317, Office Romance

 

A 'J-Lo' Rom-Com normally leaves little to the imagination.  Girl meets guy - girl / guy fall for each other - throw in plenty of reasons for them not to be together, issues overcome - happy ending.  In fact, that's not just J-Lo Rom-Com's - that's all Rom-Com's.

But, what happens if you add Roy Kent as the male interest with his totally watchable persona and colourful language - mixed in with J-Lo's ever adorable charms - is it any better?

Well, Office Romance which is new to Netflix is definitely a funny and watchable romp through a frowned upon blossoming Office Romance (clue is in the title!) between airline President & CEO Jennifer Lopez and in-house lawyer Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent in Ted Lasso).  

Thrown together, due to the regular in-house lawyer and company stalwart Peter Vance played by Bradley Whitford (Handmaids Tale / The West Wing) being unavailable - characters Jackie and Daniel embark on a will they / wont they journey, against all in-house staff fraternisation 'HR' rules to try and contain their lust for one another - reaching high's and then low's that see us trundle through just under 2hrs hours of adorable giggles, colourful language (party down to Brett) and culminating with a pretty obvious ending.

Written by Goldstein himself - he really is playing the Roy Kent role to the extreme - very much typecast (I'm afraid to say) - the only real difference here was that Kent's Footie Kit was replaced with Blanchflower's well tailored Suit and although a little more polite and well spoken - it's still Roy Kent, C* Bombs and all.

There is quite a decent backstory here for most of the cast, Cruz, after taking over the family named airline 'Air Cruz', set up by her father (Captain Jack) has made it a global power and an extremely profitable brand - but there are board members who want her out - without any real explanation, that fuel her desire to succeed and in the shadow of her father, continues on trying to make her own name in the industry mean as much as her fathers.

There is the ever-present Executive Assistant Sydney (Betty Gilpin) who is hilarious as the all-knowing and extremely pregnant voice of reason to Cruz as well as a host of internal staff (Admin / HR) that all come with their little quips and quirks but the other notable presence is that of Goldstein's sister - played by Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch / Doctor Who) who is Daniel Blanchflower's reason for being in America - to support his incarcerated sibling, banged up (admittedly) for murder is a great little distraction to the main plotline.

Yes it's predictable but remains funny at the same time and with some great 'off-screen' press junket's to boot, the on-screen chemistry between Lopez and Goldstein is actually totally cute and adorable.  

Friday night in with your partner?  This is a real winner.

316, Masters of the Universe

Between 1983-1985, as a mere 7yr old with just 4 TV channels, no mobiles or online gaming, and growing up in a world very isolated in comparison to what kids are having to deal with today allowed us the opportunity to really play and engage with toys that didn't speak for themselves and needed us to create content and stories to bring what we had to life.

For me - that was heavily focussed on 4 things.  Lego, Transformers, Mask & He-Man.  Although I am over it now, seeing Transformers get a proper live-action movie makeover in 2007 did fill me with excitement at the time as all of these childhood characters I had watched in cartoon form & played with in plastic form were now front and centre on the big screen and it was great.  Even the Lego movie to some extent was a joy and as for Mask (much lesser known but still very viable for a movie franchise) I'm still waiting!

Well, now it's He-Man's turn and okay, before you all complain - yes, I am fully aware this isn't the first He-Man / Masters Live Action movie.  

2yrs after the original cartoon ended in 1987, Dolph Lundgren donned the furry hot pants and raised his sword with Frank Langella portraying a pretty scary Skeletor but my biggest gripe was it was set in America - not the land of Eternia.  A young Courtney Cox was the earth heroine along with her boyfriend who had to help the Masters find the 'key' to get home - and that was it.

It was clunky - camp (not as camp as the cartoon) and just lacked the huge host of characters and backdrops the cartoon presented.  It did have Man-at-Arms, Teela & Gwildor for the good-guys and Evil-Lyn, Blade, Saurod & Beastman for the bad, but there was no Battle-Cat (Cringer), no transformation (or back story) of Prince Adam having He-Man as his 'alter-ego' and so many other heroes & villains were missing.  Sadly, it very quickly fell into the bargain bin of entertainment with no sequels even considered.

