Circle (2015) REVIEW

“Circle” is a Sci-fi drama directed by Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione that focuses on a group of 50 strangers who have been kidnapped and forced to vote on who is to be executed next until only 1 is left. The atmosphere of mystery and anticipation apparent within “Circle” is very similar to that of “The Exam” (2009), pointing out flaws within society and personal stigmas that we all may hold.

The premise of “Circle” is certainly not the most unique but its added Sci-Fi twist does create a very dramatic atmosphere. Characters clash over issues ranging from race, sex and age, again reiterating how discriminatory people can be. The Sci-Fi twist of a potential alien race studying how humans interact seems to be a clear metaphor for how ridiculous and judgemental human can be. Although this film isn’t breaking any new grounds when it comes to a thought provoking message, the plot is enough to have you continue to watch even if it’s just to find how who survives!  

The 1 ½ star rating on Netflix may be a little bit harsh but it is understandable. Some of the acting and script is somewhat ‘questionable’ however watching 50 people senselessly vote on who will die next like some sort of morbid X-factor makes for surprisingly compelling viewing. I guess that’s what the aliens thought too. A stylish set and strangely compelling plot makes for a decent indie sci-fi flick.

2.5/5 – Not all that bad, although not all that good.

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Beasts Of No Nation (2015) REVIEW

Netflix original “Beasts of no nation” is a feature length drama starring Idris Elba as “The commandant” and Abraham Attah as “Agu”, a child solider fighting in a civil war in an unnamed African country.

“Beasts of no nation” is truly a heart wrenching story that illustrates the anguish of war from the perspective of a child whose innocence is stolen by the war and charismatic tyrant that is “The commandant” (Idris Elba). Director Cary Joji Fukunaga leaves little to the imagination with gory realism in many scenes that really exposes the brutal nature of war. Following the experiences of Agu, the child solider, having to experience moral decisions that no man, let alone a child, should ever experience is really a difficult yet fascinating watch.

Idris Elba provides a captivating and impactful performance bringing a real spellbinding aura to the character of “The commandant”, giving no doubt as to why these children of war torn families and towns trust this man. Abraham Attah is stand out amongst an array of talented child actors who act out and clearly understand these “adult” issues giving the roles unquestionable and gritty realism.

“Beasts of no nation” could possibly be one of the best war films of the decade. The direct way in which this film tackles the brutal nature of war is fantastic with truly engaging characters that will have your eyes fixated to your screen. Abraham Attah is a great talent along with Idris Elba brining the film together.

If this is the standard of feature length Netflix Originals then keep them coming!

5/5 – Possibly the best war film of the decade.  

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Southpaw (2015) REVIEW

SPOILER ALERT: if you're yet to see the film some important plot points may be spoiled below!

Jake Gyllenhaal is pro boxer Billy Hope, undefeated light heavyweight champion of the world with a young family and all the success in the world. His wife Maureen worries for Billy's health as after each fight he seems to physically destroyed. A freak accident at a charity event between Billy and a cocky fighter gunning for his title causes his wife to be fatally shot. This event breaks Billy bringing his aggression and emotional issues to the forefront causing him to lose his title, his home and most importantly his child.

Director Antione Fuqua has really created something special in Southpaw. The film is as gritty as it comes, outlining the real issues that come with pro boxing, from match fixing, to the toll it takes on the body. Although the sporting spectacle creates an amazing atmosphere, Jake Gyllenhaal steals the show taking you on an emotional crash course with the downfall and spectacular rebirth of pro boxer Billy Hope.

Southpaw is simply a must see, it's breath taking and unique. Fuqua captures realism like no boxing film has done in the past paired with one of Gyllenhaal's best performances of his career. This film manages to drag the audience through every emotion with Billy Hope, admittedly most of the time you're trying to stop yourself from crying but this is only testament to how enthralling Gyllenhaal's performance is.

