jon_pratt12345 Reviews

The Exorcist III (1990)

Dark continuation from the 1st Exorcist but with a very different approach

[8/10 · 9 November 2023]

This is not an easy film to find but it was absolutely worth it. Exorcist 3 places the emphasis on Lt. Kinderman from the 1st Exorcist film now played by the super impressive George. C. Scott. The format is procedural, following the police investigation into a mysterious death. The events of the 1st film still loom large but it is a very different film. Still dark and gloomy in tone, the dialogue is noticeably comedic and idiosyncratic. There are some really spectacularly well-crafted terrifying moments and William Peter Blatty, who both wrote and directed, creates a feeling of being unsafe throughout. The final 20 minutes is the only weak part of the film and apparently it's not the ending Blatty wanted. He was able to achieve his ambitions more fully in the Exorcist: Legion, his directors cut of Exorcist 3.

The Best Offer (2013)

Like watching a work of art

[8/10 · 21 August 2023]

A well respected auctioneer spends his life valuing and selling high-end art, while.keeping some for himself. A man totally devoted to his work until meeting a highly reclusive woman with an old inherited house full of treasures. Watching Deception feels like the closest thing I can imagine to watching a work of art. It story unfolds in beautiful settings, grand old buildings and cobled Italian streets. The plot itself moves slowly but with a heavy dose of intrigue. I found myself enjoying being immersed in the world. I didn't mind where the plot was going but I knew it was heading somewhere and taking an expertly curated route. Geoffrey Rush is magnificent in the lead, making you feel deeply invested in his very unsympathetic lifestyle; a somewhat mean-spirited character slowly being softened by an enigmatic stranger.

Running Scared (2006)

Propulsive, gritty, violent, yet cartoonish.

[8/10 · 21 August 2023]

An unrelenting action thriller delivering comic-book style pace and in-your-face villainousness. Running Scared creates an atmosphere of violence and brutality in a hard, unforgiving world. Characters are both horrific and cartoonish giving it a slightly unreal grittiness. Paul Walker is a watchable and highly believable lead as a low-level goon having to fight his own battle and navigate the grimy crime underworld. The violence is graphic and painful to watch. The plot is constantly driven forward but there is still time for the occasional deviation into unexpected territory, which gives us some of the most ingenious and memorable parts of the film.

House of Gucci (2021)

Outlandish and inconsistent tone but it works

[7/10 · 21 August 2023]

A true-events based story of the Gucci family, their business and the struggles for power and influence within it. A strong cast on absolute showboating form, dialling up the acting to farcical levels. The accents are absurd and distracting. There is a great deal of inconsistency as the film veers between attempts at seriousness and a completely outlandish tone. Sometimes actors seems to be brining entirely different energy to the same scene. Jared Leto and Al Pacino bring the most chaotic vibes. It feels like the actors were given total freedom without any through-line of overarching tone. All that said, it somehow works. The set and costume design is really impressive and evokes a 90s European aesthetic. The bizarre unevenness in performances and overly long unfolding of the story strangely serves to give us a film that has an enjoyable and unique feel.

Speak No Evil (2022)

Terrifyingly believable film that makes an impact

[9/10 · 20 January 2023]

Incredibly unsettling film about a comfortable, middle class Danish couple who seem unwilling or unable to maintain any sort of reasonable boundaries for themselves and their child. They meet a free-spirited and assertive Dutch family who continually push boundaries, transgress and gaslight them but despite their protests the Danes seem unable to fully commit to standing up for themselves leading to an escalating series of unpleasant situations.

The dialogue, pace, score, acting, cinematography and general approach to storytelling are all superb. The film looks beautiful and there is an attention to realism that makes even the small social quirks dreadful to witness.

I've given this film such a high score because it delivers as a horror film in every way but, although not gratuitous or unearned the direction this film ultimately takes is so horrible that I would find it hard to casually recommend it.

It is interesting to read reviews from people who dislike the film because the common reason seems to be an unwillingness to believe anyone could behave so passively in the face of the perceived aggression. To me though, this whole film is absolutely terrifyingly believable and although I would hope to do better than the Danish couple, I really dread to think how I would actually perform. I would rather not find out.

