Whiplash

Whiplash (2014, Damien Chazelle)

I put on this film, as i wanted to watch something light hearted and not really concentrate, however through the duration of this film I didn't take my eyes of the screen. The narrative however I felt seemed almost dull and slow- paced however the film's cinematography was so enticing that the macro features almost seemed to not matter. The structure was very repetitive and throughout there felt like there was an element missing, in order to break up the narrative the filmmakers decided to add in a 'love interest' character, however this story line seemed unresolved and completely irrelevant to the film. It went from their first date, to their break-up with no indication of any other dates in between, making the audience feel that their relationship was non-exsistant. Instead of the love interest, I would have preferred to see more interaction with the father and his family.

Fletcher himself, whilst very unlikable at times seemed to have a heart of gold and true intentions, at the end when the wrong music is given, you feel sympathetic towards the protagonist however there is a burning sensation from the audience for him to finally prove himself, one final time. The ending therefore worked really well and was rather satisfying, however when the film ended, personally I wished it had gone on for longer, and seen the aftermath of his actions. I was enjoying the film so much that I wasn't prepared for it to end so suddenly.

The cinematography in this film was fantastic and certainly made the film. The colour palette used was very exciting, with lots of browns and yellows, this made a clear juxtaposition between the harsh red of the blood, and therefore the hard work that goes into his drumming. Definalty worth a watch, however I'm not sure if i will watch it again anytime soon. The film had a very similar feel to it as La La Land, which is not surprising considering Damien Chazelle directed them both, he is a fantastic director and i am looking forward to his future films, especially if they're as good as this. 

4/5

Lego batman

Lego Batman (2017, Chris Mckay)

The film overall was largely enjoyable however at times it had very cliche moments which seemed almost laughable at how childish they felt, I understand that the film is mainly aimed at kids however it seemed at times flawed in the plot and contain unlikable characters. I am not generally a fan of batman and often I am rooting for the joker and here it felt the same as batman seems more of an antihero and his character was flawed and miserable and I felt the character realisation of his family happened almost rather too quickly, I personally think it might have worked out better with just the son, but that would leave open some other major plot holes so I can understand why they didn't. The film wasn't nearly as good as the first lego movie film however and it almost felt like they made this film for the money rather than the film itself, it felt like it needed more love and individuality put into the film. Despite this, the film is exactly what you expect going in, and I am not disappointed with the experience and might even watch it again in the future.

2.5/5 stars 

Hercules

Hercules (1997, John Musker, Ron Clements)

I can't believe it took me so long to watch this film, it is a classic Disney film with a bit of Disney magic involved. There were very clear proppian character types in the film, which made it a very stereotypical fairytale story, which is very much expected. Meg is a rather unlikable character at the start, and actually throughout I wasn't convinced that she was 100% honest with Hercules and still felt there was something missing with their love story.


3/5