Film Reviews by AER

Vincent Ward is a film director that relies heavily on startling visuals and editing to tell his stories. He is like New Zealand's Terry Gilliam in some respects. Sadly, his career has spluttered along and never quite caught fire. He worked on Alien 3 for ages before walking away (he had the idea of Monks on a wooden planet! Can you imagine?) Vigil was his second film after The Navigator and it's probably his smallest film in scale and it has some powerful sections. However, it begs a lot of questions of the viewer along the way, and it distracts from bonding with the potentially interesting characters. Much is shrouded in mystery and it may take one or two viewings to get under its skin. There are quite a few of these great films from 80s New Zealand that are worth a look like The Quiet Earth, Smash Palace, and Utu. Get involved.

6 out of 10

In The House is another clever time-passer from imaginative French director Francois Ozon. He never makes the same film twice and this one has a tight plot that paints itself into a corner by the time it ends. But sometimes its the journey rather than the destination that makes some films enjyable. The ending is an unconvincing rush job, like the scriptwriter ran out of options for his creation, and that's a shame because much of the actual story revolves around the construction of successful storytelling. It's never less than entertaining though but it has far less to say than it might think it does. Take it as a light farce and you'll find much to enjoy, like me.

6 out of 10

Out of the five Daniel Craig films, I'd rate this as third best after Casino Royale, and Skyfall. It has lots of good set-pieces, the action-packed chases in Italy (seen in the trailers for the last 2 years - nearly) and a snappy cameo from Ana De Armas as a scene-stealing special agent. Rami Malek's villain is interesting too (but not very complex) although his scheme for a world domination is cool this for this run around. My problem with No Time To Die was that it was a bit broad, the comedy doesn't work, and Bond's team (M, Q & Moneypenny) are left with little to do except quip / frown. The storytelling risks are not very good but well-played (I won't call them twists), and I think it was all a bit predictable if you think about how there's been much talk of making Bond more modern / less misogynistic / more human / relatable - bu then he's lost his uniqueness / his edge, so here we have a softer character that you might get mixed up with Dwayne Johnson's agent in Central Intelligence. haha.

The action delivered though, so I was impressed.

5 out of 10

The 60s element to Last Night in Soho are much better than the modern-day bits. The modern sections exist in a heightened film reality occupied by other big-budget British films like Bridget Jones (its recognisable as our world but it's a little bit too neat). The technical side to the film is mindblowing, seamless editing, choreography, blocking, and set design all add up to an immaculate looking film. Whilst this all counts, it needs a good story to land on, and this mystery will keep you guessing right up until the end. I was entertained and bewildered for much of the time; it's easy to follow with compelling characters. At times, some of the actors can't sell their characters to us - particularly newcomers Synnove Karlsen, and Michael Ajao who are saddled with stock-characters and bad lines - and I found this jarring. However, the lead actors were uniformly amazing and kept the intrigue levels high.

7 out of 10

This strange travelogue about a mysterious scholar, Robinson and an unnamed colleague narrated by Paul Scofield, was made in 1992 and released sometime at the cinema in 1993-94. It's a delight to revisit the London of the early 90s in all its faded glory. It's full of stunning imagery and bewitching curios about the cities history. Dramatically non-existent, it's still a wonderful way to spend 90 minutes. It serves as a time machine back to the details our memories never retain.

One of a trilogy - followed by Robinson in Space, and Robinson in Ruins.

8 out of 10

Denis Villeneuve has done it again - this is the Dune we've been waiting for. Well-acted, easier to follow than David Lynch's 1984 adaptation, and cast with a great set of actors. The look and feel of the film is spot on and part 2 should be made to complete this story. Dare I say it though, as good as the backdrop and acting was, I found it a bit dull, and the lack of characterisation (everyone is reduced to ciphers) a bit disappointing. So, the jury is still out until the second film comes out.

5 out of 10

Watch this for the sumptuous visuals. I've never seen a film that is structured by dream logic, yet Long Day's Journey Through Night is a such a beast. It's difficult to follow as the plot is light and disappears in a trice. I feel like the 2.15 hr movie is a very long trailer for the expertly edited and wonderful 2 minute trailer which makes about the same amount of sense. It's dazzling to look at - a gift for the eyes and the ears, but those looking for cohesive storylines may not give this the amount of effort it needs. Sadly, it defeated me, although I watched the whole thing. Even my house began to spin....

