Da Five Bloods

Da Five Bloods

(2020) Dir: Spike Lee

Da Five Bloods is the latest Spike Lee Joint and is premiering exclusively on Netflix worldwide. It tells the story of 4 black Vietnam vets who return to the jungle, decades after the war has ended, to search for their fallen brother’s remains and the treasure buried with him.

Opening with historic footage of Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X along with news footage and film clips from the Vietnam War era, detailing the struggles the American black populace faced both at home and at war abroad, you know you’re watching a Spike Lee Joint and that this is going to be a fresh take on the Vietnam War genre. Throughout the movie we’re treated to tales of real life black war heroes (dating right back to the Boston massacre of 1770), stories of the struggles the black community 

The stellar cast all excel, although much like the tone and narrative, some characters are given much more to do and are more fully developed than others. Chadwick Boseman exudes enough charisma to convince as the young inspirational figure to the Bloods. Jonathan Majors also turns the comic relief into something more. But it’s Delroy Lindo who threatens to steal the show, starting out as a grumpy curmudgeon and slowly revealing much darker and more hysteric sides to his inner psyche while still being able to flip back to loving father or jolly friend when he threatens to be going so cruel as to turn off the audience.

An interesting decision was to use the same actors as their younger selves during the Vietnam flashbacks (shot on beautifully grainy 16mm), without CGI de-aging a la Netflix’s recent critical hit The Irishman. Which I felt worked quite well as they’re flashbacks, so it makes sense that the vets would see themselves as their older selves while Norm is still the same age as he never got to grow any older having been killed in Vietnam. 

And whilst it doesn’t shy away from the atrocities committed by both sides in the Vietnam War and delves deep into all of the vets' PTSD, the trauma they faced over there have haunted each of them in different ways, it’s also a lot of fun. Featuring hilarious dance sequences and kinetic jungle shootouts. The standout set piece being a very shocking and tense sequence involving a minefield. 

Unfortunately, the film can feel a bit messy and disjointed at times. It felt like two movies merged together at times as it would switch from comedy heist adventure to heavy violence, drama and sibering ruminations on war and the aftermath of which, on a dime.

It feels redundant to criticise Spike Lee for being self-indulgent at this stage, so while he does indulge a lot, if you go with it, Da Five Bloods is both highly entertaining and at times deeply moving too.

It: Chapter 2

It: Chapter 2

(2019) Dir: Andrés Muschietti

This one was very disappointing. While, save for an excellent an chilling opening scene, the first It wasn’t particularly scary, it was enjoyable and featured a fun nostalgic feel, a solidly creepy performance from Bill Skasgaard and a likeable group of misfit kids. And after becoming the highest grossing R-rated horror of all time, there was obvious buzz for a sequel.

It was nearly 3 hours long and had no reason to be, the first 90 minutes is just them repeating the first movie. But as adults. The reason being that they have all forgotten about their time in Derry. Why like? Surely it would make for more concise storytelling and allow more introspective character work if they all remembered their time in Derry and were traumatised by it or trying to repress it. There’s nothing interesting about them all forgetting about it all. 

It’s also not scary with an over reliance on CGI and no sense of dread or tension. The cast are fine, they’re not given much to work with. Bill Hader is trying but even he doesn’t seem to be sure what the point of his character is. There’s very little conflict between the group. Again, not helped by the fact most of them have inexplicable amnesia. 

And then the final battle, Pennywise it seems could kill them at any time by simply opening his mouth but he’s too busy scaring them. And they can apparently turn any object into a weapon. Or seen as they’re adults they could just you know, buy guns and shoot him. They beat him up as children, why is this even an issue now that they are fully grown?

A very disappointing follow up to a solid first chapter.

Casper

Casper (1995)

Dir: Brad Silberling

For the most part, a charming and enjoyable children’s flick.

The special effects hold up well, leaning into the more cartoonish look of early CGI. Pullman and Ricci are both having fun and perform well considering they’re acting opposite nothing. 

