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Fail Safe, If Dr Strangelove Wasn’t A Comedy

Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

Nuclear war is always very frightening to even think about, we’ve seen so many films portray nuclear war, from Threads to the States version The Day After, we’ve seen a made for TV movie called Special Bulletin, but let’s talk about a movie called Fail Safe.

Fail Safe follows several departments, the pilots, the men on the ground in the war room, and the President of the United States, a computer error triggers a fail safe command ordering a group of pilots to bomb Russia.

What follows is arguably the most tense edge of your seat rollercoaster, as not only the men in the war room try to stop the pilots from reaching Moscow but the President as well, directed by Sydney Lumet (who gave us the courtroom drama 12 Angry Men) and starring Henry Fonda as the President and Walter Mathau who plays a political theorist.

The film itself is fantastic, it was a blind buy for me as I saw it in the Criterion Collection, bought it and watched it the minute I got home, let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised by this film.

It’s a stark reminder as to how the Cold War was and just how close we come to nuclear war, but I want to discuss the ending.

Basically everything that can go wrong does go wrong, plans to shoot down the pilots fail as they enter Russian airspace, the President tries his best to talk to said pilots, but turns out the Russians can duplicate the Presidents voice, he then tries to get the main pilots wife to talk him out of it, which is arguably the most tense moment of the film.

The men in the war room then discuss what happens next, the President makes the Russian ambassador an offer, “if the bombers reach Moscow and drop the nuke I will get my pilots to bomb New York”

Not only is that the toughest decision for any President to make it’s a scary one at that, the pilots bomb Moscow in possibly one of the most eeriest scenes in cinema, we hear the Russian ambassador say “the sky, it’s so bright” followed by a a loud shrieking sound, Moscow is now gone.

The President then orders a good friend of his to head up to the skies and head to New York.

The plane flies over New York and uses the Empire State Building as ground zero, we then see the people of New York, men women and children go about their day unaware of what is about to happen.

The eerie part of this is the cinematography that follows, freeze frame and closeups, it’s a great technique especially for the year this film was released, the film then cuts to a title card followed by the end credits.

And that’s Fail Safe, as the title suggests its like if Dr Strangelove wasn’t satire and a comedy, it makes a great companion piece I must admit.

The acting is phenomenal and so is the plot of the film, the pacing is great, at 117 minutes boy does that fly by, trust me you’ll be on the edge of your seat by the half hour mark.

I give this film a ten out of ten, it’s tense and a stark reminder of the Cold War era, as always catch ya later 🙂

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The Movie Theatre Industry Is Not Dying

Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

I have been using a website called Quora since 2016, I have been requested questions a lot and one question that keeps getting me is questions like this.

“Is the movie theatre industry dying” “are cinemas going to die out because of sites like Netflix and Disney+”

Let me tell you something… come closer… that’s it a little closer… closer than that come on… there we go… MOVIE THEATRES ARE NOT GOING TO DIE!!!!

Why do we think this, why do we ingrain this in to our minds that cinemas are dying, let me tell you.

Yes granted we have Netflix and Hulu and Disney+ yes okay they offer great prices and great content but! And this is a big but, people still want to see movies on the big screen, cinemas have been around since forever, from the very first time talking was heard, they were actually dubbed the talkies.

Back in 1927 the Jazz Singer ushered in a new era of film dubbed “the talkies” it was the first time sound was heard on the big screen.

Since then everyone and I mean everyone has flocked to the cinemas to see their favourite actors on the big screen.

It’s the same with this whole Covid-19 pandemic, we want to get to a state of normalcy don’t we? Yes, yes we do so people more than ever head to the cinemas, specially in this particular period.

Okay movies aren’t making a heck of a lot of money granted but! People still attend cinemas, so to all those people asking and wondering “what is the fate of cinemas” here’s my answer… they are here to stay, no matter what.

Stop worrying, go out and see A Quiet Place 2, go and see Black Widow for crying out loud it’s been delayed more times than I’ve had hot dinners.