Amsterdam (2022)

A huge cast and a fun caper

[7/10 · 14 January 2023]

I enjoyed this more than I expected. Washington, Robbie and Bale play old friends who bonded in Europe after the first World war and years later find themselves in the middle of an audacious political plot, loosely based on a true story. The tone is light and optimistic with Bale playing and uncharacteristically upbeat surgeon. The film moves quickly and covers a lot of convoluted ground involving what must be one of the biggest A list casts ever assembled. Some of the philosophy delivered by characters seems out of place and unnecessary but the overall effect of the film is something enjoyable and caper-like, despite some quite serious subject matter.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Immensely rewatchable

[9/10 · 3 January 2023]

An exceptional cast of actors giving exceptional performances. Glengarry Glen Ross is a dialogue-heavy, exposition-light character focused, day in the life of a thoroughly seedy New York sales office. Desperation runs deep and is captured expertly as the characters navigate the power dynamics between each other and the sales company they all work for. The life of a salesman has never looked so grimy unappealing and unrewarded. The dialogue is snappy and hard and almost every exchange is loaded with bitterness and cynicism. There is a lot of humour but there is no hope to be seen anywhere except the futile dream of one day accessing the "good leads". Despite its bleak outlook it succeeds as a phenomenally well written and acted film that is immensely rewatchable.

The Wonder (I) (2022)

Interesting setup but fails to deliver

[6/10 · 31 December 2022]

In acting, cinematography and atmosphere the film does well and the makers do a good job of recreating a bleak 18th century Ireland. An English nurse is brought to a small Irish town to observe an inexplicable phenomenon occurring to a young girl, and runs up against both science and religion in her efforts to promote the girl's welfare. The story starts with a lot of promise, especially the 4th-wall breaking framing devise, and very intriguing exposition setting it all up but struggles to live up to the promise. The film settles on to a bleak and depressing rhythm an overall achieves nothing particularly new original in the themes it addresses or indeed the place and the people it is portraying.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

A triumph in big and small scale storytelling

[9/10 · 31 December 2022]

One of my favourite films of 2022. The story is astonishingly well crafted managing to be both totally thrilling to watch on face value and also completely captivating to see the bigger themes unfold. A multi generation chinese-American family are struggling with their lives and relationships and get the chance to explore alternative realities where their lives have taken very different directions. The film is a triumph of both big and small scale story telling while never feeling trivial or pretentious. It was fun and action packed, showing off mind-blowing editing and filming techniques as well as spectacular martial arts amongst some truly surreal ideas. The ambition and expansiveness of this film is huge and somehow expertly woven together into something that not only makes sense but is a real wonder to behold. There is also a really powerful emotional core to the film, particularly with the mother daughter relationship as well as proper laugh out loud comedy moments. The cast do an incredible job with so much to do and multiple characters to play and I hope Oscar nominations are on the horizon.

Glass Onion (2022)

Fun and brash

[6/10 · 30 December 2022]

Not as enjoyable as Knives Out, which had a timeless quality, Glass Onion is very much of the moment, spilling over with references to the cultural zeitgeist. A billionaire invites his successful friends, and a world famous detective, to a weekend murder mystery and then things get complicated when there is a real case to solve. The film is fun and brash with a plethora of twists and turns but unfortunately there was just too much going on at times and too little cohesiveness. Undoubtedly there is a cleverly worked mystery when looked at in retrospect but too much is withheld from the viewer for it to be appreciated during the viewing experience which ended up feeling long.

The Menu (2022)

More comedy than horror

[8/10 · 17 December 2022]

A couple attend a ludicrously exclusive restaurant, run by a famous chef on a remote island. The food and the guests are the height of pretension. Anya Taylor-Joy plays an unapologetic fish-out-of-water, unphased and perplexed by the experience while Nicholas Holt plays to-type as a clueless, foody-fanboy, striving to be noticed by his hero chef played by Ralph Finnes. The Menu was a fun ride that was more comedy than any other genre. Its had a lot of material to work with, playing up the absurd world of high concept fine dining and the people within it but they're were other themes at play beneath the obvious. The horror aspect was slightly under-played and didn't work well for me, despite a few shocking moments, but this didn't detract from my overall enjoyment; I will remembered this as a good, dark comedy.

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

A folktale that stayed with me

[7/10 · 14 November 2022]

On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, in a small rural community, Colm (Brendan Gleeson), an introspective compossor, suddenly and without explanation, terminates his long-time friendship with the island's happy-go-lucky nice-guy Padraic (Colin Farrell). Wounded and bemused, Padraic is unable to accept Colm's decision and pursues answers. The Banshees of Inisherin will not be my favourite film of the year but it has stayed with me, randomly coming into my mind in the days that followed. The film felt like a folktale as I was watching; there was a kind of unrealness to it even though it seemed very grounded in reality with bleak scenary and every-day-life quality to the story telling. There are broad sweeping themes of legacy and seeking meaning from life which are spelled out and the more dramatic events are bold and symbolic, again, adding to the folktale feel. There is a lot of dry humour spliced in with the drama and I did laugh in some places but I found the humour was sometimes used as a pallet cleanser to the tragedy to keep the audience on board with the film, rather than being integral to the story. The cinematography is fantastic, despite the overt bleakness, there were also beautiful landscape and low-sun shots Overall I would say that it wasn't the most fun cinema experience but I found it surprisingly dreamy and thought provoking.

