Month: March 2017

Beauty and the Beast (Film Review) – A Wonderful Adaptation

Beauty and the Beast is a musical fantasy directed by Bill Condon and is a live-action remake of the 1991 Disney animated version. The film stars Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Dan Stevens and Emma Watson. The story of the film is based on the 18th century fairy-tale and focuses on Belle (Emma Watson) who is imprisoned in an enchanted castle by the Beast (Dan Stevens), a cursed prince. Belle is also pursued by Gaston (Luke Evans) who wants her hand in marriage.

My Knowledge and Expectation of Beauty and the Beast

This film is continuing the recent trend of Disney remaking their animated classics into live-action films. The only one I have seen is The Jungle Book which I really enjoyed and I expected the same from Beauty and the Beast. Now, I do not have the same emotional attachment to the animated version that a lot of people do, simply because I only saw it for the first time a couple of weeks ago (I know, I know). I really liked the animated film but I do not see it as the masterpiece that a lot of people do which meant that I did not expect this live-action remake to be a masterpiece either.

Emma Watson and Kevin Kline in Beauty and the Beast

My Thoughts on Beauty and the Beast

I know I am in the minority, but this live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, to me, is better than the animated film. That’s right, better. The main reason why this is the case is down to the way in which this film vastly improves on a major part of the animated version. This was the building of the romance between Belle and the Beast.

One of my issues with the animated film is that the romance between Belle and the Beast in that film felt very rushed. In the live-action remake, Bill Condon adds new story elements to develop both the characters and their romance which makes their budding love more natural and believable. Condon take his time with telling the story in this film and, for me, this was something that the live-action remake improved on the original.

The production design on Beauty and the Beast is phenomenal. The costumes and the sets were awesome and the way that the practical effects blended with the CGI was brilliant to see. While that was brilliant to see, the new songs were brilliant to hear. While the classics songs such as ‘Be Our Guest’ and ‘Tale as Old as Time’ will always be the best, I really liked the new songs.

Luke Evans as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast

The Cast

The cast were great too. While Emma Watson’s singing in the film is not as good as Paige O’Hara’s from the animated film, she is good as Belle but my highlights in Beauty and the Beast were Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad as Lefou. Their chemistry was great, they embraced their roles and they were a joy to watch as were Ian McKellen and Ewan McGregor as Cogsworth and Lumière.

To be honest, I cannot find anything that I did not like in this film. Truly, Disney has continued where they left off with The Jungle Book and created another great live-action adaptation of one of their classic animated films which, for me, is better than the animated version. If you have not already seen Beauty and the Beast, then see it as soon as you can because you will not be disappointed.

Star Wars Rebels: Season 3 Episode 21-22 (Television Review) – A Good End to the Season

We have come to end of Season 3 of Star Wars Rebels and this two-part finale, titled ‘Zero Hour’, has been highly anticipated by fans of the show. One of the main reasons why this is the case is because we have been building towards Grand Admiral Thrawn’s master-plan to deal a crushing blow to the young Rebel Alliance. In ‘Zero Hour’, we would finally see it unfold. In addition to this, we would see whether this finale could live up to the finales of Season 1 and Season 2 of Rebels.

My Thoughts on ‘Zero Hour’

While I would say that the finales of Season 1 and 2 are better, this finale was a good end to this season of Rebels. Moreover, it capped of a season which, in my opinion, is better than Season 1 and 2. One of the strongest elements of ‘Zero Hour’ was its cinematic feel. Truly, watching the space battles in this season finale felt like watching the space battles in the Original Trilogy and I have to give a huge amount of credit to the animators of Rebels for this achievement.

Battle of Atollon in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Finale Zero Hour

I also liked how both sides suffered a defeat in their own way in this finale. The Rebel Alliance suffered a lot of casualties, including the loss of Commander Sato which was a very poignant moment in the episode. On the side of the Empire, Thrawn, while dealing a blow to the Rebel Alliance, failed to realise his complete vision for victory which he would have achieved if not for the failure of others to follow his calculated orders.

