Tag Archives: movies

F1 – The Movie – Review

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F1 – The Movie. Certificate 12A

Before I saw this movie, and having possibly been influenced by seeing Tom Cruise at the premiere with Brad Pitt, I expected a “Top Gun – Maverick” set in the world of Formula 1.

My expectations of a story where a “mature” expert comes back to the fold to convince a young rookie that he can achieve greatness weren’t disappointed. It’s a familiar story but what is achieved in F1 – The Movie (not quite sure why it needs the “The Movie” subtitle, as everyone would know it’s a film!) is a little different to what I initially thought the film would be.

Brad Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a wandering racer who seeks the thrills and spills more than the money, joining forces with a fledgling Formula 1 team, APX [Apex] GP, to save them with a limited number of races to go before the end of the season.

Damson Idris plays the rookie, Joshua Pearce, who is torn between marketing his image and winning races and who – with the help of his mother, Sarah Niles – manages to stay on the right side of arrogance and remain humble when it’s necessary.

Kerry Condon is the inevitable love-interest for Pitt, playing Kate McKenna, touted as the “first female technical director in Formula 1”, who magnificently holds her own against the huge egos and testosterone.

There are plenty of likeable characters in lesser roles, most notably the pit-stop tyre changer, Callie Cooke as Jodie and Javier Bardem as the troubled owner of the Formula 1 team and Hayes’ long-time friend.

Fans of Formula 1 will delight in spotting their heroes, of which there are several, from the 2023 and 2024 seasons during which the movie was filmed, along with familiar commentary from Martin Brundle and David Croft.

Throughout, the capture of the excitement of racing cars at 200-300 MPH, including an excellent opening set-piece at Daytona, is stunning, nail-biting stuff! Not many films make me vocalise my feelings during them, but I was forced to utter “Wow!” at one point.

The direction from Joseph Kosinski is assured and the editing by Stephen Mirrione is top-notch. This is a film that’s best seen in a movie theatre, namely because the sound, along with Hans Zimmer’s blistering soundtrack, is incredibly good. The “thump” of the sounds of the cars as they pass is something unlikely to hit you in the chest if viewed at home in the same way it does in an auditorium with a decent sound system.

Adolescence – Review

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Netflix Series (4 Episodes – 1 hour each (approx.) – Rated 15

Adolescence tells the story of a 13-year old boy accused of murdering a classmate and the events that unfold as part of the police investigation and evaluation by a psychiatrist and the impact the accusation and events have on the members of the boy’s family and friends.

Starring Stephen Graham (Snatch, This is England), Ashley Walters (Top Boy) and newcomer Owen Cooper as the accused boy, each episode is filmed in a single take resulting in some astonishing and slick-looking filming as it follows the actors through their scenes. It’s quite remarkable how some scenes – with the aid of drones – have been pulled off and the acting, particularly from Cooper whose performance is nothing short of spectacular, is highly commendable.

I watched Adolescence without knowing anything about the incident(s) that apparently inspired the story. As a result, I didn’t get anything that the wokies are going on about it being anti-white, racist, etc., and just saw it as a moving story with incredible technical effects and brilliant performances, which lent itself to a commentary on how kids, any kids, black or white, can be so heavily influenced by social media, bullying, and “influencers”.

At the end of the day, it’s a work of fiction and people (even this God-awful Labour government) are jumping on the “documentary” aspect of it quite wrongly in my opinion. But then people nowadays seemingly have to read something into everything without just enjoying things for what they are and something that might not be deliberate on the part of the film-makers.

I watched this series and, as I said before, not once did I think about race during it. Not once did I consider it to be propaganda. It was an interesting story with great performances and incredible technical expertise in pulling off one-take per episode. Yes, there are parallels with real-life situations but you could literally take any television show, series or movie and draw a parallel with real-life events. Myself, I’d just rather see it as entertainment than worry about woke-this or woke-that.

As the copyright slogan goes, “Any resemblance to persons, either living or dead, is purely coincidental”.

Marching Powder – Review

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On the surface of it, Danny Dyer’s new film, Marching Powder, could be seen as just another in the line of football-violence themed movies such as Green Street, The Football Factory and Rise of the Footsoldier.