Stop what you're doing, go to the cinema and buy tickets to see Southpaw now. Simply Enthralling. 9/10!

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A Walk Among The Tombstones (2014) REVIEW

Liam Neeson plays ex alcoholic cop Matthew Scudder in this action thriller that comes from  a non conventional angle. Neeson is an unlicensed private detective struggling financially after leaving his previous job as a cop. Neeson takes a job looking into the kidnap and murder of the wife of a New York drug dealer, the case takes him on a ride through the New York underworld uncovering that this case isn't just a one off.

This film has a dark and gritty atmosphere from the start, created from stunning camera angles and a realistic 90's set. You'd be forgiven for thinking this is just another film looking to compromise on the success of "Taken" with the Neeson kidnap angle but you'll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of "A walk among the tombstones." The story has real depth and  questions the morals of the audience, manipulating your emotions and making you ask yourself "Am I really rooting for the drug dealers?" not to mention the twists and turns throughout this is sure to keep you gripped from beginning to end.

Neeson doesn't steal all the spotlight, Brian "Astro" Bradley play young teenager(TJ) who lives life in and out of foster homes. The pair form an unlikely friendship with Neeson acts as a wise but rough father figure keeping TJ on the straight and narrow. This film is 100% worth a watch, but the doubt to the back of your head, forget "Taken" this stands on its own, "A Walk Among The Tombstones" is another Neeson modern classic.

8/10 A must watch! An atmospheric gritty thriller with character.  

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The Wee Man (2013) REVIEW

The Wee Man (2013) Review

 

As we continue our journey through Netflix we come to “The Wee Man.” Now there are a lot of British gangster films on Netflix that simply aren’t worth watching. This isn’t one of them. “The Wee Man” details the life of Paul Ferris (Martin Compston) growing up on the rough streets of Glasgow and winding up in the middle of a “gangland war.” This true story based film gives a gritty look into the Scottish criminal underground, with twists and turns throughout “The Wee Man” keeps you gripped from start to finish.

“The Wee Man” takes us on an emotional roller-coaster feeling the rage and helplessness of Paul Ferris as he descends into a life of crime despite his father’s best attempts to shelter him from this lifestyle. Martin Compston (Paul Ferris) provides a stellar performance giving life to film depicting a boy becoming a man involved in a vast criminal empire. The charm of this film also comes from how action packed it is without becoming too farfetched like many British gangster films do, “The Wee Man” doesn’t take itself too seriously referencing the Godfather on many occasions and reminding us The Godfather it isn’t, but a cult classic it may just be.

The 4 star Netflix rating is perfect and well deserved, this film stands out from the crowd against the numerous second rate British Gangster films on Netflix proving that Scots can pull out the goods. Martin Compston is stand out, maybe it’s our personal favour for him since seeing “Sweet Sixteen” many years back or just the fact that he consistently preforms in any role he takes on.

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The Guvnors (2014) REVIEW

Continuing our journey through the world of Netflix Independent films we come to the first of which that has higher than a one star rating! But the question is are three stars too generous?

The Guvnors deviates from the conventional British football hooliganism based gangster movies by bringing more depth and just coming across as a little more classy than trashy. The Guvnors follows a group of ex football thugs that have grown up and left the hooligan lifestyle in the past, until a group of young, ruthless thugs challenges the reputation of the "old timers" on the old estate that the Guvnors once ruled.

This disrespectful young thugs vs respected ex thugs plot creates an interesting watch with emotional ups and downs The Guvnors allows you to connect with the characters who certainly ain't one dimensional thugs. Harley Sylvester is strong bringing a gritty realism to the role of the seemingly heartless young ringleader who controls the estate with an iron fist and a sharp blade. On the other hand Doug Allen is the stern, charismatic family man with a violent past, Allen plays this role to perfection with a style reminiscent of Pierce Brosnan's Bond.

