Movies - BGCP Comic Con

Review – A Quiet Place 2

18th June 2021

Review – A Quiet Place 2 Directed by: John Krasinski Written by: John Krasinski Produced by: John Krasinski & Michael Bay Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy & John Krasinski Release Date: June 3rd 2021 (UK) Initially, when I saw A Quiet Place 2 for review, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I did because of how disappointing I found the first movie. However, sometimes I am very glad to be proven wrong and this is one of those times. A Quiet Place 2 does what all good sequels should do, in that it builds upon the foundation laid down by the first movie, whilst upping the stakes and increasing the intensity felt by the audience when watching the film. A parallel that I can’t help but draw a comparison to is the change in tone between Alien and its more action-based sequel Aliens. If the first Quiet Place movie strives to capture the suspense and slow burn slasher-inspired horror of Ridley Scott’s Alien, then A Quiet Place 2 nails the faster, more ferocious tone of James Cameron’s Alien’s. Whether this was intentional or not, I do not know, but the difference in tone is evident from very early on in John Krasinski’s sequel. While the film does star John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as their characters from the first film, Cillian Murphy’s Emmett and Millicent Simmonds’ Regan are arguably the main characters of the sequel. Whilst Krasinski appears as Lee via flashback, (SPOILER, because he died pretty unceremoniously in the first movie,) and Blunt features as Evelyn in what is pretty much a glorified side-quest, they definitely aren’t the main characters in part 2. The choice to focus on two different characters in the sequel is a welcome one as it help the film feel more fresh and when you have stellar performances from Murphy and Simmonds to wrap your movie around, that also helps. I really felt that Millicent Simmonds upped her game greatly from the first movie and although CIllian Murphy’s character was added for the sequel, he is a good enough actor to fit naturally into the plot without feeling shoehorned in. The writing also helps with this and whilst Krasinski’s script is obviously light on dialogue, (since the movie is called A QUIET Place,) it is fairly well-written and contains fewer leaps logic than part 1. The dialogue that is present in the script is decent and the movie also had a good flow that was able to build tension whilst still keeping things moving along at a good pace. Krasinski also returns as director for the sequel and does a good job in terms of getting the best possible performance out of the film’s limited cast members. I am curious to see what he tackles next, as I would imagine he would like to move beyond the horror genre and try something fresh. I would also like to see something different from him as a filmmaker. Polly Morgan’s cinematography was also enjoyable throughout the movie and really added to the intense tone that the film is striving to capture. Along with some slick editing techniques, a good use of lighting, a great instrumental score and brilliant sound design the technical aspects of the movie are solid and I can’t fault any of it. As someone with a background in 3D animation, sloppy CGI is always a major concern when I see any movie. Thankfully, the visual effects in A Quiet Place 2 are stellar and were sparse enough that I was never distracted by them or taken out of the movie at any point. Overall, I came away from A Quiet Place 2 very happy that it managed to surpass its predecessor in every discernible way. I really enjoyed this sequel and would recommend it to anyone regardless of whether you are a fan of the first Quiet Place movie or not. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of A Quiet Place 2, you can check out what he thought of Bad Times At The El Royale here. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Discord and join our official Facebook Group. Check out our new Podcast and subscribe to the channel on Youtube, Spotify, Apple and Google. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews and News from Glasgow, Scotland, UK and the US, HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – Heavy Metal (1981)

