Speak No Evil (2024) Review

I haven't been to the cinema for a while and I saw this film being marketed so I decided to go today and watch Speak No Evil and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees a family invited to spend a weekend with a family that they met abroad but everything is not quite as it seems. 

Main Character

James McAvoy plays Paddy and he is fantastic in this film, he is one of the best actors working today and roles like this clearly proves it. He is so charismatic and just the way he delivers his lines are fascinating and he is giving a brilliant performance that you just want to learn more about him and see him more on screen. 

Supporting Characters

Mackenzie Davis plays Louise and Scott McNairy plays Ben and they are the couple spending the weekend with McAvoy and his family and they are really great. They play their roles really well and even though they are frustrating at times it works for this film and Davis in particular really shines in her role and I want to see her in more things. 

Aisling Franciosi plays Ciara and is the wife of Paddy and she is really good. Even though McAvoy is the clear standout she has great chemistry with him and she delivers a strong performance and she added so much to the tension and drama that is going on. 

Even the child actors are great, Alix West Lefler as Agnes & Dan Hough as Ant really deliver on their roles. In fact Ant is one of the more interesting parts of the film and when we meet him we see why he is a bit different and how difficult a role this is and how well he really did. 

Story

The story is interesting, the film takes its time in getting you invested and make you care about the characters in this film. You see the different characters perspective and you know it is building into a big reveal towards the end and it delivers on that well. I just think the film ends really abruptly, I understand why but it did leave me feel like I didn't really get any answers. 

Script

The characters are written extremely well and they are interesting and really fleshed out, the way the film progresses is really well handled and you gain a greater understanding of the circumstances. But the film did make some of the characters a bit stupid at times and some of the storytelling devices are slightly repetitive. 

Style 

I really like how the film presents itself and the way the film uses tension to bring in the viewer and make this a pretty scary situation. It isn't a horror film and uses minimal horror tropes which I am really thankful of and made me enjoy it more. However, the film has some slightly odd pacing. It just takes ages to really get going and I feel like this film would have been even better had it been cut down by like 10 mins and more killer, less filler being in the film. 

Overall

Overall, Speak No Evil is a good film and a pleasant surprise of 2024. It's not perfect, but keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and McAvoy gives a truly special performance. I think if you have some spare time then Speak No Evil is a worthy time at the cinema. 

Rating - 7/10

L.A. Noire (2011/2017) Review

While playing video games, you get games that have associations with big organisations that maybe don't get as much love as they should and I feel like L.A. Noire is one of those games so I decided to re-play the game and here is my review for the game. The premise of the game sees a War Hero & Rookie Cop rising through the ranks of the L.A.P.D during the 1940s. 

Characters

Aaron Stanton plays Cole Phelps and he is our main protagonist here and he is fantastic. Due to the technology used for this game we really get to see the extent of his performance and the depth he gives Cole. Cole is definitely a flawed hero and has some real issues that we have to deal with as players and Cole was a great character. 

Later on in the game we end up playing as Jack Kelso played by Gil McKinney and he was also a great character. He is a bit more intense then Cole and we don't spend as much time with him but he slips into the protagonist role really well and it feels seamless. 

Over the course of the game you are paired with different partners and they are all great characters and have great chemistry with Cole. Michael McGrady playing Rusty Galloway is my favourite and his development over the Homicide desk is really fun. Adam J Harrington as Roy Earle is the biggest slime ball in the game and he relishes in it making him one of the most memorable characters in the game. Sean McGowan as Stefan Bekowsky & Keith Szarabajka as Herschel Briggs are good partners and add a lot to their desks. 

There isn't one bad performance in this game and the technology really enhances these performances and makes it closer to TV or Film. Some of my favourites being John Noble as Leland Monroe & Peter Blomquist as Dr Harlan Fontaine. 

