ETCinema: Movie Reviews by E T Griffiths

  Uncut Gems (2020) Review   Dir. Josh and Benny Safdie    Adam Sandler is a diamond in the rough in this adrenaline spike of a film.     Cinema is meant to be an experience, no matter how unpleasant or sweaty that experience may be. By that margin, Uncut Gems is certainly cinema. It almost transcends it.   This is the most intense viewing experience I ’ ve had since Whiplash. It ’ s a car crash that you can ’ t  look away from. A 2 hour long walk in the shoes of an everyday sociopath, and every step is more nauseating than the last.   Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a New York jeweller who ’ s debts are piling up by the minute. We follow Howard as he plans a big scheme involving basketball stars, rigged auctions and a blood-soaked Ethiopian gemstone. Full of twists, turns and infuriating forks in the road, Uncut Gems is a rollercoaster for your blood pressure, and a story that would scare anyone away from a life of money-making and debauch...

  The Spongebob Squarepants Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020) Review Dir. Tim Hill Smiley Sequel has a surprising amount of heart.   Straight to Netflix after the cinema industry took a hit, this third feature film instalment of the beloved children ’ s cartoon is a kids film with heart. When Gary the snail is stolen, Spongebob and Patrick are sent on an adventure of discovery and courage to find the gentle pet.     Words can ’ t describe how much we need a movie like this right now. 2020 is shaping up to be a forgettably dreadful affair. For the first time in a while, I found myself grinning and giggling like I used to watching the old series on Nickelodeon. Spongebob 3 is so much fun.    The first movie in 2004 perfectly captured the magic of the show and translated into a movie. It felt grander, more cinematic, more dramatic. I found the sequel, 2015's Sponge out of water to be something of a damp squib, or damp squid if you will. It felt muddled, unfocuse...

His House (2020) Review Dir. Remi Weekes   Ken Loach meets Kubrick in this psycho-social British horror.   His House is a very 21st century take on the classic haunted house setup. It follows a refugee couple from war torn Sudan. Having entered England for asylum, they are shown their new accommodation by a service worker, played with blissfully mundane na ï vet é  by an out-of-type Matt Smith.  Soon, they are haunted by the ghosts of their past as they struggle to adapt to their new environment.    For me, the horrors of humanity far outshine the hauntings in this film. The first act is relatively un-supernatural. The real shocks come from seeing the dire treatment and lack of care or support offered in the asylum system. One would be mistaken for thinking they were watching a gritty social drama before the ghosts and screams arrive.  Despite the heavy subject matter, this dynamic lends itself perfectly to the horror genre. The horrors of being made t...

Hubie Halloween (2020) Review Dir. Steve Brill Cringeworthy Comedy is not Sandler's worst.    The works of Adam Sandler fool nobody anymore. Everyone knows that his last several films have been merely excuses for him and his comedy pals to jet off to exotic islands and get into crazy hijinks with studio paid getaways.  When Sandler surprised everyone with an award contending role in the Safti brothers film Uncut Gems earlier this year, he joked that if the film didn ’ t win him an Oscar he would make a purposefully bad movie. His worst yet. Many assumed that this, a return to his comedy roots, is said bad movie. I don ’ t think so. Hubie Halloween is different. Yes it ’ s bad. But it ’ s a damn sight less hollow than any of Sandler's recent efforts. It ’ s not an excuse for a holiday, as it ’ s set in suburban middle America in the middle of October, and it also has a surprising amount of heart (it ’ s small, but it ’ s there).   Hubie Halloween features possibly the...

The Old Guard  Dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood  Serviceable Action Flick proves Netflix can compete. The Old Guard has been out for a few months now on Netflix. I finally got around to watching it this week as I try to get through the limited library of 2020 releases.  Starring newly-reignited action star Charlize Theron, The Old Guard is based on a lesser-known Graphic novel run and centres around a group of immortal mercenaries. After a history of intervening in wars over the centuries, the group are betrayed and hunted, all while welcoming a new member to their immortal ranks.  The premise is very interesting, yet the film itself never really lives up to its full potential. It’s a perfectly serviceable action film but it doesn’t exactly bring anything new to the table. The core group of characters are likeable but I never found myself overly attached to any of them. The film doesn’t reinvent the wheel with any of its action sequences, but it does use the interesting id...

Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm  Dir. Jason Woliner    Sacha Baron Cohen goes straight for America's thick, sweaty jugular. 14 years after the global success of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), Sacha Baron Cohen has decided the time is right for Borat to return to the US and A, but does this satirical sequel measure up to the original?   Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm feels more in line with Baron Cohen's recent TV effort  Who is America?  but it carries on the story of Borat seamlessly. I benefited from watching both Borat films back to back. It feels like we never left Borat's village. Sacha Baron Cohen resumes his antics and the results are outrageously funny. The stakes are higher than ever.   The film has more of a point this time out. It has a political message. Trump's America is ripe for the satirical plucking. The only problem is, people have wised up slightly since 2006 (despite what the pol...

  The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) Dir, Aaron Sorkin.     Sorkin's scintillating screenplay is brought to life by an All-star ensemble.   In the murky depths of 2020, cinema is one of the most heavily affected industries. It feels like 80% of the releases that were scheduled for this year have given in to the tidal wave of Covid-related release date delay. But with every loud there comes that corresponding silver lining. Without the competition of the Black Widow's and Fast and Furious 9's of the big screen there ’ s been an increase of interest in Netflix productions (sorry cinema snobs). The latest of which comes from the acclaimed screen writer Aaron Sorkin.   The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a historical drama centred around the real court case of 7 left-wing protestors who were accused of inciting a violent Chicago riot during the democratic convention prior to the 1968 US election. It stars a number of decorated actors from Eddie Redmayne to Joseph Gordon Le...