2nd July 2021

Review – Heavy Metal (1981) Directed by – Gerald Potterton, John Bruno & Others Produced by – Ivan Reitman Written by – Dan Goldberg, Len Blum, Dan O’Bannon & Others Starring (voice talents) – John Candy, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis & Others Release Date – 7th August 1981 Intro A glowing green orb – which embodies ultimate evil, terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror. So let’s take a trip back to 1981 and revisit the first animated movie from Heavy Metal. I wasn’t born at the time but I remember discovering this in the late 90’s and being overwhelmed by how utterly insane it is. And it had a kick-ass soundtrack! Re-watching it again many years later, how would I feel about it now? Story/Writing Based on the American Comic magazine of the same name, Heavy Metal (1981) the animated Sci-Fi film has a somewhat cult following. In no small part to the graphic violence, gratuitous sex/nudity and out of this world Sci-Fi stories. The Movie itself has several writers and they combine for six tales, each revolving around the mysterious green orb. A cabbie saves a girl from mobsters, a nerd transformed into a stud, a space captain on Trial, a WW2 bomber crew turned into zombies, the pentagon secretary abducted by aliens and the final tale in which the orb transforms a docile tribe into killers. The stories themselves are entertaining and certainly they might be served better with modern day animation. Art/Animation/Visuals Whilst the animation may have been fresh back in the 80’s, it has not aged well. With the advancements in digital technology, the artwork in this movie is somewhat obsolete. It doesn’t mean that it is unwatchable. People still like a bit of nostalgia. I’m sure some fans of Heavy Metal will still enjoy this. And people under the influence may enjoy the visuals even more! Overall Heavy Metal (1981) – The animation has not stood the test of time unfortunately. And as a result, if you are watching this for the first time, you may be disappointed. But it’s still entertaining from a Science Fiction point of view. And if you like a bit of nostalgia and gratuitous violence and graphic sex/nudity, this is right up your street! Not forgetting the assembly of amazing bands for the soundtrack! If you can handle the severely outdated animation, then I’m sure you will enjoy what is regarded as a cult classic. If you enjoyed our review of Heavy Metal (1981) then leave a comment or rating below. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com

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Review – Bad Times At The El Royale

18th June 2021

Review – Bad Times At The El Royale Directed by: Drew Goddard Written by: Drew Goddard Produced by: Drew Goddard & Jeremy Latcham Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Jeff Bridges & Cynthia Erivo Release Date: October 12th 2018 (UK) I re-watched Bad Times At The El Royale for review last night and it was a blast to revisit. I would even go as far as to say that this film is a often forgotten about modern classic. I am not sure why the movie never received the widespread praise and success that it deserved, but at the very least, Bad Times is undoubtedly a future cult classic. In this day and age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to go into a movie without already knowing a bunch of information about it beforehand. Somehow Bad Times At The El Royale managed that back when it released back in 2018. I can still remember the luxury of going into this film with very little knowledge about what was going to unfold. I have a great time with this movie. I love the entire cast in this film, Jeff Bridges and Jon Hamm are among my favourite actors working in Hollywood and I love to see Chris Hemsworth doing a fantastic job playing the villain for a change. The rest of the cast are fantastic too. As an aside, Cynthia Erivo’s voice still completely blows me away every time I watch the movie, even though I have seen it before. I know that she has done some Broadway shows in the past, but she sounds utterly incredible in this film and I love the way that her singing is organically tied in with the plot. Bad Times is written and directed by Drew Goddard, who was also behind Cabin In The Woods and there are some similarities here, if you were to swap the horror elements out for mystery. I have also seen multiple reviews over the years comparing Bad Times to a Tarantino movie. There are obviously similarities in the structure that this film uses and the out-of-chronological-order structure that a Tarantino movie tends to follow, but I’d argue that Bad Times has its own distinct and unique style. I also think that the cinematography is very effective throughout the film. The opening scene is particularly well shot, as is the scene when Hemsworth’s character is introduced. The score also works well with the plot and the dialogue in the script is well written too. The main negative that slightly hinders my enjoyment of the movie, are the decisions made regarding the pacing. The movie is split up so that we see things happen out of sequence or they are seen more than once from a different perspective. We are introduced to each new character and then we are given their backstory via a flashback. The main issue with this structure is that the flashbacks break the momentum of the events happening in the current story. Without spoiling too much, towards the end of the movie, everything comes to a head and an intense fight/shootout breaks out. Then, for some unknown reason, the filmmakers decide to slam on the brakes and give us another arbitrary flashback. It slightly breaks your immersion as a viewer and tarnishes the intensity of the shootout sequence for me. Overall, I had a good time re-watching Bad Times for review. If you are looking for an exciting, suspenseful thriller, then you could definitely do worse than spending a night at The El Royale. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review for Bad Times At The El Royale, you can check out what he thought of a much worse 2018 film here in our review for Shane Black’s Predator. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Discord and join our official Facebook Group. Check out our new Podcast and subscribe to the channel on Youtube, Spotify, Apple and Google. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews and News from Glasgow, Scotland, UK and the US, HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review – SPECTRE (2015)

