Save the Cinema – Film Review

Posted on January 16, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter
Save the Cinema (2022) - IMDb

Director: Sara Sugarman

Writer: Piers Ashworth

Starring: Samantha Morton, Jonathan Pryce, Tom Felton, Owen Teale, Erin Richards, Owain Yeoman, Adeel Akhtar, Susan Wokoma, Jason Hughes, and Rhod Gilbert

Rating: ★★★½

Save the Cinema, a true story about Liz Evans and her efforts to save the Lyric Theatre from closure in 1993, is ironically not being shown in cinemas but instead through Sky Cinema and NOW TV. It’s still a strangely uplifting and enjoyable film that’s drenched in sentimentality and a heart-warming story.  

Liz Evans (Samantha Morton) teaches a youth acting group, putting on productions at their local theatre/cinema in Carmarthen, Wales. A vote at a council meeting means that the Lyric Theatre will be closed to make way for a new shopping centre. Liz puts on one last production, of Oliver!, then through reliving her memories decides to move into the theatre in the hope to stop the building from being torn down. Soon, other members of the community join in with her mission and start to show films to show that people still use the Lyric Theatre.

It would be very easy to dismiss Save the Cinema, as overly sentimental with a glossy outlook on the situation and making the mayor of Carmarthen as a pure villain. That doesn’t mean that it’s not genuinely moving to see a story about how one person inspired a movement to save a piece of local history. It’s not really a spoiler to save that the theatre was saved, with a little bit of help from Stephen Spielberg, because there wouldn’t be a film otherwise. Like Dream Horse from last year, this is about a community coming together to achieve something and it’s just as uplifting and feel-good as you’d expect. It’s impossible not to have a smile on your face while watching this.

The cast is pretty great, with so many people appearing throughout, form former Harry Potter star Tom Felton, Gotham’s Erin Richards, and even an appearance from stand-up comedian Rhod Gilbert. Among plenty of other faces you’ll recognise. Everyone is great and you can really feel that this is a passion project for a lot of people. It’s a fitting tribute to Liz Evans, who died in 2004. Her family was involved in the film, with her son, Wynne Evans, making a guest appearance, which UK viewers will recognise as the ‘Go Compare Man’.

Save the Cinema is funny, heartfelt, and a celebration of life and the arts. It’s not going to go down as a history changing film, but it’s the perfect thing to put on during a slow Sunday afternoon.

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Hotel Transylvania: Transformania – Film Review

Posted on January 15, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022) - IMDb

Directors: Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon

Writers: Amos Vernon, Nunzio Randazzo, and Genndy Tartakovsky

Starring: Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Space, Keegan-Michael Key, Brian Hull

Rating: ★★★½

Hotel Transylvania was a really nice surprise when it first came out in 2012. It was a genuinely good family film that worked for people of all ages, and while the sequels haven’t been able to surpass it, they have all been more than worth watching. The fourth, and apparently final, entry to the series, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, is just as good and entertaining as the previous entries, even if the replacement casting is a little jarring at points.

Transformania keeps up the same all-ages humour that the series is well known for and is fun for people of all ages. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and the plot is easy going. It’s the perfect eightyish minute film to put on during a Sunday afternoon. It’s not breaking any barriers, or going to leave an emotional scar on you like some Disney films, but everyone watching is going to have a good time. When it’s funny, it’s really funny, and there isn’t a single point where the film feels like it’s dragging or slow. While it’s being marketed as the final outing for the monsters, it doesn’t feel like that during the film. It’s about starting a new chapter and feels like there should be more coming afterwards. Only time will tell.

Adam Sandler, who voiced Dracula in the previous three films, has been replaced by impressionist Brian Hull. While Hull does a decent Sandler impression, it’s still not the real deal. His performance just doesn’t have the same zany over-the-topness that Sandler brought to Dracula, and it’s a real shame. Kevin James also doesn’t return, although his character isn’t as central as Drac, so it’s not as jarring to watch. The rest of the cast are back though, and they are all great.

The animation is exactly what you’d expect from Sony, it looks good and is polished. It’s not going to rival Pixar anytime soon, but it’s still more than decent and there’s nothing distracting or out of place. The story itself is fun and engaging, with a device that turns monsters into humans and vice versa, and the group must travel in order to reverse it. At the centre of the story is the themes of family and acceptance. Dracula and his son in law Johnny (Andy Samberg) have to find a common ground and work together.

