Dune + The French Dispatch + Last Night in Soho - Movie Reviews - Everything coming out at once

When observing the 2021 release schedule, I couldn't help but notice that a bunch of things I've been eagerly anticipating all seem to be coming out at once, that time being now in October. Despite September being considerably bare in terms of new releases aside from Marvel's Shang-Chi, all the notable stuff has been piled on top of each other, which is frustrating. 

Anyway, I have been able to see some of the things I was most keen to watch, and because I'm very short of time due to university work and also because I don't have an awful lot to say about each, I thought I'd condense my thoughts into very bite-sized reviews. 

The first of these films is Dune, the new film from Denis Villeneuve. I was very excited for this film purely because it just looked remarkable. I have read the original book, but I wasn't overly keen on it. I found it quite difficult to keep track of all the aspects of this world and it felt as if the story unfolded at an extremely slow pace. I thought the film would have an advantage and be able to engage me in this world and this story in ways that the book failed to. Plus, I like every member of the large ensemble cast, and I am also a fan of Villeneuve, especially his film Arrival. The film centres on a boy named Paul, gifted and soon-to-be the leader of his people. However, through a series of extreme events, he'll find where his true destiny lies.

Almost everything I find praiseworthy about Dune has been said by countless others, so I don't have much to add to the discussion. The best thing about the film is the scope; it feels enormous. You really get the sense of just how vast the world of this film is, which is only enhanced by a cinematic experience. But, close attention is given to all the little details as well. There's one particular moment I love in which, during a big action scene, Paul steps out of a ship and has a moment of tranquility as he feels the sand of which the surface is made, which helped make the world feel very lived in and tangible. I also think the film definitely does a better job than the book in terms of bringing this world to life, and purely because of the visual side of it. Everyone in the cast was great, the cinematography really aided capturing this world, the score was tremendously powerful and effective, and although the film is essentially just two and a half hours of set-up for what's coming next, the masterful filmmaking made it consistently engaging and rarely dull. Towards the end it definitely does start to drag a bit, and to be honest, the dull nature of the colour palette did make the film quite visually tiring as it went on, but Dune remains an astonishing piece of work and I am ever so glad that more of it is on the way. 

I'm going to give Dune an 8.5/10

The second of these films was Wes Anderson's latest outing, The French Dispatch. As much as I was looking forward to this, I should clarify that I am quite torn when it comes to Wes Anderson. I find his films are always visually very pleasing with enjoyable performances and generally charming and funny antics, however, from a narrative standpoint, they begin to falter as they never really engage me. I like most of what I've seen from him, namely Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel, but overall I'm not the biggest fan. This film chronicles a series of individual narratives that make up an issue of the newspaper known as The French Dispatch. 

My issues with Anderson's films a kind of summarised by this film. Stylistically and visually, I love it. The way the shots are framed is wonderful, the colours are all very appealing (when it's not in black and white), and the cinematography is as sharp and dynamic as you'd expect. As is the case with most Wes Anderson productions, it stars basically every single actor in the world, and everyone is doing a terrific job and making the most of what they're given, which for some is only a few scenes. There are also moments that I found really enjoyable and charming; I mean, it is very difficult to resist overall. However, I just couldn't bring myself to engage in each of these stories. Some have said they found the film to be overloaded with content and difficult to follow - I didn't take issue with this but I most definitely found the film difficult to engage in. I have no doubt that this issue is exclusive to me, so don't be deterred from seeing the film after reading this. If you're all over Wes Anderson films then I can't reccomend this enough as it is basically the epitome of what he's known for, but if you're somewhat in the dark like me, you may have some trouble. 