18th June 2021

Review – SPECTRE (2015) Directed by: Sam Mendes Written by: John Logan & Neal Purvis Produced by: Daniel Craig & Barbara Broccoli Starring: Daniel Craig, Cristoph Waltz & Dave Bautista Release Date: October 26th 2015 In anticipation for No Time To Die finally getting released later this year, I recently decided to revisit SPECTRE for review. I actually had more fun re-watching this movie than I expected to and enjoyed it far more than when I first saw it back in 2015. When Casino Royale released back in 2006, it was intended to be a soft reboot of the franchise that showed viewers the events of Bond’s first mission and it strived to rectify some of the silly gadgets etc that were being over-used with Brosnan’s Bond. In my opinion, Casino Royale was a great film, it just wasn’t a Bond film. It did away with all of the silly gimmicks and cheesy one liners and was an introduction to a more grounded version of the iconic character, which made for a great spy thriller but not a great Bond movie. Then Quantum of Solace came out and literally nobody cared, not many people went to see it, it didn’t make much money at the box office and to this day I’ve still not watched the entire movie from start to finish and to be honest, I’m perfectly okay with that. Skyfall was the third Craig Bond movie to be released and it was a triumph. Finally Craig felt like he was actually playing Bond and not just some random hard ass military spy. It even flirted with the idea of gadgets, had a flamboyant supervillain and introduced a young, fresh faced Q, which was a nice touch. The movie ended with Silva killing Judi Dench’s M and Bond killing Silva, Ralph Fiennes was then appointed with the title of M and Naomi Harris was revealed to be the new Moneypenny. So with the last movie pleasing both long time Bond fans and newcomers alike, SPECTRE had a lot to live up to. SPECTRE opens with Bond in Mexico City, during the Day Of The Dead festival. Bond listens in on a meeting of two Mafioso and learns about a mysterious organisation hoping to achieve world domination and their illusive leader known as ‘The Pale King.’ He then blows up the building they are in and ends up in a chopper fight with one of the gangsters, whom he eventually kills. This leads into a stunning opening credits sequence, that really is one of the best I’ve seen, (even though the song is still crap.) This is an awesome intro and probably tops Skyfall’s intro which was also very cool. The rest of the movie is a joy to a long time Bond fan like me. It checks off all of the boxes that make up a classic Bond movie. An awesome Aston Martin car chase – check. A big bad henchman who doesn’t say much but is very hard to kill – check. An effective use of gadgets and cheesy one liners – check. A super-villain that has an epic secret layer that he invites Bond to – check. Bond being strapped to an elaborate device in that secret layer and tortured – check. Now all of this is fairly well executed, but the problem with it is that it throws any of the gritty realism shown in the last three movies right out of the window, which causes this movie to feel as if it is taking place in a separate universe from the last three. This is something that bothered me at the time, but in hindsight I didn’t mind it. Revisiting the film, I was than happy to have a good old fashioned Bond movie back on our screens that isn’t afraid to shy away from the use of gadgets and witty quips. Also, SPECTRE is a movie that actually handles it well, unlike some of the naff late Brosnan movies. On the other hand though, I can totally see why people had issues with this movie at the time of its release, especially if you aren’t a long time Bond fan and prefer Craig’s more realistic turn as Bond. If that is the case then SPECTRE probably isn’t ever going to be enjoyable for you. Now, let’s forget for a minute that this is a 007 movie and just analyse it as a traditional piece of cinema. First off, I’m really glad that they brought Sam Mendes back to direct this one, he is very obviously a passionate Bond fan and I think he has done a great job with both Bond movies that he has made in the past. The script in SPECTRE is also well written, providing the film’s dialogue with a witty and fast paced feel. The tone that the script creates ensures that the audience is kept intrigued, but are never lost as to what is going on. The cinematography in this movie is also great, besides a shaky cam chase sequence during the opening of the movie, I’d actually say that this is a masterfully shot movie. Hoyte Van Hoytema was the principle of photography for this movie and that guy really likes his eye pleasing shots and his use of the rule of thirds, which is especially evident in the funeral scene where Monica Belluci is introduced. There are two Bond girls in this movie, Belluci only really being there for exposition, but Lea Seadoux did a great job with her more fleshed out role. Now, I want to talk about the main villain in the movie, played by the incredible Christoph Waltz. During his screen-time in the movie, he steals every scene he appears in, however that leads me on to a problem I have with the movie. He is introduced near the beginning of the film, – within the first half hour, – then a good hour passes before he is reintroduced. Although what is going