But what Nick Love as director does is pull off something that, when considered in a deeper context, is actually quite a revelation.

Danny Dyer plays Jack, a middle-aged drug-addicted football hooligan, who is given six weeks to mend his ways and, in turn, save his marriage. What follows is Jack’s numerous failed attempts to toe the line – sometimes due to influences from his friends – as he strives to save family life against the adrenaline rush of his habitual descent into violence alongside drugs and alcohol, in a desperate effort to avoid being jailed.

Marching Powder is not for the faint of heart. It’s violent in parts – though this seems restrained compared to other movies of this ilk (possibly deliberate so as to not overshadow the wider context of the film’s numerous points) – and coarse. Be prepared for significant and repeated strong language. However…  

 It’s utterly refreshing to see something so unabashedly non-PC, non-woke, using language that we are repeatedly told is “not appropriate” these days. One scene in particular highlights the ludicrousness of worrying about what someone is saying, rather than attending to the emergency at hand. The film also presents modern-day problems like impoliteness and assumptions in respect of race and education – primarily from Generation Z – as something that grates upon the forty-five-plus demographics who were bought up in a world where saying “please” and “thankyou” were norms.

At times it’s laugh-out-loud funny and the performances, particularly from Stephanie Leonidas as Jack’s long-suffering wife, and Arty Dyer, Danny’s real-life son, who plays his son JJ, are particularly outstanding.

Certificate 18. Running Time: 96 Minutes.

Review: Joker: Folie à Deux

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When Joker was released in 2019, detailing how Arthur Fleck, an aspiring comedian who takes a downward spiral after repeated bullying, came to be “Joker”, it was to critical and audience acclaim and was considered by many to be the best film of that year.

Phoenix’s performance as Arthur Fleck in Joker was incredible, both in the depth of the character and what he becomes. Todd Phillips had created a real and believable anti-hero in his direction and even slipped in some controversial pieces – notably the extreme violence that occurs and the use of a Gary Glitter song whilst Joker “celebrates” – which led to an indelible impression upon myself and those I know that watched it.

So, having seen the trailers for Joker: Folie à Deux, I was looking forward to seeing more of Joker wreaking his own brand of havoc on Gotham and a deeper understanding of the mental illness of Arthur Fleck as he battles with Joker’s dominance.

Unfortunately, Joker: Folie à Deux simply doesn’t deliver anywhere near the expectation that I had following the build-up to it. Joker thrives on chaos, but there’s little chaos that he’s instrumental in constructing and, when there is chaos, he is not much more than a bystander to that which occurs. There are brief sparks, for instance during one scene in the courtroom when Arthur’s fantasy world creeps in leading to intense bursts of violence, but these are few and far between.

With Lady Gaga cast as “Lee Quinzel”, Joker: Folie à Deux is more of a tale of how Harley Quinn came to be rather than an extension of the original Joker and a deeper exploration of the character Joaquin Phoenix so beautifully encapsulates. In Joker: Folie à Deux, the titular character is a shadow – the irony of the opening animated sequence not being lost on me – of his former self.

I expected some showtime pieces, as Arthur’s delusions and fantasies wind with Gaga’s love for Joker in some quite beautiful set pieces which are pure cinema, but nothing prepared me for the onslaught of song after song after song. This made Joker: Folie à Deux more suited to being named “Joker: The Musical”. I’m not a lover of musicals, in general, but the trailers didn’t lead me to believe that was what I’d be watching.

It felt fragmented, a vehicle for Gaga’s Harley Quinn, and without anywhere near the impact that the first Joker movie so famously had. The lack of consequence, particularly for the prison guards – one of which is splendidly played by Brendan Gleeson – who enjoy their torture of Arthur and other prisoners a little too much, left me feeling the movie lacked morality. The denouement left me confused and disappointed. Even after the credits rolled, I remained seated and patiently waited for something more to explain or rectify that confusion but, alas, none was forthcoming.

Copyright © 2024 – David E. Gates

The Flash – Cinema Review

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The Flash (2023)

Cinema Review

Certificate 12A (UK)

144 mins

Post Credit Sequences – 1 (At very end of credits)

5/5

There was a lot of anticipation of The Flash, especially following the release of the trailer at the USA Superbowl which heralded the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, reprising his role from Tim Burton’s 1989 masterpiece.

