SilentLuminary Reviews

  Genre: Silent/ Romance/ Drama Time: 1h 28mins Director:  Josef von Sternberg Quick Summary:  A former Imperial Russian general and cousin of the Czar ends up in Hollywood as an extra in a movie directed by a former revolutionary. As slow as this film was, I ended up really enjoying this. It took me a while to adjust to it being a silent film, but after not too long I was up to speed.  The story is so interesting in itself, an exiled Russian general winds up on a Hollywood set as a movie extra to play a Russian general, reliving the past. On the offset that does sound quite boring and admittedly it took me a while to get into the story and understand what was going on. There ends up being so much emotion and complexity to it though that I wasn't expecting, and I was so so impressed that most of it was done through the use of music or expression. Emil Jannings is pretty good in this considering he doesn't say a single word. There are some nice laughs, a pretty good...

  Genre: Family/ Action Time: 1h 36mins Director:  Tom McGrath Quick Summary:  Evil genius Megamind finally defeats his do-gooder nemesis, Metro Man, but is left without a purpose in a superhero-free world. This is so timeless and it's actually really creative. I found this so funny I didn't actually realise the main voice was Will Ferrell. I think the biggest thing about this film is that Hanz Zimmer composed the soundtrack for this, which absolutely slaps.  What makes this work so well is the characters and how memorable they are. Not one of the main group of characters feels like they fade into the background or get overshone by each other. They're all incredibly strong personalities, yet none of them clash. Will Ferrell as Megamind is simply brilliant; flawed but lovable, you pity him for everything he had gone through, and while still laughing at his screw-ups and flamboyant nature you can understand him fully. Roxanne Ritchie, voiced by Tina Fe isn't the...

  Genre: Horror/ Drama Time: 1h 50mins Director:  Robert Eggers Quick Summary:  Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. Undoubtedly this is one of the strangest films I have seen, but I ended up really liking this. It's certainly an experience, but I think one that is definitely worth it.  For much of this, I was not fully sure what was going on, which I guess is deliberate as it is never quite clear what is what. What is consistent though is the sense of dread and claustrophobia that comes from the limits of the location. As well I love the paranoia within this, though the narration is a bit hard to follow a lot of the time, it's the tone and tension of what is happening that actually makes it worth it. One thing I found incredibly cool is how much the set is claustrophobic, making the screen frame just about square. As well I loved how tight every shot felt, like it was all c...

  Genre: Musical/ Romance Time: 2h Director:  Vincente Minnelli Quick Summary:  Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family. There is something about this that I just find so heartwarming. It's so lovely to watch this and just enjoy being in this film's moment. Honestly, it's one of the most wholesome films I've seen. It's a wonderfully delightful musical. There is so much charm to this, you can't help but have a nice time watching this and forget about all your cares.  To be honest, there wasn't actually much of a plot, but I'm glad about that as really it didn't need a plot to be worth it. Essentially you're watching the life of a really close family go through difficult times for various characters and how they all come together to help each other.  Judy Garland is absolutely wonderful and charming as expected within this. You can't help but adore her as she dreamily sways around the house, s...

  Genre: Action/ Adventure Time: 2h Director:  Joel Schumacher Quick Summary: Batman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City. I don't know how they made Batman even more sillier than the last film, but they did it and I'm not mad. I mean this is awful, and really cheesy. But it's actually still a fun film to watch. The script is dreadful, cramming a joke in every minute that is either a pun or sexual but honestly I couldn't help but laugh because it was so stupid.  My one question is why George Clooney, he was seriously miscast as he is just not suited for Batman. His performance isn't awful, it's just not good. I found Uma Thurman very over the top as Poison Ivy, but I liked it, she came off as a more cartoonish and goofy villain, being pouty and over-dramatic. I could tell she had a lot of fun in this role. Though I personally don't think she makes a good villain BUT  re...

  Genre: Action/Adventure Time: 2h Director:  Joel Schumacher Quick Summary:  Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin. This is a bit of a jump in style, especially watching it immediately after Batman Returns, but I like it still. I actually liked how cartoonish this was, in aesthetic and humour as honestly it still fits in with Batman. It's fun, silly and campy. A lot of people I think will find this enjoyable. I'm not sure how I feel about Val Kilmer as Batman, he was okay but honestly, he was nothing special. Chris O'Donnell took some time for me to like him as Robin, and he didn't really add much aside from little comedic relief moments. I actually liked his introduction through this film, it doesn't feel forced and it actually makes sense towards the plot, shame he didn't really do much within...

