roles. The emotional weight is in their conversations within Alithea’s hotel room. There’s a lot of really great character building throughout the conversations.  

Visually the film is stunning, with great effects and cinematography. The flashbacks showing the Djinn’s past all look really great, with intricate sets and costumes. The magical powers are spellbinding to watch. It’s just a shame that the story doesn’t match up with how great everything looks. The opening of the film with Alithea arriving in Turkey and seeing spirits during the lectures leads you to believe this is going to be a fantastical adventure, and instead it turns out to be a much more understated love story.

Once it gets going, the story is nice and sweet, and the ending really works nicely. Throughout there’s very little obstacles and hardships in the main story, with most of that left for the flashbacks. Once you realise that so much of the story is just the Djinn retelling his life and there’s just not much more to it, then it all becomes a bit tedious. It feels very dragged out and would work a lot better as a short film. Maybe the short story it’s based on is better, but I can’t comment on that as I haven’t read it.

While it has a nice sentimental ending, it does takes it’s time getting there. The film is nowhere near as adventurous or fantastical as the trailer (that claims this was from the ‘mad genius’ George Miller) suggests, and instead is a more straight forward story that long outstays its welcome.

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See How They Run – Film Review

Posted on September 11, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Tom George

Writer: Mark Chappell

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, Harris Dickinson, David Oyelowo

Rating: ★★★★

The whodunit genre is going through a bit of a renaissance in recent years, with the fun Kenneth Branagh Poirot films and the excellent Knives Out (which is just about to get a sequel). See How They Run, which is directed by Tom George and written by Mark Chappell, is a really funny and self-aware love letter to the genre.

Adrien Brody stars as American director Leo Köpernick, who opens the film as a narrator dissecting and criticising the genre, while also revealing that he has been murdered. It’s 1953 and Köpernick was in London to start work on directing an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s play, The Mousetrap. Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) is forcibly teamed up with Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) to investigate the murder and it seems like everyone involved with the adaptation is a suspect.

While the film is very metareferential, it still really works as a murder mystery. Enough of the clues are there that you feel like it’s possible to figure it out, and the surprise ending is great. It’ll keep you guessing right up to the end, and the finale plays out excellently, calling back to an argument that Köpernick and the script writer Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo) had earlier in the film. It’s also really funny, with plenty of laugh-out-loud jokes throughout the short run time.

Sam Rockwell is excellent as Inspector Stoppard, a tired man who drinks too much, and seems to be fed up with the job and life in general. He’s the opposite of Constable Stalker, who’s learning on the job with eager enthusiasm, writing everything down in her notebook in case it’s important later. Saoirse Ronan is amazing in the role and is one of the funniest things about it. Both characters are brilliant, and their clashing personalities makes them that much more endearing.  

The whole story revolves around the Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap which in the film has just had its one hundredth performance. In real life, the play has been ongoing for seventy years, and is the West End’s longest running show heading towards twenty-nine thousand performances. The Mousetrap always ends with a request not to reveal the murderer to anyone, and this is how See How They Run begins (and ends), as the opening scene shows the hundredth show ending. There are tons of references to Christie’s play throughout the story, with the victim attempting to direct a movie adaptation, and his death seeming to be linked to the play. Even the title, See How They Run, is a reference to it. The film is a love letter to Christie, her play, and the genre as a whole. While having seen The Mousetrap is not essential, it definitely gives another layer to the film and makes the whole thing that much better.

This is a solid addition to the whodunit genre. While it starts with a narration that lambasts the genre as being stale and formulaic, it also shows that the classic formula still works. It’s light-hearted fun and a real joy to watch.

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