Change Your Image
ScarletView
Reviews
Ghostbusters (2016)
Everything you heard about this film is true...
I'll keep this short... This film is abysmal. I watched it on a plane out of sheer curiosity and to my total lack of surprise, it was as bad as I was expecting. I like Kirsten Wiig but throughout she looks like she would rather be anywhere else, Melissa Mcarthy is, well, Melissa Mcarthy, Kate Mckinnon is okay, nothing more and Leslie Jones just looks happy to have been involved.
The whole thing is phoned in, the effects suck, the story is clumsy and the jokes...oh the jokes, so, so, so unfunny.
The premise behind this movie hangs solely on the female cast, it's like so progressive and stuff, that is if you can avoid the clumsy racial stereotyping of Jones' character. The whole film seems to be a desperate plea from Paul Feig to become feminism's useful idiot. This is the man who made Bridesmaids which is actually quite funny in parts but this is just awful.
In conclusion, avoid like the plague, a truly diabolical skid mark on the underpants of cinema.
México Pelágico (2014)
A brilliant film made with passion
I was lucky enough to get a screener of Mexico Pelagico before it was released and, having seen the trailer and knowing the people involved are of such high quality, I expected it to be good and certainly was not disappointed.
Primarily I love the story, these are people out there making a difference and the film follows their journey. Because they have such a deep understanding of the issues they are covering, the content is outstanding and has a lovely human element to it which really engages the viewer. Plus, everyone involved comes across really well and extremely likable which helps sell the story.
The film is well shot, creative and beautifully crafted and I enjoyed it immensely.
Definitely worth a watch!
Black Coral (2016)
Engaging, compelling and fascinating
Given the availability of relatively affordable equipment, making films in this day and age is easier now than ever before but making a good film is as difficult as it has always been. The major stumbling block that still exists and cannot be fixed with film-making equipment, regardless how expensive, is the ability to tell a compelling and engaging story which keeps you, the viewer, hooked from the first moment to last.
In recent years I have seen independent film-makers attempt feature documentaries with varying degrees of success, from turgid, uninspired and amateurish ninety minute snoozefests to innovative, fresh and fascinating films which captivate and inform in equal measure.
I'm pleased to say that Black Coral definitely falls into the latter category.
Black Coral tells the story of a small and fearless group of Hawaiins who forged a career diving the depths of the South Pacific to harvest Black Coral, a perilous way to earn a living, at constant risk of decompression sickness and shark attack. It's safe to say being a Black Coral Diver is not for the faint hearted.
As a Film-Maker and Commercial Diver myself, this was a fascinating insight into one of the last true tales of adventure diving, where the stakes are high and the rewards seem to be less about money and more about feeding the addiction of a life on the edge.
The film's principal subjects are fantastic, compelling, charismatic and articulate, they tell the story from their own experiences, sometimes funny, occasionally tragic but always with a charm and manner which is captured beautifully by the Film-Makers.
The Brothers Winn have managed to perfectly balance talking head interviews with real life footage and reconstructions, the film is paced exceptionally well, with an energy which ensured I was constantly invested in the stories I was being told.
The execution of the underwater sequences is excellent and it is clear from the offset that the team are not only skilled Film-Makers but also, excellent watermen. They also clearly have a deep understanding of the subject itself and this is important as that understanding and their obvious passion shines throughout.
Technically the film is well shot, the sound is great, the soundtrack very well chosen and, as previously mentioned, the edit is spot on, perfectly paced and does what so many indies often fail to do, stay one step ahead of the viewer, meaning you always get what you want at just the right time.
Would I recommend seeing Black Coral? Absolutely. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was a fascinating and entertaining look into the lives of people who don't tread the normal path and enlightened me on a subject I knew very little about.
Very much looking forward to the next film by this talented group of Film-Makers!
Woodlawn (2015)
A decent film but dragged down by the weight of piousness
This film is a conundrum. On one hand it's a nice story, well made and great looking. I hate the sport of American Football but I do enjoy a few films on the subject, the game sequences are well constructed, the athletes convincing and the performances solid.
On the other hand however, what could have been a life-affirming story of triumph in the face of adversity, crossing the racial divide and uniting a community, is bogged down in a mire of heavy handed religious indoctrination. It oozes out of every scene, indeed, before the final credits roll, we are given the dates of upcoming tour appearances by mega rich and exploitative corporate pastors, people who prey on the vulnerable and helpless.
I'm in no doubt religion is a part of the Woodlawn story but as the film develops, it becomes little more than a cult-like recruiting tool. The redemption, success and unity could of course only be attributed to God, there can be no other reason, those who initially do not accept God very quickly realise that, of course they were wrong and dive headlong into the arms of the church and all is good in the world.
Christianity is envisioned as a beleaguered victim of oppression, something which is being buried by evil, we have the town bad guy who baulks at the idea of public prayer only to see that even he cannot oppress the light of Jesus in the town. I've been to Alabama and to claim with a straight face that God is frowned upon there is pure insanity, they're nuts about it, it's everywhere.
Caleb Castille as Tony Nathan is excellent and like I said, it's a well put together film that I enjoyed, however, in order for me to commit fully to the film I had to consciously try to ignore the Jesus being rammed down my throat.
Had the filmmakers included religion as merely an ingredient in the story instead of the driving force (as almost all American High School sports films insist on doing) then this would be a far more effective film.
In claiming that everything good that happens is explainable only as an act of god, belittles the achievement of an outstanding athlete and man who worked incredibly hard to overcome adversity and makes the ensuing unity of the town far less effective, taking away all the basic goodness of humanity and replacing it with "proof" of god.
Cut out all the Jesus and this would be a solid 7/10, maybe an 8