There has to be some mistake. We're American, right? (Civil War 2024)

 308.

Civil War

7/10

Sometimes you watch a movie for some escapism to see events that would never happen. Sometimes movies come around and you find yourself thinking the world isn't too far away from something along these lines actually happening. I'm not from the US but it's reported on enough the tensions in the States around election time. The director and writer Alex Garland, known for some experimental and thought-inducing movies such as Annihilation, Men and Ex Machina, gives us a story set in the near future in which a civil war has taken over the United States. The third-term president,  who leads an authoritarian federal government is claiming victory is near, even as the White House will soon be reached by the 'Western Forces' of California and Texas. He has disbanded the FBI, ordered air strikes on his own civilians and his leadership has caused the Dollar to crash.

 We are about to follow a veteran war photographer named Lee Smith, played by Kirsten Dunst as she heads towards D.C. to interview the President before he is set upon by anyone else. She has seen the horrors of war and is completely numb to violence at this point. She knows and discusses her plans with her mentor Sammy. As those close to her either try to dissuade her from heading on her journey or are eager to join make the trip, Lee reluctantly lets a young journalist join the party, played by Cailee Spaeny. Lee, without knowing, takes this young girl under her wings as they approach their first stop at a gas station which is protected by armed men who have hung alleged looters. Lee diffuses the situation by taking pictures of the men with their victims while Jessie berates herself for being too stunned to take any photos. Lee tries to explain to her that becoming a photographer means putting her life in danger. 

Our group get caught up in fighting areas, sniper fire and every moment and incident builds Jessie's courage as a photographer. One moment becomes unnerving for the viewer as a few of them are held at gunpoint by a group of militia and are only saved by Sammy ramming the gunmen with the car before they are shot and buried in a mass grave, but Sammy is mortally wounded. Heading closer to D.C. they find that most of the loyalists have started surrendering, leaving D.C. to be defended by the most fanatical. Lee finds herself unable to document Sammy's death and deletes the picture she took of him. 

The final act by our group is for them to embed themselves in the Western Front as they finally reach D.C. and the White House. Jessie is now full throttle, putting herself in the firing line whilst Lee is struggling with the situation. They reach fortified gates as the presidential limo leaves and is quickly intercepted and the occupants are killed. Understanding that this is a distraction, our final trio make their way into the White House to hunt down the President. Remaining are a few Secret Service agents wanting to discuss the surrender of the President but this quickly turns into a fire fight. Jessie once again puts herself in danger and is only saved by Lee pushing her out of the way and taking the bullets herself. Without a second thought, Jessie documents Lee's death before moving on through the White House. Entering the Oval Office, the President is pulled to the floor by a couple of Western Forces soldiers and prepare to execute him. Joel, Lee's one remaining partner stops them to get a quote from the President, which is 'Don't let them kill me'. Satisfied, he no longer delays and the movie ends with Jessie documenting the soldiers posing with the President's corpse. 

As I mentioned at the beginning, the fact that at times there are residents of the United States threatening actions along these lines is scary. A President who turns around and decides that killing their own countrymen is an act they feel they deserve forgiveness for can only be supported by the brainwashed and crazy. Having recently been to the state and listening to how a waitress was telling me why she votes the way she does, it's not hard to believe that people think in this radical way. The movie felt like it was a documentary and possibly found footage movie at times which is only a compliment as I was gripped from beginning to end by the way the storyline came across. Captivating and intense and without glorifying war, this movie gives a glimpse of what a future could be like whilst also focusing on a 'coming of age' storyline throughout the world of war journalism.

 I think the cast may go very underappreciated as we see Kirsten Dunst lead the line as a weary reporter who is clearly sick of this shit but still has time for the newcomer. Cailee Spaeny as said newcomer quickly grows through this movie until the end, being the main journalist and one unsung cast member who isn't in the movie too long, Jessie Plemons. Plemons isn't credited in the movie but plays one of the gunmen who is around the mass grave. This character is off-the-charts crazy so keep an eye out. 

This movie doesn't come to a happy conclusion, it doesn't leave you feeling warm and cosy at any point. In my opinion, the movie wouldn't have worked if it wasn't exactly as it was. This is the sheer dread of was and doesn't shy away from showing how dark and desperate it can become. I may not revisit this movie again but that isn't a reflection on what it was, it was more of an impact movie that that you may never be in the mood to experience again.