The Guvnors surpasses expectations and joins the handful of British hooliganism films that aren't terrible (For the record: The Football Factory, Green Street and The Firm), this is maybe because this film goes beyond hooliganism and really does draw up some raw human emotion when watching.
If you like your British crime films give this hidden gem a watch, get your NetFix!

Does The Guvnors deserve the 3 star Netflix Rating? We think so and would personally give The Guvnors 6/10. A True British Clash of Cultures.

Which film should we review next?
Ramsaywork@hotmail.co.uk
@Satnightsin

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Big Game (2015) REVIEW

Remember that TV show Mantracker? Where a cowboy looking guy is tasked with tracking down contestants running around a remote field for some reason… yeah well imagine that show but replace the cowboy guy with a terrorist and the contestants with Samuel L. Jackson and a thirteen year old Finnish boy and there you have it, Big Game!

Now to be honest I didn’t really have much insight to what the premise of the film was before I saw it, only a few fleeting views of the trailer on TV and an off the cuff decision to give it to watch was made! The decision was made mostly due to Samuel L. Jackson’s surprised face and its entertainment value. Love it. 

Jackson plays the president of the United States who has been stranded in a forest in Finland and is being pursued by a psychopathic terrorist hunting him with the intention of stuffing him like an animal (yes, honestly, stuffing him). The president's only hope is a young Finnish boy going on his traditional first hunt to prove to his father and his village that he really is a skilled hunter like his father. Armed with a bow and arrow the unlikely duo must find a way to survive and evade their attackers.

Now as the plot eludes to this film doesn't take itself too seriously, although it still packs a punch with some entertaining fight scenes and of course EXPLOSIONS!

The young Fin (Onni Tommila) and the veteran Jackson both put in a good performance overall supported by a sleek, if not a wee bit cliche portrayal of the villain via the leather clad president hunter Mehment Kurtulus. 

Although this film isn't groundbreaking, its an entertaining action filled ride with a unique plot. Sure, this film doesn't boast a star studded cast Jackson and Co pull it off,with a combination of humour and action that is just right, along with the beautiful Finnish backdrop this film is sure to put a smile on your face. Let us know what you think on twitter! @SatNightsIn

6.5/10 Worth A Watch

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St.Vincent (2014)

I thought that since I reviewed a classic Bill Murray film last Saturday (Groundhog Day), that it would be a good idea to review Murray's newest contribution to cinema, St. Vincent. Vincent has the whole world against him; the Vietnam Vet hasn't a hope in the word and has no hope in the world. With debts rising and a gambling addiction that never pays out, Vincent has nothing but hatred and despair for almost everything and everyone. Vincent reluctantly ends up looking after his new neighbour's son.. for a fee of course. The pair form an unlikely friendship with the youngster learning how to fight, gamble and binge drink from old Vincent; fair to say he's not the greatest role model a young man could hope for.

As you can imagine the unlikely pair get up to almost everything that they shouldn't. What this film does well is combine comedy with just the right amount of drama and a good tug on the heart strings; a rare combination that a lot of comedy films seem to just miss the mark on or just plain don't get right. Murray brings that miserable, cocky air of arrogance to this role just as he always has.

This truly is a great story of an unlikely friendship, that changes both involved for the better. Heart warming, hilarious and a little bit gritty.

apologies for how short and late this review has been, had a lot of stuff to be doing. well that's a lie, I've just been a little bit lazy. to make up for it I'm adding a new page to the site, check it out, I'm sure you'll like it... http://saturdaynightin.blogspot.co.uk/p/coming-soon.html

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Groundhog Day (1993)

I had sky movies comedy on today watching some terrible comedy that I can't be bothered to mention when this came across my screen. Now I admittedly this is the first time I had seen this film and I had no idea what the plot surrounded and had nothing to go by other than the title... Groundhog Day and to be honest being British I have literally no idea what Groundhog day in the US entails anyway... well.. now I do. So I know that a lot of you reading this will have seen this film at some point but to the minority that I was a part of before today that haven't... WATCH IT.

