FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-neill-blomkamps-gran-turismo-is-such-an-enjoyable-surprise/
"Gran Turismo is one of the most exciting surprises of the year! Being completely unaware of the inspirational true story on which the movie is based made it even more fascinating, engaging, and wildly exhilarating. Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski's score contains countless tracks loaded with extremely high levels of adrenaline that transform all racing sequences into moments of pure entertainment.
Exceptional performance by David Harbour, who commits himself to his role in such a way that, if the awards season started now and there was no clear dependence on marketing campaigns, the actor would be one of the frontrunners.
I strongly recommend not researching anything about the real story *before* the film, even if just to avoid dealing with the predictable, formulaic structure of this type of movie."
Rating: B+

Movie is really good, but there is one obvious flaw and one important condition:
Flaw: you'll have to endure every scene about Jann's relationships. With the parents it's just very predictable — just try to imagine, they didn't believe in him and persuaded to drop his dreams and find proper job. Of course, you know what will happen in the end. Okay, relationships with parents are always important, but WHY DID THEY ADD SCENES WITH THE GIRLFRIEND? Thanks for showing Tokyo during their weekend there, but I still can't understand the reason to add her in the first place — they didn't have conflicts, interesting dialogues or even support, really. I'm sure creators could invest time to more interesting and important topics.
But anyway, this flaw disappears in the shadow of other, actually important stuff. Racing.
So yeah, let's return to the condition: you have to love it when cars go BRRRRR. The main reason behind this movie is to sell you GT7 for your PS5, and believe me, after leaving the cinema, you'll at least check if there are any discounts for the game right now (yes, there are). Sound, shooting angles, tension during races — everything works perfectly and beyond! Just when you become bored, you'll be in for a surprise. When you want a new angle, you'll get it. When you forget who the sponsor of the movie is, you'll see graphics from the video game.
So, just believe me, if you love races, you have to go to the movie right now. Just select cinema with quality sound, please :)
And as a bonus, you'll get David Harbour, who's stealing absolutely every scene. Love him!

Bad Movie

An episode of supernatural would've done a better job. Movie was mid at best

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed The Pope's Exorcist. After initially seeing the trailers, I wrote this movie off as a standard possession film that I have seen time and time again, and while most of that is still true, there is something about this film that made it a joy to watch.
The film does not attempt to do anything particularly new or groundbreaking in the genre, but everything it has is handled with care and precision. The direction is fantastic, with a very quick pace that makes each scene have a sense of urgency as our characters attempt to perform the exorcism. There is particularly deep lore that is established within the church structure, with different factions and politics at play that add a slightly different dimension rather than just your run-of-the-mill "insert random priest here."
My favorite aspect of the film is the acting. I think all of the adult characters do a tremendous job here. Russell Crowe kills it in every scene he is in and definitely gives an entirely different take on the exorcist character. Where most are intensely serious and melodramatic, Crowe adds a bit of whimsicalness and youth to the character that creates a calming presence to every intense scene. His rapport with Daniel Zovatto is excellent. The two really play off each other well and carried the film in many ways. Alex Essoe was great, although underutilized. The two children were okay. The boy gave a very stereotypical portrayal of a possessed child, and the daughter was flat in many ways.
My only complaint about the entire film is its lack of originality and the story. Every single beat is something that we have seen before; there were no new or fresh ideas that were interjected into the story. The tension was fine, but nothing was particularly scary. Overall, if not for the film's fantastic director and cast, it would have been a bomb.
Score: 63% 👍
Verdict: Decent

