Blunt Reviews Presents: Lucy (2014)

As someone that loves science fiction I confess myself disappointed with this film. I like the premise and the different themes that it explores, but what’s poor is the delivery. What I don’t like is the convenience of plot points to move us along, stereotypical characters, and a screenplay that even Morgan Freeman couldn’t make sound interesting. Some parts are intriguing and capture some interest but as a whole the film was a disappointment. And with Luc Besson as writer and director it just proves that he has rather lost his touch since Leon. Think of it as Limitless reworked.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

As far as big blockbuster films goes, this is not the worst you’ll see. It’s quite flimsy in places and the plot becomes all too predictable, but I rather liked it. It was the sort of film I wasn’t constantly analysing throughout, I could just sit down and enjoy it. It asks some important questions and is paced well enough to aid character development so it wasn’t all that bad. The visuals are still very good, with Andy Serkis’ performance holding the film together at its core. There are countless flaws and plot holes, but it could’ve been much worse.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Frank (2014)

Lenny Abrahamson directs the big screen adaptation of Jon Ronson’s novel of the same name, an obscure comedy that is an odd but enjoyable experience. The film is held together by the central performance from Michael Fassbender as the titular character, who really throws himself head first (pardon the pun) into this complex and somewhat scary character. It’s an interesting look into experimental music, mental health issues, and the idea of becoming famous on your own terms, and I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s well written with a great soundtrack; the true underdog of last year’s comedies.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Mama (2013)

Andrés Muschietti sits in the director’s chair while Guillermo Del Toro lends a hand as executive producer of Mama, one of the better horror films you will see from recent years. With an interesting premise, well developed characters and a finely tuned pace this film was something of a relief. I was worried it was going to fall too easily into the same mediocre nonsense as other modern horrors, but luckily it diverts away from this and manages to deliver a really well made horror film. It is by no means perfect, but it’s heart is in the right place.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Sinister (2012)

Sinister is not a suitable title for this film. I’d say graphic is more appropriate. Or uncomfortable. It’s not particularly scary or important, it’s just some scenes of intense violence are not pleasant to witness. If it’s a good horror film you are looking for then I am afraid you have come to the wrong place. What you’ll find here is a splattering of modern horror cliches, complete with frustrating characters and a flimsy narrative. It relies on jump scares and graphic violence to produce tension but unfortunately it fails. Cheap tricks and bad writing are the true horror here.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Only God Forgives (2013)

Nicolas Winding Refn directs this harsh and troublesome look into the lengths family members go to seek revenge, and the bond between mothers and sons. I admire Nicolas Winding Refn greatly as a director so I am somewhat predisposed to like the film, but that does not mean the flaws are not evident. I like that it is a hard hitting revenge story that doesn’t have a conventional Hollywood ending and doesn’t seek to show David conquering Goliath as we would expect. Ultimately there’s gaps where substance evacuates and style takes over but overall it makes for an interesting experience.

Blunt Reviews Presents: World War Z (2013)

If there was ever a film to receive such high attention and then turn out to be a major disappointment, it would be this. I was well informed that it was an intelligent zombie film that was interesting and had depth, but then upon watching it I found that this was untrue. After such strong films as 28 Days Later and indeed 28 Weeks Later, is this really the best they could do? It’s a film that isn’t particularly bad or good, but rather stays consistently flat. I wouldn’t rush to dismiss it, but equally I wouldn’t rush to praise it.