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Review – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

18th June 2021

Review – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990). In New York, mysterious radioactive ooze has mutated four sewer turtles into talking, walking ninjas

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FANTASY CASTING: Live Action Bioshock

22nd June 2021

FANTASY CASTING: Live Action Bioshock With so many reboots, serial killer documentaries and adaptations in the film and TV world today, I sit here and wonder why there’s no live action adaptation of Bioshock. A glorious art deco world full of substance, suspense and philosophical conundrums. While it is a pipe dream right now, cinema and TV have shown us that it is possible. Fans want to see it. Many creators WANT to make it. People NEED to experience it. And if it fails? Who cares, at least it’s not another reboot or serial killer documentary! Just as a heads up, if you’d like to listen to a more in depth discussion on this subject, our most recent episode of BGCP: Disassembled covers this very topic with myself, Ian and Dan! We can’t stress enough, this is NOT official, this is what we want to see from an adaptation. With that being said, here is our fantasy casting of a live action Bioshock. STORY So, what is our story? The game itself? Too well known. A totally made up scenario within the setting? Too dangerous. No, instead I have opted for the under-appreciated and in some cases unheard of prequel novel, Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley. World War II has finally ended and the world sits in Atlasian contemplation of what comes next. One dreamer, Andrew Ryan, asks the question, is a man not entitled to the sweat of his own brow? With this and anyone worth their weight in gold, Ryan assures and procures his own future. His own Eden. His own Utopia. His own…Rapture; a shining city below the sea. A safe haven Atlantis for the idealist, artist and scientist, where no government, censorship or morals can stop you from being the best version of you. No gods or kings, only man. However, as Ryan will soon find out, give humanity an inch and they’ll take a mile. DIRECTOR & FORMAT For a story built on a lavish art deco utopia with a dark dystopian nightmare lurking in the depths, there are a bunch of directors you could choose to bring Rapture to life. One in particular already tried! Gore Verbinski (best known for Pirates of The Caribbean films) was lined up to direct a Bioshock film but unfortunately it never grew into a reality due to budgeting and an external concern for the subject matter. While we never got this film, Verbinski did in fact create the closest thing we have to a Bioshock film in 2016 with the underrated gem, A Cure For Wellness. Despite Verbinski’s noble efforts, I feel there are only two possible directors to undertake such a grand affair. The decision comes from a separate choice of whether to make this a feature length film or a systematic series. For a feature length film, I elect the Big Daddy creature creator, Guillermo Del Toro. Who else could bring the Big Daddy to life but the dark fantasy fanatic himself? With the success of his art deco fantasy, The Shape of Water, I feel that Del Toro would feel right at home in Rapture. On the other hand, if we were to get a TV series focusing on corrupt character developments and Electro Bolt shock horror, why not the TV storyteller terror that is Ryan Murphy. Best known for his terrifyingly diverse and engaging work on American Horror Story, Murphy would be the ideal candidate to bring Andrew Ryan’s vision to television so to showcase a fascinatingly frightening world without boundaries or limits. Not to mention much of his go-to cast would be perfect for several roles. Calling it now, American Horror Story: Rapture. FANTASY CAST Now for the fun part. With Rapture hosting only the best and brightest guests to live in an underwater world, who else but Rapture’s Best and Brightest to headline the film/show? ANDREW RYAN Who else to start off the fantasy casting than the Marxist man-made man himself, Andrew Ryan. An immigrant with a dream of a better world built on charm, patience and hardwork. Really anyone with a pencil moustache could do the job but that’s not what Ryan would want. We need someone that proudly holds an enigmatic presence with the words, “I am Andrew Ryan.” In an ideal world, we’d have Vincent Price to step into the dapper shoes of Andrew Ryan but alas that dream is just that, a dream. There are a multitude of secondary candidates that each could bring their own vigour and stoicism to the role; Evan Peters or Benedict Cumberbatch for example. My top two picks however are Johnny Depp and Ewan McGregor. Depp is no stranger to playing misunderstood outsiders, especially in a lavish setting. As well as this, he is a naturally enigmatic and charming individual with a darkness befitting of a mad man with a good point. Ewan McGregor is my wildcard for this. In contrast to Depp, McGregor is in waking life, an innocent and inviting gentleman; someone who you can trust and vice versa. With that being said, the twist of his gentle demeanour provides a perfect alibi for building a city of supreme freewill and moral corruption (this could also be flipped to Fontaine). BILL MCDONAGH Scarcely making an appearance in the main game, Bill is instead an important figure within the prequel novel Bioshock: Rapture. A cockney working Joe that believes in playing the cards he’s dealt and making the most of it with no time for outlandish thoughts or societal perceptions. Taken under the wing of the Ryan to become his right-hand handy man, his place in Rapture is paramount to its success…or it’s undoing. For this role, Bill needs an actor who isn’t afraid to get rough and has a commanding authority, but they also have to look the part. My first choice was Scotland’s resident grizzled badass, Tommy Flanagan. I wouldn’t be against his proud and powerful Glaswegian twang replacing a cockney accent as both are befitting of the character.