  Genre: Action/ Fantasy  Time: 2h 6mins Director: Tim Burton  Quick Summary:  While Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect Batman film.  My opinion of Micheal Keaton being Batman has definitely changed from the previous film. He's more broody and imposing than previous, overall he's just a lot cooler. Especially in the action scenes, which have definitely improved.  This film takes a lot darker tone and honestly, I really liked it, Batman suits the more gritty and dark aesthetic. The Action sequences are outstanding and awesome and the Fight sequences are fantastic. The first fight between Batman and Catwoman is really awesome to watch and a lot of the time I couldn't stop watching. Everyone's stories and roles are so strong and really developed....

  Genre: Adventure/ Sci-Fi  Time: 1h 35mins Directors:  John Musker, Ron Clements Quick Summary:  Jim Hawkins is a rebellious teen seen by the world as an aimless slacker. After he receives a map from a dying pirate, he embarks on an odyssey across the universe to find the legendary Treasure Planet. I'm not sure why I used to dislike this film, but upon watching it again, I find that it's actually a really good film. It's such a shame the reputation of this film is rather bad because I think a lot of people are missing out. The visuals and world-building are really something within this. Personally, that is what holds most of this up. The space scenes are so pretty to watch, even if half of it was CGI, it still managed to mesh well with the 2D animation. It gives its own uniqueness in how It is blended because it doesn't ever feel too out of place, granted it may not age well with this, but my comment still stands with how pretty is it. Going onto the world-building ...

  Genre: Drama/Comedy Time: 1h 41mins Directors:  Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton Quick Summary:  A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus. From all the recent hype I had been hearing about this film, I was really disappointed when I found it to be pretty overrated.  I did like the characters in this, they were incredibly fleshed out and came across as really realistic and actual human people you could meet. Everyone had an essential part of this story and nobody felt like they were pushed into the background. As a personal take, I wasn't much of a fan of the dad within this, he just came across as a big old judgmental ass, in one scene he ends up telling his young child daughter that if she eats too much ice cream she will get fat and not everyone likes fat girls. What I liked this film for, is feeling good about yourself no matter who you are; the rest of the family jump in and exp...

  Genre: Fantasy/ Comedy Time: 1h 43mins Director : Ate de Jong Quick Summary:  A young woman finds her already unstable life rocked by the presence of a rambunctious imaginary friend from childhood. I should not have found this film as funny as it was. I couldn't help but laugh at this.  Slapstick and somewhat childish humour are what make this film. It was made to be purely a fun and lighthearted time, even with its slightly serious bits, it still manages to keep it a good time. It's a hidden gem that I recommend people see.  Rik Mayall, I found hilarious with his silly antics and wacky nature. Even when he's just reacting to stuff he was purely funny. I don't know how the other actors kept a straight face whenever he was causing havoc. He was essentially a child in a grown man's body and went 100% with this role.  Aside from all the silly stuff, there is a perfect message within this film. Even if you are grown up, you still need to have fun no matter ...

  Genre: Action/ Martial Arts Time: 2h 17mins Director:  Quentin Tarantino Quick Summary:  The Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle. This is a complete tone shift, being more the emotional of the two, but it is as equally brilliant. The story is pretty much the same as it picks up where it left off in the previous, which looking at it would of been weird for it change. It's still perfectly paced. Uma Thurman still doesn't disappoint and is still incredible in her role.  What makes this different is has much diaglouge than the previous, and I feel like we got to know our main character more in depth. There is more clever and witty comments, but the scenes are lot slower and a lot less violent. The problem I had with this one is that it didn't have as much oomp when it got the end, it felt like it fizzled out.  The cinematography still holds up increbily thoug...

  Genre: Crime/ Action Time: 1h 51mins Director:  Quentin Tarantino Quick Summary:  After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her. oh, I got to tell you, it was perfect. Perfect. Everything, down to the last-minute details. First of all the cast in this, is absolutely amazing. Everyone pulls their weight and brings all these intense and exciting characters to life. They all do a fantastic job with their acting. Though Uma Thurman is the star of this, she was a perfect choice for the lead and didn't disappoint. She is the centre of attention in every scene, even if she is in the background. Her presence in this too is so entertaining to watch, delivering her lines with the right amount of wit and snark, along with when she is absolutely beating the crap out of her former team she is just so fun to watch. This is a fun film and quirky too! With how simple the plot is, so much has been done and crammed i...