Disney is really starting to ramp up the live action remakes. With Lion King on the way and Dumbo earlier this year, now's the time for Disney Studios to prove these retellings of classics are worthwhile.

 When the first trailer arose, a lot of people (myself included) were skeptical. There’s always going to be worries that the memory of the original is preparing to be let down. And of course, who could replace the wonderfully eccentric and grandiose performance of the late Robin Williams?

The thing that stood out the most for me in Aladdin was the scale and the way that translated into the visuals. Guy Ritchie does a fantastic job of taking scenes from the original and blowing them up with huge crowds and vibrant colours. I have a few personal favourite scenes that stand out thanks to the brilliant world building by Ritchie. The ever-popular Never Had a Friend Like Me was upbeat with a fresh take from Will Smith. It was enjoyable to watch him put his own spin on such a well loved character, really making it his own throughout. This moment began with a subtle playful air and kept building, using the entire Cave of Wonder to bring to life the magical world we are thrust right into, setting the pace for the rest of the film perfectly. Prince Ali was another moment of excellent merit; filled with dazzling costumes and a huge ensemble to bring to life the reimagined childhood magic of the classic.

2019 has been a big year for comic and game-based films. We got Avengers Endgame, captain marvel, Sonic is on the way, but one I’ve been excited for has been detective Pikachu. Pokémon has been a personal favourite for a long time now and a photo realistic, live action film isn’t something I ever imagined growing up. With something like this, it came with scepticism and fear of turning a franchised loved by many into a flop.

I have been pleasantly proven wrong. Detective Pikachu brought the Pokémon world to life in a visually stunning way without being too over the top with CGI. 

Detective Pikachu takes place in Ryme city. A city founded on the idea that humans and Pokémon would live in harmony where many cities around the world still participate in Pokémon battles (a now illegal activity in Ryme City). 

We kick off with Tim Goodman, an insurance sales man, out with his friend Jack. It’s through this that we learn Tim has lost the love of Pokémon that he had in his childhood. His mother died at a young age and his father moved to Ryme City and focused most of his attention on his work, hoping Tim would follow in his footsteps and move with him. 

When Tim is alerted of his father’s death, he travels to Ryme City to say goodbye. The shots of Ryme City are great. Blending London city with VFX creates a real futuristic hybrid feel keeping it true to the source material but adapting to a global audience. Tim is exposed very early on to Kathryn Newton’s character, Lucy, a driven and enthusiastic unpaid intern at a large media and news company. Justice and Catherine bounce off each other really well with their big personalities and comedic timing. 

Pikachu has always been the face of Pokémon and giving this loveable little creature the voice of the brilliant Ryan Reynolds seemed like a strange decision when announced. This is what first piqued my scepticism as I was expecting Deadpool meets Pokémon. After watching, I couldn’t imagine any other actor providing the voice. The delivery of lines was superb and throughout, I found it really easy to switch off to the fact that this is Pikachu was a digital creation. This makes it all the more impressive, thinking about the effort in filming the emotional scenes when Justice would have had to act his lines alone and respond to something that isn’t there. 

Now unfortunately some things do let this film down. Without going into too much detail, I didn’t feel that the motives for a couple of characters were very well explained. I appreciate the story is going to have to cater to a broad audience as the franchise does have a variety of fans. However, I think the story itself (or at least the bigger plot reveals) could have played out a bit better. 

Overall, I really loved this film. One of my favourite things about this was seeing some of my personal favourite Pokémon in all their photo realistic glory like Gengar, Gyrados and Mewtwo. I also appreciate that they really took the time to add in many of the lesser known Pokémon. They added many Pokémon into situations that fit their types and gave them scenarios you’d expect if they really did exist. For example, watching Octillery work at a Sushi stand and Loudred being used as speakers in night clubs, which really had me laughing. 

Detective Pikachu has a lot of charm and is an easy family watch with something for all generations. It has nods to the long-term fans and things to bring in the younger generations. I’d love to see what they could do with more films, exploring the world of this phenomenon.

POKÉMON Detective Pikachu hits UK cinemas May 10th 2019

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Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen are bringing all the comedic energy they can muster to Jonathan Levine's 125 minute convention crushing romcom about Charlotte Field and Fred Flarsky, two childhood neighbours who rekindle their friendship after years apart. When Flarsky, a provocative journalist, is hired to pen speeches for Field's presidential campaign the two of them embark on a global tour to gain traction for Field's endeavour.