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Review – Glass (2019)

2nd June 2021

Review – Glass (2019) Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan Written by: M. Night Shyamalan Produced by: Jason Blum & M. Night Shyamalan Starring: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis & Samuel L. Jackson Release Date: January 18th 2019 I revisited Glass for review last night and I did not enjoy it. Glass is the 3rd movie in M. Night Shyamalan’s pseudo superhero trilogy following Unbreakable and Split. Unfortunately it is probably the worst movie out of the three and doesn’t live up to the twenty years of build-up it had going into it. Full spoilers will be present through this review as it’s kind of hard to discuss the film without spoiling anything. The movie opens with what is essentially a condensed version of both Unbreakable and Split. We see Bruce Willis’ Dennis Dunn stalking criminals in his poncho and we see James MacAvoy’s Kevin Wendell Crumb keeping four young girls captured in an abandoned warehouse. The old ‘unstoppable force meets immovable object,’ trope plays out and the two of them wind up getting caught by Sarah Paulson and her team, who apparently specialise in investigating those who have delusions about having superhuman powers. She brings the two of them to a mental hospital where she is keeping Samuel L Jackson’s Mr Glass. Sarah Paulson’s character then spends the next chunk of the movie trying to convince the three that the powers that they believe they possess is actually in their heads and there is a real-world, logical explanation to everything that they can do. This part of the film is actually pretty interesting in the ideas that it poses and I liked where the film was going at this point. Then the third act happens and we are reminded why Shyamalan so desperately needs an editor to keep his ideas in check. There is this huge build up that takes place teasing an epic fight between Dunn and The Beast at the top of some huge brand new building in the middle of the city. Unfortunately we never get there and instead we just get some mediocre action choreography in a medium sized car park between the two. The whole thing ends with the fairly contrived ret-con twist that Kevin’s dad was in the same train crash that Dunn survived and Mr Glass caused, thus making Mr Glass the ‘creator,’ of both superheroes. Then the three characters die in an extremely anticlimactic fashion. The Beast breaks a couple of Mr Glass’ bones and he falls out of his wheelchair and dies, (even though this is something that we have seen happen to him in Unbreakable and he survived it.) Then a sniper randomly shoots Kevin even though the beast is tamed by the appearance of Anya Taylor-Joy’s character, Casey from Split. He just gets shot once and dies with hardly any fanfare. Then David Dunn is drowned in a puddle as Sarah Paulson explains that she is part of a secret organisation that hunts people who believe that they are superheroes. They determine whether or not they really are superheroes through a pretty drawn-out process and then proceeds to kill them if they do in fact possess superpowers. We also see that for some reason this group apparently only meets in crowded public restaurants in the middle of the city centre in broad daylight and have to wait until any non members of this super secret club, (that just killed 3 people in a public car park in broad daylight in front of cops and family members,) have left the restaurant before they can discuss business. Then it turns out that Mr Glass leaked the footage from the hospital security cameras online so that people would see that superheroes really do exist. If you are someone that hasn’t seen the movie and doesn’t care about spoilers so you just read this review anyway; your brain is probably falling out of your ear after reading my description of the third act and that’s because on paper this whole sequence of events is absolutely ludicrous and the fact that no one pointed this out during the movie’s production is mind-boggling. What a waste after two solid movies and a decent two first acts worth of build up… There are some positives I took away though. It is as much of an absolute joy to watch James McAvoy play so many totally different characters convincingly in one scene as it was in Split, maybe even more so here as we get to see even more personalities emerge and in even quicker succession. He is an utterly phenomenal actor. It is also cool to see Mr Glass and David Dunn after twenty years to see where they are at in their lives and how they have been spending their time since the events of Unbreakable. There are also some nice shots and camera angles in the film, (more so in the first two acts of the story,) and some nice colour scheme aesthetics going on in certain compositions that made some shots more interesting to look at. Overall, this movie could have been so much more and in the end it throws away some really potentially interesting plot threads in favour for a few tacked on twists and gives us nothing more than a half-baked conclusion to an otherwise solid trilogy. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Glass, you can check out what he thought of Us (2019) here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com

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Review – Us (2019)

2nd June 2021

Review – Us (2019) Directed by: Jordan Peele Written by: Jordan Peele Produced by: Jordan Peele & Jason Blum Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke & Elisabeth Moss Release Date: March 22nd 2019 (UK) I re-watched Us last night for review and I really enjoyed getting to revisit it. Us is directed by comedian turned horror auteur Jordan Peele and after how much I loved Get Out, I was very much looking forward to seeing this when it first released. I do think that if Us had came before Get Out, I probably would have enjoyed it more, as for every element that I enjoyed in Us, I couldn’t help but keep thinking that it had already been done better in Get Out. One of the main differences between the two films though, is just how quickly things go South. In Get Out, the first 3 quarters of the movie were all build up before things eventually got nuts in the last 30 minutes, whereas in Us we are only just at the end of the first act when crazy antics start to go down. I get why Peele did this from a film-making perspective. In Get Out, we didn’t really know what we were in for and he had the benefit of keeping us in the dark for as long as he wanted to, whereas in Us we all went in expecting bizarre things to take place. So ,rather than messing about for too long building tension, Peele lets things get weird fairly early in the film. Whether you prefer the slower burn of Get Out like I did, or the faster pace in Us will be down to personal preference. The worst thing about Us is that it is following Get Out. Even when something really cool happens, it was done better in Get Out. Take the score for example; it is pretty great in Us, but was superior in Get Out. The same goes for the editing, the script, the cinematography and a whole load of other technical elements. One thing that did stand out was the fantastic use of lighting. It was perfect in every scene throughout the film and conveyed the feelings that Peele was subjecting the audience to flawlessly. The performances were also great. The whole cast did a fantastic job, (including the kids,) but the stand outs for me were Lupita Nyong’o and Elisabeth Moss. They were pretty good as the normal versions of their characters, but they really shone when they got to play the psychotic doppelgangers, for way more reasons than just how scary they were. Another thing about the film that I appreciated was that for the most part it doesn’t treat you like you are dumb, with one blatant exception. The film opens on a shot of an old CRT TV showing various adverts. One of these is an advert for Santa Cruz tourism and another tells us that the year is 1986. In the very next shot we are shown a title card reading, “Santa Cruz, 1986.” This isn’t an outrageous inclusion, just one that causes an eye-roll for anyone actually paying attention to what they are seeing onscreen. Another thing that didn’t quite work for me was the use of comedy. Where Get Out used comedy to cut away from the intensity and give the audience a breather, Us intertwined it more with the carnage, which made it come off as fairly messy in parts. Don’t get me wrong, the film’s comedic dialogue is well written and well delivered, I just feel that it could have been implemented a bit better. Overall, Us is another great horror/thriller from Jordan Peele. I know that I compared it to Get Out all the way through this review, but even when watching it, it is extremely hard not to make comparisons. That does not mean that this is a bad movie by any stretch though and I am very much looking forward to seeing whatever Peele’s next project happens to be. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Us, see what he thought of Andy Muschietti’s It movie here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com