And while all the beats and plot twists are telegraphed and predictable, the ending still packs somewhat of an emotional punch, despite also verging on sappy and melodramatic. Some of the dialogue in clunky and the 3 Uncle Ghosts get very close to being annoying.

Also Dan Aykroyd turns up as his Ghostbusters character. Does this mean the Ghost Cinematic Universe, precedes Marvel? Is there a Patrick Swayze cameo hidden in there too?

Apocalypto

(2006) Dir: Mel Gibson

(Contains Spoilers)

Apocalypto follows the story of Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his tribe as their tranquil jungle village comes under threat from external forces.

Apocalypto is not an insightful, exploration into the history and culture of Mayan society, instead, it’s more like a Mad Max action movie or Western revenge flick set in the lush South American jungle. Moving at a break neck pace, torturing our hero and supplying him with a series of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, all so he can be reunited with his family.

It looks gorgeous. With the overgrown, vibrant jungle contrasting with the arid, deathly city. The costumes and production design are also exquisite. The whole thing looked and felt real and lived in which added an authenticity to it.

I liked how the thesis was that the tribe in the woods aren't savages. They're a happy, peaceful people who respect the forest and hold family and the community as the most important aspects of life. Whereas it's civilization, power and religion that turns people into savages.

However, they do sort of abandon these themes as soon as it was getting interesting, before really diving into them or the civilization itself. We are brought into the Mayan city and see the people, their culture and their rituals first hand but simply as an outsider observing. Instead opting for a chase through the woods for the rest of the movie. 

Which I'm conflicted about because I really enjoyed said chase. The jaguar run was excellent as was Jaguar Paw using his knowledge of the forest to pick off his pursuers. 

Mel is clearly a gifted filmmaker, but he has a tendency to show as well as tell. Turn off the subtitles and you’d be able to follow the story perfectly. But instead the Americanism-infused dialogue can tend to feel clunky and over-explanatory at times.

There are also some plot holes that need to be addressed. How much abuse can Jaguar Paw take? Trekked through the jungle without much rest, food or water, then gets a spear through the side, runs the whole way back to his camp, shot with an arrow in the chest, and he’s grand. The arrival of the Conquistadors at the end also seemed like a dues ex machina. Although I liked how the end mirrored the beginning, with everything foreshadowed from the tapir trap to the "new beginning" people to the boats on the beach. 

Overall its well acted, exciting and beautifully shot featuring breathtaking locations and production design.

Crawl

Crawl (2019)

Dir: Alexandre Aja

Crawl, directed by Alexandre Aja, has received many comparisons to Jaws, which I think does it no favours. While both featuring man-eating aquatic animals, they are very different films. Crawl is the type of horror movie that when done right, I’m a big fan of. Contained within a Florida family house during a Category 5 hurricane, the film is a great exercise in escalating stakes in a contained setting for 90 minutes. The simple premise is well executed, basically as the storm floods in, our father and daughter protagonists are stuck in the basement of their house with a family of hungry alligators. As the water rise, they must move up the levels of the house, the advantage shifting more and as they do so the advantage shifts more and more to the reptilian adversaries. The performances and direction are strong and while it does feature a decent subplot about the estranged father/daughter relationship of our protagonists, the focus is kept firmly on the challenges at hand and it handles them expertly.

A very enjoyable, well executed, creature feature.

Ready Or Not

Ready Or Not

(2019) Dir: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

A highly entertaining black horror comedy. The fun premise is that a new bride must play a game of hide-and-seek with her in-laws, on her wedding night. The twist being that this particular game, is a game to the death. Samara Weaving does excellent work as the bride being hunted by the eclectic and deranged family members. The direction is well handled, balancing the laughs, of which there are several big ones throughout, and the scares, featuring some satisfyingly gory and shocking violence that can either induce revolt or cackle as required.

A rare comedy horror that manages to balance both of it’s genres right through to the fantastic finale.