SilentLuminary Reviews

  Genre: Crime Time: 2 hours Director : Ted Demme Quick Summary:  The story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States. I'm not going to lie, I got jumpscared by the picture at the end. As a fan of Goodfellas , I am honestly pretty pleased by this, probably due to how similar they are in terms of editing. The narration was mostly what I liked as I'm usually a sucker for those types of films. Voice-over narration is used to express George's feelings and thoughts throughout various events of his life, talking us through what's going on and what he plans to do, usually with some form of hectic montage. I've always enjoyed films like this because they keep it interesting and you feel some sort of personal bond towards the narrator the more you learn about their feelings and life. It's easier to connect to them.  That said, this doesn't do it the best way.

  Genre: Family/ Musical  Time: 2h 20mins Director:  Robert Stevenson Quick Summary:  An apprentice witch, three kids, and a cynical magician conman search for the missing component to a magic spell to be used in the defense of Britain in World War II. I've seen this film so many times growing up, and I know all of the songs. It never fails to put a smile on my face. Honestly, I'm so glad it still holds up that whimsical energy that fills you up with glee. I can understand some of the clever dialogue and the character backgrounds much better now that I'm an adult. The adults chuck witty remarks at each other (in a harmless fun way), and even the kids join in sometimes. Angela Lansbury has her own old-school charm, like the many times she tries to cast a spell and it either doesn't work or doesn't quite work, she brushes it off while still obviously irritated. Her interactions with the kids were also pretty funny, as they have jokes between them that are usually pl

  Genre: Family/ Sci-fi Time: 1h 40mins Director:  Simon Wincer Quick Summary:  A seemingly normal young boy is found abandoned on a mountain road and adopted by a family who are increasingly amazed by his abilities before discovering the secret behind his real identity. You know what, I liked this. It's such a safe kids film and that's a good thing! Genuine heart and morals are put into this with a cute little adventure. The '80s did produce some really good mature films for kids, and this one I guess went under the radar. This isn't anything as good as E.T. or The Neverending Story, but it's okay and watchable. All the kids were pretty adorable to watch, none of them annoyed me or got on my nerves which is a first.  As an adult who has seen many films, I did admittedly find this a little boring in places, but to my surprise, there were also epic car chase scenes with helicopters crashing into the ground which brought my attention right back. The film literally dr

  Genre: Musical/ Thriller Time: 2h 18mins Director: Todd Phillips Quick Summary:  Arthur Fleck is institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that's always been inside him. Apparently, in Arkham, nobody can go two minutes without a cigarette  I went into this knowing that people hated it, and came out understanding why. For something that is labelled as a musical, it is so afraid to be a musical. I was expecting more of a dramatic change when it came to the delusions which were usually the musical numbers aside from one or two moments. More of a contrast was needed during the more serious side of the film which would be Gritty and dark, like Gotham usually is. Compared to the delusions which I assumed were going to be more colourful, extra and extravagant. What we actually get are really long and painful segments of Arthur and/or Harley singing a fu

  Genre: Thriller/ Romance Time: 1h 35mins Director:  Victor Sjöström Quick Summary:  Paul Beaumont, a genius scientist, is cheated by his wife, Marie, and fellow scientist, Baron. Soon, fed up with his life, he decides to take up a job at a circus in Paris as a clown. I went into this assuming it was going to be funny since the guy is a clown, but I was met with one of the saddest stories I've seen in a while. I mean the guy takes such a traumatic and terrible experience and turns it into a way that he knows how to process it. Laughter. It's such a twisted masochistic recreation of the event, but it's in his control and he can actually laugh with the crowd, so they're not just laughing at him. He remains a prisoner to himself and his internal struggle and it is all masked over by makeup and pain inflicting gags. Honestly, it's quite sad because you realise that it broke the poor guy and the only way he knows how to do anything is to be a clown to people. Repeatin

  Genre: Comedy Time: 1h 20mins Director:  Ryan Martin Brown Quick Summary: Approaching the end of his twenties and his relative youth, a man decides to quit his cushy desk job and embrace life, only to realize he has no idea what to do with this newfound freedom. This was actually so painful to watch. In fact, it reminded me of those cringe Millenial TikTok humour videos. They're so unfunny it hurts me. Imagine those put into a film. I found the occasional moment funny, and by funny I mean a little chuckle came out of me. Am I supposed to find two people walking around in silence funny? Sure, when it's done right.  I think the main fault is the main guy. He was such a loser, and honestly an asshole. I found it so hard to sympathise with this guy because he was trying so hard to be seen, like a little child. Either moping around, ringing literally everyone he knows because he's bored, or playing over the top his entire band and then throwing an adult tantrum expecting peop