That’s my rant over as always catch ya later 🙂

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The Children Of Leningradsky, Hard Hitting, Emotional And Boy Does It Pack A Punch

Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

Documentary films, I haven’t seen a lot of them but I do love them, from ones like Bowling For Columbine and An Inconvenient Truth.

Not only do they teach you, but you learn a few things from them. That’s exactly what this short documentary film does.

Released in 2005 by a polish filmmaker The Children Of Leningradsky follows several homeless children… yeah I’m going to stop right here and throw a little disclaimer at ya, the details I’m about to launch in to are not pretty, they are not pleasant nor are they easy for me to type… that being said you’ve been warned.

We follow several homeless children around Leningradsky train station, we hear from four of them as they tell us their story on how they became homeless, one boy stabbed his abusive father while he was in a drunken fit of rage, one boys father at the age of two denied that he was his son, and another child was raped and the mum accepted a wad of cash instead of going to court.

For the winter months the children go underground where the pipes are to keep warm, they laugh, they play with one another, they argue and they fight, they also drink vodka, smoke and sniff glue.

Other times they are fighting with older homeless people (adults rather) but I think the real kicker comes from what the police do to them, I’m talking beating them, pouring glue over one boys head, we hear that a boy was raped and strangled to death and the police beat some kids and held them for as long as 48 hours… even though these kids had nothing to do with said crime.

It really isn’t a pleasant documentary at all and I’m still trying to process it, the final kicker comes at the end of the film as one poor thirteen year old girl sadly overdoses on glue and loses her life, the children hold a funeral for her as well.

Like I said it’s a really hard hitting documentary and one that is very hard to watch at times specially certain scenes involving the children sniffing glue.

I can’t say I enjoyed watching it I found it really hard to watch, but that doesn’t mean to say that it wasn’t interesting no, it was more eye opening, and eye opening thirty minutes to say the least.

10/10 mainly because it was so hard hitting and so gut wrenchingly sad, but again it was eye opening.

As always guys… catch ya later 🙂

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House (1977) weird, bizarre… Two Words To Describe This Japanese Horror Flick.

Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

Oh Japan… never change, from the country that bought us anime, Hayo Miyazaki, Yu-Gi-Oh and Godzilla House can be described in one word… trippy.

I have never done drugs, never smoked weed never tried it at all, but this Japanese cult classic is truly something that needs to be seen to truly understand how bizarre it really is.

Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and released in 1977 it follows six schoolgirls, one of them named Gorgeous on account of her looks, they travel to Gorgeous’s aunts house in the japanese country side, the house which is in fact haunted starts to terrify the girls.

That’s the plot… The rest of what follows is the most bizarre, there’s no other word to explain it, it’s just bizarre, the effects are surreal and… basically it’s like you’ve done acid without even taking acid its that trippy.

The editing as well is something else, there’s a thing on YouTube called YouTube Poop and it’s a collection of videos poorly edited but in a comical way, this movie is basically an hour and a half YouTube Poop video in a sense, but it’s so good that your basically begging for more.

House has now become my top favourite movie, it’s bizarre it’s weird it’s a damn good horror flick from the country that certainly knows how to do horror, this film gets a solid 10/10 from me, it’s brilliant and definitely a film that has to be seen before you die.

But as always guys, catch ya later 🙂

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The Squid And The Whale, A Tale Of Divorce, Sea Creatures and Tennis.

Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

I first discovered Noah Baumbach when his Netflix film Marriage Story dropped last year, I immediately fell in love with not only the film but his style of capturing the sad, depressing tale of divorce which as we all know can be heartbreaking whether it’s done amicably or acrimoniously, The Squid And The Whale shows us the rather acrimonious side of divorce.

Released in 2005 and starring Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney as the two divorcing parents, and Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline as the two brothers stuck between which parent to go too, the film wastes no time diving in to the divorce as we hear the plan as to what’s happening to the parents such as where they’re going to live somewhat day’s they’ll have the children.