Comedy movies are always a hit or miss. If it doesn't make you laugh, it hasn't attained its only goal. These kind of narratives can often be overlooked for their more wacky elements but Long Shot is home to some incredibly witty quips amidst the (sometimes) goofy humour, but still manages to pull off its intention: to keep people laughing.

Charlize Theron, perhaps better known for finding her place in more dramatic roles as of late, has completely twisted that to bring a brilliant balance of character performance without sacrificing it entirely to the traditional conventions of the comedic genre. Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah, who each have a credit on the film's writing team, have done their best at tackling convention throughout the narrative whilst still identifying and utilising the more traditional elements of comedy. For example, stereotyping is definitely still present within Long Shot. Theron's character is the typical "serious business woman" wanting to be taken seriously in public so she can be taken seriously at work which is immediately challenged by bringing in Fred Flarsky, the "funny guy" aka total opposite of everything her character represents. His exterior and interior are entirely the opposite of serious. He wears a brightly coloured windbreakers and caps and will speak his mind to anyone who will listen.

The two of them being forced into situational comedy together is the basis of a fantastic film. Never once are you left waiting for a laugh, it has its more touching moments for the in-between parts which Rogen and Theron play to perfectly. Rogen has a well built home in comedy and he doesn't miss a beat in Long Shot. Together, they make for a brilliant pairing that I'd like to see more of on screen.

125 minutes is huge real estate for a comedy. It's incredibly difficult to keep people laughing for that length of time and although there's a small lull in energy towards the end, Long Shot doesn't waiver from its purpose. It's that perfect "compromise" movie that fits so neatly into the box offices and I imagine will do well once the Avengers hype dies down.

Long Shot lands in UK cinemas 3rd May 2019

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Mid90s is the directorial debut from Jonah Hill and it's almost certainly not what you expect coming from a man so well versed in comedy. It's a dark and gritty exploration of the teens society skips over and how they look after each other when no one else will but it has wit and charm in a way that can only come from a mind that understands comedy the way Hill does.

Sunny Suljic plays Stevie, a troubled 13 year old with a brother (Lucas Hedges) who beats him up on the daily and a mother (Katherine Waterston) who talks to him about her life problems. Finding no inspiration from his older brother, he seeks role models elsewhere and lands on a group of boys outside a skate shop in Los Angeles. In awe of their humour and skating skills he visits the shop the next day and swiftly becomes one of the gang.

Mid90s finds the extraordinary in the seemingly mundane and highlights the life of the people who we don't often see on screen outside of a very specific stereotype. Na-kel Smith had one of the stand out performances as leader of the group, Ray. He was Stevie's main source of inspiration and the picture of an ideal outcome in the world of coming together when there's nowhere else to go, opposed against the pleasantly named "Fuckshit" played by Olan Prenatt who has bundles of talent but is victim to his vices. They mock Fourthgrade for wanting to make movies despite his "fourth-grade" intellect and they have a habit of ignoring Ruben (Gio Galicia) who rapidly grows resentment towards Stevie for skipping the hierarchy quicker than him and yet their bond and love for each other mirrors that of a family.

The 4:3 aspect ratio and grainy quality of picture throws you right back to the 90s. It runs like a documentary, aided by Hill's cast of non professional actors who build a beautifully authentic on-screen relationship together. It felt like the group had a real bond that only comes from years of watching each other take hit after hit. Each character could've had their own movie due the faultless attention to detail by Hill even though the external is often explored deeper than the internal of each individual. Male coming-of-age stories are a dime-a-dozen but this one has something that its comparables do not. Despite its vintage aesthetic it feels entirely contemporary and will transfer perfectly to the people it was made for.

Mid90s has been victim to some incredibly harsh undeserved criticism. Its message and themes are buried deep inside an incredibly complex ensemble cast whose sincerity come from their complete understanding of the narrative without the excess research. It's authentic, it's tough to watch, it's funny, it's an enjoyable 85 minutes and it'll hit home in everyone who was introduced to life on the streets by people of no relation to them. Community and family comes in all different forms and Mid90s tackles one form the very best way it can.

Mid90s skates into UK Cinemas April 4th 2019.

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There's very little I remember from the 1941 version of Dumbo except for feeling incredibly traumatised as a child watching a cute little elephant be separated from his mother and the 2019 edition has the same desired effect but in a way that is slightly more hopeful.