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Review – It: Chapter One

23rd November 2025

Review – It: Chapter One Directed by: Andy Muschietti Written by: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga (Screenplay) & Stephen King (Book) Produced by: Barbara Muschietti Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Finn Wolfhard & Sophia Lillis Release Date: September 8th 2017 I re-watched It: Chapter One recently for review and I had a pretty good time going back to it. It is not a perfect movie by any stretch, but as far as remakes of classic horror movies usually go, this could have been a lot worse. The 2017 remake of IT was highly anticipated by Stephen King fans around the world upon its release and being a huge fan of King myself and growing up reading his stuff meant that I was one of these excited fans. I also loved the original 1990 version starring Tim Curry when I was younger, so I was really hoping that this remake wouldn’t suck. Let’s go through what I like about the movie first of all. The movie opens with the tragic and brutal death of Georgie Denborough. Just like the book, he follows his paper sailboat down a storm drain, where he first encounters IT. This first appearance of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise sets the tone for the rest of the movie; unflinching and horrifying. I felt that this intro was extremely effective in setting up what the audience could expect from this adaption, both tonally and visually. I think that performances given by the child actors in the movie are phenomenal, much better than I had anticipated before seeing the film. They all do a great job with the material they are given and each manage to bring some range to their roles. I like the visuals for the most part and appreciate the use of mostly practical effects, my highlights being the headless burning boy in the library and when Pennywise’s entire head opens up to consume Beverly. I enjoy the fact that the movie serves as both a coming of age story and as a horror movie. Stranger Things was clearly inspired by the original IT and this version is clearly inspired by Stanger Things, which is nice to see as a fan of both series. I like how the movie was about kids, but deals with adult themes in a mature manner. I also admire how the movie works in a fair amount of comedic moments whilst still remaining frightening. Another thing that I appreciate are the few moments of subtle creepiness that the film sprinkles throughout, such as the kids TV show that can be heard in the background talking about how ‘you should dance along with the clown,’ and encouraging you to be violent etc, I think that this is a really nice touch. Also, during the library scene where Ben is flipping through the history book, you see IT taking the form of the librarian in the background, as she stands really creepily staring at Ben from the background of the scene. This really freaked me out when I first noticed it. I also like how some of the jump-scares worked, but unfortunately not all of them do. Now onto what I don’t like about the film; my biggest issue with this movie is how formulaic it ends up feeling by around the halfway mark. With each new member of the losers club we are introduced to, we find out what the kid is scared of, then IT appears to them as the aforementioned fear, then we get a jump-scare and the scene cuts away, the next kid is introduced and the same thing happens again. This occurs repeatedly about eight times and by the fifth or sixth time it isn’t scary any longer. The worst thing that a horror movie can be is to become predictable and I’m sorry to say that this is what happens here. It ends up feeling like a checklist: 1. A child is introduced into the movie. Check2. Some exposition is given for why they are scared of a certain thing. Check3. IT takes the form of said fear and scares the kid. Check4. Jumpscare happens and we abruptly cut to the next scene. Check5. Rinse and repeat. Some of the jump-scares do work though. Although the jump-scare during the projector screen is very obviously telegraphed, the fact that Pennywise is so huge in that scene did take me by surprise during my first viewing, which is a nice touch. Also the scene I mentioned earlier with the headless boy in the library is well structured in the sense that once the boy is chasing Ben through the library you think that you have already seen the scare, but when Pennywise leapt out from nowhere it was a genuine surprise. The sound design is another element of the movie that I had a love/hate relationship with. For me, good sound design is essential to any worthwhile horror movie. I think that the score used in the film was fantastic; the varied pieces perfectly complement the tone of each scene they are used in. I also think that some of the sound effects are very well implemented in places. At other points though, the audio just annoys me. The most egregious example of this is after Beverly smacks her dad across the head and IT appears behind her and grabs her. The sound that occurs here is ear piercingly loud, to the point that it is uncomfortable. Its not scary, its not enjoyable, its just obnoxiously loud. It also comes across as lazy; it’s as if in post production someone decided that that scene wasn’t scary enough, so as a quick fix they just put in a painfully loud noise. Another technical element that bothers me in places is the lighting. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy how a lot of the scenes take place in broad daylight, meaning that we get to see IT in all of his terrifying glory. And in some scenes the lack of lighting adds a sense