Its actually a great movie like it trun into a bit dark one in the end

When you buy a ticket for a movie like “The Pope’s Exorcist” it’s pretty clear what you’re getting into. There’s a ton of Catholic imagery like the rosary, crucifixes, holy water, church rituals, and lots of prayers, all used to fight off the demonic possession of an innocent. All of the standard elements are present here, but director Julius Avery‘s film surprisingly offers a refreshing (if somewhat routine) take on the religious horror subgenre.
Elevated by a well thought-out story and an engaging performance from Russell Crowe, the film tells the story of Father Gabriele Amorth (Crowe), Chief Exorcist of the Vatican (and one of the most controversial figures in the Church’s modern era). The script is inspired by the Father’s actual files of his time spent conducting exorcisms for the Catholic Church, which is enough to make your skin crawl.
The movie follows Father Amorth as he travels to Spain to investigate a young boy’s (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) possession by a powerful demon. Aided by local priest Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), Father Amorth tries to help the child before it’s too late. In the process, he uncovers a centuries-old conspiracy that the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
It’s a really great story, and one that feels more plausible than other religious horror fantasies about supernatural possessions. (You know what I mean). There are solid scares, bloody violence, and creepy imagery that are all done quite well. It’s slightly goofy but played with sincerity, which is why the film never teeters on the edge of camp. This isn’t a case of a movie that’s so bad it’s good, it actually is good.
While it may seem like there isn’t a lot here to separate the film from other exorcism stories (especially when there are several scenes of priests reciting prayers while brandishing crosses at a child who, possessed by a demon, is screaming obscenities in a growling voice), the depth of the storytelling is what makes a huge difference. Every element clicks in unison here, from the screenplay to the direction to the better than expected performances.
“The Pope’s Exorcist” is the type of movie that should be forgettable, but isn’t. I actually enjoyed it because it overdelivers on what it promises, and is a lot better than you’d expect.
Towards the end of the movie, I literally starting thinking, “wow, Crowe and Zovatto should star in future installments as ass-kicking priest sidekicks,” and bam! The film went ahead and set itself up for a sequel: 199 of them, to be exact. As batty as this sounds, I would — pun intended — watch the hell out of that.
**By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS / WWW.SCREENZEALOTS.COM**

MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2023-edition
"The Pope's Exorcist swings for the fences with well-directed horror sequences by Julius Avery, who wasn't afraid to take advantage of the R rating to deliver a substantial amount of gore. Unfortunately, it isn't able to escape the narrative formulas of "humans possessed by demons" repeated over several decades in this "subgenre" of exorcisms. Russell Crowe elevates the movie quite a bit with a well-rounded performance, seamlessly blending the dramatic moments with his character's comedic personality. However, the constant tonal changes create uncertainty about the type of film we're supposed to be watching. Personally, it's a mixed bag..."
Rating: C+

Based on a real character from the murkier side of quite recent Vatican operations, Russell Crowe dons his cassock and travels to a remote abbey in Spain where his meets with "Fr. Esquibel" (Daniel Zovatto). Why? Well it seems that a young boy is being possessed by a singularly nasty demon. Now Fr. Amorth is not unused to these scenarios and is also aware that the vast majority of these situations have nothing to do with satanic practices and more to do with mental health issues. Quickly, though, he realises that this is a serious and potentially deadly demonisation and both he and his colleague must discover what went on at this place and just who their violent foe is, before they can have any hope of casting it back into the shadows. That's the plot, and to be fair Crowe actually plays his character with a bit of charisma, but the rest of this is the same old loudly scored, visual effects feast with plenty of routine dramatic scenes: screaming, eye-popping, ceiling climbing, bodies and holy water thrown about the place and this one even has a bit of the Spanish Inquisition thrown in for added authenticity. It's not that is terrible - it isn't; it is just all so very derivative. Just because the exorcist was real doesn't actually make this film any different from an whole spate of other similar films that have the same beginning, middle, and end... It will do fine on the television around Halloween, but the cinema adds little to the presentation. It's nice to see that Franco Nero is still making films, but otherwise this is adequate, but nothing more.

A really fun and fresh feeling horror genre flick, with some really solid performances. Highlight is the effects and some of the seriously brutal violence in it. When the little kid is smashing himself to pieces, outstanding, well done, hats off. Show this to some 12 year old you know.

An astute, and at times, creepy analysis of grief and addiction and the lengths people will go to cope with their loss. Good acting, good script, good direction and some effective scares make this movie a must see for horror fans!