I'm going the give The French Dispatch a 6.0/10

The third and final film I saw during this extremely congested time was another very highly anticipated one, Last Night in Soho. This is Edgar Wright's newest film, and he's probably my all-time favourite director if I had to choose. Even though this was a diversion from his usual sort of film, that being a comedy, I was still really excited. It looked so twisted and eerie in all the right ways, and it was rated 18 meaning it would be my first time watching an 18 at the cinema, as I'm finally old enough to. Thank goodness this was delayed a year is all I can say. The story involves a young aspiring fashion designer named Eloise who travels to London to study, but soon starts to have strange visions of the life of a woman named Sandie in 1960s London. This seems to positively impact her at first, but as the dark side of Sandie's experiences show themselves, Eloise's sanity begins to deteriorate.

Stylistically, this doesn't feel like much of an Edgar Wright film. It doesn't have any of the snappy, fast-paced editing you've come to expect as the film is, as I said, not in his usual territory. It feels as if anyone could've helmed the film to be honest. However, when turning your attention to the script, I think his presence is fairly obvious. This is another very tightly written film with narrative beats as well as twists and turns that all feel very organic and well set-up. Honestly, I loved the story and how it unfolds. The way it slowly gets darker and darker as Eloise's visions and reality begin to blur is really profound. It's also a visual treat too; with the extreme colours selling a really twisted atmosphere and juxtaposing the presentation of the real world wonderfully. The overall atmosphere of this film is so unsettling but also beautiful in a way. It's also very well acted, with Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy not only both having wonderfully expressive eyes but also giving really engaging performances. For me, I only really had trouble with the pace at points, with parts of the first act feeling a tad rushed and the ending not being well fleshed out at all. I'd love to see this again because I feel it'll get better and also because I want to experience the utter madness it offers again as it was just something else. This isn't Edgar Wright's best film by some distance, the Cornetto Trilogy and Scott Pilgrim are definitely more to my liking overall, but I will say this was a more interesting experience than Baby Driver, which I'm not completely keen on. He has one of the best filmographies of any director working today, and this is further proof that he never lets us down.

I'm going to give Last Night in Soho an 8.5/10

So, that's a brief look at some of things I watched in the last week. I want to see other things out at the moment like The Last Duel and Ron's Gone Wrong, but I just haven't had the time to with all this other, more interesting, stuff out, as well as more on the way such as Eternals, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Encanto to name a few. I may not be able to consistenly write in-depth reviews for new films I've seen anymore, so don't be surprised if this format becomes commonplace. I personally don't mind being concise with my thoughts anyway as usually I don't even really have much to say. Do check out my Letterboxd for more though: Jack W.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage - Movie Review - An improvement from before, if that means anything

I wasn't particularly fond of Venom from 2018. I thought it was fine; definitely not as bad as lot of others said but also not too good either, especially when compared to other superhero movies that came out around the same time. I wasn't initially planning on watching this follow-up, but with being at university and looking for any excuse to not do the heaps of work I have to do, I thought it'd be a sufficient way to pass some time. 

In the film, Eddie and Venom's relationship is tested as their contrasting desires reach a boiling point, and at the same time, a serial killer by the name of Cletus Kasady has been infected with another symbiote called Carnage, and proceeds to go on a rampage after escaping prison. So, the two need to put their differences aside to defeat this new foe. 

Here's the thing, I've only seen the first Venom movie once, when I saw it in the cinema over three years ago. I couldn't be bothered to rewatch it in preparation for this so I instead had to reread my original review of the film to kind of refresh myself on what my specific pros and cons were with it, even though I could remember my overall outlook. 

One thing I do remember being problematic about that original film was the pace. It took an awfully long time to get going and as a whole just went on for way longer than it needed to. These movies don't have interesting themes to explore or well-rounded characters to develop, they're purely focused on all the chaotic action they can throw at the screen, so two hours is a little excessive, especially when the majority of the first hour doesn't have much action. Let There Be Carnage clearly understands this as it's barely ninety minutes in runtime and it moves along at a very brisk pace throughout. Granted, it doesn't have the burden of being an origin story which the first film did, so it is in a better position to just cut to the chase. 