In a way I'm glad - with technology as it was, expecting to see a believable Eternia in the 80's could have looked quite 'Tron'-esq, but they could have gone down the Star Wars route which would have been better - as would seeing a cowardly green tiger becoming the mighty Battle-Cat and even the transformation of He-Man himself would have more resembled Bill Bixby's morph into Lou Ferrigno's Incredible Hulk in the 1977 TV series so perhaps although at the time it would have been cool - from a nostalgic perspective, it would have ruined the fantasy so at least they didn't do a completely terrible job of messing up my childhood memories!

However - 2026 is a whole new ball game and waiting 40yrs for this re-imaging to take place is probably not a bad idea as today's CGI can allow for a much more in-depth and believable realm - and OMG did they do it justice!

Firstly - let's talk Eternia.  Its stunning - Castle GraySkull is epic as is Snake Mountain and when the movie opens with Prince Adam as a young child, its colourful - scary, desolate - bustling - it's Asgard meets Coruscant and they've done it brilliantly.

The movie is an origin story - Skeletor attacks Eterno (Eternia's Capital) with such shock and awe that his army catches everyone off guard and in a last ditch escape effort - Adam's parent see him off through a multi-dimensional portal, along with the Sword of Power to Earth - where after initially losing the sword during the journey - spends the next 15 years trying to look for it to go home.

Adult Adam is a bit of a dolt - working in HR, he is clearly frustrated about losing the sword so when he gets a lead on it, he drops everything (much to his line managers disgust) to get himself back home.  

When he does - its a very different Eternia he is faced with under Skeletor's reign but his return prompts a gathering of his childhood heroes who band together to bring down Skeletor's evil horde and bring peace back to Eternia.

As for the plot - that's all you're getting.  There is so much more I could write and I could go on for ages about the little nuances and easter eggs that are linked back to the cartoon and even the 80's Dolph Lundgren imagining with Dolph himself making a quick cameo but there are so many more moments to keep an eye out, if you know what you are looking for.

The cast is excellent - He-Man himself, Galitzine (The Idea of You / Cinderella) is brilliant, as are Idris Elba and Camilla Mendes as father / daughter combo Man-At-Arms and Teela.  Other returning characters are Ram Man, Fisto, Mekaneck & Roboto - each brilliantly represented and there is a running joke about these names and how bad they actually are given how Adam refers to them growing up on Earth.  Look out for plenty of adult innuendoes that will have the older viewers cracking up without the younger kids being aware to what's going on!

However - for me, the heroes are no match for the brilliant CGI and characterisation of the baddies.  Trap Jaw, Spikor, Beat Man, Evil-Lyn and Tri-Klops just to name a few are so well conceived and designed that they really do steal the show but the standout performance (and I can't believe I am saying this out loud) is Jared Leto as Skeletor himself.

Leto has played an absolute blinder - he has not only captured the evil vengefulness of the 80's cartoon but also the mannerisms and comedy of Skeletor to perfection.  You will laugh out loud with some of the dialogue and you cant wish for a more likeable villain than Skeletor - you will not be disappointed.

For me - it could have done with a little more of Battle-Cat, and characters such as Mer-Man make a single frame 'blink and you'll miss it' appearances but this just means the franchise still has plenty of momentum, something tee'd up in the post credit scene - they will be back!     

For those who remember the cartoons always ending with Orko giving a morale to the story / episode then this also hasn't been forgotten (if you hang around at the end) and, without trying to detail any spoilers; I do hope they find a way to bring Leto's Skeletor back for a 2nd outing!

It was everything I wanted it to be.  It bought back so many childhood memories (in a positive way) and although there was plenty of nostalgia and throwbacks for me, it also completely engaged our 12 year old and easily welcomed in a new army of fans - as I am sure Transformers did when it's first live action movie released almost 20 years ago.