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-australias-talk-to-me-is-the-best-horror-film-of-2023-so-far/
"Talk to Me lives up to the tremendous hype from festivals and initial reactions around the world. Without a doubt, one of the scariest horror films in recent years!
Impressive practical effects, superb makeup, hypnotizing performances – Sophie Wilde clearly stands out the most – and impeccable execution of truly shocking, gory, unpredictable moments of violence. It doesn't have the most imaginative screenplay within the "spirit-possessed characters" subgenre and leaves some meaningful themes unexplored, but it's definitely one of this year's must-see horror flicks.
Danny and Michael Philippou: remember their names!"
Rating: A-

When a group of kids get together under the thumb of the rather odious "Hayley" (Zoe Terakes) they are presented with a ceramic hand - that apparently encases a real one - that acts as a portal to a dimension in which live the dead. They have discovered that no harm can be done if they stick to a time limit, exceed that - and well they are in virgin and potentially perilous territory. Following on from her best friend "Jade" (Alexandra Jensen) who has a go, it falls to "Mia" (Sophie Wilde) and after the most bizarre of personally traumatic connections, she is soon addicted to the experience and is also soon providing a conduit that is causing havoc within their group - not least for poor young "Riley" (Joe Bird) who ends up needing danger money - and a soft play area! Wilde does quite well here and though the rest of the acting isn't really up to much, the story has an originality to it that genuinely creates a new avenue for a genre that has been really suffering from same old, same old storytelling of late. Bird is by far the star here - even if he is incapacitated for much of it, and the aforementioned Terakes creates a character I'd cheerfully throttle. There's too much dialogue and it's very very score-heavy which did annoy after a while, but it's at times quite scary and definitely worth a watch around Halloween on the telly.

_Talk to Me_ is a brilliant and spine tingling evolution of _The Monkey’s Paw_ short story with an incredibly satisfying ending and a scene stealing performance from Sophie Wilde. Aaron McLisky’s cinematography featuring a ghoulish incline at just the right time makes _Talk to Me_, which is already a well-written nightmare and unique plunge into personal hell, visually and uniquely chilling.
**Full review:** https://bit.ly/emotklat

Someone must have got fed up with the constant slating of the "After..." series and thought - "I know, let's make something that will really make those films look good". Guess what, they succeeded. "Noah" (Nicole Wallace) has had to relocate to live with her mother and her new husband in a palatial home that also happens to be occupied by her rather weedy step-brother "Nick" (Gabriel Guevara). Now the two do not hit it off. He's a bit of a cocky git and she's equally no-nonsense about things - so that ought to be the end. Rock and hard place kind of thing. Nope, no such luck. For almost two hours this takes us on the most predictable of romantic dramas that actually manages to incorporate car chases, fist fighting, sex, familial drama, more (beach) sex and a kidnapping. I would say you couldn't make it up, but clearly the series-prone author Mercedes Ron did in her novel. Amazon have early thrown some cash at this, but little of it was spent on the screenplay and the acting - well Wallace reminded me a little of Shailene Woodley but "Nick" is just an overblown drip - with or without his clothes. I know I'm not the demographic for this, but yikes - I wonder who really would appreciate this banal film. Bring back "90210"!!

'The Little Mermaid' is one of the better Disney live-action remakes.
I'd personally even put it on the same level as the 1989 animated movie, though admittedly I am not someone with any sort of connection to that original flick. Halle Bailey makes for a good Ariel. Daveed Diggs, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy are solid in their respective roles, I'm not wholly convinced by the latter as Ursula but she is still a decent watch. Awkwafina as Scuttle is probably the character I enjoyed most.
Visually things look nice, I like both the underwater and on firmer ground stuff. Musically it's as good as you'd probably expect, "Under the Sea" and, of course, Ariel's songs are solid, while "The Scuttlebutt" somehow works more than it probably should. I do think the run time could've been trimmed a touch, but that's not a big deal.

