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STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Dir: J.J. Abrams, 2019).
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Dir: J.J. Abrams, 2019).
I am writing this review assuming that anyone reading it will already know a little about the Star Wars universe. This latest movie The Rise of Skywalker is the final instalment of the nine movie strong (not including spin-offs) saga.
In this, Episode IX, the Resistance are, once again, up against the First Order. Rey, meanwhile has some serious soul searching to do and some pretty important decisions to make.
A bit more of a romp than the preceding two instalments, co-writer/director J.J. Abrams has fashioned a rollercoaster adventure that barely stops for breath. Its more poignant and emotional moments, of which there are many, are offset by the humour that was sadly missing in the prequels and by a general good natured atmosphere.
Special effects are, as you would expect, spectacular. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you on the edge of your seat, while longtime fans will appreciate the nods to previous movies including some welcome cameos of characters past.
Key to the movies enjoyment is the game playing of its likeable cast, most notably Oscar Isaacs’ Poe Dameron; his cheeky-chappie-Han-Solo-ish persona comes to the fore more here than in previous movies and for me, Isaacs is the real standout of the newer gang members. Perhaps as a consequence, Finn seems a little underwritten. While John Boyega has impressed in previous entries, here, through no fault of his own, is left with seemingly little to do. As Rey, Daisy Ridley spends much of the movie in a sort of heroic turmoil, but this she does excellently! While, over the course of three movies Adam Driver has pretty much perfected his mean and moody bit as bad’un Kylo Ren.
So we conclude the Star Wars nineology (or whatever) with a movie which, while perhaps not among the best of the series is still a mostly satisfying end to the franchise. Those fans who come to Star Wars first and foremost to be entertained should not be disappointed.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker! Link below.
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BUSH CHRISTMAS (Dir: Ralph Smart, 1947).
Set during the Christmas holidays in the small valley community of Mara Mara, Bush Christmas follows the adventures of five children: brothers John (Morris Unicomb) and Snow (Nicky Yardley), their big sister Helen (Helen Grieve), English evacuee Michael (Michael Yardley) and friend Nesa (Nesa Saunders). After some horses are stolen from their ranch home, the kids decide to take the law into their own hands and set out into the Australian bush in order to track down the thieves and rescue the precious animals.
Bush Christmas was one of the first feature films from Rank Organisation's Children's Entertainment Film unit; a department which would eventually evolve into the Children's Film Foundation (CFF).
Although low budget, it feels significantly more polished than the usual, appealingly amateur, CFF output. Director Ralph Smart keeps the action moving at a steady pace while cinematographer George Heath captures the locations beautifully. Filmed in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, the location photography is a definite plus and lends an atmosphere unique in family movies of the era.
Chips Rafferty, then Australia's biggest homegrown movie star, hams it up nicely as Long Bill, the leader of the horse thieves. John Fernside and Stan Tolhurst are his cohorts, alternating some broad comedy with the required menace, as they are outwitted every step of the way by the kids.
Performances from the youngsters, none of whom had significant acting careers as adults, are appealing and natural. Nesa, the only indigenous lad, is slightly stereotyped, perhaps to be expected considering the era in which the movie was made. However, I feel the stereotyping is more naive than negative; with his knowledge of bush crafts he is shown to be the most intelligent and resourceful of the gang.
Set during the Australian summer, Bush Christmas is not especially festive for western audiences and is suitable viewing all year round. It is a modest little movie, but an engaging one at that. Perhaps a mite dated, but with enough comedy and action as to make it a worthwhile watch, especially for those looking for an alternative to modern family fare.
For a longer, more in-depth review of BUSH CHRISTMAS visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
TERMINATOR: DARK FATE (Dir: Tim Miller, 2019).
Terminator: Dark Fate does its best to refresh a tired franchise after the last 3 series' entries were met with disappointment. As such we are advised to forget those, as this 6th movie reboots the series continuing where Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991) left off.
Taking place 25 years after the events of Terminator 2, Dark Fate sees the return of original movie's hero Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton). Teaming up with time travelling augmented human Grace (Mackenzie Davis), the pair are tasked with protecting Dani (Natalia Reyes) a young woman who is the target of REV-9 (Gabriel Luna), a Terminator sent from the future to kill her. The threesome eventually team up with Conner's old foe the T-800 model Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), now 'living' in a secluded woodland retreat. Reality kinda takes a back seat as the four battle the seemingly indestructible Rev-9, intent on succeeding in its mission.
Based on a story by series creator James Cameron, fans of The Terminator franchise are on pretty safe ground with this latest movie, which sees the series finally back on track. Spectacular special effects and high octane action sequences are present and correct. The pace barely waivers and an early car chase is so impressive that the remainder of the movie has a hard time topping it.
Performances are strong throughout; serious minded female centred action movies are still a rarity and the three-hander between its leads lends this a welcome and distinctly different flavour to most action flicks.
Despite its good points Dark Fate has been greeted with a lukewarm box office. Possibly the decision to market it a sequel to Terminator 2 has alienated younger audiences or, more likely, sequel/re-make/re-boot fatigue has set in. If this is the last we see of Terminator then at least the series has gone out on a high. I suspect this movie might find more appreciation in the home market and could well mean the series will "be back" at some point in the future.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read a longer, more in-depth review of Terminator: Dark Fate! Link below.
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (Dir: Ernest B Schoedsack, 1949).
16 years after scoring a massive hit with fantasy epic King Kong (Merian C Cooper & Ernest B Schoedsack, 1933), RKO Radio Pictures resurrected the mega-ape genre with Mighty Joe Young. Returning are Kong producers and directors Ernest B Schoedsack and Merian C Cooper and star Robert Armstrong. However, this is not a sequel to King Kong and its follow-up Son of Kong (Ernest B Schoedsack, 1933).