Thrawn Lives

Yet, the important thing is that Thrawn lived to fight another day which was my main hope from this finale. He has been one of my favourite parts of this season of Rebels and I cannot wait for his character to be developed further in this series and in the upcoming book. The book will in fact be written by Timothy Zahn who originally created the character in the old-Expanded Universe, i.e. Legends.

Hera at the Battle of Atollon in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Finale Zero Hour

While I was pleased that Thrawn survived, I was surprised that more characters on the side of the Rebel Alliance did not survive. True, Sato sacrificed himself but I did expect members of the Ghost crew such as Zeb to die too. Still, this was not a big disappointment because, by the time this series is finished, I expect most, if not all, of our heroes to die.

Speaking of the Ghost crew, we saw Sabine return to help her friends and it was great to see her back as she is one of the strongest characters in the show. Seeing Agent Kallus join the Rebel Alliance was a relief to see as I feared he would die in this season. This would have been disappointing as his arc in Rebels has been great to watch. Thankfully, we now get to see him as a fully-fledged member of the Rebel Alliance once Season 4 premieres later this year.

Building for the Future

In fact, this finale set up the next season of Rebels very well. With Kallus joining the Rebel Alliance, Thrawn living and continuing on as an antagonist in addition to the mention of Yavin 4 at the end of the episode, the foundations for Season 4 have been laid. What is even more exciting is that we are now in a position where we are getting closer to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: A New Hope.

Battle of Atollon Space Battle in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Finale Zero Hour

This is why I expect Season 4 to be the last season of Star Wars Rebels and the arcs which have been established throughout the series will come to a close. Moreover, I expect to see Ahsoka Tano return and for Darth Vader to return in a limited capacity too. I am really excited to see what is next in store for this show and this season finale is a big reason why as it did a great job at laying the foundations for the next season. It’s just a shame that we have to wait so long!

Get Out (Film Review) – A Solid Directorial Debut

Get Out is a horror film written, produced and directed by Jordan Peele and stars Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Catherine Keener, Lil Rel Howery and Daniel Kaluuya. Jordan Peele makes his directorial debut with this film and the story focuses on Chris (Kaluuya) and Rose (Williams), an interracial couple who visit the secluded estate of Rose’s parents. Chris soon finds out that things are not as they seem and the weekend takes a very dark turn.

My Knowledge and Expectation of Get Out

I am usually very open-minded about my genres of film but if there is one genre that I am not a massive fan of, it is horror. Horror is a genre of film that I have not delved deep in to, simply because I do not like scary films as they stress me out to a point that is not at all enjoyable.

LaKeith Stanfield in Get Out

There are exceptions to this rule as I like horror films such as Alien but generally, I avoid horror. Despite this, Get Out intrigued due to the critical acclaim it has received and I was curious to see what Jordan Peele, famous for the sketch series Key and Peele, could do on his directorial debut.

My Thoughts on Get Out

My overall experience with Get Out was pretty good. I found the film to be less of a traditional horror film and more of a thriller with comedic elements. Certainly, suspense is a key tool used by Peele to tell his story and it makes the film engaging without relying too heavily on horror clichés. While there are jump scares, they did not worsen my experience.

The star of Get Out is undoubtedly Jordan Peele. I was really impressed by how much of an accomplished job he did for his directorial debut. In addition to his ability to use suspense very well, I also liked how he shot the film and how he addresses issues such as the various levels of racism prevalent in society today in a very satirical manner. Indeed, there are a lot of amusing moments in the film, most of them coming from Rod (Howery) who was my favourite character in Get Out.

Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams in Get Out

These comedic moments were needed in a film which is quite tense throughout and also slowly paced. Because of the slow pacing of Get Out, it is not something that I will be eager to revisit. Still, I would definitely recommend that you watch it as it will evoke some sort of reaction out of you and I feel as though your experience of watching Get Out will stay with you for a while.

Star Wars Rebels: Season 3 Episode 20 (Television Review) – A Swift End to Maul

Whatever your opinions of the Prequels, you cannot deny that Maul, formerly Darth Maul, is an iconic figure within the Star Wars universe. We were first introduced to him in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace where he was killed off too quickly. This was a shame because, for me, he was one of the few decent elements of an otherwise terrible film. He should have been an antagonist throughout the Prequels.