When they get the notion to remake an animated classic into a live action film, Disney is a well-oiled machine. They’ve found varying degrees of success and failure (“The Lion King,” “Cinderella,” “Pinocchio”) along the way, and their latest cartoon-to-real-life adventure “The Little Mermaid” lands somewhere on the better-than-average scale. There are things that work (a scene-stealing Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the Sea Witch), things that don’t (a painfully lengthy run time), and things I never want to see again (the truly dreadful “Under the Sea” number), but the film’s reimagined storytelling delivers just enough magic to weather the storm overall.
The film tells the classic story of Ariel (Halle Bailey), a curious and spirited young mermaid who yearns for adventure on land. Ariel is the youngest of King Triton’s (Javier Bardem) daughters, and also the most defiant. She spends her days exploring shipwrecks and avoiding dangerous sharks (and humans) with her crustacean pal Sebastian (voice of Daveed Diggs) and her loyal fish friend, Flounder (voice of Jacob Tremblay). On her quest to find out more about the world beyond the sea, Ariel makes a deal with evil sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) to cast a spell and give her human legs in exchange for her voice. She must find true love’s kiss from the dashing Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) within a few days or the consequences will be dire.
The film sticks to the original story, and the fairytale seems outdated. The idea of marrying a handsome prince in a few days is icky, even if it is a fantasy film. It’s interesting how much of the action feels a lot more dire in a live action setting versus in an animated film, with scary eels getting blown to bits and a shipwreck that’s set ablaze as sailors swim for their lives. The worst part of the cartoon to live action translation has to be Sebastian and Flounder, however. It’s startling to see Ariel’s buddies look like a realistic talking fish and crab, and it’s one of the most jarring and unpleasant things about the movie. It takes a lot of willpower to go with the flow, if you can get over the initial shock.
The cinematography is dark and drab (although it does look as if it’s really filmed underwater), and Rob Marshall‘s direction is barely adequate. The film is choppy, slow, and long, and its biggest failure is the uneven pacing. Some of the better parts of the story are hurried along in favor of what should be show-stopping action, but the film is so dark that it’s hard to tell what’s going on in what should be the most exciting moments. Why rush the more compelling elements of the narrative in favor for a poorly executed final battle between Ursula and our heroine? It really strips away a lot of the undersea magic.
The cast helps keep things afloat, and the performances are all solid. McCarthy is the standout with her robust turn as one of Disney’s greatest screen villains, and Diggs breathes a fresh, new life into loyal crab Sebastian. Casting Awkwafina as the voice of know-it-all seagull Scuttle is inspired, and she creates an updated version of the character that’s the perfect fit for the film. Perhaps the greatest strength comes from the irresistible chemistry between Hauer-King and Bailey, two actors who comfortably step into their lead roles with plenty of charm. She makes a great Ariel, finding a terrific balance of innocence, curiosity, and stubbornness, and he is the perfect non-threatening Prince Charming that is the stuff of many young girls’ dreams.
The biggest thing the film does right is keeping the original arrangements of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s most beloved songs (the updated verses, which removed some problematic and antiquated lyrics, are done well and hardly noticeable). Cherished ballads like “Part of Your World” and “Kiss the Girl” have a stirring emotional power that immediately helps audience form a strong connection with the material, even if the movie is just so/so. The soundtrack probably makes the movie seem a lot better than it actually is. The new tunes, including a kid-friendly number called “The Scuttlebutt” (featuring lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda), sound too contemporary to really fit in, but they’re fun and bring a bit of spirited pep when the film becomes draggy.
“The Little Mermaid” isn’t a great movie, but it’s one of the better Disney live action remakes because it stays true to the source material. There’s just enough magic, adventure, and romance to make this a satisfying experience for the whole family.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-rob-marshalls-the-little-mermaid-enriches-the-original/
"The Little Mermaid enriches virtually every narrative aspect compared to the original, deepening Ariel and Eric's arcs while exploring the same core themes without losing any of its predecessor's essence. The relationship between the protagonists is unquestionably more complex and emotionally compelling, while the secondary characters - namely Sebastian and Scuttle - remain genuinely hilarious. Halle Bailey is VERY impressive and the cast accompanies her excellently.
However, it's not without its problems: the new songs are, for the most part, forgettable; the visuals are better than anticipated, but the feeling of being surrounded by fake walls never quite disappears; and Ursula was left with unexplored potential.
That said, it's one of Disney's best live-action remakes of recent times and deserves to be seen by every child in the world in need of some inspiration - as we once were."
Rating: B+

