Neon Demon

I struggled to get through this. A great cinematographer, some models and shooting with UV and infra red lights doesn’t make a film. At times the dialogue and acting was so bad that I thought it might be trying to be a parody on the modelling industry but instead I think it was a collection of cliches and stereotypical characters. It certainly looked like there was money behind the production but someone with no imagination wrote the screenplay.

In terms of the story, it’s about a young model trying to establish a career but she meets jealous and predatory people and as she gets wrapped up in this new world it becomes more and more sinister. One cameo role was even played by Keanu Reeves. It’s full of beautiful people playing exaggerated charcters but the audience who that will satisfy will be put off by the surreal, slow, artistic sequences. Then the script is so bad at times that it actually shocked me. The director made Drive which I think is a great film and so this surprised me. In terms of the pace and feel it reminded me a little of Under The Skin and so if you liked that, this might be worth a try. There are truly some beautiful shots but aside some them and a good soundtrack, this just doesn’t have a lot to offer. 3/10

 

Blood Father

This is a contender for having one of the worst scripts I’ve ever had the misfortune to listen to. I don’t think I can accurately describe how dreadful it was but I winced repeatedly at how predictable, dull, sexist, patronising and stupid it sounded whenever they opened their mouths. Believe me, that list could have been a lot longer. It really needed a good plot, solid acting and innovative direction but it was lacking in those areas too.

To provide you with a brief overview of the plot, John Link (Mel Gibson) is out of prison and sober and both of these are new to him. He’s had a very chequered past, lives in a caravan in the middle of nowhere and misses his daughter, Lydia, who ran away from home years ago. She now hangs out with the nastiest scumbags you can imagine, takes some sort of addictive drug and ends up in situation that’s now life and death and where she thinks her only option is to reconnect with her father. They are then chased by lots of very nasty gangsters which leads to a predictable and boring climax.

Considering he used to be an alcoholic, they seem to pick up where they left off with no mention of the years in between or her mother and his ex-wife. To say they were two-dimensional is probably too higher praise and every other character is worse. There are massive plot holes such as how they are ever tracked down and the jokes will make your dads worthy of being used for stand up material. Even the action has no surprises. It’s on a par with Speed 2 and Die Hard with a vengeance.  If you’re still thinking this is worth a go, nothing is going to put you off and I’m sorry I failed to save you the time I wasted. However, please waste a little more and share your thoughts as comments to this review. 1/10