    

315, Ladies First

If there is any actor out there that splits opinions more than anyone else, it has to be Sacha Baron Cohen.

Famed in the early noughties and beyond for his defining character portrayals of Ali G, Borat, Bruno & The Dictator Aladeen, to the much lesser controversial roles of King Julian & Nobby - it's rare to find him in a straight role, without the accents or make-up but Ladies First definitely makes up for that.

In a mix of Freaky Friday meets What Women / Men Want - Cohen portrays the role of Damien Sachs - an egotistical, chauvinistic male Advertising Exec, single - no kids and revelling in his manosphere environment whilst the overworked, underpaid and under-appreciated female counterparts - namely Alex Fox (Rosumund Pike) battle the work / life / kids balance, always finishing in second place.

Out story kicks off with Guinness (Yes, that one) wanting their Ad campaign (headed up by Damien Sachs) to get a female on the Exec board to focus on their new Guinness 'wine' - so Sachs promotes Fox, not for her ability or prowess but purely due to her gender into the lead role, but without any of the power, much to her disbelief when this all comes to light and following a very disagreeable public falling out with Sachs, see's Fox resign.

When then attempting to ratify the decision with Fox about his decision being the right one - BANG! bump to the head - and a re-awaking to a very very different world.

Women have all the power - and the status quo on the male dominant environment is completely flipped on it's head.

The plot - Sachs has to re-invent himself if he wants to get back into his own reality which can only be done if he is 'back on top' so faces the battle of trying to be number 1 in a new environment that completely favours the alternative sex.

What this film does brilliantly is the re-branding of pretty much everything we know in modern life - Kings Cross becomes Queens Cross - brands such as Burger Queen, Vincent Westwood, Victor's Secret, Harriet Potter & The Lady of the Rings are just a few of the dozens of changes you need to look out for as the movie rolls along.

They changes don't stop there - 'Calm down love' & 'is it the time of the week / month?' take on a whole new meaning and the 'Manopause' along with men being cat-called on the street all look in common place in this alternate reality.  

The trauma men now face of having to have the right hair, clothes, look - being sexually objectified, belittled and having to shave everywhere just to be accepted starts becoming a reality for our once worry free anti-hero - even his normally boisterous nephews are now hair platting and discussing recipes with Dad.     

In all honesty - this film will make Men take a good look at themselves in almost every aspect of their lives and it's the most awakening realisation of the female struggles, even in todays supposed equality driven environment that just go to share how unfair certain aspects of it still are.  

Even I missed loads of nuances in the movie that my wife definitely picked up on to the point where I responded with "do we do that?" and I got a look of  - in general - Yes! that went straight over my own head - so it will put these differences front and centre for the whole audience.

It's well casted - Cohen and Pike are fabulous and on the male side, Tom Davis as Cohens brother in-law, Charles Dance as the Ad Agencies CEO (in the male world) & Richard E Grant as the 'voice of reason' are all well played but it's the ladies definitely steal the show.

Emily Mortimer (Sach's Sister), Fiona Shaw (PA turned CEO) & Kathryn Hunter (Cleaner turned Chairwoman) are standout - each living their best possible lives in a world where women definitely come out on top and they do a fabulous job at it!

It's around 90 mins long and as with all re-awakening stories - (spoiler alert) Damien Sachs does come out if this a much better man for all the right reasons.  

It's a comedy with a real meaning and yes, some of the script (and Cohens acting) is a bit wooden in places, which is why he probably makes such a fabulous character actor as playing the straight guy isn't really his forte but overall it's a real eye opening look at modern lifestyles and challenges and one I'd highly recommend.  

Well done Netflix. 

 

314, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Come on! A brand new, totally bona fide Star Wars movie back on the big screen - what better way to return after a 2 month break with a movie and franchise very close to my heart.

The Mandalorian (in my mind) remains the best Star Wars 'spin-off' yet created.  Conceived and written by Jon Favreau (Marvel + much more) this is almost a love story to the entire Star Wars franchise, using Mando and Grogu as connectors to characters and stories dating back to the 70's and 80's.