"Ariel" (Halle Bailey) has longed for a chance to meet with humans but her sagely father "Triton" (Javier Bardem) has prohibited this. Undeterred, she witnesses a terrible storm that washes the young prince "Eric" (Jonah Hauer-King) overboard. She races to his rescue and leaves him to his people on the beach - both are already in love! On hearing of her latest transgression, dad is now truly furious and loses his temper driving his daughter into the manipulative tentacles of the evil sea witch "Ursula" (Melissa McCarthy) who offers her a bargain - three days on land to obtain true love's kiss or a lifetime in her service. Snag? Well, she will not have her beautiful voice, she will be a mute. A combination of magic, duplicity and serendipity plays it's hand now and she ends up close to the prince, having adventures with him and falling even deeper in love - but can she get her kiss? Will the wicked "Ursula" let her? First things first - this isn't a patch on the 1989 version. It has a clunky, over-produced, musical theatre feel to it that consists of mediocre acting and some serious over-scoring. The delicacy and charm of the characterisations and songs has been subjected to grand orchestrations and whilst Bailey can certainly sing, the delivery is more about her ability to belt out the songs rather to than imbue them with any emotions relevant to the charm of the story. McCarthy is quite effective - if only she would stay still for five seconds and that leads to the other disappointment with this film. It works perfectly as an animation - why introduce elements of live-action to it? Neither the story nor the film benefit from the cluttering mix of CGI and real visuals. As with the recent remake of "The Lion King", the song lyrics, for reasons that don't seem clear to me, have been reworked - this time by the always over-rated Lin-Manuel Miranda whose "Scuttlebutt" song is just plain annoying. It wasn't broke - why fix it? At times there is a little engaging chemistry between Bailey and Hauer-King, but for the most part this is an unnecessary, and overly long, rehash of a fairy tale that seems to me to have been made because it could be, not because it should have been. Disappointing.

Halle Bailey served a very good performance with a lot of charisma and passion, she also has an impressive voice. In some parts people were clapping from excitement and I shed a tear since I saw her performing her first song.
I'm not a big fan of the growing wave of remakes and live-actions but this movie is something that I couldn't miss, they revisited one of my favorite classics and the result is striking, extravagant, funny, exciting, it has everything I love. I had my doubts since I saw the cast and the character designs (not to mention Ursula's makeup) but these actors have a lot of charisma, the final result is solid and entertaining.
I love Alan Menken and Howard Ashman compositions, The Little Mermaid and Little Shop Of Horrors are my favorite works from them, their lyrics and arrangements give me goosebumps.

A kick-ass third installment!
The story depicted in 'The Equalizer 3' is surprisingly straightforward, it's literally just Robert McCall reactively killing bad guys for almost two hours... so what's not to enjoy?! Denzel Washington in the lead role is as ace as he is in the prior flicks, I am yet to watch a less than good Denzel picture; 15 films deep into his filmography, what an actor!
I don't recall the previous two movies from this trilogy featuring as many brutal deaths as this one does, which is great. I could be misrembering but, whatever, I really enjoyed seeing McCall do his thing in this one. The music is also noteworthy, while the Italian setting is splendidly portrayed - terrific choice of location! The support cast are inferior to Washington, naturally, but still solid, cool to see Dakota Fanning reunite onscreen with the aforementioned.
End of the trilogy it seems, though there are murmurs on potentially more films in some sorta way - hardly unexpected. As for these three, 2 is my favourite followed by this and then 1. Antoine Fuqua (also yet to see a less than very good movie from him, from 7 watched) and Washington are evidently a top notch pairing, either way.

