Reviews
Return to silent hill
Based on Konami’s hit game Silent Hill 2, the movie Return to Silent Hill sees James (Jeremy Irvine) return to the mysterious town after receiving a letter from his former love interest Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson) in a desperate attempt to track her down. It is a premise that is simple enough but, through some truly terrible writing in its adaptation, somehow becomes a narratively chaotic mess and a contender for worst of the year, despite January being only three weeks old.
Admittedly, the Silent Hill movies have never been my favourite, but the original is something I can at least admire for the artistic choices made and the attempt to stay as loyal to the game as possible. In Return to Silent Hill, however, even the parts of the first that I did enjoy are completely absent. This extends to the visuals, which are at times incredibly jarring, with green screen used so heavily that it becomes hard to stay invested.
The dialogue throughout is painful. It feels like non playing characters interacting with one another. Even James as the lead feels no different, and every time a new character is introduced it plays out like a cut scene or a checkpoint. Except, unlike the games, none of it feels earned, and there is no tension or suspense built to that point. The same can be said for the flashbacks, which ultimately feel like loading screens used to add context as lazily as possible.
The character decisions are infuriating from the onset, almost as if a small child were in control of the game controller and deliberately doing the most annoying things possible. It becomes exhausting to get through, to the point where it is so convoluted that it barely makes sense. That is before even mentioning the performances, all of which are painful, particularly Jeremy Irvine, who feels more like an AI creation than an actual human being delivering these lines.
The only real credit I can give the movie is the sound design, which stays inherently loyal to the game. It is the same creepy score that can instantly be attributed to the franchise, but unfortunately that is where the praise ends.
A movie like Return to Silent Hill should be engaging and, most importantly, scary. Instead, it is completely underwhelming, predictable, and quite frankly boring. A complete disservice to fans of the game and another addition to the ever-growing list of terrible video game adaptations.
Reviews
Clika
Clika follows Chito (JayDee), an aspiring Mexican-American musician living with his family who are facing the immediate foreclosure of their generational home due to the current economic climate. In a bid to save them from this fate, Chito turns to his uncle Alfredo (Cristian E. Gutierrez), a known drug smuggler, and begins doing runs for him to earn the cash needed to give his family the financial safety they so desperately crave.
What starts as a promising commentary on the social disparity immigrants face while chasing the American Dream quickly shifts from something genuinely compelling into a narrative mess that feels more like a student project than a major studio release.
The heart and soul of the first act soon collapse into chaotic nonsense, as Chito balances viral fame with his newfound wealth. Somehow, despite a brand new eighty thousand dollar car and a diamond chain emblazoned with the words “Clika Shit,” his family and girlfriend inexplicably fail to notice anything is different.
There was a real opportunity to tell a heartfelt and meaningful coming of age story in Clika, which is perhaps why it is so frustrating to watch it fall into the trap of trying to imitate 8 Mile in several ways without ever coming close to reaching the same highs.
The film is not helped by some genuinely poor performances. Even allowing for the fact that much of the cast are first time actors, the acting feels stiff and uncomfortable, almost as if this is the first time any of them have stood in front of a camera.
For reasons that remain unclear, perhaps to dramatically shorten the runtime, Chito delivers an awkward narration throughout the entire film. It functions as little more than an unnecessary exposition dump, with Clika jumping through time so abruptly that it ends up feeling choppy, poorly edited, and a bit of a pain to sit through.
It really is a shame that Clika misses the mark so badly, as the soundtrack is genuinely strong and does a great job showcasing the talent of Mexican-American music artists in the United States. Instead of saying anything interesting or heartfelt, however, Clika devolves into a forgettable and poorly executed coming of age music drama that misses the beat entirely.
Reviews
H is for Hawk
H is for Hawk is based on the remarkable true story of Helen (Claire Foy), who sadly and rather suddenly loses her father Alisdair (Brendan Gleeson) to a heart attack. In response to the immense grief she faces, Helen decides to buy and train a Eurasian goshawk. It does not seem like the most rational thought process, but through flashbacks it becomes more understandable as her and her father’s shared passion for bird watching is gradually made clear.
Based on the memoir by Helen MacDonald, H is for Hawk has been adapted for the big screen by writer and director Philippa Lowthorpe alongside co writer Emma Donoghue. It is an incredibly difficult task to create a window into anyone’s heart, let alone Helen’s as she closes herself off from the world, but it is something Lowthorpe and Donoghue handle with care. While I do think the relationship with her father could have been fleshed out more beyond the flashbacks, the tenderness of the screenplay gives audiences a clear understanding of Helen’s overreliance on the companionship she once shared with him.
Of course, the hawk Mabel is both the physical and metaphorical embodiment of the grief that is crippling Helen. The emotional dependency is raw and painfully real, with Helen almost assuming the role of an overprotective mother watching her child prepare to flee the nest. It is genuinely poignant, and deeply relatable too. Grief is an intensely personal journey, with no right or wrong way to navigate it, and that is something H is for Hawk captures particularly well.
Claire Foy’s performance is a joy to behold. She approaches the role with the sensitivity required to stir genuine emotion, with one particularly toe curling scene at a seminar leaving me feeling overwhelming empathy for what she was going through. Gleeson, though only briefly involved, is also excellent, and it is always a pleasure to see him on the big screen.
One aspect that genuinely took me by surprise was how beautiful the cinematography is. At times it feels like a David Attenborough documentary, with sweeping shots of the goshawk soaring through the air. Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen should be extremely proud of the work here, and I am very interested to see what she does next.
Admittedly, H is for Hawk does feel slightly bloated in its runtime, particularly towards the end, and I would be lying if I said I did not want to feel a bit more emotionally invested. Even so, it remains a thoughtful and poignant exploration of a raw human emotion that, unfortunately, everyone will have to experience at some point. Definitely worth a watch.