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Film reviews

F1: The Movie Review

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There is a blasting that makes the heart pulse. The start of F1: The Movie sounds like the engines revving up for a race to begin. Only it is not one race, it is multiple races. There is competition that spirals with resilience in F1: The Movie which makes it exhilarating. Director Joseph Kosinski has not lost his touch for sound quality. Given that I’ve experienced these events in real life, F1: The Movie had me sold not only due to the plot, but also due to the way it incorporates politics and collaboration. Teamwork thrives in a spellbinding fashion in F1: The Movie.

The film’s focus is on Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a driver who has won many kinds of races. However, he stopped racing in Formula One at one point in his life. His friend, mentor, and colleague recruits him to race in Formula One again. That man is Ruben (Javier Bardem). For Sonny, the race is about politics and feeding his ego. But for his new team, Formula One is a race in new territory that is more uncharted than he expects.

The story is all about Sonny learning the new course that has been put in front of him. F1: The Movie brings in the different components of training. Sonny has a teammate named Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) who is a young rookie building a name for himself and trying to develop his own audience. The competitiveness of the races is heated and grows rapidly. The dynamics between Sonny and Joshua are complex as racers who strive for success and do not want to share their growth or their wins with each other. 

The races are where the true colors and competitive side of the racers shine in F1: The Movie. The different outcomes of the many races create an interesting trail which keeps the audience curious as each race carries a new result. The loud volume of the film also adds to the impact. The political dynamics make their way to the track repeatedly in F1: The Movie. The uncharted territory tests the skills of the drivers and leads to some unexpected results. The film’s continuity shows the characters’egos. The brewing rivalry helps the audience feel the engines as they get faster and louder as does the anger which adds fuel to this sport.

Throughout the races and the various outcomes, the dynamics of the story remain faithful. Pitt, Bardem, and Pearce alternatively encourage each other and resent each other. The director effectively portrays the many mixed feelings which are displayed prominently in F1: The Movie. The thrill of winning and the harshness of sharing a championship creates the ivory towel feeling in F1: The Movie. The frustration shown in the characterization of Pitt’s performance paints an important picture. The fact that it takes much repetition to learn the steps when driving a new vehicle along with the attention of the press, expectations of the fans, and the excitement of the races…all heat up and accelerate to full speed in this film. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

 

Film reviews

Final Destination: Bloodlines Review

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The plot of cheating death with a background full of layers of investigation spirals ferociously in Final Destination: Bloodlines. This film is one of the most adventurous, yet predictable thrillers in this franchise. Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein who have mastered the craft of looping in family ties. I enjoyed Final Destination: Bloodlines more than I did the previous films. This time around, the focus on the objectives of XYZ adds an intriguing presence. Final Destination: Bloodlines succeeds in testing fate. 

With this being the sixth film in the franchise, I reflected on which other ones had me the most sold. The determined that I liked Final Destination, Final Destination 2, and Final Destination 5 best, because those films had tension that made audiences feel the terror at new levels. In Final Destination 3and 4, I felt there was too much redundancy due to writing which covered the other films and caused those films to feel less eerie. In Final Destination 5, however, I felt the terrors and scares went up a level again. In my book, Final Destination: Bloodlines is on the same level as and up to par with Final Destination 5.

The plot of the film begins with an individual’s nightmare. Her name is Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger). Iris survived a horrific incident many ages before in a glass sky tower. Years later, her grand daughter, Stefanie Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) is having nightmares about her grandma’s horrific nightmare. The cycle in Stefanie’s head swirls. The moving parts make sense in her head, but it is just a matter of time before fatalities start happening out of the blue. Actions as simple as the press of a button, an item falling, or overheating temperatures are a significant reason this franchise continues to be horrifically invigorating.

My fascination is Final Destination: Bloodlines is its contextual pattern which is like karma toppling karma. When one death happens it spirals in sync with others who are close or related. This is why Stefanie is the character of importance. She is the one with visions and is trying to understand the truth behind why certain events happened. The limiting factor is the timeline to prevent tragedies. Final Destination: Bloodlines boils the pot of suspense. 

The movie is invigorating yet still a bit redundant with too much repetition and correlation with the previous films. Stefanie’s dreams have depth and purpose but are not enough to stop all of what comes falling. There is a saying in the film that goes, “Cheated death and survived.” The presence of tragedy awaiting a fatality lingers perilously in Final Destination: Bloodlines. It is one of the most built-up, psychological and spellbinding films in the franchise. Hiding behind doors or the truth is not the answer and only leads to avoidance not piecing together the puzzle. It is too late to stop what has already begun. Be ready for a ride of terror that begins thousands of stories high and then swirls in all sorts of dangerous directions. Three out of four stars for Final Destination: Bloodlines.

Film reviews

Sinners Review

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This is a film in which segregation and vampires contend for a new maker. From the visionary mind of Ryan Coogler, he brings his audience on a journey where power comes first and then an all-around battle leads to the climax. Moments of the film may be silly, quirky, or odd—still, Sinners is a stellar adventure. A vast ensemble of actors takes the cake. Michael B. Jordan plays twins plays Smoke and Stack. They are in uncharted, daring territory that Coogler explores dramatically in Sinners.

The uniqueness of Sinners is visionary right from the start. It is shot in 70 MM projection. However, with many cinemas’ digital elements, in some parts the screen shrinks and grows. The shrinking occurs in low-shot moments and the growing in high-end moments. These elements fuel the film with enticing components right from the start. With the setting in the early 1930s, the themes of racism and inequality throw intense punches in Sinners.

The film focuses on the twins Smoke and Stack, two competitive and greedy characters vying for power. They are both trying to start a new life in their hometown in Mississippi and put behind tensions that have left them out of the picture. Coogler writes about vindictiveness in this film and much of the conversation deals with class issues. Many evil deeds come from Smoke and Stack. Jordan is relentless in his handling of the two-sided characterization. Smoke and Stack have other friends joining their clan, ranging from Delta Slim (played by Delroy Lindo), Pearline (played by Jayme Lawson), Grace Chow (played by Li Jun Li), and Mary (played by Hailee Steinfeld).

Smoke and Stack have old friends and old enemies who join their side. The twists in their personalities are golden in this movie, because wrongdoing leads to bigger things. Their egos are on full display, especially during conversations when they display the attitude that everything belongs to them. The world is one creepy place in Sinners which makes the film so intriguing. makes it so invigorating. The issues of racism and inequality lead to more competition involving money and trash talk, but all of this can only go on for so long. 

Greed and racism fueling the fire is what makes Sinners immersive. The film’s writing establishes a context that strives for power. At the same time, the audience knows its an era where no one can do right, and no one can do wrong—unless authorities come in and take it seriously. The outrage created from the competition between the twins is crazy. However, they have no idea what they are truly in for. 

There is also rivalry with Remmick (played by Jake O’Connell), and some tension related to culture and land. The downside is that the twins have power, but also there is a hidden power that they did not plan for. Remmick has a vampire side to him. This opens a door to new wonders in an era where racism and inequality already cause major hurdles. The additional hurdle of a vampire causes things to really boil in Sinners. The rivalry is somewhat like two HBO series, Deadwood and True Blood, combined. That writing is creative and daring. I was spellbound given the crazy scenarios.

There is no going back once vindictiveness has been unleashed and terror has come to life. I felt like I was watching a dark period piece and at the same time my mind boggled with intense excitement. Egos and empires are elements that have always captivated me. The terror layered on top made my head spin even more. This film succeeds by adding fuel to the fire as anew monster challenges all forms of authority. Jordan sells the film as the king of evil that is upon him. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Sinners.