Let me try to sum up the storyline for you; now with me having no idea of what the plot was before watching it made the twist so much better. The twist that won't be a twist anymore because you've read this or even looked at the poster(sort of gives it away) is that Bill Murray playing a disgruntled news reporter that becomes trapped in the same day over, over, over, over, over (over doesn't even look like a real word anymore) and over again. That day, of course, is Groundhog Day; a day in which from what I could tell some Americans talk to a rodent to find out if there will be more days of winter or something. As you can tell I've done my research, if you'd like to insult my ignorance and educate me as to what groundhog day actually is then don't hesitate to comment.

Anyway back to the matter at hand regardless of what Groundhog Day stands for, this repeated day at first drives Murray crazy until he realizes after about the third day that it is useless trying to fight what it happening, so he uses it to his advantage. Murray basically does everything I would do in this situation, there are no consequences to his actions, so his actions become increasingly reckless. Murray tries to sleep with most of the women he comes in contact with as well as drinking heavily, punching an annoying asshole, getting into a high speed pursuit with the police, robbing a bank van and oh repeatedly killing himself;with no success Murray concludes that he is a God......

Ill not spoil the ending for you but it is a very good film, its gripping till the end, exciting, funny and exactly what the rest of us would do when faced with repeating a rather unspectacular day over and over.

5 Things you need to know about Groundhog Day

1. One of Bill Murray's strongest performances ever.
2. Murray's character Phil is trapped in the same day for just under 34 years! according to the website Wolf Gnards, a site obsessed with film.
3. A family of groundhogs were actually raised for the production.
4. Writer Danny Rubin said that one of his inspirations whilst creating this story was the book "Interview with the Vampire" which made Rubin consider what it would be like to be immortal, to live forever.
5. There were various actors such as Tom Hanks and John Travolta considered for the lead role of Phil but these actors where decided against as they where considered "too nice" in comparison to Murray.

Fancy it?

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Starred Up (2013)

After seeing rave 5 star reviews of this film flying about I thought I'd give this a watch and see if it lives up to the large hype that followed it. oh and it also took away 3 awards at the British Independent Film Awards 2013 including best director and best screenplay.

Now, I've always been a fan of Jack O'Connell ever since I first saw him on Skins playing the role of 'James Cook', I thought he was brilliant, he brought a real fire and realism to the role that made the character 'James Cook' just so entertaining to watch but this isn't Jack O'Connell's biography so lets get to 'Starred Up'. O'Connell plays a youth offender(Eric Love) that has been prematurely moved to an adult prison due to the extent of his crimes (which are never disclosed in any detail). O'Connell plays these roles with such ease and realism that the performance is always exceptional but it does raise the question, is Jack O'Connell a one trick pony actor? Like Statham, Danny Dyer, Vinnie Jones, actors that can only play that stereotypical cockney hard man? Possibly, but that doesn't mean to say that he can't be successful in his own right playing these roles.

The film itself is pretty  good; now I'm not going to provide you with a full synopsis here (if that's what your into stop wasting your time and just visit IMDB) but the story is based around O'Connell's character Eric Love meeting his dad in prison and basically realizing how much of a cock his dad really, Love goes through a process within the prison of maturing by joining a group ran by a therapist. Now this group isn't necessarily a therapy sessions, a select few of the inmates attend and chat about any old shit; needless to say tensions rise on various occasions with chat surrounding racial issues and a lot of digs at each others mums... it certainly makes entertaining and interesting viewing. Initially Love is aggressive towards all authority and attacks police after knocking out a fellow inmate. This creates a very Bronson like scene in which Love greases up his body and beckons the police officers to enter his cell and takes most of them down and holds one hostage. This then leads on to Love biting one of the officers cocks but ill not spoil that scene for you. The group then protect Love and are a major part of his maturing process. With Love's father opposing this group and what its doing to his son this creates tension and anger between the two, proving a violent, gritty and entertaining film.

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