kaneeddy

Trey Edward Shults shows us that he is one of the most promising directors working today by showcasing some masterful work in Waves. His direction is fantastic from the way that he uses the cinematography to immerse you by using many close ups and orbiting shots, this cinematography, the excellent writing and the strong performances from everyone in the film giving a great ensemble performance get us to instantly connect with these characters this is especially seen from Kelvin Harrison Jr, Taylor Russell and Sterling K Brown who are all mesmerising in this film, they feel real, they act in many ways that everyone does making the audience see themselves to some standard in each character. The way the story is told is so interesting and refreshing, with the first half having a Safdie brothers feel to it with how stressful it feels, climaxing in emotional devastation, and the second half being a road to redemption and togetherness, also the soundtrack used throughout the duration of the film is excellent and enhances these scenes so much.

The only critique I can see is that the beginning of the second half of the film is a little slow and i think that was used to help us gather ourselves after the highly emotional scenes that precede it however, it does pick up again and further immerses us again.

Overall, Waves joins a massive list of fantastic films that have come from A24, this film is emotionally devastating and will leave you speechless after the credits are finished, the performances are fantastic and Trey Edward Shults provides us with some of the best scenes put to screen. this is a must watch as I feel this can impact a lot of people and shock you the way it did with me.

Honey Boy is a film I was fascinated by, with the way it was made and the subject matter behind it. The story of a young Shia Labeouf and the relationship with his father influencing him as an adult. The performances from Noah Jupe, Lucas Hedges and Shia Labeouf are fantastic, all giving committed performances that will draw out emotions, the direction from Alma Har'el was solid as well as Labeoufs writing, as it felt personal and gave us a glimpse into his life that he didn't need to show us, so I commend him on being brave enough to do that.

However, I did see some flaws with the film that didn't quite hook me into it as much as I wanted, its strange but I think showing us real authenticity at times doesn't translate well into films and it felt like that here at times. I also wanted to connect to the characters in the film more but I just couldn't, I wanted to see more from his time in rehab as I thought Lucas Hedges was amazing in his role and I wanted to see more. The 3rd act felt rushed and seemed like it needed an extra 15 minutes to wrap up the plot lines it created nicely.

Overall, Honey Boy is a good film with some great performances and some brave writing from Shia Labeouf, I just didn't connect with it as much as I would have liked with a rushed 3rd act made me not sing its praises, I do recommend audiences watch this film as it gives you a glimpse of what a childhood celebrity's life can be like, which is definitely fascinating and worth the watch on that alone.

Da 5 Bloods, feels like an awfully relevant film to release right now, providing some powerful imagery and showcasing immersive storytelling. The film has all the makings of a Spike Lee Joint from the high quality cinematography that makes use of a diverse range of film and adds something genuine to the story, as well as provide Oscar Worthy Editing that transitions through aspect ratios smoothly. Spike seems to be on a roll with making some of his most powerful films off the back of his superb Blackkklansman. The performances in the film are Oscar worthy making you feel empathetic to the cause as well as giving insight into the unfairness African Americans faced when it came to the Vietnam War, the two notable performances in this film being Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman, I loved both performances and will be some of my favourites for the year, also Jonathan Majors gives a noteworthy performance as well. The writing for this film is powerful and when needed, builds tension, relationships and the conflicts the characters go through during this film. I will also say the use of real footage throughout the film is extremely powerful and adds an extra layer showing the problems that the USA has faced throughout its history right to this day.

If I were to pick out a flaw with this film it would have to be the score which was quite forgettable and at times didn't match the moment that was presented on film, and at times it could have a minor impact on the scene itself, which was quite disappointing as i found the Blackkklansman score to be memorable and matched the style of the film really well.

Overall, Da 5 Bloods is a film that is extremely relevant and powerful, showing that Spike Lee is still in great form as a director 40 years in and is maybe better than ever. The use of the Vietnam war felt appropriate and the characters felt authentic. The performances were fantastic, and most technical aspects to the film were at an Oscar Level. This is a film that everyone should try.