The plot isn't a tricky one to work out;  Mando is completing some Bounty Missions for the New Republic, tracking down scattered War Lords & to get information on a certain individuals location, Mando is persuaded to complete a job for the twin siblings of recently deceased (if you follow the timeline) Jabba the Hutt to find and rescue their nephew Rotta the Hutt (Jabba's son) - however, trickery is soon uncovered as it's not his release they seek but his demise as Rotta's death would line the twins up to have sole control of the Hutt empire with the true heir out of the way.

Rotta is a piece of genius.  Ripped, agile, with pecs, abs and voiced by Jeremy Allen Wright (The Bear / Springsteen / Iron Claw), he is a gentle soul & keen to be rid of his fathers criminal legacy, wanting to make a name for himself.  Rotta is captive yes, but enjoying fighting in a Gladiatorial arena where he is basically the home town hero after winning over a once hostile crowd - he is revelling in the stardom in the hope his next battle will see him released (that's what they all say!)

Obviously, this isn't as straight forward as Rotta hopes it should be (no surprises there) and along with Mando and Grogu, plus a few other supporting characters look to bring down the captors, the Hutt Twins and anyone else who stands in their way.

This movie is fantastic.  The attention to detail in some of the scenes is just phenomenal - and for the real fans out there, pay particular attention to the monster battle that is direct re-construction of the Dejarik game Chewie is playing on the holographic chessboard on the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope (remember that?) It's just a few seconds of footage but the real life battle that occurs in the arena has the same Monsters and moves seen in the 77' original - awesome!

The effects throughout are great - it totally feels like a Star Wars movie but you don't really need to watch the Mandalorian seasons first to get an understanding of what's happening.  It helps of course, but only for character depth.  As a movie, this seamlessly links in with those preceding it if you want it too - but also works as a standalone entity.

I love how they've avoided CGI for Grogu and maintained puppetry & yes, it looks a little clunky in places but that's the part of the adoration for this franchise.  Seeing a CGI Yoda battling Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones always seemed a step to far so returning to this basic approach (I say basic - the puppeteers would probably disagree!) with Grogu just adds a lot more personality to this adorable little green hero and still, without real words - manages to convey every emotion and mannerism to perfection.  We all love him even more after this recent outing.

There are of course cameos - look out for Sigourney Weaver & listen out for Martin Scorsese (needs no explanation) as the food-cart vendor Hugo Durant and Star Wars OG - C3PO's Anthony Daniels providing the voice of the Air Traffic Controller Droid.  The Lucasfilm VP Doug Chaing steps in as New Republic Lieutenant Blick and there are even some prior Disney+ series Directors appearing as uncredited X-Wing Pilots in the final scenes.  

I honestly believe those involved in the Mando series (and this movie) are just huge Star Wars fans who are are telling the stories they would want to see being made.  Knowing how the nostalgia impacts the die-hard fan base and the introduction of newer characters and locations attracts an ever growing audience.  

This has hyped me up even more for the He-Man re-imagining, again - Directed by a fan and wanting to give the audience what we've waited 40+ years to see and not in an eighties, Dolph Lundgren way.

As for Mando & Grogu - for a Galaxy that initially started in 49 years ago 'Far Far Away', I think it all now feels much closer to home for many of us and long may that continue.

313, Mercy

Mercy is the most recent offering on Amazon Prime and couldn't be more simple if I wrote it myself. 

We open with a dissorientated Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) handcuffed into a futuristic chair, being read the equivalent of his rights and about to face trial for the alleged murder of his own wife earlier that day with 'A.I' Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson) acting as Judge, Jury and Excecutioner.  

He has 90 minutes in the chair to reduce his guilty 'percentage' to an acceptable level by accessing cloud information of photos, files, videos, camera footage, phone records and calls to convince Maddox of his innocence otherwise, face immediate excecution.