Firstly I want to mention the acting, not only from the parents but from the two young actors, they deliver a performance so well that you generally feel sorry for what they’re going through, I know many children who have been through a divorce and the toll it has on them, it’s sad to say the least but it does happen and the two brothers put on such a convincing performance it’s incredible really, considering Owen Kline’s character.

Now there was a certain scene that I did not see coming and I mean really didn’t see coming, the young boy is sitting in the school library and proceeds to stand up walk over to the back end of the library and play with himself, not only do you see him pelvic thrust up against the bookshelf but once he’s done he wiped the white liquid on the books on the shelf, I certainly wasn’t expecting that at all.

Second and lastly the cinematography is amazing, all filmed on super 16mm all done on a handheld camera, the finished product here is gorgeous to look at and captures 1980s New York really well, the Criterion blue ray for this film is brilliant and well worth the money for sure.

The film for me gets a well deserved 10/10 the acting is top notch, the plot is brilliant and the cinematography is beautiful to look at, as always catch ya later 🙂

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Paris, Texas. Amazing, Colourful And Very Touching

Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

After dabbling in what is known as the Criterion Collection I suddenly realised how little I knew about movies, I did after all self proclaim myself as a movie buff and after seeing a few closet picks from well known directors/actors it struck me… I have seen absolutely zero of said movies that are mentioned by the actors and directors.

So after extensive googling and searching I came across the BFI Channel on Amazon Prime Video, now immediately I signed up and have since seen an array of movies, most recently I have seen the amazing French movie Tomboy but… One film on that channel has stuck with me, Wim Wender’s Paris, Texas.

Never has a film stayed with me long after the credits have rolled, but Paris, Texas has done exactly that, the film stars the late Harry Dean Stanton as a man called Travis Henderson who is wandering in the desert and eventually stumbled in to a bar and collapses, there in the doctors office he only has on him a phone number which the doctor calls, it’s Travis’ brother Walt, Walt now has to travel to Texas and pick him up.

After a road trip back to Walt’s house we see Travis’ son Hunter (played amazingly by child actor Hunter Carson) Hunter having zero recollection as to who his father is is shown super 8 movies of the times him and Travis were a family with Hunters’ mother.

The second half of the film is Travis taking Hunter to see his mum who works in a peep show establishment, there Travis tells the story of a young couple, the story however is about them and how Travis walked out on his wife and Hunter years ago, Travis tells his wife where Hunter is and she goes and pays him a visit.

What’s touching about this scene in particular is the way Hunter looks up from playing with his toys, gazing up at this stranger, he stands up and slowly approaches her then suddenly he remembers that yes, that is his mum standing there, it’s bittersweet and touching at the same time.

Now, straight away this is a very slow film hence why it’s called a slow burner but it’s worth the 147 minute runtime just to see the amazing cinematography by Robbie Müller and the soundtrack which by the way is outstanding by Ry Cooder, but what struck me was the amazing use of colour used throughout the film, from when Travis is in the peep show having a touching heart to heart with his wife to when Hunter sees his mum in the hotel room at the end of the film.

Paris, Texas has now become my favourite film and it’s certainly one I will be watching again and again, a solid 10/10 for this one

As always catch ya later 🙂

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Top Ten Nostalgic Movies That Remind Me Of My Childhood

Posted on by jadedsteelereviews
  • I feel like I haven’t done one of these in a while, so as you could’ve of guessed from the title this is a top ten list of those nostalgic movies that I grew up with as a child, some are old and some are in my opinion good old classics, so with out further ado let’s take a look at number ten.

    • 10: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

    I remember owning this when good old VHS was still around, for Christmas my parents bought a Disney remastered DVD of Homeward Bound, I used to watch this film to death, every time my parents when to have a movie night bam! Homeward Bound would be in there.

    I only recently learnt that this is a remake of a sixties maybe seventies adaption of a book (yeah I didn’t know it was a book either) the film follows a golden retriever named Shadow an American bulldog named Chance and a Himalayan cat named Sassy as they try to make their way home back to their owners.