Maul was brought back to life in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It was on this show that he was fleshed out as a character. He returned again in Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels. Since his introduction in Rebels, he has appeared in some of the best episodes of this current season. Because of this, I was going into this latest episode, titled ‘Twin Suns’, with high expectations as we would finally see Maul confront his oldest foe, Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi.

Ben Kenobi in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 20 Twin Suns

My Thoughts on ‘Twin Suns’

I liked this episode a lot. It does a good job of building the anticipation for the re-uniting of Maul and Kenobi and, before that, seeing Alec Guinness’ Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi in animated form. When Kenobi finally appeared, I was blown away with the quality of the voice work. Stephen Stanton was the actor who voiced Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi in this episode and he sounded just like Alec Guinness. It was truly uncanny and it was a brilliant element of the episode.

The confrontation between Maul and Kenobi itself was….very….swift. To be honest, I was surprised how quickly their fight ended. I really liked the dialogue that they had with each other before they clashed but I expected a bit of a longer fight. Perhaps the reasoning behind such a short duel was to emphasise how far Maul has fallen as a warrior and how in tune with The Force Kenobi is at this stage of his life. Still, I was satisfied with the final outcome which was the death of Maul. He died with a bit of grace and acceptance of his fate. It was a fitting way to say goodbye to the character.

Maul in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 20 Twin Suns

We Saw Luke!

I also liked how Ezra went through some important character development in this episode by realising where he is needed the most and that is with the Ghost crew and the Rebel Alliance. Yet, while there were a lot of things I liked, it was the final scene which really got me. We see Kenobi looking in the distance towards Luke Skywalker at the Lars homestead. This was an emotional tie-in to Star Wars: A New Hope, especially as Binary Sunset played in the background.

Overall, this episode was very good at bringing Maul’s journey in Star Wars to an end. Additionally, Ezra was developed as a character and the team behind Rebels achieved the difficult task of respecting Alec Guinness’ portrayal of Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi by nailing his voice and staying true to the essence of the character.

Viceroy’s House (Film Review) – A Well-Told Story

Viceroy’s House is a historical drama directed by Gurinder Chadha and stars Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Manish Dayal, Huma Qureshi, and Michael Gambon. The film is set in 1947 during the Partition of India and the primary focus of the film is on Lord Mountbatten (Bonneville). Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, is tasked with overseeing the transition of British India to independence. However, mounting religious conflict within India attempts to derail this transition as well as a blossoming romance between Jeet (Dayal), a Hindu manservant, and Alia (Qureshi), a Muslim assistant.

My Knowledge and Expectation of Viceroy’s House

The sole reason why I was interested in Viceroy’s House is due to the subject matter. Without a doubt, the Indian Independence Movement and the Partition of India are fascinating historical events that I have always had a keen interest in. In fact, one of the modules I took while studying for my degree in History was about this time period. Additionally, I find the film Gandhi to be one of the greatest bio-pics of all time. Going into this film, I was expecting to gain a new perspective about the Partition of India.

Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson and Neeraj Kabi in Viceroy's House

My Thoughts on Viceroy’s House

Overall, Viceroy’s House did everything it needed to do for me. It is a good film and the thing that impressed me most was that Chadha’s viewpoint about the Partition of India is put across very well. Certainly, the film is made for an audience who will have little to no knowledge about the Partition of India which means that there is a lot of exposition. Nevertheless, Viceroy’s House is never boring, simply because the exposition is about such an interesting event in history and the viewpoint put across by Chadha is intriguing.

Chadha’s film is one which portrays Lord Mountbatten as a powerless pawn within an imperial game in which Winston Churchill was the puppet-master. The film suggests that the Partition of India was planned by Churchill with the creation of Pakistan providing safety from the Soviet Union and safeguarding the UK’s oil interests. It is interesting to view the Partition of India in this light and I commend Chadha for telling this viewpoint in an uncomplicated way.