3 out of 10

Go into a viewing of Vivarium with as little prior knowledge as possible. I won't spoil the plot of this interesting and gripping existential horror film. Good performances boost the surreal and off-kilter elements to this very strange film that is an allegory for the perils of suburban lives and the aspirational drives and conventions placed upon most of us these days. It's also pretty chilling and rewarding for those with a soupcon of patience. This plays like a feature-length episode of Black Mirror or the Twilight Zone, and doesn't suffer from those comparisons. Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jonathan Aris (in particular) as the three principles all embody their weird roles with perfection.

Wonderful - 8 out of 10

This is moviemaking with stencils and made according to strict blueprints - however, nobody went to see a GI Joe movie for originality, grit and realism. For me, Snake Eyes was all about the fight sequences which are short, varied, and fairly thrilling. It's OK to switch off when the characters are talking to one another as it never amounted to anything interesting. I enjoyed the scene at the docks where the lorry Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are driving gets riddled with samurai swords in a fierce battle. It's fun but nothing special. It's very thin.

3 out of 10

Even though this could have done with some judicious editing, The Last Duel is a chilling tale of the kind we don't see so much anymore. It was refreshing to see an old fashioned film with knights, horses and battles featuring some great actors. The plot device of telling the same story from three different POV's could have worked if each strand was substantially different from the last and its an awkward fit for a pretty straight story. Less fussiness would've have given The Last Duel its much needed pace. Where the strengths lie are in the superb performances by Matt Damon (His best for ages), Ben Affleck, and Jodie Comer. The central duel does not disappoint and the ending is quite harrowing. It's a solid and entertaining film and worth checking out. Ben Affleck & Matt Damon co-wrote this alongside the sometime director of the Parks & Recreation series, Nicole Holocefener.

7 out of 10

This film doesn't show an inkling as to why it exists for the most part of its running time, such are the lethal-strength cliches that dog Malignant. However, when the twist in the tale is out of the bag it redeems itself for a short spell as it turns from a tired and badly-acted J-Horror into a pretty good action film with chase sequences. Otherwise this is another bum-note / one-note snore-fest from Blumhouse.

2 out of 10

Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train is a very chaotic, annoying, and alienating film that fails dramatically at getting under the skin of any of its characters. It's like somebody playing three jazz records at once. Nothing works in this drama about a very loathsome family that assembles to attend the funeral of a famous Parisian artist that wants to be buried in Limoges. It has some fleeting scenes of genius, like seeing a coffin being ferried at breakneck speed in the back of Peugeot estate whilst the family watch on from the train. But this is far too confused, and difficult to navigate, and the characters are without fail a humorless and disgusting bunch of backstabbing kn*bs. The worst French drama I've seen for many, many years.

This lively remake of George A Romero is an inside job produced by the maestro himself, alongside Menahem Globus (of Cannon Films notoriety) and directed by Tom Savini (the some-time actor and effects wizard from all the early DEAD films). The acting is OK from Patricia Tallman (Barbara), Tony Todd (Ben) (Candyman), Tom Towles (Cooper), and Bill Moseley (House of a 1000 Corpses) yet we've all seen so many ZOmbie films we'll be agog at the number of cardinal / common sense rules like doing a house sweep, or boarding up windows before the hordes turn up etc, etc. It does a fair job at reviewing certain parts of the first film to fit the later times (this was made in 1989 / released in UK cinemas in early 93) by making the heroine, Barbara more kick ass, adding changes to Ben's ultimate fate, and the coda. It's OK but its dated and been bettered by TV shows like The Walking Dead etc. Anyone coming to this as a newbie will find it rather quaint. One for completists and fans of Tony Todd - that are looking to see him excel in a rare leading role.

At face value this is just another John Wick knock-off, or another disposable shoot 'em up like SHOOT EM UP, or SHOOTING ACES. It serves fans of action films well and owes a debt to '90s bulletfests out of Hong Kong too by John Woo and Ringo Lam et al. Gunpowder Milkshake has a bit more charm than your average hitman/woman film though and add to this some interesting set-pieces and heaps of humorous, gory scenes, Gunpowder Milkshake is a cut above the competition. Plus its not a sequel / remake / reboot which has to go in its favour, right?

7.5 out of 10

This Irish film by photographer Perry Ogden is a fly-on-the-wall view of life as a traveller living in urban Dublin. Winnie is 10 and has been kicked out of school, and her family are being evicted from their location on council land. The council are obliged to provide running water and a school education for the travellers on their land, but through some underhanded means, the council get them to move and leave them with no choices but to carry on getting by. It's an engrossing film that follows the trails of young Winnie without preaching or making statements., Everything you need to understand the difficulties facing Winnie and her family are in plain view. Recommended, however, some will be turned off by the lack of production values and the camera work. It looks like it's been made in the Dogme 95-style (barring a few deviations).