    There’s a certain scene in this film that still to this day I cannot watch and that is when Sassy slips and falls in to the water and gets swept away by the current, still at 25 years of age I cannot and will not watch that scene still to this day.

    9: The Never Ending Story

    Unlike the sequels this is the film of the 80s, I was six maybe seven when my dad showed me this film and ever since then I fell in love with it, the film follows a little boy named Bastian who loves to read books, he also gets bullied by three other boys, he “borrows” a book from a grumpy old bookstore owner and thus begins his journey to the land of Fantasia which is being overrun by a evil entity known only as The Nothing.

    In Fantasia a boy named Atreyu must save the Childlike Empress from dying by searching for a cure all while avoiding a wolf like creature named g’mork.

    A little trivia for you now, the film was slated by the author Micheal Ende who wrote the book, much like Stephen King’s hatred of Stanley Kubrick’s adaption of The Shining Micheal Ende sued its director Wolfgang Pietersen for destroying the source material from which the film was based on, Ende eventually lost the court case and nothing come from it, the film was released in nineteen eighty four to critical acclaim.

    8: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

    A New Hope kicked off my love for all things Star Wars but it’s Empire Strikes Back that makes it on to the list, mainly because of that infamous twist in with Darth Vader reveals that Luke is his father.

    I remember watching that specific part then running to my mum and dad who were in the middle of cooking dinner all while feeding my younger sister who was I believe three maybe two, I remember running in to the kitchen and yelling “Darth Vader is Luke’s daddy!!!!” My mum and dad looked at each other and said to me “did you see it coming?” I said “no I didn’t how is that possible” bearing in mind this is before Revenge Of The Sith came out so this must of been at least 2001-02.

    Every time I watch this movie I’m drawn back to that time so this film holds a very very special place in my heart, also look online for various other children reacting to that very very famous scene some are very very very adorable indeed and melt your heart.

    7: Romeo And Juliet (1996)

    I was 12 years old when I first discovered Baz Lurhman, specifically I was in year eight all the way back in 2008, we were learning about Shakespeare we handpicked a selection of his plays, our English teacher chose this particular to appeal to the boys and also to the girls as well, it appealed to the boys because of the guns and car chases and very rapidly shot action sequences and quick camera cuts (a Baz Lurhman signature style of cinematography)

    I actually enjoyed this film so much that I actually asked my English teacher if I could borrow the video (it was 08 and VHS was still around) anyway she let me borrow it and my journey in to Baz Lurhman films began, so a massive thank you to my English teacher back at school for broadening my horizons.

    6: Every Single Rugrats Movie That Came Out

    Being a kid of the 2000s you either grew up with one or two cartoons, Rugrats or Spongebob, the latter came out when I was six and after watching the first episode air I immediately fell in love and still to this day quote lines from the show very very often, back when I was a kid I felt like Spongebob carefree and happy, nowadays I can relate to squidward on a level that I can’t even comprehend!

    Still the Rugrats holds a special place in my heart, I owned every single film they released on VHS and on DVD, I still to this day despise Angelica, she was one of those cartoon characters that I detested with a passion.

    I can remember going to the cinema to see the first Rugrats movie, I also went cinema to see Rugrats In Paris, heck I even went to see Rugrats Go Wild where they crossed over with the Wild Thornberries (seeing that on the big screen was like seeing the avengers for the first time)

    5 Homeward Bound 2: Lost In San Francisco

    Yep I also had this on VHS as well and like the first Homeward Bound I fell in love with it, sure it’s not grand and epic like the first one but still it’s Homeward Bound come on, it follows the formula as what the first one did, animals get lost and they try to find their way back to their owners.

    Thankfully there’s no waterfalls in this one so I had no trouble watching this film in its entirety.

    4 Free Willy

    That opening scene, that opening score woah I am transported back to when I was little growing up, I was around seven maybe eight when I discovered this movie, this film got me into killer whales they are such fascinating creatures, very very intelligent as well, I believe my uncle showed me this movie one summer, still it’s a nostalgic emotional ride every time that opening scene plays.