Joe is a massive gorilla (not as big as Kong, but still pretty hefty) raised by young Jill Young (Terry Moore) in his African home since a baby. Persuaded by showman Max O’Hara (Robert Armstrong) and his buddy Gregg (Ben Johnson) to accompany them to the US, Max employs Jill and Joe as star attraction at his California nightclub. As is often the case with exhibiting giant gorillas (or, indeed, dinosaurs), things do not go to plan. Otherwise gentle Joe is taunted by drunks to the point where he wrecks the joint. With Joe subsequently imprisoned, Jill, Gregg and Max plot a daring rescue attempt to free the gorilla and return him to Africa.
Shot in black and white with dramatic use of colour filters, Mighty Joe Young is a visual treat. King Kong’s Willis O’Brien and assistant Ray Harryhausen handle the outstanding special effects which elaborate upon the techniques perfected in Kong. Joe is brought to life by beautiful stop motion animation and the interaction between him and his human counterparts is astonishing! A scene where Joe wrestles live action/animated lions is particularly impressive as is the dramatic climax in which Joe rescues children from a burning orphanage.
While it did not have the same impact as the original King Kong, Mighty Joe Young is an impressive movie in its own right with much to recommend it. It is undoubtedly more sentimental than Kong but it is still a thoroughly entertaining feature; well paced, with plenty of humour amidst the thrills and some of the most spectacular visual effects committed to celluloid. Fans of King Kong not familiar with Mighty Joe Young would do well to check out this fantasy classic!
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read a longer, more in-depth review of Mighty Joe Young! Link below.
ONE MUST FALL (Dir: Antonio Pantoja, 2018).
A low budget, independent horror-comedy, the feature length debut of writer/director Antonio Pantoja.
Unfairly dismissed from an office job by her creepy boss, single parent Sarah (Julie Streble) is forced to take a position as part of crime scene clean-up crew. When called to the site of a murder in abandoned warehouse, Sarah initially has concerns that the killer is still on the premises. Her fears are confirmed when, one by one, her colleagues start disappearing...
One Must Fall is quite gory but it is also very funny. For me, the funnies did go some way to offsetting the grizzlies, although there was the odd moment when I felt compelled to look away from the screen; notably during a clean-up sequence and in the excessively bloody and highly improbable but amusing conclusion.
Set in the 1980s, the era is reinforced by pop culture references such as vintage Pepsi cans, Walkmans and nods to Janet Jackson and ET. There is also a cheeky anachronistic reference to the Duffer Brothers blockbuster 1980s period Netflix series Stranger Things (2016 - present). Adding authenticity is a neat electronic soundtrack, which recalls John Carpenter's music for his iconic slasher movie Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978).
Director Antonio Pantoja is not afraid to indulge in horror clichés, sometimes ironically, but always effectively. In this he has crafted a loving tribute to the genre's legacy. It lacks the polish of a larger production, but this is no bad thing; the lack of studio sheen lends it an air of 80s slasher movie authenticity. The cast, all of whom were unfamiliar to me, make a game task at juggling the more horrific scenes with some moments of goofy humour. Julie Streble, in particular, is both sympathetic and believable as the kick-butt heroine.
With credible effects work and some genuine moments of tension One Must Fall should please ardent slasher aficionados. Ultimately, the black comedy aspect took the edge off of some of the nastiness and in the moments I wasn't averting my eyes from the screen, I was definitely entertained.
I was lucky enough to catch a screening of One Must Fall at Southend-on-Sea's Horror-on-Sea Festival 2020. It doesn't appear, as yet, to be widely available. If comedy-horror-slasher movies are your thing this is worth keeping an eye out for!
A longer, more in-depth review of ONE MUST FALL is available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
KLAUS (Dir: Sergio Pablos, 2019)
Just when you think you have seen all the Santa origin stories you care to, along comes Klaus. Netflix’s first original animated feature film, Klaus made its debut on the streaming service in November 2019; an early gift for the festive season. Produced by Sergio Pablos Animation Studios, it is the directorial debut of studio head Pablos, the co-creator of Universal's highly lucrative Despicable Me franchise.
Incompetent postman Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) is sent by his Postmaster General father to establish a post office in the remote northern isle of Smeerensburg. On arrival he finds a divided community, engaged in a bitter feud, who barely speak to each other, let alone send mail. Determined to succeed he seeks out each town member to extol the virtues of the postal service, including Klaus (J K Simmons), a mysterious, solitary figure with a workshop full of toys. The pair team up to distribute the toys to the unhappy Smeerensburg children, creating some new Christmas traditions along the way.
Klaus is as warm and heartfelt as you would expect a Christmas movie to be. Sure, it is sentimental, but never slushy and with genuine pathos in Klaus' backstory. Its distinctive visual style and expressionistic use of colour help make it one of the most visually pleasing animated features in recent years; the 2D animation combines the slickness that audiences would expect of a modern animated feature with a cartoony style reminiscent of the Mid Century Modern stylings of the UPA animation studios.
While Klaus does cover some similar ground to the Rankin/Bass TV favourite Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (Arthur Rankin Jr & Jules Bass, 1970), in all other respects it is easily the most imaginative take on St Nick's early years for sometime.
In a year where cinema release schedules have been dominated by animated sequels, first time director Sergio Pablos has crafted a movie which feels fresh and original, yet reassuringly tradition. It is arguably the most satisfying Christmas movie of the decade and seems destined to become a holiday classic.
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