There's something alien out there... . and it's, uh... it's dangerous. (65 2023)

307.

65

6/10

After a year of trying, the account on Blogger is finally unlocked but now there is some catching up to do. I'm going to condense the reviews a little more than before to get through the backlog of movies and see how it goes rather than the synopsis of what I've watched in previous posts. Hopefully flying through these will also lead to a new series revolving around the 'Movie Scavenger Hunt' that I am knee-deep in at the moment, more to come on that.

Let's start back with Adam Driver, front and centre in a SCI-FI movie whose trailer grabbed me simply by the fact the movie was going to contain dinosaurs. Written and directed by Scott Beck who was majorly involved with A Quiet Place and its success I was a little optimistic on what to expect. With only 4 cast members listed, I had a feeling we were going to get really familiar with them, and quickly. The movie seemed a very simple concept and this came to light as we move on to the storyline.

 Adam Driver plays a family man, 65 million years ago on an Alien planet, looking to take a high-paying job on a space expedition in order to afford his daughter's treatment. Whilst on the mission, the ship is hit with asteroids and crash lands on an alien planet, which turns out to be Earth. Being 65 million years ago, he isn't alone but for now, he's getting his bearings, realising that all his passengers are dead he contemplates suicide until he finds a young, lone survivor. Due to them speaking different languages, we watch their trust in each other grow as they try to make their way to an escape vessel which has been located. 

Driver's character Mills takes on the protection role of Koa, played by Ariana Greenblatt, as the discovery of dinosaur skeletons shocks the characters into the realisation that they may be in danger other than just being stranded. The movie moves on to their journey through the unforgiving terrain before being set on by dinosaurs. There's also one more problem. The asteroid that hit the ship was debris from the bad boy that hit Earth and made the dinosaurs extinct. It's time to leave. Fighting with what little weapons he has, in and out of caves, T-rex and Oviraptors in tow, Mills gets the two to finally reach the escape pod before one more highly explosive battle where he is ready to sacrifice himself to make sure Koa can escape. She's not about to leave him behind though and chips in for the final kill before the two make it off-world and on their way to a rescue ship. Behind them, we see the asteroid hit Earth and with the cataclysmic event, we know what comes next. 

Dinosaurs can win me over 9 times out of 10 and yes, it was entertaining but nothing more than being a popcorn movie. I've not gone back and watched it again and it's been a while since my first viewing. This could well be a 50/50 split between the audience and starting with some of the good, it was an exciting concept to have what are technically aliens crash land on Earth during the time period and with all of the threats of death, the suspense in certain situations was definitely created. The sci-fi aspect, futuristic weapons were covered whilst the primitive part of the movie was the winner for me. The CGI and cinematography helped the audience to become immersed in the world compared to something like Jurassic Park or Jurassic World which is modern day featuring dinosaurs. 

As for the plot, it was fairly basic and predictable. Man has obstacles to overcome to save himself and a child has been done numerous times and with only two characters in the movie, it was a little stale, especially with the language barrier between the two, it was hard to see much development and anything that did happen, such as Koa helping with the final scene, you could see it coming from a mile away. I know these are the ways of the movies. It's an interesting take on the isolation genre of movies but I don't think it will light the place on fire. One pain point for me was learnt from the final season of Game of Thrones, which we try not to remember. Quite a bit of the action takes place at night, which is an attempt by the studios the keep costs down but at the same time, some of the best action can be obscured by the darkness of the scene.

Finishing off with another plus for this though would be the extremely small cast. Adam Driver is hot property at the moment for any studio that can get the man on board and sometimes it is a name that can get bums on seats for viewings. This movie shows how much of a versatile actor he can truly be. If you want to see Driver shoot at dinosaurs, you'll find something to enjoy in this movie. If you like a popcorn movie and enjoy watching The Last of Us TV series, sure give it a shot. Just turn your mind off, it's easier to enjoy.

For the prey to live, sometimes the predator must die. (Where the Crawdads sing 2022)

 306.

Where the Crawdads Sing

7/10

This is a movie that easily wouldn't have been showing at my cinema and I'm sure it wasn't around long but this movie based on a 2018 novel with the same name hit the screen mid-2022. The book must have been successful if the adaptation came so soon. The cast is full of unknowns for me, maybe some faces I've seen elsewhere in a supporting role but no one I could tell you on first name terms. Daisy Edgar-Jones is our lead, playing a young girl in North Carolina who raised herself to adulthood whilst also becoming a Naturalist. When a local hotshot is found dead in the Marshes, our lead character is the only suspect in the case. Let's get into the story quickly and then talk about the rest.