Yesterday evening me and the kids, well the two boys at least, sat down to watch The Equalizer 3 which has been sitting on my to-watch shelf for a while.
I have quite liked the previous two instalments and this was was a quite good movie as well.
It starts of with a fairly brutal, The Equalizer style, slaying of a bunch of bad guys but then McCall gets shot in the back by a kid and goes into a bit of a funk.
The entire movie slows down quite a bit after that while McCall goes around moping. It was actually a bit boring and I could have been without that.
Still, McCall is McCall and the movie does pick up speed again after a while.
There are some quite nice action scenes as we approach the ending and the way McCall disposes of the bad guys towards the end is quite brutal.
When I saw that the movie had an R-rating in the states I thought, yeah right this is another one of these movies where they show a boob or two or use adult language and then the easily offended whiners go all must-be-restricted-bullshit over it but I guess it was because of the brutal slayings after all.
Still, in France it got a restricted from 12 years and below which is far from an R-rating and more reasonable. Guess we got less whining asshats here.
Overall a good movie though. Technically, the filming and the acting was very good. If not for the boring parts for almost half the movie it might have gotten a 5 out of 5 from me.

cheesely cheesy, American hero saves other people from other people's bad people

A lot of people shit on this film. They are all wrong. E1, he needed permission to kill. He got that permission. E2, I don't remember. E3...he still kills. Story is ridiculous! No reason for any of it...except Denzel. Gotta be neat. Gotta be nice. Gotta kill. He does it all. Denzel is the best.

Equalizer and Equalizer 2 were great action movies and this 3rd Equalizer doesn't disappoint either. Denzel as always rocks with his character. If you liked first and second part, you will like this one too. Equalizer, Taken and Extraction series are my favorite action movies.

Another solid entry in this franchise. Nothing fantastic and not as good as the first, but still entertaining thanks to the great Denzel Washington. Also nice seeing the reunion with Dakota Fanning and cool twist about her character at the end. The only downside is it doesn't have the visual pazazz compared with the first film and is kind of routine in its direction by Antoine Fuqua who is normally a solid director. **3.5/5**
And as a side, not sure the last time I've seen a franchise so consistent at the box office with all three movies making ~$180 million worldwide and ~$35 million on opening weekends domestically.

The new Equalizer film franchise is devoid of the moderation, charm and gentlemanly grace of the original television series, with Edward Woodward.
Instead, its mired in gratuitous, humiliating, dehumanising violence, with a key character who feels more like the Terminator, than an assassin with a conscience. In short its ugly stuff. I managed about 15 minutes of this, before calling it a day. I will say too, for me, this kind of unnecessarily violent nonsense, is part of whats wrong with the world today.
In summary, brutally violent, ugly and inaccessible. I'll pass.

Anyone remember the little tune that went with the Edward Woodward television series? Well you won't hear it here in this rather procedural vehicle for Denzel Washington. His usually meticulous planning is compromised by a young lad with a rifle. This leaves "McCall" needing the care of a doctor "Enzo" (Remo Girone) in a small Sicilian town that is about to become the centre of the venal ambitions of "Vincent" (Andrea Scarduzio) and his henchman younger brother "Marco" (Andrea Dodero) who uses his team of thugs to extort from the local businesses. It's only a matter of time before heads clash and, well - you can guess the rest of this actually rather brutally predictable drama. Dakota Fanning appears now and again in a rather unnecessary sub-plot involving the CIA and some Syrian narcotics smugglers that is really undercooked - but for the most part this is really just Denzel being, well, Denzel on his quest to save his new-found friends from the grip of the unscrupulous Camorra. It's overlong for what it is, and I found Washington's performance to be rather sluggish throughout before a denouement that came across as rather simplistically rushed. It's fine, but forgettable.

'No Hard Feelings' is one I'd recommend. Amusing viewing!
First time I've seen Jennifer Lawrence in a comedy and she nails it, undoubtedly the star of the movie - as expected. First time I've seen Andrew Barth Feldman in anything and he is pretty good, fits his role perfectly to be fair. Those behind those two are all positive additions too, Scott MacArthur in particular produces a few chuckles.

I found it to be a pretty good role reversal of the 80s sex comedy.
I still can’t hold a straight face to the fact that Ferris Bueller’s kid can’t score with women.
Lawrence was a good she can be and the plot is no more insane or less believe able than a section of Animal House chosen at random.