joshdavidheath Reviews

Bo Burnham: Make Happy (2016 TV Special)

Wow. Bo does it again

[9/10 · 8 June 2016]

Yet again Bo delivers an extraordinary blend of existentialism, social commentary, witty humour, catchy songs and, above all, a handful of masturbation jokes. I have personally been a fan since early on as he was making YouTube videos and loved his first Netflix collaboration 'what.' and 'Make Happy' in my opinion is further development for Bo as his show starts to take on more of his unique onstage personality and the best vocals I have seen from him. Overall it is a unique experience with some genuine laughs and also questions of the human experience.

8.5/10

JH

The Nice Guys (2016)

Wow. What a film!

[9/10 · 4 June 2016]

This film is everything i was hoping for. Shane Black delivers a great Kiss Kiss Bang Bang- esque story complete with great performances, a fantastic script and a lot of genuine laugh out loud moments. Holly (Angourie Rice) is a stand out performance for me and is a brilliant addition to the great pairing of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.

My only issues with the film are two or three jokes that do not land but there are enough genuinely funny moments to make up for this and personally i felt like it was dragging at parts, especially with Matt Bomer's introduction but the final sequences left me totally satisfied leaving the cinema.

Overall the cast gel brilliantly, the script is mostly great and the soundtrack captures the setting and atmosphere perfectly.

8.8/10

JH

Ask Me Anything (2014)

Surprising Little Film

[7/10 · 24 May 2016]

I went into this film knowing nothing and i was pleasantly surprised. I have not seen this film mentioned anywhere and I'm quite shocked as it is a great teen drama.

This film explores human behaviour and morals but does so in a way i did not find preachy which allowed me to think about characters' behaviour and assess for myself what I believed to be right and wrong. This film is not for everyone and the ending, which i will not spoil, may leave a bitter taste in some peoples' mouths but in my opinion it tied the film off in a way that matches the tone of the rest of the film.

There are strong performances throughout, especially for Britt Robertson (Katie), and all the characters came across as mostly believable. Cinematography is also fairly strong yet isn't extravagant enough to distract from the unfolding story.

My only issues are the editing can be somewhat distracting or disjointing in parts but that may be a personal grievance, I also felt the run time could have been 15 minutes or so shorter as some scenes felt irrelevant and mundane although that may be the intention and the ending could leave some people disappointed.

Overall it is a solid coming of age tale with strong characters and acting with only a few issues to be found.

7.9/10

JH

The Jungle Book (2016)

Great for all Ages

[7/10 · 24 May 2016]

I heard great things about this film and after watching it myself, i agree. Neel Sethi is fantastic as Mowgli and he is surrounded by fantastic voice work from the likes of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba. The film looks incredible and children will love the array of animals displayed in all their CGI beauty. My criticisms comes with the run time of the film as at around 1h50 it is quite long for a children's film and i did feel that it was dragging at times by the end. I also feel like more could be made of Akela's death as the act itself is very blink and you miss it and i feel an opportunity for a strong, emotional scene was lost. I have heard some complaints of Christopher Walken being distracting and taking people out of the atmosphere but i feel like he was a great choice for King Louis and so i cannot agree with any criticism there.

Overall it is a strong film that excels in its performances and the atmosphere created, mainly through the gorgeous visuals but it is let down by some weaker scenes and a run time that just seems unnecessary.

7.8/10

JH