I had watched a few episodes of the television series of The Flash, but never really got into it as such. Therefore, I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of characters though I had seen some isolated scenes that featured some great in-jokes and cameos. And, in this respect, the 2023 movie delivers plenty.

The film centres around Barry, The Flash’s alter-ego, using his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in an alternative reality in which General Zod (yes, that Zod (or should that be sod!) from the Superman movies) has returned, threatening global annihilation, and there are no superheroes to turn to.

Plot aside, does it live up to the anticipation and hype generated by that first trailer?

Let me put it this way; The opening sequence alone is worth the ticket price. It is absolutely thrilling and if you’re not grinning like a Cheshire cat when it comes to the end of the chase, then this is probably not the film for you.

But it doesn’t stop there.

It builds and builds and the leaps into nostalgia gave me goosebumps and had me emotionally moved to realise this film has everything that I love, and have always loved, about movies and cinema. The jokes are well thought out, genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, and the action sequences are incredible. I couldn’t stop smiling whilst watching it. This is what cinema is all about!

The weedy Barry, played by Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)), is just the right level of tortured soul needed throughout, but one who commands the screen when in “Flash” mode.

Though, for me, it’s Michael Keaton’s Batman that steals the show. This is no slight on Ezra’s performance or the characters he portrays. Or any other of the supporting actors, who are all brilliant in their own right – especially Supergirl. But this, in any other guise, could almost be a Batman movie.

But, as I said before, The Flash’s visit to a nostalgic time and the numerous nods to previous incarnations of various superheroes, is an absolute joy to watch and experience. It almost left me tearful. I may well find myself revisiting the television series as a result.

It’s rare to find a movie that I can describe as faultless. But this, I feel, is certainly one.

If I had to describe The Flash in one word, it would be this:

Magnificent.

For more movie reviews, and articles and interviews from the world of film, check out my book, Cinema. Available at all good online bookstores and here.

Cinema – Interview with Jon Brown from Express FM

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The interview about my new book, Cinema, with Jon Brown from Express FM, which was featured on Darren Gamblen’s show on 3rd May 2022, is now available for your listening pleasure.

Cinema is available in eBook and Kindle formats from all good online bookstores and in Paperback from Amazon. Alternatively, it can be purchased via my bookstore.

Cinema Interview – Part 1 – David E. Gates – Jon Brown – Express FM

Cinema Interview – Part 2 – David E. Gates – Jon Brown – Express FM

Cinema – Excellent coverage/interview in Portsmouth News

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I was interviewed for the Portsmouth News to talk about my writing and my new book, Cinema.

Released on May the 4th…

With additional material from Deb Hallett.

Available in digital format from the bookstore and all good online bookstores and in Paperback from Amazon.

Cinema – Out Now!

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A place of solace, of escape, of emotion, of excitement, of wonder, of immersion, of revelation and of learning, the cinema has been more than simply movie-going for many people.

Join David E. Gates as he explores his experiences and the impact and legacy which they have had upon him and his life in Cinema.

With additional material from Deb Hallett.

Released on May the 4th…

Available in digital format from the bookstore and in Paperback from Amazon.

Cinema – Discount for pre-orders from bookstore

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Pre-order Cinema from my independent bookstore, in Kindle and ePub formats, and get it for the reduced price of £3.50 (RRP: £4.99).

Limited time offer. Available here.

A place of solace, of escape, of emotion, of excitement, of wonder, of immersion, of revelation and of learning, the cinema has been more than simply movie-going for many people.

Join David E. Gates as he explores his experiences and the impact and legacy which they have had upon him and his life in Cinema.

With additional material from Deb Hallett.

Released on May the 4th…

Cinema

Posted on by
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A place of solace, of escape, of emotion, of excitement, of wonder, of immersion, of revelation and of learning, the cinema has been more than simply movie-going for many people.

Join David E. Gates as he explores his experiences and the impact and legacy which they have had upon him and his life in Cinema.

With additional material from Deb Hallett.

Released on May the 4th…

Available to pre-order for Kindle now from Amazon.

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