    3: Harry Potter (Every single One)

    Yes every single Harry Potter film I have been to see at the cinema, I was six when the Philosophers Stone came out and I was sixteen when The Deathly Hallows Part two came out, for ten years I’ve grown up with the wizarding world of Harry Potter and they still stand the test of time to this day and age, and yes these are the films that age like a fine wine.

    2: The Lord Of The Rings Franchise

    Yes, I was in primary school when these films came out, I had all the PS2 games that went with them, I had all the dvds all the posters and action figures, basically I was a die hard Lord Of The Rings fan and so were three of my classmates, we used to play it out in the playground (I was always gimli on account of my small physique) still to this day I hate my two mates for making me that guy.

    1: Every Single Disney Movie Ever Made

    You name it I’ve watched it, there isn’t a single Disney movie that I haven’t seen ever!!! You could say I’m a die hard Disney fan and I’m not afraid to admit it but I am, there’s just something magical about tuning in to a good old fashioned Disney movie, The Lion King still stands as one of the greatest Disney movies ever made, the soundtrack is amazing the songs are catchy as hell, and yes all you guys reading this I enjoyed Frozen, just let it go! (See what I did there) anyway, Disney still stands the test of time, most of their films have been adapted in to live action remakes and stage shows and yet they still bring us touching emotional movies still do this day.

    So there you have it, my top ten list of nostalgic movies that remind me of my childhood, what movies make you feel nostalgic, let me know, are you Disney buff or a nineteen eighties buff, I would love to know what movies remind you of your childhood.

    As always guys catch ya later:)

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    Joker, Not Your Typical Superhero Movie

    Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

    Right off the bat this isn’t your typical DC superhero movie, get that out of your head, but like any other DC movie it’s dark and this film pulls no punches in the dark factor, Joaquin Phoenix plays the part of Arthur Fleck really well that you actually start sympathising with the villain rather than the heroes in the Batman franchise.

    It starts off dark and gets even darker as we descend in to Arthur’s descent in to madness and in to the villain we all know today, he starts off as a entertainer at a company called Ha Ha’s basically he does odd jobs here and there entertaining as a clown, what I love about this movie is that it not only highlights mental health but it does it in a way that you end feeling sorry for the bloke knowing full well that he turns in to a psychopath later on. It does it in a very very brilliantly executed manner, that you start hating Batman and loving the Joker it’s brilliant because you start to feel less sorry for the rich and more sorry for the poor.

    The director Todd Phillips shows this for example Gotham is shown to represent New York in the eighties and then it slowly begins to descend in to gangland wars and riots and uprisings galore, the cinematography is captured amazingly and not to mention the soundtrack is perfection.

    Okay yeah there is that song by Gary Glitter but ignore that controversial move and you’ve got these haunting strings such as violins and cellos composed beautifully by (excuse the spelling she’s Icelandic so bare with) Hildur Guonadóttir, she totally deserved that Oscar win because her haunting pieces are fantastic.

    Joker was by far the best movie of 2019 and controversial opinion but Phoenix tops Ledger as The Joker by a mile yeah I went there, definitely gets a solid 10/10.

    As always guys catch ya later 🙂

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    Safety, an important short film that needs to be seen

    Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

    I love short stories I really do, there’s just something about them that makes them stand out among feature length movies, you get ones that filmmakers post on YouTube and then you get the ones that are tipped for awards, Safety falls in to the tipped for all the awards this upcoming awards season let me explain why.

    America has the highest fatality rate for gun deaths, higher than any other country put together, thousands upon thousands are protesting for gun control across the states, the latest shooting happened in Santa Clarita, Safety is one of these films that make you think about all those school shootings that have happened in the past, such as Parkland and Newtown.