There are other qualities in Viceroy’s House that I admire. The score, composed by A. R. Rahman, is brilliant, the humour in the film is good and I thought the love story between Jeet and Alia was decent too. Additionally, the themes of the film such as division and religion were very profound, especially as it parallels to what is happening in the world today.

Manish Dayal and Huma Qureshi in Viceroy's House

My Love for Gandhi Colours My Opinion of Viceroy’s House

The performances in Viceroy’s House are fine. No one gives a great performance in the film but all of the cast are dependable and it is a solid ensemble performance. The one thing I did struggle to do was embrace the actors who played Jinnah, Nehru and Gandhi. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t bad and they certainly weren’t miscast. However, I have such a deep connection to the actors who played these iconic figures in Gandhi that I struggled to buy these new actors as these characters.

Still, this did not ruin my experience of watching Viceroy’s House. If you are looking for a cinematic introduction to learn about the history of the Indian Independence Movement and the Partition of India, I would recommend Gandhi over Viceroy’s House. However, once you watch Viceroy’s House, I doubt you will be disappointed as there are various elements of this film which you can appreciate.

Star Wars Rebels: Season 3 Episode 19 (Television Review) – Unnecessary Filler

Before this latest episode of Star Wars Rebels, titled ‘Double Agent Droid’, there were only two episodes in Star Wars Rebels that, in my opinion, were not worth watching. The first is Season 1’s ‘Fighter Flight’ and the second is Season 2’s ‘The Call’. To me, they are filler episodes that do not further the story in any way, shape or form and you can skip them without degrading your experience of watching Star Wars Rebels. After this latest episode, there is now a third.

Wedge Antilles and AP-5 in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 19 Double Agent Droid

The Story of ‘Double Agent Droid’

The story of ‘Double Agent Droid’ focuses on Wedge Antilles, Chopper and AP-5 who infiltrate an Imperial station to steal Imperial codes. But, an Imperial specialist turns the droids against the crew and chaos ensues. Now, I have liked AP-5 since he was first introduced in Season 2 in ‘The Forgotten Droid’.

His interactions with Chopper and the dry delivery of his dialogue which I find to be very funny make him a very underrated character in the show. I like Chopper too and to see these two in their own episode with a legendary character like Wedge Antilles should, on paper, really entertain me.

My Thoughts on ‘Double Agent Droid’

Overall, this episode disappointed me because, in the end, none of the various story arcs within Star Wars Rebels were developed. Nothing happened. There was no character development either and this makes me believe that this episode did not need to be made. Still, I did find moments of it to be funny thanks to AP-5.

AP-5 in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 19 Double Agent Droid

However, the episode was completely ruined at the end when it turned into a musical (No, I am not joking). My disbelief about what happened was then followed by uncontrollable laughter at just how bad it was. This prequel-esque moment cemented ‘Double Agent Droid’ as one of the weakest episode of Rebels. Along with ‘Fighter Flight’ and ‘The Call’, it is an episode which is not essential viewing and you never need to watch it. I certainly never will again.

Hidden Figures (Film Review) – Inspirational and Timely

Hidden Figures is a biographical drama directed by Theodore Melfi and stars Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Glen Powell, Mahershala Ali, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe. The story is based on the non-fiction book of the same name about African-American female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The film focuses on Katherine Johnson (Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Monáe) who worked at NASA at a time of segregation, racism and the Civil Rights Movement.

My Knowledge and Expectation of Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures was the last of the Oscar nominated films that I had yet to see and I was looking forward to seeing it. A lot of that was down to the cast involved. Certainly, Octavia Spencer has remained fresh in mind ever since I saw The Help, which is a phenomenal film. Moreover, Kevin Costner is always a solid actor to have in any film and to see Mahershala Ali after his win at the Oscars intrigued me. The story itself is also really interesting and I love to learn about events and stories I never knew about before.

Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe in Hidden Figures

My Thoughts on Hidden Figures

I found Hidden Figures to be a very good film that is inspirational and very timely. The story is told with a lot of respect and is incredibly relevant to what is going on in the world today. A big reason why I liked the film was the performances of the Henson, Spencer and Monáe. They had really good chemistry when they were on screen together and their individual arcs in Hidden Figures were also very engaging and, at times, very moving.