Deep Red (1975)

Great effects and memorable moments

[8/10 · 9 November 2022]

A professional pianist becomes embroiled in a mysterious spate of killings after whitnessing his neighbours' murder. Deep Red is classic Argento with a chilling musical score and bold, abrasive images and vivid colour. The murders are shown in gruesome, overkill with a heavy reliance on prosthetics and practical effects that are still mostly good enough to make you feel repulsed rather than laugh although it's borderline. Some of the set pieces are really fantastic with highly memorable moments many of which have become infamous in the world of horror history. There also irreverent humour throughout which eases the tension in an otherwise dread-filled movie.

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Fantastic portrait of low-key heroism

[8/10 · 6 November 2022]

Based on the incredible real life 2018 rescue of a soccer team and its coach from a flooded cave network in Thailand. Having seen the documentary 'The Rescue' which documents the events from the point of you of the amature cave divers involved in the mission, and done much of my own reading on the subject, I was hugely impressed with the accuracy of events and portrail of characters. A story of breathtaking heroism and coorperation on a massive scale, which expertly avoids sentimentality and chest-thumping; it is low-key and perfectly reflects the pragmatic focus of the people involved. Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell both do tremendous work with their obviously well-studied impersonassions.

Attack the Block (2011)

Fun with a charming cast

[7/10 · 6 November 2022]

Anamalistic, bloodthirsty aliens land in a London housing estate on Bonfirenight and a night-long battle ensues with a teenage local gang. The alien invasion being limited to a houseing estate is an interesting and fun concept. The cast of young people do an incredible job of bringing the gang to life in a way that is believable and heart warming. The action is quick paced and regular, interwoven with neat comic relief from Nick Frost and others. There is not a lot of time spent of character backstory and everything you need to know about each of the personalities is revealed in the events that unfold on screen; just enough to make you care. It was certainly a fun film but watching it a decade on it perhaps doesn't have the bite and edge that it would have done when it was first released.

You Won't Be Alone (2022)

Thought provoking folk tail

[7/10 · 6 November 2022]

After living her life in isolation, a young girl is freed by a vengeful witch and given the ability to transform herself into other people. The girl samples the ups and downs of the human experience, mostly through the eyes of simple villagers she inhabits in her meandering wonder through 19th century Macedonia. The film has many beautiful shots of the Macedonian rural landcape and really well captures the feeling of an authentic pesant way of life and its day-to-day hardships. The film has fun as a fish-out-of-water tail and there is a lot of humour derived from the bleakness but the film is not for the faint hearted; there is a down-beat aura and it is sad watching the dissapointments, horrific acts on display - it doesn't pull its punches when it comes to showing you the grusome realities of rural life and the unusual practices of the witchcraft. Overall, although quite bleak, it's thought provoking, well acted and well made.

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Doesn't hold up well

[5/10 · 1 November 2022]

7 strangers are lured to spend a night in an allegedly haunted mansion by a millionaire and his wife. House on Hanted Hill has classic horror status, often appearing on best of all time lists but it really does not hold up well compared to even mediocre horror films from the last 50 years. The acting is very much of its time, and most of the characters quite under-served, particularly the women who's main function was to listen to the men and react in terror. The scares were very haunted house style jumps but some were effective if maybe slightly laughable the more you looked at them. What was especially noticeable was just how perplexing and infuriating the actions of the characters were as they went from scene to scene ignoring their own advice and generally acting against their own survival instincts; this must have had audiences yelling at the screen back in the day.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Intrigue and originality were lacking but fast paced and fun

[5/10 · 30 October 2022]

A struggling mother and her two teenage kids inherit a creepy old house in a small town; after moving in, the family become entangled in escalating paranormal events and their connection to the original ghostbusters are revealed as they do battle with the ghostly forces. Afterlife has a talented cast and the charming kids carry a lot of the movie, although not quite as well written as something like IT: Chapter One. There is a fun and lighthearted vibe to the film and a lot of the aesthetic is borrowed directly from other recent successful franchises such as Stranger Things. The buildup in the first half of the film is a little too slow paced and didn't create a great deal of intrigue. It's no great surprise that ghostly things are going to happen so it was disappointing that I found Afterlife seriously lacking in innovation and originality in this department. The second half of the film was a wild ride of convoluted and barely explained mythology, confusing and hasty plot leaps and high octane action set pieces. To its credit however it flew by and did not feel like a 2 hour film.

