If there was ever a director defined by an aesthetic style it’s Wes Anderson. Audio recently was leaked from one of his sets with him shouting ‘if it’s not symmetrical it’s not in my f***king film’. The obsessive quality of his set designs, costumes, and locations are the stuff of legend. His latest film ‘Asteroid City’ set in desert US is a pastel 1950s homage to buttoned up shirts, dainty signs and cultural cringe. In terms of the aesthetics it is a visual delight on what must been a huge perfectly designed set. Visually it’s like eating bespoke chocolate. The set is then stuffed with a who’s who of Anderson favourites.

Unlike his other films though ‘Asteriod City’ is purposely ‘meta’ in the sense that it sets up the drama as seen through the frame of a theatrical play. It’s this meta theatrical framing device along with a lack of emotional substance that was where film starts to wear thin. The main story of a families grief gets lost by the cuts to a ‘meta’ narrative that seems forced. Grief is explored in many of his films with deadpan delivery of sometimes devastating lines. However here the well acted star cast can’t seem to convey much real feeling. His films start to feel like a roll call of cameos amid stunning set design. The film is at its best when it is more lighthearted and fun, particularly the hilarious musical number, and feels forced in its ‘deeper’ ‘meta’ moments. Like other great stylised film makers of our time, Tarantino and Luhrmann, Anderson seems more and more a parody of himself. An Instagram feature, lacking the emotional punch of some of his other films. Not merely style over substance but parody over genuine emotion. That being said it’s visually stunning and at times very funny, just don’t expect this to rank as one of his best. 7/10

Most people probably aren’t aware that the original 1863 short story ‘The Little Mermaid’ is a metaphorical reflection of the author Hans Christian Andersen’s doom romance for a young Duke named Edvard Collin. Many historians agree that they were lovers and the original story lines up with a series of love letters Andersen wrote him. Much like the Prince Eric in the story, Edvard faced pressure from his family and tragically, just as in the original fairytale, the prince chooses to marry a princess rather than the mermaid. (Google the original story, it’s like a Greek tragedy).

It is beyond ironic that so many people are upset about the colourblind casting changing from the 1989 Disney classic when that adaptation itself is of a unrequited tragic queer love story. It’s always been a transgressive story at its heart, crossing world boundaries and prejudices. Classic stories get told and retold in many different ages and ‘The Little Mermaid’ is no different. I for one celebrate that it’s adaptation in our times promotes diversity and inclusion, something to inspire a new generation of young girls and boys. Halle Bailey is perfectly cast as Ariel, with such innocent beauty and what a powerful voice. Definitely a star on the rise. If anyone wasn’t cast well I think Eric isn’t as charming or attractive as he could of been, and his solo number is a flat moment. The supporting cast mostly hits the right notes. I do wish Melissa McCarthy had of gone bigger and campier as Ursula, who in the 1989 version was inspired by drag queen Divine. She seemed a bit held back and timid for me. The underwater animation isn’t perfect, it’s no underwater Pandora, but it’s colourful and fun. I haven’t been a big fan of most of the live action Disney remakes, wasn’t crazy about ‘The Lion King’ or ‘Mulan’ and ‘Aladdin’ was a total train wreck. But I think this film ranks along with ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Cruella’ as one of the better ones. It’s never going to be the original. As it is, it’s a sweet, fun and romantic ride. I enjoyed myself and got swept up in its charm. It’s sad that a film like this can trigger such negative reactions stirred on by the Trump wannabe De Santis and his politically manufactured fight with Disney. Representation matters. I wish I had seen more positive gay representations as a lonely young boy, instead of being inculcated with Disney’s many queercoded dandy villains. If Disney can inspire young girls of colour I think the world is getting better. 7/10

May Early Best Picture Oscar 2024 Predictions :

1. Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese)
2. Dune Part 2 (Denis Villeneuve)
3. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)
4. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)
5. The Colour Purple (Blitz Bazawule)
6. Past Lives (Celine Strong)
7. The Holdovers (Alexander Payne)
8. Maestro (Bradley Cooper)
9. Saltburn (Emerald Fennell)
10. Barbie (Greta Gerwig)

1. Dune: Part 2: Dennis Vilenevue

2. Killers of the Flower Moon: Martin Scorsese

3. Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan

4. Maestro: Bradley Cooper

5. Rustin: Colman Domingo

6. Barbie: Greta Gerwig

7. Blitz: Steve McQueen

8. Saltburn: Emerald Fennell

9. Napoleon: Ridley Scott

10. Lee: Kate Winslet

11. May December: Todd Haynes

13. The Way of the Wild: Terrence Malik

14. Poor Things: Yorgos Lanthimos

15. The Colour Purple: Halle Berry

16. Nosferatu: Willem Dafoe

17. The Killer: David Fincher

18. Next Goal Wins: Taika Waititi

19. Asteroid City: Wes Anderson

20. Past Lives: Celine Song

21. Challengers: Luca Guadagnino

22. Wonka: Timothee Chalamet

23. The Holdovers: Alexander Payne

24. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: Wes Anderson

25. Foe: Paul Mescal

26. Ferrari: Adam Driver

27. Beau Is Afraid: Joaquin Phoenix

28. Shirley: Regina King

29. Spider-Man: Across the spider verse

30. Priscilla: Sophia Coppola

31. Civil War: Jennifer Lawrence

When my partner and I finished the film and left the cinema we were approached by a marketing person from the cinema to do an on camera post film interview. What I said to the camera I’d say in my review: never bet against James Cameron, he always delivers, epic, epic, epic. People seem often ready to doubt Cameron and yet time and time again he creates many of the most memorable movie experiences of my life. Titanic one of my all time favourite films, I would argue is the best romance/epic/disaster film ever made. The King of the sequels Cameron has also gave us one of the greatest sci fi films ever Terminator 2; one of the scariest films ever in Aliens 2, even excellent action/comedy in True Lies. A true master of cinema and a pioneer of technology. In an age where cinema has become streaming ‘content’ and most studio blockbuster films are unoriginal factory franchises, that seem to blur together, it’s almost a miracle when you see truly original content that is this epic in scale. I felt many of the same emotions watching Avatar 2 as I did to watching last years Dune: awe in a world so perfectly realised on such a monumental scale. It’s true that nothing will quite capture the original feeling of first seeing Avatar in the cinema in 3D in 2009. However in Avatar 2 when we first go to the underwater world I would say surpasses the visual effects of the first. Pandora feels like the most vividly created sci fiction world ever put to screen. The highlights of the film are easily the underwater scenes showcasing Cameron’s well documented love of the ocean and it’s protection. Especially breathtaking are the calmer scenes in the film where the cinematography of Russell Carpenter, who also did Titanic, takes your breath away. A common criticism of Cameron is his use of storyline’s that are on the simpler side. I would argue tap into archetypes of the collective unconsciousness, universal themes writ large. Yes the story is simple and the environmental messages of the film are as obvious and powerful as the last, however in avatar 2 this is combined with anti-colonialism, protecting wildlife and the strength of family message which make for a more emotional impact. I was moved to tears 3 times in the film. I highly recommend you watch it in 3D which in this context makes you want to dive into the world. Apart from the simple narrative my only other main fault with the film is that the first act requires a lot of exposition which pays off much more effectively in the 2nd and 3rd acts. The finally battle scene feels like the culmination of all his previous films with events of Terminator and Titanic. The budget for the film is between 350-400 million, which if it is at that upper reach it would make it the most expensive film of all time. You’ve got to see this in the cinema. At a time when epic original studio film experiences at the cinema seem to be dying in the face of tv and streaming, Cameron’s film feels like salvation for a vanishing art. Whatever minor flaws of the film melt away in the face of a cinematic experience that I haven’t had in over a decade. We are so lucky to have James Cameron making films, the master of the epic. 9/10