If this is the final entry to the Hotel Transylvania series, then it’s going out on a strong note. It may not be as great as the original, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had.

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Scream (2022) – Film Review

Posted on January 15, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter
Scream (2022) - IMDb

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Writers: James Venderbilt and Guy Busick

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Dylan Minnette, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mikey Madison, Sonia Ben Ammar, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell

Rating: ★★★★

It’s been a little over twenty-five years since the original Scream gave new life to the slasher genre, since then there’s sequels and a TV show remake, and now the fifth film in the series, almost eleven years after Scream 4. The fifth film, simply titled Scream somehow manages to keep the magic going and adds another near perfect entry to the franchise.

It’s been twenty-five years since the first massacre in Woodsboro, and there’s a new copy-cat on the loose. This time the killer seems to be hunting down people who have a connection to the past events. The first attack on teenager Tara (Jenna Ortega) echoes the first killing all those years before. In response Tara’s sister, Samantha (Melissa Barrera) comes back to Woodsboro after five years to protect her sister and uncover the truth.

This may be the first Scream film that wasn’t directed by Wes Craven, but you can still feel his influence all over the film. There’s even a character named after him, and the film itself is dedicated to his memory. It’s still filled with the same meta humour as the previous films, and the same level of terror as Ghostface racks up a body count. This time around the gore is increased, with some gruesome stabbings and gallons of blood. The stakes are also a lot higher, with some literal gut punches throughout.

In the same way that Scream 4 was filled with commentary on reboots, this one is commenting on requels, half remake and half sequel. Even the fact that the film isn’t called Scream 5, as it should be, is a punchline in the film. The title follows in the trend of Halloween (2018), which is a sequel to the original Halloween, or Candyman (2021), which again is a sequel. There’s an entire speech in the film explaining the trend of requels and how some work and some don’t, using the in-universe Stab franchise as a thinly veiled jab at the toxic side of the Star Wars fanbase. You’ll be surprised to find a whole speech around the divisive reception of The Last Jedi, hidden as Stab 8. The meta humour is on point and really works. Unlike the previous films, outside of the bursts of meta humour, this isn’t that funny. It’s more focused on an all-out bloodbath, than comedy.

The plot beats are very familiar. Scream has a formula and this one doesn’t stray away from it too much. There are a few twists you won’t see coming, and some that you will see coming. As much as the film comments on what fans want and how stories just recycle the same plot, it doesn’t do much to stray from that either. If you click with the franchise, then you’re probably going to get along with this one, and if you don’t like the series, then this isn’t going to do much to win you over. There are a lot of returning characters from the series, as well as some nice surprises with call backs. As well as a couple of deep stabs to your heart.

Going back to Woodsboro and catching up with everyone after a decade away is still just as entertaining as it was in the previous sequels. The legacy characters are all excellent, and surprisingly they aren’t the main focus of the story. While they do appear throughout and are integral to the story, the story is being handed to the next generation. In some ways it’s setting up sequels that don’t need to rely on Sidney Prescott.

Scream is another excellent entry to the franchise. It’s gory and funny. Filled with references to other horror films and a great tribute to one of the greatest horror directors ever. The franchise is in good hands.

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Home (2020) – Film Review

Posted on January 14, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Franka Potente

Writer: Franka Potente

Starring: Jake McLaughlin, Kathy Bates, Aisling Franciosi, Derek Richardson, James Jordan, Lil Rel Howery, and Stephen Root

Rating: ★★★

Franka Potente makes her directorial debut with Home, which she also wrote the screenplay for. It’s a story of redemption, guilt, and above all else family. It’s a slow-burn drama that takes it’s time to tell a story, focusing on the personal rather than the sensational.

For the last seventeen years Marvin (Jake McLaughlin) has been doing time for murdering an old woman in his neighbourhood. Now that he’s out of prison he returns home to find his mother (Kathy Bates) is dying of cancer, and the community haven’t forgiven him. He must face the family of the woman he killed, as well as facing his own mother’s mortality.

The actual murder is kept a mystery for the entire film. You never get the full details of it, what actually happened or why Marvin did what he did. Instead, you just get glimpses, and it’s done in a powerful way. There’s a moment where someone says the last time they saw Marvin, he had blood all over his shoes. Another moment where his mother breaks down in tears because the woman was her friend. The murdered woman’s grandson says she wasn’t a nice person, and sometimes he wanted to kick her. It builds a picture, without letting you see the whole thing. The closest we get is when Marvin visits the scene of the crime and just stands there with strange music playing the background.