And that's it! Think Phone Booth 'meets' Minority Report and you're almost there.  The backstory is quite simnple - Raven is a Police Officer who in part, openly supports and backs the "Mercy" Judicial approach and now he finds himself as it's latest participant.  Awaking in the chair, he learns first hand of his wife's death - and sees bodycam footage of his arrest following some pretty awfull behaviour but swears his innocence to the murder even though at this time, all evidence points towards him.

Set in the not to distance in the future, with everything cloud accessible, Raven is able to to reference footage captured from anytime, anywhere - and speak to whoever he can to support his case and once the immediate grief of what has happened to his wife has sunk in, sets out on a fast paced investigation with a constant countdown in place to find the perpetrator - all while being strapped to a chair.

The action and outside support is fed into his digital courtroom via screen projections and body / phone cam footage with Maddox supporting in obtaining requested files, calling interested parties and accessing data and historical details to support Ravens hasty investigation.

This movie has a few plot twists throughout with early suspects in the frame but although potential dead ends - does throw light to other lines of investigation that do, in the end - lead to ensuring justice is served.

Pratt is great as Raven.  His character isn't quite the nice guy you'd hope, but that adds to the tension of 'did he / didn't he' with his anger and alcoholism issues front and centre but Pratt manages to convey all of that all while remaining seated throughout the movie, with the exception of the pre-crime footage of him being played out in video and real-time form.

Ferguson, as the dead-pan 'A.I' Judge remains a constant digital screen presence and Raven's daughter Britt, played by Kylie Rogers (Yellowstone's 'Young' Beth) is a fiesty teen who's torn between losing her Mum and wanting to belive her Dad's innocence but being swayed by Grandparents to her Dad's guilt were both great additions.

Other cast member include Raven's 'Cop' parter Jac (Kali Reis - True Detective), Friend and AA sponsor Rob (Chris Sullivan - Behemoth in Megamind / Jerry in American Dad!) and finally the poor murdered wife played by Annabelle Wallis (Grace from Peaky Blinders).

I think you need to stick with this one - the opening 15 minutes or so make you feel this is going to a bit of a slog - watching Chris Pratt strapped to a chair for 90 minutes trying to proive his innocence to a computer generated, non compassionate AI Judge - but things start hotting up when his colleagues - all of which do seemingly believe he's incapable of the crime he's accused of, rally round to follow his direction and try and solve the crime - all in under an hour (by the time he gets going).

In parts it's very fast and furious - the car chases are very 'digitally enhanced' (shall we say) with a lot of special effect that were't particularly necessary, but you would't get the destructon portratyed without it so you have to let that one go.  

It's a little thought provoking regarding the Mercy Justice system, the role AI is playing in our everyday lives and the impact this has, especially if it starts getiting things wrong but that's just topical conversation pieces we all deal with day to day as tech develops around us.

It you liked Phone Booth / Liberty Stands Still then this is that, but taken to a more 'digital' level - definately worth a watch.

(Images used in blog are sourced from IMDB, First Showing.net, Los angeles Times, Digital Spy & We are Movie Geeks)

312, One Battle After Another

I really don't undestand the Oscars sometimes.

I do understand they like to push the envelope and recognise aspects of movies that would normally just pass right over the regular casual viewer and I also know stories that highlight issues or are prominent in current society (either by luck or judgement) seem to do well, but I am still struggling to see the reasons behind this movie winning Best Film at this years Oscars.

Let's break this down - One Battle After Another is clearly defined by two main acts, seperated over a period of 16 years.

Act 1:  We meet a band of 'vigilante rebels' fighting for a cause (of which, to the outside world could easily be seen as terrorism) yet, we are sided with them as we see their plight of rescuing illegal immigrants from horrific compounds along the mexican border.  

Their approach however is violent and reckless - led by Perfidia (Teyana Taylor) and supported by love interest Bob (DiCaprio) as an explosives expert, the whole crew have no bones about rescuing illegals one minute and then commiting armed robbery the next.