Aside from that, everything else is mostly unchanged. The action is more of what the original offered; that being noisy and chaotic roaring, smashing, and exploding. Its fun at times and doesn't really get too tiring as the film isn't long enough to let it drag on. The dynamic between Eddie and Venom is really fun, a lot more entertaining than I remember the first film being, which was welcome. Tom Hardy is still decent in the role, Woody Harrelson is very enjoyable as the villain, and Naomie Harris, who plays another villainous character called Shriek, was also really good in the film. So, if you enjoyed the first Venom, I think you'll certainly enjoy this as well because most of what it brings to the table is basically the same in terms of quality.

There's not really much else to be said. All things considered, Venom: Let There Be Carnage was just alright. I think it accomplished everything that it had to achieve as a sequel to Venom, with more of what that film offered in terms of action and tone, but I think it marginally has the upper hand for me because it's far shorter and moves along at a much smoother pace. Still, it's nothing I'll be rushing to see again or really thinking about much again, but it was certainly a fun ninety minutes.

I'm going to give Venom: Let There Be Carnage a 6.0/10

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the mid-credits scene. I won't say what happens, but I thought it was really cool and I'm excited to see exactly what it means going forward!

No Time to Die - Movie Review - A fitting farewell to Daniel Craig's James Bond

I'm not the biggest fan of James Bond. Despite being a franchise that has been around since the 1960s, I've hardly seen any of the movies. That being said, I do like most of the ones I've seen, and the era of this character that I have by far the most connection to is its most recent iteration, with Daniel Craig as 007. Casino Royale and Skyfall are both really effective and enjoyable action movies, Spectre is flawed but still solid overall, and Quantum of Solace also exists. So, with my enjoyment of most of these particular entries, I was of course keen to see where the character would be going next.

No Time to Die is generally regarded as the first major film to have it's release date postponed due to COVID, a choice which many of us thought was just a silly one-off at the time, but in the span of about two weeks became very commonplace and eventually an inevitability, with lockdown closing cinemas around the world for months. While most films that were pushed back at around the same time such as A Quiet Place Part II and Black Widow made their way to the screen earlier this year, this film has just been sitting on a shelf for all that time, despite many chances to release it arising. I began to get concerned that once it finally came out it would end up being a disappointment. With so much time spent pushing it back and thus building up the expectation that it's something worth waiting for, even if it was a perfectly solid movie, that might not have been good enough. So, now that it's finally here, the big question is, was it worth it? 

In the film, James Bond has been peacefully living life after leaving active service at MI6. But, he is called back into action when a new sinister plot begins to unfold and threatens the safety of those he cares about among many others. That's really all that needs to be said in terms of plot. If you're worried about things being spoiled then I'd advise to not read on and just wait until you've seen the film, because even though I won't be going into spoilers with my thoughts on the film, some of what I say could still ruin your experience as my vague comments can still largely suggest specific details that you're better off not knowing going into the film.

After the whole ordeal that was getting this film to the screen, not only with COVID but also after the directorial shift during production, it's a massive relief that it turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable watch. I never got the sense that what I was watching was a hodgepodge, which films that go through this sort of production difficulties often do. It has a lot of the things that the best films during Daniel Craig's time as 007 have had.

Firstly, the action is very well done. The sequence near the start in particular (which a lot of has been shown in the trailer) was very exciting, with Bond swinging from bridges, zipping around on a motorbike, and then driving around in his car with guns that come out of the headlights, it's all jolly good. There's also a well crafted shoot out in Cuba, a nerve-racking encounter at sea, a tense chase through a forest, and plenty more that makes this film very enjoyable from an action standpoint. I was lucky enough to see this film in IMAX (as I've recently moved to university and have an IMAX cinema just down the road!) and that certainly enhanced a lot of these sequences, especially because some were actually shot with 70mm cameras. It's great to see more filmmakers beyond people like Christopher Nolan and J.J. Abrams using this in their films, as I do think it is highly effective.