The murder isn’t important though, it’s the present that’s the focus of the story. Marvin is looking for redemption, he’s done his time and now is looking to move forward. He’s missed out on a lot over the last seventeen years. He’s not sure how to use a smartphone, people don’t listen to CDs anymore, and he hasn’t kept up to date with his family and those that have been lost while he’s been in prison. Marvin is a man out of time, and it weighs on him. By focusing on the present and the way Marvin is trying to re-join society Home is a very moving film at points, there’s a rawness to everything that feels very real and authentic.

Everyone in the main cast is absolutely great. Jake McLaughlin and Kathy Bates both deliver exceptional performances and really work well together whenever they’re on screen together. The rebuilding of their relationship is the highlight of the film, just seeing them playing games is enough to keep you hooked. Lil Rel Howery is as excellent as ever as the carer who has been looking after Marvin’s mother while she’s been ill. It’s a more subdued performance than his normal loud comedy, and Howery is still great at it.

The biggest issue with the film is some of the characters just don’t act human. When Marvin first makes his way to town, he meets a woman who works at a café who just offers to make out with him for no reason, then he goes into a convenience store for coffee and gets strange service by the checkout lady and her boss. They act in the most bizarre ways imaginable, and they would be more at home in the town of Twin Peaks. Then there’s the priest, Father Browning (Stephen Root), who seems to have no faith himself, other than to forgive. He insults the people in the church during his sermon, and then sits down at the end of it taking of his vestment.

The strangest way someone acts, and what will be the biggest hurdle the film has to jump to keep your attention, is that Delta (Aisling Franciosi) falls in love with Marvin, despite it being her grandma who he murdered. She seems to forgive him way to easily, and there’s not much in the way of an explanation for that. Delta says she doesn’t remember her grandma’s mother, just the person she was, but it’s still a stretch. If you can let that one slide, then the rest of the film will be really moving, but that plot point will be a hard mountain to get over for some.

Home is a really strong drama, if you can ignore the flaws in its characters. It’s filled with strong performances, and by side-stepping explaining or justifying the murder it also avoids some of the usual clichés of redemption stories. Jack McLaughlin is great in it.

Home will be available on Digital Download from 24th January

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What I’m Planning on Reading this Year

Posted on January 14, 2022 by ashleymanningwriter

Happy Friday! Since it’s still very early into 2022, I’m making plans of the books I’m going to read before the year is out. First up is something I started reading yesterday. Sanshirō by Natsume Sōseki. It’s a shortish book, around 230 pages, so I’m hoping that will kick start me into 2022, as towards the end of last year I was barely reading anything that wasn’t manga. I’m very intrigued by the small section that I’ve started so far.

Sanshiro: Natsume Soseki (Penguin Classics): Amazon.co.uk: Soseki, Natsume, Murakami, Haruki, Rubin, Jay: 8601300102818: Books

Next is a book I started last year, but haven’t finished. I’m about 10% through it and enjoying it so far, but just haven’t had the time. That book is Are We Monsters by Rollin Miller. I’m not 100% sure what’s going on in the story just yet, but I plan on reading more soon.

Amazon.com: Are We Monsters eBook : Miller, Rollin: Kindle Store

After that I’m going to read Gwendy’s Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar. It’s a sequel to a book that Chizmar wrote with Stephen King, and the final part of the trilogy is due out later this year, which again is co-written by King, so I need to catch up to read King’s latest book.

Gwendy's Magic Feather: Amazon.co.uk: 9781587677311: Books

Another book that I’m really looking forward to is The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. Scalzi is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers, and if you combine that with Kaiju, then I’m there for it.

The Kaiju Preservation Society eBook by John Scalzi - 9781509835331 | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom

Finally, for at least the 5 I’m 100% going to read is The Lord of the Rings. This is something I’ve been meaning to read for a very long time. I’ve started it before and just never finished it. This time I’m going to read the whole thing. The Hobbit is one of my favourite books and I’ve read that at least 7 times. It’s time I read the sequel in full.

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien | Waterstones

So those are the main five books that I’m aiming to read this year. What are you planning on reading? Let me know below.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

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