Oddly - they aren't the main protagonists - that honour falls to Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) as the Military leader in charge of the immigrant compounds and after coming across Perfidia and her crew, develops a form of unhealthy, demasculated obsession with her as he then works tirelessely to hunt her down.

Perfidia then has a baby (assumingly belonging to Bob) at which point Bob realises their focus has to switch to responsible parenting - but is dismissed by a selfish Perfidia, who's sees the affection and love that Bob once showed her now focussed on their baby girl and basically leaves them both.  She ends up on the run, alone; until Lockjaw catches up with her and after being forced to turn rat on her crew, sees Bob, the baby daughter (Charlene) and other crew members go into hiding - which for most of them, is unsuccessfull.

Act 2 jumps forward 16yrs with a teenage Charlene (played by Chase Infiniti) living a very low-key lifestyle with Bob, now an anxious, paranoid addict and it all kicks off again when Lockjaw resurfaces - on the hunt for Charlene (reasons are made clear in the movie) and it's the new circle of support around Bob & Charlene, including Sensai Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio Del Toro) who has taken up the mantle of housing illegal immigrants, helped out by friends & family and managing to evade the authorities by any means necessary, who rally round a seemingly incapable Bob to get them both safe.

All sounds amazing right, what's not to like?  Well, from start to finish I just didn't get this movie.  I couldn't work out if it was designed to make heroes out of terrorists - or slander the military with their portrayal of Lockjaw and his processes and mannerism's.

From an actors perspective - DiCaprio was as always, the awesome professional - completely engaged in his character and playing a brilliant submissive to Taylors dominant Perfidia, who was as sexy as she was ruthless & selfish.  Del Toro was brilliant as well but it was the performace from Penn as the single minded, unhinged militant protagonist that appeared almost comedic initially, but soon turns to chilling & obsessive with a need for white supremicist validation and in the end, sheer blinded vengeance that for many, will steal the show.

Was he worthy of the Best Supporting Actor gong?  Well, that's down to the Academy - he certainly went all-in on the character but that said, DiCaprio losing out to Michael B. Jordan (for Sinners) is also one I didn't see coming.

The movie just didn't seem to have a point to it.  I didn't know who we were supposed to side with - the Rebellion was mean, vicious and reckless & the Military was overbearing and sadistic.  You want to side with Bob, but he was basically hopeless and you constantly wonder how he managed to bumble though 16yrs of hiding without getting caught so you are left with Charlene, who seems to be a vigilant, stand-up, dedicated and intelligent human being but as you'll find out at the end - the apple never falls far from the tree.

The most annoying thing for me in this movie was the soundtrack.  Don't get me wrong, some will say it's an atmospheric masterpeice and to take a quote from the internet;

"The piano music in One Battle After Another (2025), composed by Jonny Greenwood, is a deliberate, tense score using a "pedal tone" technique - repeating a single note over changing chords. This creates a constant, anxious and rhythmic backdrop designed to feel like a "metronome of suspense, " mirroring the ongoing, generational struggles of the characters"

So - that's nice and specific, but OMG it gets annoying and tedious after about an hour! For me, it ended up being all I could focus on! Like that annoying dripping tap or squeaky floorboard.  It dominated the whole movie and sadly as a result, after a while I'd checked out completely.  Sorry Jonny, I'm sure it's not your fault.

This should have been the type of film I'd rave about.  Regular readers will know from my 300+ blogs preceeding this one, I don't always need a captivating storyline or even a believable plot to fall in love with a film.  This movie is fast paced with tonnes of action, fights, great characters and strong, well-known actors playing them but it was all just too random, chaotic and the piano was so completely overwhelming that all the enjoyment of what it should have been was completely lost.

I have left out loads of plot lines and back-stories in this blog for good reason.  It's close to 3hrs long and I'll be brutally honest, I had to google the ending as after 2hrs 10mins, both me and my wife either lost complete intertest in what was going on - or were so confused by the whole thing we really didn't care what happened to any of the surviving characters.

