The Game: Review of Game Night

Game Night

Directors: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

By Alex Watson

Thanks in part to a sharp script and spot-on cast, Game Night is a movie that satisfies on belly laughs alone. The chemistry between leads Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman gives this movie its comedic charm. Horrible Bosses writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein make a surprisingly effective team. While the story might be a tad predictable, there is much to like in this effort.

Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) love nothing more than hosting and winning game nights. However, their mood soon sours when Max's older and vastly more successful brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes to town. When they allow big brother to host game night, he promises it will be on they never forget. When gun touting thugs burst in and kidnapping, the couple soon realises they are playing the most dangerous game of all.

Game Night appeals in droves early on, starting with the typical (and adorable) meet-cute when Max and Annie meet ironically during a game night. Despite being able to thrash their friends (Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury), their hopes to start are a proper family are being thwarted by their mixed opinions about having a child. To make matters worse, Brooks is in town and as one member describes he is like "The Mark Wahlberg to his Donnie!" Vastly successful and always winning against his brother, Brooks decides to one-up game night by staging a murder mystery. When criminals suddenly burst in a take him, the indifference the gang reacts with is truly hilarious. Credit to both Daley and Goldstein, for the majority of the film they do a go job of blurring the lines between real and fake when it comes to this kidnapping.

Once the group realizes how raised the stakes are, the twists keep coming and they are more and extreme each time. The standout scene sees Annie attempting to take a bullet of her husband's arm while using rubber gloves and tweezers. The fact she could only find him a squeaky toy hamburger to bite down on only adds to the hilarity. The supporting cast is also well served during this story with Kevin (Morris) determined to find out which celebrity his wife (Bunbury) bedded while they were 'on a break', the reveal afterwards provides an underrated source of laughs. Ryan (Magnussen) is the group's good looking dimwit who begins to become attracted to straight talking Linda (Sharon Horgan). There's also looming question of precisely how real are all of these events? Brooks remains an ambiguous character throughout and Daley and Goldstein are sly when it comes to their clues.

If there is one criticism to give Game Night it is that the final act is where the picture momentarily loses steam. The directing duo, for the most part, is great at keeping the laughs coming but when it comes to the big twist- it feels slightly obvious and this makes us feel let down. While this picture isn't ever going to be considered groundbreaking, you feel it has enough smarts to avoid the typical story traps. The final act is well-staged and brilliantly executed, especially they are forced to fit into a bizarre party held a wealthy criminal (Danny Huston). There is also the added bonus of having Jesse Plemon's extremely awkward and watchful cop Gary hovering by- a man desperate to join game night but creeping out all in return.

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are a wonderfully matched pair. Bateman's makes the use of his typical dry wit and likeable everyman charm. Although she's a tried and tested dramatic actress, you forget just what an appealing comedic lead McAdam really is. Here her and Bateman make for a believable and extremely cute pairing which makes the film excel. Kyle Chandler is also excellent as the unbearable Brooks- on the surface, he has all a man (and Max) could want and more. Chandler shows a different and more desperate side later on but somehow retains a magnetism to this character that still draws us to him.

Game Night is a comedy to just sit back and enjoy- though consider yourselves warned if your brother ever hosts a night like this one.

Into The Abyss: Review of Annihilation

Annihilation

Director: Alex Garland

By Alex Watson

Ex-Machina showed that Alex Garland had the visual flair to make a promising director. Annihilation boosts his credentials further and this picture is a visually jarring affair. Throughout this picture, there is a haunting and malevolent ambience surrounding the events. Garland's story is one that has a continually ticking brain and forces us to consider what could happen with any possible encounters with un-human species?

Lena (Natalie Portman) is a biologist who is still reeling from the disappearance of her soldier husband Kane (Oscar Isaac). When he unexpectedly returns home, he begins acting begins acting distant and strange then suddenly collapses. Taken to a secret location, Lena is told by the mysterious Dr Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) that Kane's prior mission took him inside 'The Shimmer', an area which is always widening and has claimed the lives all of who enter. Driven by curiosity and desperate to save her husband. Lena agrees to enter 'The Shimmer'.

Aided by an unsettling atmospheric score by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, Annihilation continually finds ways to make our hairs stand on end. There is a sinister presence from the moment Kane first enters Lena's home. At first, she is overjoyed to see the man she loves, but his aloof demeanour soon spoils the party. Garland spends minimal time with backstory and everything we need or want to know about our characters is given to us. Refreshingly, the characters aren't a bunch of 'get some' soldiers looking to off the baddies. Instead, we are given a group of intelligent females who are all from different walks of life. Lena is a biologist, Ventress a psychologist, Josie (Tessa Thompson) is a physicist, tough-talking Anya (Gina Rodriguez) was a paramedic and the quieter Cass (Tuva Novotny) is a geologist. All of these women have afflictions in various ways, but serious question marks point to Ventress' involvement. A soft-spoken yet sly leader, she may not be in this for 'gathering data'

This picture takes a well-trodden story of military people entering the woods and being picked off and turns it on its head. There are some real shocks in store for the audience and some truly horrifying visuals. One particularly graphic scene sees a soldier's intestines turns into a living creature. There is also the pressure question of what precisely is 'The Shimmer'? Inside it seems like perfectly normal and overgrown rainforest, but lurking in the distance is a mysterious presence. Material wise, this movie takes some big diversions away from the novel by Jeff VanderMeer. However, Garland keeps the narrative intrigue with some frequent and shocking turns. There is no interest in jump scares or any cheap trickery, so he makes full use of his bold and smart script.