Nope (2022)

Spielberg-like but more unsettling

[8/10 · 23 October 2022]

A rancher and his sister take over the family horse rearing business but soon turn their attentions to the escalating weirdness going on in the local area. Jordan Peele combines Spielberg-like fun and adventure with chilling and unsettling bizarness. The cinematography is superb with lots of wide angles of vast dusty terrain as well as other striking visuals. Nope has a bold and distinctive colour pallet common to Jordan Peele's other work. The sibling leads are played well with a supremely understated performance from Daniel Kaluuya contrasted with Keke Plalmer's high energy. The plot is simple but contains parallel narrative, metaphor and multiple potential interpretations on theme which keeps you thinking about it long after the credits.

Reacher (2022– )

Fun but brutal ride

[7/10 · 22 October 2022]

Jack Reacher is a physically powerful former military investigator caught up in a murder inquiry that may have broad sweeping as well as personal implications. Reacher is often brutal but succeeds as a fun and occasionally charming action thriller. The 3 core characters are played well and fleshed out just enough to win over the audience; supporting characters don't have the same treatment and come across as one-dimensional and dispensable. The overall plot is reasonably simple although the twists and turns complicated things for the viewer; to be honest, I mostly just trusted the characters would eventually explain what's going on and enjoyed the ride.

Don't Worry Darling (I) (2022)

Enjoyable but less impressive the more you think about it

[6/10 · 21 October 2022]

Pugh and Styles play a couple living in a seemingly idyllic, isolated community, led by its mysterious founder played by Chris Pine. Much of the film is spent building intrigue and suspicion which is done reasonably well. Pugh is faultless and carries a lot of the film and Styles is effective. The visuals are appealing and the score is tense if perhaps overbearing at times. Unfortunately the conclusion under-delivers and leaves you asking many questions about the buildup, much of which does not stand up to scrutiny or goes unexplained. The film certainly appears to set itself out as one which requires its audience to think so it feels strange that it also requires you to overlook so many details. Overall I enjoyed aspects of this film but found it less impressive the more I have thought about since.

It Chapter Two (2019)

Too long and incoherent with some good moments

[5/10 · 19 October 2022]

27 years after Chapter 1, Pennywise returns to Derry and now in their 40s, the Losers Club must come together to defeat their nemesis. Chapter 2 tries to pack in far too much content, which it fails to deliver coherently, while at the same time feels overly long and repetitive. The highly talented cast are mostly underutilised although Bill Hader is a welcome exception, and in particular the characters of Ben and Beverly are hollow compared with their vibrant Chapter 1 personalities. The dialogue and character interplay feels basic and cringy at times. There are a few good scenes which stand out but many sequences don't feel well integrated with the overall narrative and horror set pieces seemed to be crammed in without regard for impact on the overall film.

Tales from the Loop (2020)

Somber and sentimental sci-fi realism

[8/10 · 6 June 2022]

A series of interconnected stories focussing on the human experience in a light touch sci-fi backdrop. The tone is somber and melancholic and the characters are serious. Story themes are very big and broad and relatable to almost anyone but delivered through innovative technological ideas and concepts. The technology and overall aesthetic is really tasteful and grounded in reality. Robots are rusty, loud and clunky and the overall cinematography is beautiful, with plenty of wide angles and crisp blue skies. The characters are hit and miss in terms of engagement and depth, some work really well and others less so. There is an emotional punch in every episode and maybe some aspects are just a little too bleak but there is some light in there. Although it's not an uplifting watch it didn't leave me completely emotionally drained either.

The Green Knight (2021)

Myth and legend captured perfectly

[9/10 · 7 May 2022]

An inexperienced, aspiring knight accepts a deadly challenge that takes him on a journey, beyond the walls of his comfortable community. This film is beautifully crafted and evokes a spirit of myth and legend spectacularly well. It feels like a fairytale perfectly captured with a dreamlike quality and grittiness in equal quantity. The emotional story is powerful and Dev Patel's performance is mesmerising.

Before Sunset (2004)

A satisfying and charming sequel

[8/10 · 7 May 2022]

Jesse and Celine meet again for the first time since their encounter in Vienna, 9 years previous. This sequel follows a very similar format to Before Sunrise; it is more or less a real time conversation between the two leads, as they meander through Paris. This time, I felt the city was less of a feature, and it also feels more urgent snd purposeful as you know how the characters feel about each other already. It is charming, with phenomenally realistic performances. The conversation topics, stories and perspectives from both characters give a completely realistic impression of how these people have developed in a decade but also captures the essence of 30-something adulthood vs 20-something adulthood.