Weekend Reviews Episode #9

By Adam Ray Palmer

This feature does exactly what it says in the title. Some reviews of films, from over the weekend – basically.
 
No matter the genre, nor the year… I basically watch a streaming service, or a DVD, and do a little bite-sized reviews for you to agree or disagree to.

Out of the three, let me know which film you prefer!

GREEN ROOM
I saw this film was on Film4 late one evening, and I just had an instant impulse to rewatch it after enjoying it five years ago. Green Room follows a punk rock band who is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar. The idea for the film came from the writer/director Jeremy Saulnier, as he was just desperate to make an actual green room thriller one day.
 
So here it is with Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Joe Cole and the master Patrick Stewart at the helm. It’s a cool 100-minute film and takes no time getting into the gritty underbelly of a thriller-horror. It’s an intense, claustrophobic movie with stellar performances throughout. Green Room is the perfect night-time thriller for anyone and everyone.
 
Cineroom’s rating: 4 stars

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
Back in 2016, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alexander Skarsgård and Margot Robbie in London for this feature film; and I just wished the movie was as great as the duo were on the day. The Legend of Tarzan centres on the titular character, having acclimated to life in London, he is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.
 
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad film, it’s just quite lacklustre. The action pieces are underwhelming and they underuse Margot Robbie so much. Her tender scenes with Alexander and the every sequence with Christoph Waltz in are where the movie just about keeps hold of the vines. But for a film that has the calibre of Skarsgård, Robbie, Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson in; it’s just doesn’t quite hit the mark.
 
Cineroom’s rating: 3 stars

NOW YOU SEE ME
Talking of quality actors on show, Now You See Me beats The Legend of Tarzan with the casting bill. Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher and Michael Caine all star in the magical crime caper. Now You See Me follows an F.B.I. Agent and an Interpol Detective who are tracking a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances, and reward their audiences with the money.
 
It’s such a brilliant narrative and an addictive watch. It’s like watching an evolved form of the Ocean’s Eleven movies. Now You See Me follows the same anxious build up themes, but the big heist pull offs are thrilling to revel in. This is because they spoil us with having two pay offs, one being the fulfilment of a heist and the built up tension, but the other being an incredible magic trick. This is the kind of movie that’s made for a packed cinema audience. I’m a big fan and so pleased that a third film is looming. Get on this if you haven’t already.
 
Cineroom’s rating: 4 stars