There is an intelligence to this story that still remains intact despite being in horror territory. Garland forces his audience to consider the possibility of what could happen should another species arrive. Only when do we learn the true meaning of movies title does our blood run slightly cold. Our band of heroines must contend with the likelihood that this is a one-way journey. Lena in particular struggles to keep her marriage a secret so as not to unsettle the others. The final act of Annihilation is the one which will be imprinted on audiences minds. Giving us no end of tension, we are given some hard and shocking truths about earlier events. Salisbury and Barrow's score is particularly effective during this stretch and adds to the increasingly horrific feel.

Natalie Portman gives a central turn which is both tough and immensely compelling. As a woman determined to complete the mission and save her lover, she gives the movie's its heart. On the surface a collected and assured person, Portman gives her a vulnerability that makes her relatable. She's also supported by the excellent Jennifer Jason Leigh. As Ventress, she is a blank slate and her motives are always impossible to determine. Speaking barely above a whisper, she succeeds in giving an air of mystery that never once dissolves. Tessa Thompson also provides excellent support and is fast becoming one of Hollywood's most dependable talents. Likewise with Jane the Virgin actress Gina Rodriguez, who is a lifetime away from the sweet-natured character we are so familiar with.

Annihilation is a clever and unbearably edgy thriller, Alex Garland is now officially a talent to be reckoned with.

Long Live The King: Review of Black Panther

Black Panther

Director: Ryan Coogler

By Alex Watson

When first introduced in Captain America, no one had any idea the kind of impact T'Challa would make in his own outing. Black Panther under the direction of Ryan Coogler is arguably one of the Marvel franchise's best efforts. Giving a whole new spin and embracing the African identity of the character, Coogler combines thrills and comedy with a great big heart. It also taps into the notion of family and the mistakes we make along the way.

Recently crowned King of Wakanda after the demise of his father, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) hopes for a long and fruitful reign. But an old problem rears its head in the form of mercenary Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) who is keen on giving the world Wakandan weapons. Also, there is the added problem of former soldier Eric Stevens aka 'Killmonger' who has a score to .  with the new King!

Opening on a stunning CGI recreation of the past, the deceased king T'Chaka tells his son about the history of the nation, the black panther and how precious vibranium is to Wakanda. In a seemingly meaningless prologue scene set in 1992 Oakland, we are shown how the old king is forced to deal with his traitor brother. At first, this appears nothing more than backstory but the consequences of this set Black Panther's wheels in motion. T'Challa wants nothing more than fulfil his destiny but is also still dealing with his feeling for ex-lover Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o). The scenes set in Wakanda are a visual feast of glowing purple plants, a brightly lit metropolis city and a coronation against a rushing waterfall with tribes wearing different vibrant colours.

Coogler gives us thrills early on when Klaue and Stevens make a daring raid on the British Museum in London. He always able to expertly turn the excitement on and off when necessary. Particularly during a pulsating chase sequence through the neon-lit Busan, Korea. Channelling Fast and the Furious style manoeuvres, Coogler somehow finds a way to make this one of the funniest scenes of 2017.  Wakanda's glorious and advanced technology is truly game beating here. Family legacy is very much the heart of this picture. T'Challa has some ballsy female figures as siblings with his hard as nails General sister Okoye (Danai Gurira) and his tech-savvy sister (a hilarious Letitia Wright). Shamen Zuri (Forest Whitaker) hints at some potentially dangerous actions by his father in the past.  Frequently the new king has his authority and right to rule contested. Emerging as an emotionally pained but steadfast regent, Wakandan seems like it is in firm hands.

Little by little Killmonger's plan becomes increasingly more unstable and risky. Determined to share Wakanda's resources with the world, his a killer with a humongous chip on his shoulder. He also has the physical threat down as well and in one brutal beatdown, he asserts his dominance over the new king. A radicalised crusader who unlike T'Challa has seen the oppression of his race over and over again. Killmonger emerges as one of the universe's most underrated villains. Unlike the other more notable villains intent on global domination, this guy's intentions run to a much deeper core. Coogler has formed a fascinating new franchise, may T'Challa's reign with confidence for years to come.

Chadwick Boseman gives a high-calibre turn which is surprisingly deep for a Marvel film. Through the pained expression in his eyes, we see a king getting to grips with his new responsibility and dealing with the consequences of his ancestors. Boseman has always had great presences on screen from when played Jackie Robinson in '42' and as James Brown in 'Get on Up'. A tough but noble warrior, Boseman is a welcome addition here. Michael B Jordan matches his co-star blow for blow as the vengeful Killmonger. Bringing the natural swagger he brought to Coogler's previous outing 'Creed' Jordan is a compelling nemesis. Full of blunt force and adept at getting down to business, T'Challa is right to be sweating when this guy comes to town.

Black Panther once again shows that the Marvel universe works best when it takes an unorthodox approach. Coogler has made a picture that is both thought-provoking and immensely entertaining all at once. Wakanda Forever!