nicobattersby Reviews

Mandibles (2020)

No laughs

[3/10 · 25 May 2021]

I love comedies. I enjoy French comedies. This is one of the least funny comedies I've ever seen.

The audience was completely silent throughout. The story went no where and the jokes were non existent. When the disabled character appeared, I cringed. When she reappeared again and again, with the same joke, I was disappointed.

Avoid this film, it's not good.

Can't Get You Out of My Head (2021)

One of the most unique docs I've ever seen

[9/10 · 3 March 2021]

Schitzophrenic, complex, profound and revealing. Seemingly unrelated stories intertwine with others to tell new stories if their own. Reality and fantasy intertwine and influence eachother on an international scale. I've only learned of Alex Curtis recently, but I can comfortably say he's a creative genius.

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

Flips the Western on its head

[7/10 · 10 November 2018]

Westerns usually grace us with a just hero, or even someone morally ambiguous. In The Sisters Brothers, the inversions don't stop there.

In classic French style, there's a real focus on seemingly meaningless, mundane activities such as brushing your teeth or being sick. But it's from these actions, all too often discarded in cinema, that we can learn so much more about our characters.

The four main actors each give an excellent performance while the script is laced with comedy, emotion and political commentary.

And while often a negative in films, *SPOILERS* the ending resolves nothing. There's no emotional group or resolution to the characters problems. But in this case, it actually works to the film's advantage.

If you're a fan of Westerns, this films is worth seeing.

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

One of The Wost films I've seen this year.

[4/10 · 10 November 2018]

The cast was nice.

Now that all the positives are out of the way, I can get into the gory meat of this car wreck of a film.

The most glaring hole was the narrative inconsistency. Stories began, sometimes promisingly so, but never wrapped up. There are so many loose ends in this film it's coming apart at the seems. Which is weird, because this thing is long - way too long. The script was in desperate need of an editor and I even wonder, did it get past the 2nd draft?

This movie was trying very hard to be Pulp Fiction, with the disjointed story and title cards, but it has none of the witty dialogue, ediitng skill or charm. In fact, 'trying hard' sums it up perfectly. I struggle to recall one joke that didn't fall flat on its face.

Don't waste your time with this cash grab insult to cinema.

The Interview (II) (2014)

Review From a Non-North Korean

[7/10 · 30 December 2014]

I've never written an IMDb review before, but after gazing upon the countless "1 stars" I had to make something clear.

I used to like Seth Rogan. His early stuff when he started out in "Freaks and Geeks" and his break out role in "40 Year Old Virgin". But as he grew more famous, I felt like he wasn't trying anymore. His comedic efforts no longer made me laugh and I'd effectively given up on him.

"The Interview" changed that. When I'm watching a movie by myself, it's rare that I'll laugh out loud, but this film had me giggling the whole way through. Yes - the humor is crude, offensive and childish, but it was hilariously daring. Franco, in my opinion, has never been funnier - pulling out classic one liners coupled with outrageous facial expressions.

The film takes shots at the media, the cult of celebrity and misinformed cultural perceptions. And while it may not be entirely true to life, I particularly appreciated Randall Park's humanising portrayal of Kim.

If you were debating whether to see this film or not, do it. One of the best comedies of 2014.

Come and Get Me (2011)

Aussie Horror That'll Leave You Satisfied

[6/10 · 22 October 2011]

I love a good horror film, and Come And get Me surely delivers. The problem I find with most horror is that it's too tame. Not enough violence and not enough swearing. If you want more of that in your life, than you should probably check this out.

The kill scenes were fantastic. All the deaths were fairly creative and were done well with great special fx.

The bad guys were scary and the victims were easy to hate. That's pretty much all I could ask for in a horror flick. Chris Sun did well for his directorial debut and I'm excited to see what he can churn out in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.