Let's go fluff some scumbags...

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of War on Everyone

A comedy that left me laughing half-heartedly, War on Everyone was a film I had been anticipating for months now. My main reasoning behind my excitement was of course Alexander Skarsgård, after seeing him in the summer blockbuster Tarzan and from the HBO Vampire show "True Blood". However, the film looked promising and interesting considering it's a different genre to what I usually watch.

The film itself sees the bad cop/ worse cop narrative play out with Skarsgård and Peña at the helm. These two cops push their level of authority to get what they want but when they push the wrong people, events don't go as planned. The "wrong people" are led by Lord James Mangan (Theo James) an upper class Englishman who has too much money and too little conscience. Of course, the Englishman was the villain in the story dominated by Americans. Keeping with the idea of stereotypes, so many filled this film that it lost its comedy element pretty quickly. Now that being gay is accepted more easily, a new victim has to be chosen. Unfortunately, that victim is the Trans community. Sometimes I just feel like a joke against a community already struggling isn't needed and there was definitely one moment in particular that was rather pointless and not helping the trans cause. 

The plot itself was rather confusing and I still don't know what everyone was talking about but I can say I got the gist of the overall storyline. This is definitely one of those films where I don't like it for the plot but instead the way it is presented to me. Dutch angles were thrust into my brain every now and then which I highly enjoyed because it perfectly conveyed the twisted domination of the cops. Transitions were abrupt yet fitting. For example, a hand was centred in on at the end of a scene before cutting to Peña's character playing the piano and focussing on his fingers. Another moment which was highly enjoyable was the tracking shot of James moving through his mansion. We follow him from the aftermath of his endeavours in bed and see him move down a grand staircase (stopping for a quick kiss on the way), pick up a sword and end standing in front of a man he intends to decapitate. The movement was flawless and real did well to put you in the scene and feel the pompous power radiating off of Lord Mangan.

The jokes themselves were rather forced resulting in only slight laughs from me and other audience members. However, I would like to remind you that I rarely laugh out loud in cinemas (as I don't wish to be one of those obnoxious people (we all know who I am talking about)). Having said this, the jokes that did succeed in making me giggle were the ones that hit quick and just screamed stupidity. One moment that stands out is when the cops go to interrogate a man working for Mangan. He makes a gesture where he lifts his arms slightly to convey power but Skarsgård's character makes a joke out of it and mocks the man by repeating the same movement (but more like a chicken) before running after the man who is rather confused. The scene is rather hard to explain, as you can tell from my poor description but it was so simple and effective in breaking my cinema rule.

Overall, I think I did enjoy the film but not for the plot. Instead, I will be filing this feature under "movies I like due to the way it's made". If you wish to spend 97mins watching a film that is slow but beautiful in it's presentation then I highly recommend War on Everyone.

Thank you for reading,

Haynes

The perfect internet safety video

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of Nerve

It's been a while since I saw this film but it hasn't left my thoughts at all. I have never been so tense and on the edge of my seat as I was while watching this very modern film. Its morales and characters were so relatable that I couldn't help but think: this could happen to me.

The film itself is about a girl named Vee (Emma Roberts) who decides she doesn't want to be the "perfect" goody two shoes anymore. She winds up playing an online game called Nerve which allows for watchers to dare players into doing whatever they can think of, all for a cash prize. Vee signs up to the game as a player and ends up doing the most stress inducing and utterly horrifying dares, ending with her being shot.

Now, don't worry, she doesn't die and I think that is why I loved the film so much. I honestly did not know if she was dead or alive. Usually I can see the end of a film coming from a mile away but this film succeeded in sitting me in the dark and keeping me there. Part of me hoped she had died, just so a stronger message could be put across to the internet users of today but the sheer idea of truly not knowing caused me to feel extremely nervous. Something a film has never done before so I congratulate it for that.

In terms of acting, I was pleasantly surprised by Roberts performance. Over the past few years I have carried a real distaste for the actor but recently I have come to terms with the fact that yes, she may be typecast as the bratty teen but boy can she play it well. Nerve sees her in basically the same role but there is feeling and character there, where in previous roles there has just been bitchiness. In terms of Franco, he brought pretty much the same character to the screen as his one in Now you see me but with more strength and kindness. The other supporting actors all conveyed the perfect height of emotions to push me to the edge of my seat; one scene that stands out in my mind is when Vee's friend Sydney (Emily Meade) is dared to cross from her building to the adjacent one with nothing but an unstable ladder. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I watched this actor crawl out into the unsafe. It was at this moment when it hit me. This character could fall and die; she wasn't necessarily a main, the story could go on. I ended up with butterflies in my stomach, as I watched with a completely open mind. 

The concept of the film was probably what I enjoyed the most because here we are being offered an idea that is completely possible to execute in our day and age. The internet is unsafe. children and teens can be forced into doing dangerous things all because someone on the internet said to. We all know about The Fire Challenge (which is still going on today). This film really makes you think just how out of depth you can get in this digital age. We all care more for how many people are watching and liking us online that we forget the real world and the real friends we have. 

Overall, I highly recommend anyone and everyone to watch this film. You are being given a perfect internet safety video. Utilise it but most of all enjoy it because at the end of the day it is a highly exciting, nail biting piece of cinema.

Thanks for reading,

Haynes