The supporting cast also gave strong performances. Mahershala Ali played his role well even though it probably wasn’t as layered as his performance in Moonlight. Kevin Costner fitted perfectly into Hidden Figures. His look and demeanour just oozes 1960s United States. Indeed, he has experience of that with past roles in films set in the same time period such as JFK and Thirteen Days.

Taraji P. Henson in Hidden Figures

Another element of Hidden Figures that I really liked was the score which was composed by Hans Zimmer. It really complemented the tone of the film and it is completely deserving of the Golden Globe nomination it received for Best Original Score. Additionally, the Oscar nominations this film received in categories such as Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer were deserved too.

There is a lot to like about Hidden Figures and I think it is necessary viewing. The issues and themes within this inspirational story need to be experienced by a wider audience. Thankfully, the fact that certain charities, institutions, individuals and independent businesses have screened this film for free means that more people will experience Hidden Figures and understand its importance.

Logan (Film Review) – A Great Character Study

Logan is a superhero film directed by James Mangold and stars Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen, Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman. Jackman plays Logan/Wolverine for the final time in the tenth instalment of the X-Men film franchise. Patrick Stewart reprises his role as Professor X/Charles Xavier for the final time too. The story of the film focuses on an ageing Logan who is caring for Professor X in a dystopian future where mutants are nearly extinct. But, despite the dangers, Logan embarks on one final mission; to transport Laura/X-23 (Dafne Keen) to “Eden”.

My Knowledge and Expectation of Logan

I have a very tumultuous relationship with the X-Men franchise. For me personally, X-Men is a pretty good film and X2 is one of my favourite superhero films of all time. X-Men: The Last Stand is not a good film but I don’t hate it as much as everyone else does. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, on the other hand, is complete and utter garbage. I liked X-Men: First Class a lot and enjoyed The Wolverine up until the last 10-15 minutes where it drops in quality.

Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman in Logan

My biggest issue with the franchise came after I saw X-Men: Days of Future Past which I now see as a great film. Still, after I watched it for the first time, I did not like how the timeline was reset at the end. It made films which I have a deep connection to such as X-Men and X2 redundant. However, X-Men: Apocalypse was a film I really liked and it changed my feelings towards the ending of X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Going into Logan, I was in a relatively good place with the X-Men franchise despite its ridiculous continuity issues which I doubt will ever be fixed. Nevertheless, I was looking forward to Logan due to the critical acclaim it was receiving as well as seeing Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, two actors who I have great affinity for in this franchise, for the final time.

My Thoughts on Logan

Overall, Logan is a very good film and a great character study of Wolverine. Certainly, Hugh Jackman gives his best performance as Logan/Wolverine. It has depth and he is much more of a tragic and brutal character than we have seen before. We really delved into Logan’s emotions and how the tragedy of what he has gone through in the past has taken him to a point where he is devoid of hope.

Dafne Keen and Hugh Jackman in Logan

Patrick Stewart was stellar and Dafne Keen was also very good for such a young actress. It was more of a physical performance than a speaking one but she does have some lines in the third act of Logan. I would have preferred it if she was silent until her final scene as it would have been more emotionally affecting but she was awesome as X-23.

The action in Logan is pretty great too. It is gory, raw and fresh compared to what we have seen in previous X-Men films and in superhero films in general. In fact, I contend that Logan is more of a western than a superhero film. Its setting and pacing make it a film which is more in the vein of something like Unforgiven than say a film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its ability to transcend the superhero genre reminds me of The Dark Knight. Still, I find Logan, while a very good film, to be a lesser film than its DC counterpart.

Hugh Jackman in Logan

The Flaws of Logan

While I liked the pacing for the most parts, it is a little bit uneven at times. Moreover, while the ending of the film is emotional, I found other scenes which were supposed to be emotional to be lacking in this regard. I think part of this is because of the fact that, deep down, the continuity issues with the X-Men franchise prevent me from buying into Logan as part of the franchise.