I saw this at home, on Sky TV as one of the their 'Cinema Premiers' but I genuinly think had we have gone to the cinema - we wouldn't have made it all the way through either and sadly, that's coming from someone who sat though the entire 90 mins of "Movie 43" (Blog: 238)

One Battle After Another is a six time Oscar Winner and includes a a highly acclaimed cast that will probably have fans raving about it for generation to come, just not this one.

(Images used in blog are sourced from Golden Globes, NPR, Arts Knoxville, ScriptShadow, Deadline, Biff Bam Pop!, Fanfare & High on Films)

311, Predator: Badlands

Let me take you back to 1987.  Arnie (in his 80's prime), supported by WWF's Jessie 'The Body' Ventura, Rocky's Carl Weathers & regular Arnie 'sidekick', Bill Duke (too name a few) set off into the Central American Jungle to track down what they believe is a renegade group of insurgents - only to discover an Alien being with one mission - seek and destroy!

38 years and 8 movies later we find ourselves at Predator: Badlands and it's fair to say the franchise has had it's ups and downs.  

Predator 2, Alien vs Predator, Alien vs Predator 2 (Requiem), Predators, The Predator, Prey, Predator - Killer of Killers (Animated) and now Predator: Badlands, it's fair to say that the script writers didn't spend too much time coming up with new titles!  I cant say I have seen all of the offerings but since Prey, I am onboard with where it's seemingly going - offering some more insight into the backstory of the 'Yautja' (the species we refer to as the Predators) and how they come to be wherever in the universe they are, and for whatever reason.

Badlands follows this trend as we meet a young Yautja (Dek) in training, trying to make his way as an elite warrior and about to embark on a 'life or death' mission to trap and bring home a Prey of his choosing which on completion, will see him welcomed into the respected ranks.  Failure?  Well, let's just say this isn't tolerated and only the successfull make the grade.

However, unbeknown to him - Daddy Yautja sees his youngest as the weakest link and has ordered elder brother (Kwei) to kill him which doesn't sit quite right with Kwei and I wont spoil what happens next, but it all kicks off and Dek ends up heading to Genna (the "Death Planet") to try and defeat the un-killable 'Kallisk' to redeem himself in his fathers eyes.

You have probably noticed that I haven't mentioned any actors yet in this most recent offering.  Well, the use of CGI is in abundance here and although there is body suit recognition for Dek, played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (don't worry - I don't know him either) he remains unrecognisable as an actor and fully supported by voice overs and digitalisation.  The same can be said for the other Yautja, so it's left to the inclusion of Ellie Fanning (Maleficent) as the only really recognisable cast member and overall, it's a very small ensemble.

Once we get to Genna where the bulk of this movie takes place (and the prelude up to this point concludes with brief title sequence) it's fair to say the CGI ramps up even more!  From comparable 'Dinosaurs' to killer trees & plants, 'Death Planet' is a very fair assessment of the unfamiliar terrian that Dek is faced with.

Dek meets Thia (Fanning) quite early on following his arrival on Genna - and being a sentient A.I / Android, Thia becomes quite an unexpected ally initially for Dek in his pursuit of the Kallisk.  Thia is on Genna as a research project - knowing no human could survive the environment and having knowledge of the Kallisk, offers assistance to Dek as a 'tool' to help him obtain his trophy!

Fanning - on the whole (or at least half of her) is great.  The character is witty, funny, patronising and knowledgeable and is the perfect sidekick for Dek.  I won't go into too much detail about Tessa (Fannings other role in this) as I dont want to give everything away but she definately the Yang to Thia's Yin (put simply).

The setting is very reminiscent of Arnie's version all those years ago (albeit worlds apart) but the Jungle / Forrest setting is very comparable.  Thia has a language adaptive programme installed in her to speak the the Yautja's language but remain understandable to us, but you do have to deal with Dek's dialoguie in subtitles, although Dek's lines are short and defined - meaning it's not that hard to keep up with whats going on.

We get an insight into Thia's backstory too and you can't help but get flashbacks of the sort of 'Chewbacca / C3PO' relationship between our resiliant duo as they traverse through the environment - which makes more sense when you watch the movie.

