adaptation

Film Review – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

films, reviews

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

According to multiverse theory, there is at least one universe in which Edgar Wright directed the first Ant-Man film. I like to think in that universe, the Ant-Man franchise was a much bigger success than it’s turned out to be in our universe. I’ve tried so hard to love these films because I think there’s so much potential. If I’m honest, I think I’ve always been a bit forgiving of these films. I’ve always loved an underdog and these films were always Marvel’s underdogs. They benefited from having Paul Rudd in the main role alongside a great cast. It was just the storytelling. Nobody really knew what to do with Scott or Hope. The second film was disappointing, so I can’t say I was looking forward to the third. One of the reasons why it’s taken so long to get around to watching it. The other reason being my general boredom with the MCU of late. It’s just too much these days. The different phases used to last for 2, 3 or even 4 years. Now it’s basically 1.5. Marvel is a content farm these days and I’m struggling to care.

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Film Review – Air (2023)

films, reviews

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

There’s something to be said about the power of certain actors. One of the only reasons that I wanted to watch this film was because of Viola Davis. She’s such a powerhouse of an actor and could make anything seem great. I guess I also love Jason Bateman but he’s hardly as consistent with his film choices. And Ben Affleck? He’s been doing good things lately but I wasn’t sure that he would be able to make this concept work in the same way he made Argo work. After all, there’s something tricky about an underdog story about one of the biggest brands in the world. How can you make audiences sympathetic towards a billion-dollar company like Nike? It feels like the kind of story that someone like Adam McKay could have done fun things with but Nke would never have risked that.

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Film Review – Peter Pan and Wendy (2022)

films, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

One of the stops on my recent holiday was Moat Brae house in Dumfries. Between 1873 and 1878, author J M Barrie lived in the city and was a frequent visitor to the house. He even suggested that the gardens helped inspire him to create Neverland. In 2019, the house was turned into a museum and it’s absolutely amazing. It left me with a desire to read Barrie’s book again. It also gave me the perfect excuse to watch the latest Disney live-action remake.

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Film Review – Bullet Train (2022)

films, reviews

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

We’re going away tomorrow, so I should really be finishing packing. Or, at least, getting an early night so I can finish packing in the morning. Admittedly, we’re not setting off early but it still doesn’t seem wise to be sitting up writing blog posts. Still, I actually watched a film this week that wasn’t a rubbish animated film. It was a film that I was actually looking forward to seeing. I was meant to see it at the cinema when it came out but that never happened. It’s taken a while but I finally go around to it this week. All the more impressive considering it’s the first film I’ve seen in ages that’s had a run time of over 90 minutes.

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Bookish Post – Daisy Jones & the Six

films, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

When I first heard about Daisy Jones & the Six, it was after Resse Witherspoon had included it in her book club. Of course, this also put me off a bit because I wasn’t sure it would be the right book for me. I had some issues with it but, ultimately, I think it was a really fun read. A lot of that had to do with the format and how original it was. So, I was interested when it was announced that it would be adapted into a show for Prime. It certainly had a lot of potential to be a really good series. However, I’ve also just read and not enjoyed Carrie Soto Is Back, which made me a little nervous to watch it. Could the show ever live up to my expectations? I took the plunge and watched it this weekend. There are still a couple of episodes to go but I wanted to get some thoughts out.

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Book Review – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

books, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

How do you feel about audiobook dramatisations? I’ve listened to quite a few on Audible over the years and I think they’re quite fun. Although, you do lose something from the original source material. It’s basically the halfway point between a book and a film, right? You don’t get the full story but you still get to use your imagination a bit. On the plus side, it does mean you get distinct characterisation and it does help to sell the story. It also offers some production value that helps the with atmosphere and setting the scene. However, is it okay to listen to a dramatisation and not the unabridged version of the book? I don’t know and I’m not actually going to discuss that in this post. What I am doing is reviewing Audible’s original dramatisation of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea because I needed to find something quick to listen to.

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Film Review – Pinocchio (2022)

films, reviews

Rating: 2 out of 5.

In my review of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, I criticised the 2022 Disney version. I haven’t actually watched it. I felt bad enough about it that I actually did this week. I’d originally been planning to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once. I guess that can wait for another week. Instead, I’ll watch Tom Hanks talking to a CGI wooden boy. Even though I know there’s no way that it’ll be as good as del Toro’s version. How could it be?

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Film Review – Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)

films, reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Netflix film debate is a weird thing. Not only is it ridiculous that certain people seem to be gatekeeping cinema but it refuses to accept that the way people consume media has changed. Why should it matter whether people watch films on a massive screen with a bunch of strangers or at home with their loved ones? Yes, I agree that going to the cinema is a joy but I’m also well aware that I haven’t really been to the cinema much since Covid. We also have to question why, if streaming services are ruining the film industry, so many famous directors are releasing films on it? Martin Scorsese, Bong Joon-ho and now Guillermo del Toro are just a few of the great filmmakers who are now Netflix official. If films should only be watched at a cinema then why are they so willing to take their money?

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Film Review – Rosaline (2022)

films, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really bothered about a film this week. I just found went onto my various streaming services and found something quick. Although, I’d definitely have watched this at some point. I mean, it’s literary, there’s major teen comedy vibes and it stars Kaitlyn Dever in the title role. There’s so much to get me interested. Of course, we all know that Romeo and Juliet isn’t my favourite Shakespeare play but I guessed this film wouldn’t exactly celebrate it.

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Series Review – The Lord of the Rings: Rings Of Power

books, reviews, television

My previous post on this series turned out to be less of a review and more of a rant about toxic fans. So, now the first season has ended, I decided to try and offer my overall review of the show. I won’t go into great detail about the plot for many reasons. Mostly because I don’t know it well enough but also because there are so many other people who will do that for you. There might also be spoilers but I’ll try and keep them minor. Let’s see how successful this attempt is.

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