    The film not only makes you think about those horrific, tragic and upsetting events, but it captures the survivors and puts you in their shoes and makes you think “what would I do” and it captures that in such an emotional and tear jerking way that can’t even be described, the acting is amazing especially the young children, there are moments that make you think and there are moments that make you wonder, but then there’s the moments that make you wonder…. why? Why is this still happening? why are we letting more and more innocent lives get taken away from us? why aren’t the US government doing any thing about it? These questions will flow through your mind at supersonic speed that by the end of the film your sat there in astonishment.

    Now as I said before, this film is tipped to win many awards, and I for one will be rooting for this film, and who knows fingers crossed that there’s an Oscar nomination next year, because let me tell you it needs to win an Oscar because it’s such an important film for our time.

    Without a doubt this short gets a 100% rating, its eye opening and very very thought provoking, well done to everyone who worked on such an important movie, do yourself a favour and stop what your doing and go and watch this movie!!! It’s imperative that you do!!!

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    Child’s Play (2019) I Was Not Expecting That

    Posted on by jadedsteelereviews

    Slasher movies… you either love or hate them I love them, Sleepaway Camp great, Friday The 13th great, Nightmare On Elm Street great, you get it I love slasher movies but… Child’s Play, Child’s Play is one of my favourite slasher movies of all time, so much so that I have the original on Blu-Ray and it’s fantastic, you see Chucky push a babysitter out of the window in glorious high definition and it’s fantastic!

    When I heard they were remaking I must admit I had my doubts, like really had my doubts, remakes of horror films you have to get right if you deviate away from the original you are going to have a massive dud on your hands, Child’s Play isn’t that type of remake.

    Let me explain, the formula is still there, murderous doll kills people, adults think it’s the kid the kid blames it on the doll and Bob’s your uncle Stacey’s your aunt Greg’s your cousin you have Child’s Play the formula is still there, and you have room for a sequel heck maybe even a franchise, deviate away from that formula and as I said before your going to have a dud, it’s the equivalent of saying Jason from Friday The 13th goes to space and kills some astronauts…. wait what? They did that already? No no no, right hold on let me check *furiously scours through internet* huh… well okay that’s like having alien face off against the predator in a sleepy town where they kill loads of innocent people…. don’t tell they’ve done that as well!

    You see look how those films turned out they sucked because they took the formula and they changed it, Jason belongs on a campsite not in space, aliens and predator don’t belong on earth they belong in space, it’s like if Chucky got married and had a child they’ve already done that haven’t they? Damn! What I’m trying to say is stick to the formula and don’t change it.

    Child’s Play 2019 while it does change the formula just for the opening scene I might add we don’t have a serial killer possess a good guy doll no, instead we have a disgruntled worker in Vietnam who makes a doll called Buddi they are part of a company called Kazlan the Buddi doll can connect to any Kazlan smart device sounds pretty fancy what could go wrong I hear you ask well this Vietnamese worker is falling behind on the productivity and his toy making quota is low so his boss berates him and out of anger he switches every safety feature on a buddi doll off.

    We then get a look at our new Andy Barclay played by Gabriel Bateman (whose sister believe it or not was in the Annabelle sequel Annabelle 2) now I’ve seen this kid in a few other things mainly American Gothic a highly, massively underrated show which lasted one or two seasons but the one horror film I have seen him in was an underrated flick called Lights Out which really messed me up big time.

    We then get our new Karen Barclay played amazingly by Aubrey Plaza and then, then we have the main character the one the only Chucky! Terrifyingly played by Mark Hamill, now when I say terrifyingly I mean damn Hamill’s voice sends shivers and chills down the back of your spine, specially when he sings the buddi song *shudders*

    Now there is also some really dark humour in this flick also and the kills oh my god the kills are genius, there’s one where a guy gets his face ripped off by a lawn mower, the acting is amazing especially by the new Andy Barclay.

    Child’s Play 2019 was an absolute treat to watch, it was surprisingly really really good the kazlan mart scene holy mother of Christ that scene was brutal.

    I give Child’s Play 2019 a massive 10/10 it was amazing and you guys should definitely check this one out

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