That's not the only Star Wars comparative however as a lot of the monsters and lifeforms on Genna have a Star Wars feel about them - some playfull, some horrific but they are in abundance and almost every scene is either a 'run for your life' or 'fight to the death' moment.

The special effects are well done - Ellie Fanning is great and the story has pace and purpose so for me, all in all it's a bit of a winner!  

It doesn't have the rawness of Prey - or the basic survival instincts of Arnie's Predator, but I think it's a worthy addition to the franchise and if you likes some of its predecessors - definately one to watch.

(Images used in blog are sourced from Wikipedia, Los Angeles Times, Empire, Film Stories, The Times, Collider & Vanyaland)

   

310, Melania

Okay Amazon Prime - Lets get the bad bits out the way first.  

IMDB have ranked this 1.4 Stars (One of the 5 lowest ranked films on the platform) & Rotten Tomatoes gave it a critics score of just 7% (although it has an audience rating of 99%!)

Openly - it's been slammed as an egotystical self portrayal of first world problems that only seem to affect the top 0.0001% of the population and the whole concept was never really going to allow the promise of a 'tell all' behind the scenes documentary of what life is truly like for the wife of President Trump, especially in the 20 days leading up to his 2nd term as US President.  So what actually is 'Melania' - if it's not an 'access all areas' documentary?

Well - surprisingly enough - I found it to be quite interesteing.

Lets just agree that it's a very manicured and scripted 90 minutes of self produced positivity from Melania's perspective.  The doting Wife, Daugher, Mother and the orchestrator of home design and public event planning which does shed some insight into some of the 'behind the scenes' goings on of the innaugural dinner and the pre-empt to life (once more) in the White House.

Trump himself appears fleetingly - it feels honest, and respectful but with that said, there are a handfull of funny and witty quips from Melania 'behind the camera' that do raise a smile, especially with how distanced she sounds on some of the recorded phone calls with him and pretty much her dismissal of his polling successes but on the whole, Melania is portrayed as a very supportive First Lady, albeit very much in control of her own schedule.

We do see (or, what we are led to believe) is the inside of Melania's apartment within Trump Tower for a dress fitting, which is where we meet some of the ensemble cast - namely her designer / dresser (Herve Pierre) who does steal each scene he's in as well as the event coordinator (David Monn) who is behind some of the events Melania is working on.  The standout performance though is the hand made dress, presented by Herve that is nothing short of knockout and you do get a small glimpse of the 'fashionista' side of Melania - almost forgotton given her current standing.

There are filmed interviews with potential new 'staffers' - Invitation choosing, table dressings meetings and Art selection discussions for the White House that pad out the films duration but it really is all about Melania.  There are no sit down 'one to one' moments like you see in Drive to Survive and everything is shot pretty much in 3rd person, either on the move or on location with lots of voiceovers and very little straight to camera conversations.  There are lots of thoughtfull 'stares' set to patriotic soundtracks as this plane lands or that car pulls away and even the Secret Service guys get some face time, which I thought was a big 'no no' but hey, it's a new world!

We get to see inside the Capitol in footage that wouldn't have made the CNN Presidential coverage and if anything, this documentary is focussed on showing the indiviuality of the returning First Lady and the work she is doing towards numerous charities, much more than being just the wife of a President.

You don't get the open honesty and realism of let's say - 'Clarksons Farm' and if you honestly thought you would hear the first Lady slagging off her Husbands antics, then you are very much mistaken.

Okay - I'll agree with the critics that this isn't going to win any Documentary awards - but if Melania herself is of interest you, then this will give a voice to someone who on 'TV' is always two steps behind and pretty much unheard - allowing some small insight to life outside of being  'Mrs Trump' and highlights her own passions, challenges and steps to secure her and Baron's future (albeit financially, I'm sure they'll be okay) as the years tick by.

(Images used in blog are sourced from Wikipedia, Vanity Fair, Yahoo, New york Times, Common Sense Media & USA Today)