Zombieland Double Tap (2019) Review

Zombie killers Tallahassee, Columbus and Wichita leave the safety of the White House to travel to Graceland in Memphis to save a now grownup Little Rock.

Director Ruben Fleischer offers a surprisingly great laugh out loud sequel to a breakout sub-genre flick that was already saturated in 2009.

Packed with action and wit, the moment where stars Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg, doppelgänger’s Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch’s characters meet is worth viewing alone.

Emma Stone is perfectly dry with another sharp funny performance. Both Harrelson and Eisenberg are on amazing form. Joining the cast is the excellent gun toting Bigfoot driving Rosario Dawson but it’s Zoey Deutch who steals the show with her character echoing a dizziness of Legally Blonde with hysterical efforts.Bill Murray turns up in the credits in a throwback to the first film.

The action setups and special effects are done well, with the music being the icing on the cake. It may not break new ground, but it doesn’t need too as it’s the enjoyable reunion that recaptures the spirit of the original which makes the film so edible.

Overall, likeable great zombie killing fun.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Review

Some spoilers ahead!

Finn, Poe Dameron and the Resistance commence a final battle against new and old enemies of the First Order. As Rey tries to find out who her parents really were.

In terms of what a Star Wars film should be, director J. J. Abraham delivers a brilliant return form, layered with Lucas magic.

Rian Johnson’s Last Jedi as much as it tried to be different was too subtle in its script, and lacked fan execution. That said, whether by accident or design with the events of Rise it makes the dialouge of Last Jedi more pertinent, for example Luke says ‘he [Kylo] would bring destruction and pain and death, and the end of everything I love.’ So in retrospect he already saw the death of Han and Leia. Last Jedi actually works better now in since Rise of Skywalker and the lines especially between Rey and Ben have more relevance. Rise of Skywalker doesn’t pretend to be anything more or less than a Star Wars film. Adam Driver is impressive, thankfully many of the characters get room to breathe, John Boyega’s Finn, Daisy Ridley’s Rey and especially Oscar Isaac’s likeable Poe. Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) no pun intended gets to shine.

It’s packed with homages, throwbacks and treads new ground. Chewie gets his medal, Lando (Billy D. Williams) returns, finally we see a flashback of Leia (Carrie Fisher) training, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo cameos and the voices of many our favourite saga series main characters are heard. Denis Lawson even briefly appears as Wedge Antilles.

As much as harden fans would have liked all the force ghosts to appear it makes sense that Rey only saw those known to her, not just those who the audience knew. Leia, Kylo and Rey also get a fitting resolve. Even Hux gets closure. Mark Hamill’s Luke fittingly appears along with Ewoks, Jawas and Tatooine.

With excellent special effects, sets and music score it may not have the old school feel of Rogue One or Solo but it’s packed with action that echoes the likes of the Madalorian, Force Awakens and emotional energy of Last Jedi. It pushes buttons and fills satisfaction gaps that its predecessor couldn’t. It’s a great closure with on the nose fan satisfaction.

As a Star Wars film (while you could argue that no films should have been made since Return of the Jedi) it’s great, as a sequel to Last Jedi it excels.

Overall, Abraham’s delivers an almost impossible feat, some Star Wars magic.

The Irishman (2019) Review

Truck driver Frank Sheeran tells his story of how he gets involved with Russell Bufalino, climbing the ranks to become a top hit man and also goes to work for Jimmy Hoffa.

Directed and produced by Martin Scorsese and written by Steven Zaillian this offering from the legendary director is based on the 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. Its long run time has perfect pace, but don’t go expecting the roller coaster ride of Goodfellas or Casino, this echoes classics like The Godfather’s and Once Upon A Time in America’s pacing with the feel of JFK to name a few.

It’s poignant, funny and the violence boldly plays second fiddle to the characters and their relationships. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci are on fine form along with Harvey Keitel (whose screentime is limited) with their ageing special effects holding up for the most part (Pacino looks a little off at times). A casual viewer probably wouldn’t notice as they age from the 1950s onwards, it touches on many periods with great recreations.

For completion, it’s only crime is not including Ray Liotta and Johnny Depp.

Highly recommended.