Netflix And Chill: Night Teeth (2021)

“Ain’t nothing like a fang gang”, as The Sensational Alex Harvey Band almost sang, many years ago. It has so often been the case, in books and in films, that vampires have lived among us, negotiating truces with various factions (be they humans, other vampires, is something else). And those truces always seem to fall apart at some point.

Jorge Lendeborg Jr. plays Benny, a chilled-out student who offers to cover a shift as a driver for his brother, Jay (Raul Castillo). He picks up two young women, Blaire (Debby Ryan) and Zoe (Lucy Fry), and begins taking them from one party to another. What he doesn’t realise, initially, is that Blaire and Zoe are working for Victor (Alfie Allen), and Victor is a vampire who plans to become the head honcho overnight by taking out all of the competition. Blaire and Zoe are also vampires, and they were expecting Jay to be their driver, as Jay is also a target, albeit a human one).

A debut script from Brent Dillon is given some due care and attention from director Adam Randall (delivering his second feature after the excellent I See You), and the end result is an enjoyable, horror-tinged, teen flick. Benny may be in a lot of trouble, and it could end up being his last night, but he gets to experience some good times along the way, achieving a status and level of cool previously unattainable. He also finds himself quite attracted to Blaire, so it’s far from all bad. The threat of being bitten and having his blood drained may put a dampener on things, but there’s always a chance that Benny might eventually be released. He is just the wrong guy in the wrong place, and maybe killer vampires will take that into consideration.

There’s nothing special here, in either the style or the material itself. Locations vary from luxury homes to private members clubs, from a busy nightclub to a villain’s swanky HQ, complete with “blood bank”. And the characters are usually either unfazed and calm, or trying to find the nearest exit once they have seem some bloodshed. It’s all very familiar, but the leads help make it work.

Lendeborg Jr. is very likeable in the role of Benny, a guy so laidback that he could make a fantastic carpet. Ryan and Fry are both fine for their characters, with the former being a bit more sweet and lovely while the latter is the one rushing to enjoy some killing. Allen is a decent head baddie, Castillo is okay, but a bit bland, and there’s a decent little enjoyable cameo for Megan Fox.

If you are after a fun vampire movie then I would recommend many others ahead of this (from Vamp to We Are The Night, with so many others also in immediate contention). But if you’re after a fun NEW vampire movie then I would happily recommend this. It’s an easily enjoyable bit of bitey entertainment.

7/10

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Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Based on a novel by Christine Leunens, Jojo Rabbit is another film written and directed by Taika Waititi, and another great mix of humour and emotion. It may not be his best film, and it's easy to initially view it as his weakest, but I suspect that it will grow on most people, over time.

Roman Griffin Davis is Jojo, a young boy living in Germany towards the end of WWII. Every child has an imaginary friend at some stage, Jojo has Hitler (Waititi). He also has a real friend in the shape of Yorki (Archie Yates), a loving mother (Rosie, played by Scarlett Johansson), and lessons in the best way to serve Germany from the likes of Captain Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell) and Fraulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson). Jojo's worldview is challenged when he discovers that his mother has been hiding a young Jewish girl (Elsa, played by Thomasin McKenzie) in their home.

I've seen some criticisms of Jojo Rabbit that seem to want to boil it down to "be nice to Nazis, because not all Nazis are bad" and I've seen comments being critical of opinions on the film that seem simplistic and naive. Both of these things are true, to some extent, and that stems from the way in which Waititi has wrangled his message of hope and optimism into a fun satire that is itself wrapped up in a layer of wide-eyed childish innocence and absorption. It may not be as simple as it seems, at first glance, but none of the more complex thoughts undo the central ideas of always maintaining the capability of love destroying hate.

Davis is superb in the main role, which will come as no surprise to anyone used to Waititi's knack for picking absolutely wonderful child stars for his project. Although not in it as much as I would have liked him to be, Yates is quite hilarious as the friend who isn't going to strain himself by thinking of the world events unfolding around him. Johansson is a solid anchor, and a pivot around which everything, and everyone, revolves. McKenzie is easily on par with Davis in her role, and the comedic turns from Rockwell and Wilson help, even underlining a couple of very serious moments in the third act. Alfie Allen does well in a small role, Stephen Merchant is very funny in his one main scene, and Waititi plays his sprung-from-the-mind-of-a-child version of Hitler very much like a version of him sprung from the mind of a child.

With the mix of quirky characters, the shot composition, and specific soundtrack choices, fans of Wes Anderson may occasionally forget that this is a Waititi film. It's been given a layer of artificiality that helps to create just enough distance between what we know of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and what we're being shown onscreen. The whole thing is a tightrope-walk, of course, but Waititi is up to the task. I can even see his reasoning behind some of the decisions made that I don't entirely agree with.

Imperfect and odd, Jojo Rabbit manages to do what it sets out to do. It makes you laugh, it provides some immensely powerful moments, and it sends you onward with a sense that there is always hope for humanity while individuals continue to hold on to their natural ability to, against some major odds, do the right thing.

7/10

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John Wick (2014)

Oh boy. John Wick is jaw-droppingly good. There's no point in holding back here. This is the most fun I've had with an action movie since The Raid 2: Berandal or The Guest. Which makes 2014 a bit of a banner year for action movie fans.

Keanu Reeves plays the titular character, a skilled killer who is now retired. When one character remarks that he is made to sound like the boogeyman, another immediately corrects him. John Wick is who you would send to kill the boogeyman. So why is anyone bothered about him if he's retired? Well, a daft lad (played by Alfie Allen) decided to break into his home, beat him up a bit, kill his dog, and steal his car. And it's the death of the dog that spurs Wick back into action. The daft lad may have a powerful criminal for a father (played by Michael Nyqvist) but that won't help him. Perhaps nothing will.

I'd like to read the screenplay for John Wick, written by Derek Kolstad, because I can only imagine that there are a few pages of character set-up before eighty pages that just contain the words "Wick shoots everyone in the face" - possibly scrawled in red ink. Because that's what makes this movie so fantastic. It's not a sanitised film trying to get a more lenient rating that will allow younger viewers to check it out in cinemas. This is a violent, bloody, brilliant piece of choreography.

Chad Stahelski, and David Leitch (who co-directed and co-produced with Stahelski), can bring the pain. They obviously worked closely with the stunt team to showcase physical routines that blend cinematic magic with details and moves that feel very real. Throw a lively soundtrack on top of the frenetic action and you have an easy crowd-pleaser for action junkies.

Reeves is better than ever here, adding to his not-inconsiderable roster of classic action movie heroes with another performance that requires him to be at his very best, both physically and in terms of attitude. The fact that none of the supporting players feel completely overshadowed is testament to the efficient script and the great casting. Allen is amusing as the hot-headed youngster acting brave until in very real danger, Nyqvist is great as the man who fears and respects Wick, while also doing everything he can to protect his foolish son. Willem Dafoe may be out to help our main character, may be out to harm him. Either way, he's excellent. And Adrienne Palicki is enjoyable as a dangerous female looking to score big when a price is put on Wick's head. Lance Reddick, Ian McShane and John Leguizamo round things out nicely, all making the best of their limited screentime.

It's genuinely hard to imagine any action fan disliking this movie. Okay, animal lovers will be upset by the motivation for the main killing spree, but it's that seemingly minor plot point that also makes this such a pure, enjoyable experience. Wick is a good man capable of very bad things, and you never once feel that he's going too far when the extent of just what he's had taken away from him becomes clear.

One to see/buy as soon as possible. I know that I'm already dying to rewatch it as soon as I've finished writing this review.

9/10

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