 I am not traditionally a fan of Disney's live action remakes. Aside from 2015's Cinderella, I've found the films to be empty and lacking in adding anything new to the already well loved stories. What was great about Cinderella and now Dumbo is that although the morals of each original are clear cut, the remakes take on a unique spin that still honours its predecessor but introduces its own new themes that are contemporary for this generation. Dumbo held subtle nuances that nodded to the treatment of animals in captivity that are sometimes hard to capture in animation and also gave a fresh take on the inner battle of morality.

Danny DeVito did a wonderful job as Max Medici, allowing his clear character arc written by Ehren Kruger to guide his development from cynical businessman to heartfelt father figure. Colin Farrell's character was slightly less developed but was enjoyable to watch nonetheless. His children, Milly and Joe, played by newcomers Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins did a brilliant job of finding the heart in a visual heavy film. Watching them find a piece of themselves in Dumbo's heartbreaking narrative was sweet and it helped the audience focus into his story amidst the villainous activity added by Michael Keaton.

As always with Tim Burton's creations we are the audience of his imagination. No corner is left untouched in this 112 minute visual feast and it is hard not to be entertained with so much to look at. He somehow bottles the atmosphere of a fun fair, captures its magic and floods it onto the screen for us all to enjoy. Just like real life circuses, there's something unnerving and eerie about the world of Dumbo. The overwhelming grandeur holds its dark secrets and Burton does a scintillating job of uncovering them.

The film's strength most certainly lies in it being an experience which makes for a great Saturday afternoon activity for all the family to enjoy.




Dumbo flies into UK cinemas March 29th 2019.


Until next time

Any country fan knows that's a nod to Harlan Howard's phrase stating that all country songs are made up of the perfect combination of three simple chords and real life truth but it's also the perfect embodiment of the film itself. Three acts and the truth, if you will. Three wonderful acts of nothing but pure unspoiled narrative fuelled by this burst of life and passion and love for the world, led by Rose showing us all what we can do if we work hard, love fiercely and push all the passion we have into our dreams.

I don't rate movies by stars but if I did, this would sure as heck get 5.

Under The Silver Lake is a film I fear I'd have to see twice to fully wrap my head around and I say fear because I'm not sure I want to uncover the secrets of Andrew Garfield's disturbing performance as Sam, a man who is wrapped up in the mystery of the disappearance of a girl who has gone missing from his apartment complex.

La La Land meets My Friend Dahmer in this bizarre 140 minute character exploration of a self obsessed narcissist mixed up in a world of conspiracy theories and old Hollywood surrealism. It doesn't utilise the glamour of 20s-30s cinema the way La La Land does so well and it doesn't explore the characters flaws with the same sensitivity of My Friend Dahmer.

The entire driving force of Sam's expedition is down to lust which is pretty much his defining characteristic. David Robert Mitchell displays this graphically through the repeated point of view shots from Sam's perspective of various parts of women's bodies. I tried to take a feminist spin on the narrative halfway through where Sam shows up to a secret party which is seemingly a female only space and I considered that maybe the director was exploring the way men take over in spaces that belong to women but then something mildly sexist would happen and I stripped back any ounce of forgiving attitude I had towards it. I think the only way you slightly forgive Sam for his behaviour at points is the fact Andrew Garfield is playing him and this is such a leap from his usual likeable character's we are used to seeing him play, the best part of the film was watching him step outside his comfort zone as a performer.

I will give Under The Silver Lake its credit for pursuing contemporary ideas, although the use of conspiracy theories were a little outdated. They might serve entertainment for somebody who perhaps is yet to hear them but as someone who has heard of the aforementioned theories, instead of being something recognisable they felt somewhat patronising. I was expecting a reveal of subliminal messages planted throughout the narrative by the end and was hoping that'd tie up the loose ends but since it did not do that, I was left feeling a little confused.

A24 is a go to for me when it comes to incredibly fresh and contemporary narratives. Some of their most recent successes such as Lady Bird, 20th Century Women, Moonlight, Eighth Grade and many more have made their way into my list of favourites and yet I just cannot get on board with Under The Silver Lake. It feels like a knock back in their ethos of progressiveness and inclusion.

Under The Silver Lake creeps into UK Cinemas March 15th 2019.

Until next time