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Review – Deadpool

14th May 2021

Review – Deadpool Directed by: Tim Miller Produced by: Ryan Reynolds & Stan Lee Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Ed Skrein & Morena Baccarin Release Date: February 10th 2016 (UK) Believe it or not, this movie came out over five years ago, so I thought that it was high time to go back and revisit the first Deadpool movie for review. It is hard to imagine now following the huge success of this film and its sequel, but there was a time when many thought that this movie would never get made, but I am very glad that it did. The movie served as an origin story to Deadpool, – something that was long awaited by many comic fans. The movie version of The Merc With A Mouth is fairly faithful to his comic book counterpart, at least much more so than the previous iteration of the character that Ryan Reynolds played. Reynolds is fantastic as Deadpool in this film, he truly was born to play the character in my opinion. He brings the crass, funny, violent and energetic energy needed for Deadpool. He manages to consistently do this along with being pretty similar to comic book Deadpool, with the only thing missing from this version being the multiple voices in his head. Now that the rights to the character are with Disney following their acquisition of 20th Century Fox and Deadpool has been confirmed to be joining the MCU, hopefully that is a character trait that we will see developed in future movies. The movie’s plot is pretty straightforward but it is well-written and delivers on what we need it to; humour and action. We are introduced to Wade Wilson and shown how he got his powers after being diagnosed with incurable cancer via flashback. From there we basically follow him while he attempts to track down Ajax, or Francis, (the guy that turned him into Deadpool and made him deformed,) so that he can cure his skin and give him back his good looks. The screenplay isn’t exactly of a Nolan-level complexity, but it doesn’t need to be and it works. The one thing that was always going to either make or break this movie, was the humour. However, the script captures Deadpool’s signature meta humour perfectly, which is an essential as it is a crucial component in what makes up this character and is one of the main reasons why so many people love him. So, if you are one of these fans, don’t fret as the movie is chock full of clever fourth wall breaks and pop-culture references. The film was granted an R-rating by the studio and the filmmakers take full advantage of that fact, with constant violence and egregious amounts of blood splattered along with plenty of f-bombs being dropped throughout the film’s dialogue. The hip hop based score also adds to the energetic tone of the movie and helps to add to the excitement of the action scenes throughout. Overall, whether you are a fan of the Deadpool comic or not, as long as you are into crass humour, over the top cartoon violence and R rated superhero movies, then there is no reason why you won’t love this movie. It is also still the best Fox superhero movie that we ever got some may even argue that it is the best R-rated superhero movie ever produced. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Deadpool, you can check out what he thought of the sequel here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com

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