The movie begins with news that a dead body is found and Catherine 'Kya' Clarke is accused of murder. We are then taken back in time to show how her earlier life went as her drunk father gambles away the family's money and her mother and older siblings leave the house one by one. She survives by capturing Muscles and selling them to the town shop, whose owners become her friends. Taking herself to school, she is soon labelled the 'Marsh Girl'. A name which sticks with her through life. 

She also makes friends with a local boy named Tate, who lends her books, teaches her to read and becomes close with their common interest in nature. He eventually leaves for college and promises to return on the 4th of July. When he doesn't return and with no contact at all, Kya ends up moving on with her life, dating a quarterback from the area who is very popular. At first, I thought this was a running joke or for a bet but it actually carries on. Kya gives him a necklace she has made from a shell and he even promises her marriage. A year into the relationship, Tate decides to rock up and put a spanner in the works. On the other hand, Kya finds out that Chase the jock is actually engaged to another girl and one you'd expect a jock to be engaged to. 

Kya starts to get an income as her nature drawings and books begin to be published. Her older brother even remerges at his childhood home, explaining that their mother had died before she managed to reunite her children. He promises to return every so often and Kya is once again alone. 

The attention from Chase has always continued but it become more aggressive. He even attempts to rape her before she fights him off and vows to kill him which is overheard by a local fisherman. He trashes her home and 2 days later he is found dead at the bottom of of a fire tower in the swamps. The waters rise and wash away any footprints, there are no fingerprints found and the only thing out of place is the shell necklace that Kya once made for him is now missing. Kya is charged with murder and is already pre-judged by the townspeople. 

At the time of the murder, Kya was meeting with a publisher a couple of hours away from the town but the police and prosecutors speculate that she could have disguised herself to ride the bus home and make the kill in the short layover at night after luring Chase to meeting her, before catching the bus back to Greenville, the town she was meeting with the publishers. With only the missing necklace, the fisherman's testimony and the theory which was a stretch, Kya is found not guilty with the help of a retired solicitor who had come to her aid. 

The movie begins to end with Kya and Tate growing old together, Kya publishes a number of book and meets with her brother and his family many times. Whilst in her 70s, she imagines her mother returning home but in reality, she is having memories as her own life comes to an end. Tate finds her lying dead in their boat. The movie ends with Tate boxing up Kya's belongings and she finds her journal with an entry stating, 'To protect the prey, sometimes the predator has to be killed'. It is alongside a drawing of Chase and hidden in a small compartment is the shell necklace from all those years ago. Putting two and two together pretty fast, Tate walks out of the house in shock, throwing the necklace into the marsh water to protect the memory of Kya as he knew it all those years.

This movie actually took me by surprise and that was from the refreshing ending. If we ever have a film around a court setting, we are usually looking at someone who was wrongly convicted and the movie sets upon fighting to free our main character. It ticked these boxes and gave us reasons to believe Kya couldn't have committed the murder only for that twist at the end. It was nice to have this change of someone we were rooting for all movie to have actually killed someone. Watching this girl grow up, make it through adversity, follow her passion and succeed with it, even make it out of the courtroom in which everyone was against her and only to find out she did it left me a little speechless and I'm all here for it. 

This was helped by some strong acting from Daisy Edgar-Jones, who is soon to be in the new Twisters movie. Playing the role in a murder mystery/romance drama can have its challenges but with the one-screen chemistry brought together with Taylor John Smith as Tate, you are quickly routing for this female. You think she is innocent and misunderstood, abused to an extent but you are left torn by the end once all is revealed. This is only possible by a great storyline from a novel which I have no doubt hit a stream of popularity once this movie hit the screens. Edgar-Jones manages to make you doubt whether anyone else could have pulled off this role as well as she captured Kya.

The movie wasn't without its flaws with some predictable content and a need to condense the story due to its 2 hours run time rather than the option of reading the book itself. In honesty, this can be overlooked by the quick pacing of the movie, which isn't too fast but well enough to get to the point it's trying to make. You are immersed in this swamp life thanks to Polly Morgan as director of photography who manages to find the beauty in a place that people would rarely come to expect. This one is worth one sitting but it always leaves the question of what was sacrificed from the novel to fit the run time on the big screen.