Certainly, while this film attempts to connect to what has happened before in the franchise, it is better to see Logan as a standalone film that is a character study set in the genre of westerns rather than superhero films. If you can do this, then you can really appreciate Logan for what it is.

Star Wars Rebels: Season 3 Episode 18 (Television Review) – An Important Story

Mon Mothma is a very important figure in the Star Wars universe. Our first introduction to this character was in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi as one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance. She also recently appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. She has also made appearances in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and novels such as Lost Stars, Aftermath, Aftermath: Life Debt and Aftermath: Empire’s End. Now, she has made her first appearance in Star Wars Rebels in this latest episode, titled ‘Secret Cargo’, where she must be led to safety by the Ghost crew after speaking out against the Emperor in the Imperial Senate.

Ezra and Mon Mothma in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 18 Through Imperial Eyes

My Thoughts on ‘Secret Cargo’

While I would say that there are better episodes in this season of Star Wars Rebels, this is probably one of the most important stories which has been told within the canon of Star Wars. Certainly, Mon Mothma openly rebelling against the Empire is a critical moment in the war between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire and it was shown in a very entertaining episode of Rebels.

Links to Rogue One

There were a lot of things I liked about this episode. For instance, having Mon Mothma voiced by Genevieve O’Reilly, the actress who played Mon Mothma in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, was a nice link to the films. Additionally, seeing Gold Leader was another great tie-in to the films and it added to an episode which really ushered in the birth of the Rebel Alliance as we know it.

Rebel Alliance Fleet in Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 18 Secret Cargo

We also saw a new iteration of a TIE Fighter in this episode which was cool to see. Those battle scenes involving that TIE Fighter were elevated with an especially great piece of music which was used during the action scenes in the nebula. Overall, while I would say that episodes such as ‘The Holocrons of Fate’, ‘Visions and Voices’ and ‘Trials of the Darksaber‘ are the best episodes that we have had so far this season, ‘Secret Cargo’ ranks amongst the most important. This is due to its relevance within the lore of Star Wars and this critical story was well executed.

Fences (Film Review) – A Triumph in Acting

Fences is a drama directed by Denzel Washington and stars Stephen Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, Saniyya Sidney, Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name which was written by August Wilson.

The story focuses on Troy (Denzel Washington), a 53-year-old man providing for his family by working as a waste collector while struggling with his failure in the past to make it as a professional baseball player. Troy believes that this was down to the colour of his skin rather than his age.

My Knowledge and Expectation of Fences

This is a film that was nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. In the midst of the other films that got nominated for that award, it went under the radar in terms of how people viewed its chances to win. Obviously, Best Picture went to Moonlight but Fences was never seriously talked about as having a realistic chance to win.

This surprised me, especially when you consider that Fences has an award-winning play and great actors at its foundation. Certainly, Denzel Washington is one of my all-time favourite actors and Viola Davis is cementing her legacy as being one of the all-time best actresses. Hence, I was fascinated to see these two giants in acting give it their all.

Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in Fences

My Thoughts on Fences

Fences floored me. This is a stunningly great film which at, its core, has superb performances and a gripping, heavy story. Truly, Fences has a very intimate feel due to the fact that the majority of the film takes place in one location (Troy’s house). While some have criticised this element of Fences, I loved it as it helps us form a deep connection to the characters in this film who themselves are brought to life through brilliant performances from the cast.

As we know, Denzel Washington and Viola Davis were both Oscar nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively. They also played the same characters in the first Broadway revival of Fences. Evidently, they know how to play these characters and, in Fences, they provide the gravitas needed to make this film as powerful as it is. The acting by Washington and Davis is some of the best they have ever given. At times, it is hard to watch as the levels that they went to in this film heavily impact you.

Denzel Washington in Fences

The script in this film is also phenomenal. The dialogue feels real, the story feels real and Fences deals with some profound themes such as poverty, regret, race and also mental illness when the film focuses on Gabriel, Troy’s brother. There are a lot of great elements within Fences and the overall film is fantastic. It is definitely one of my favourites from the nine Oscar nominees for Best Picture. If you are a film lover and appreciate brilliant acting, then see Fences as soon as you can.