The performances are all very strong too. Daniel Craig continues to be terrific as James Bond. I was a little worried that, after his very vocal reluctance to return to the role after Spectre, his performance would visibly convey his waning enthusiasm. However, I needn't have worried, as he's still the charming, suave, and charismatic character that he always was. I can't say if I think he's the best Bond, as I'm quite unfamiliar with all the other versions, but I can safely say that he played this character in a way that kept me engaged. I really think that it will be difficult to replace him if the series is to proceed. Aside from him, everyone else in the cast was great, whether it be the usuals like Ralph Fiennes, Jeffrey Wright, Ben Whishaw, and Naomie Harris, or newcomers like Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, and Ana de Armas.

In terms of the theme song, I think it's one of the best. I'm not a huge fan of Billie Eilish but I thought she did an excellent job with this Bond theme. My favourite one is probably still that of Casino Royale, but I'd say this is a close second. Also on the topic of music, Hans Zimmer's score was really awesome; not his most memorable work but still very effective. 

There are a few problems with the movie but nothing major; most of them revolve around narrative and pace to some extent. 

I wasn't so keen on the villain overall. Rami Malek is expectedly brilliant in the role, but I thought his plan seemed a little generic and too over-the-top. The antagonists in Daniel Craig's Bond movies like Le Chiffre and Silva weren't just well acted and entertaining but had motivations that felt a lot more down to earth, which tonally alligns with the serious nature of the films. While Safin's plan isn't inherently bonkers and is decently implemented through some personal connections to Bond, it still seemed very plain and somewhat ill-fitting. Incidentally, while watching the film and learning of Safin's evil plan, I couldn't help but feel like the possibility of poor box office results wasn't the only reason why the movie was delayed... you'll understand what I mean if you've seen the film.

Despite this being the last film for Daniel Craig as Bond, it didn't entirely feel like much of a finale. The stakes are higher than usual and the way it ends definitely gives a sense of closure, but for the most part, I don't know what it is, but I just didn't feel like this was the final mission or anything. The best conclusions of franchises, such as Return of the King or Avengers: Endgame, manage to successfully have a certain atmosphere that makes the audience aware that this is the final stretch beyond the awareness that it is going into the film, and I don't think No Time to Die had that, as most of the shenanigans throughout were reminiscent of any other Bond film. 

Also, I think the ending was kind of rushed; the consequences of what ends up happening didn't seem to be fully explored or emphasised. Again, the best conclusions really let the impact of what happens in the end sink in, which this didn't. Of course, the movie already has a hefty runtime that's just twenty or so minutes short of three hours, but it rarely felt like it was dragging for me a lot of the time, so expanding on the ending would've probably been fine.

With all this being said, I thought the ending in and of itself was terrific. I can't say it was the most unexpected way to go, but that's not to say I was waiting for it to happen; it still struck me as a really bold choice, and a very fitting one too. The film caps off on a vastly satisfying note, though I definitely think a little more time spent fully coming to terms with where it ends up would've improved it. There's also a wonderful quote referenced near the ending. I won't say what it is as that'd definitely give away what happens, but you'll know it when it comes up, and I thought it was beautiful. My vague comments have almost certainly alluded to what happens in the end even if I haven't clarified it, so apologies if this did indirectly ruin the movie for you!

As a whole, No Time to Die wasn't anything groundbreaking, but I certainly think it was worth waiting the extra eighteen months or so for it to arrive. It has all the exhilarating action and charming characters you've come to expect, and goes to places that you perhaps wouldn't expect, wrapping up this iteration of the character in a way that's highly satisfying, if not as well fleshed out as it could've been. It rather snugly finds it's place right down the middle of Craig's run as 007, not quite reaching the highs of Casino Royale and Skyfall, but being a fair amount better than Spectre and way better than Quantum of Solace. In hindsight, I'm actually glad the release of this film was held off for as long as it was; because squeezing it in as soon as possible instead of waiting for the right time could've easily robbed it of its dramatic weight. Defintely give it a watch if you're a Bond fan, I doubt you'll come out disappointed. 

I'm going to give No Time to Die an 8.0/10