Story

The story is really interesting and nailed the tone of the 1940s and the brutality of Los Angeles. All the cases are interesting and as you get different partners throughout it keeps things fresh. The desks are Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson, Homicide was my favourite and I loved playing though the different cases on the desk, the others are really good and the story gets more focused in the final 2 cases. There are flashbacks that further enhance the story and shows Cole and Jacks journey while they go though their cases. The main issue for me is the ending of the story, it just feels a little weak and sudden, it kind of fits the tone of the game but it just left me not satisfied and I wish we had got a bit more. 

Side Content

This game doesn't have a lot of side content. The main one being the street crimes you can deal with and these are short but somewhat entertaining and break up the pace of the main cases pretty well. But it feels like there is a lot missing here and there was potential to have a more interactive world, more activities could have fleshed the game out and given the beautiful world life. 

Gameplay

The best part of this game are the interrogations, these interrogations are so unique and have never been done since and I have no idea why. These are the best part of the game and trying to decipher whether people are lying or telling the truth is a real challenge and kept me engaged throughout. There are gun sequences, car chases and foot chases that are all well done but they clearly aren't the focus compared to the interrogations. 

Graphics

The game looks fantastic, especially with the re-mastered version that I played. The technology used adds to every performance and makes every character feel like real people and made the interrogations feel more difficult. The locations are beautiful and I think it does add a lot to the background of the game. 

Overall

Overall, L.A. Noire is a great game that has so much good to it. This is such a unique slower paced game that won't be for everybody, but if you can handle that then you will fall in love with this game and want to keep investigating. 

Rating - 8/10

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 (2022) Review

I am a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings but I did not want to watch this show and had little interest. But with Season 2 just starting its release schedule, I thought it was time for me to watch this show and I have now watched the first season of Rings of Power and here is my review for it. The premise of the show is set thousands of years before Lord of the Rings and sees the different species try to survive against the dark forces of Middle Earth. 

Main Character

Morfydd Clark plays a young Galadriel and I did find it unfortunate that I really didn't care about this character. She is just really dull and the show doesn't do a good enough job of making you care about her or her character. Clark, does try and that deserves a bit of credit but with her being the clear protagonist of this show, she falls really flat. 

Supporting Cast

The cast is pretty large, and it is mixed for sure. I think a lot of the performers were hampered by shoddy writing and poor storytelling which gave them little to work with. 

Robert Aramayo plays young Elrond and I really liked him. He doesn't really feel like Elrond but I can't deny that he is entertaining to watch and there is plenty of depth made to his character and I found the scenes involving him and Durin played by Owain Arthur to be the most entertaining of the show. 

Charlie Vickers plays Halbrand and he is alright, he actually has some charm and charisma to him which helps him rise above some shoddy writing for the character. I thought he did a good job and made me intrigued by his character. 

But the rest of the cast really suffers, Arondir played by Ismael Cruz Cordova is really boring. He is great in the action sequences, but he is so monotone and soft spoken that it was hard to care about him and he just falls really flat, especially with how much time we spend with him. 

The story involving Daniel Weyman as The Stranger and Markella Kavenagh as Nori is really dull and boring. It tries to be mysterious but it never really goes anywhere, it took till the finale to try and make them interesting but there characters were a sore part of the show. 

Story

The story really misses the mark. I saw it described as a fan fiction of JRR Tolkein's work and I am afraid that it does really feel like that. The show tries to force intrigue and interest by hiding a lot of information about the characters but that made it really hard to get invested. Then the final episode has a few reveals that feel rushed and not earned for the show and I hope the story improves in the future.

Script

The show is unfortunately not written well. All the dialogue feels really forced and those bits that are good are due to the actors rising above this shoddy writing. Not much makes sense and making so many storylines that involve mystery makes things feeling frustratingly not complete. 

Style

Easily the best part of the show is the style. The show looks beautiful, you can tell it has a huge budget and for the most part it is really effective. Middle Earth looks great and I am glad that this show has the essence of the universe with both its looks and also its fantastic music choices. The action scenes are also great and have a bit more brutality which I definitely enjoyed. 

Overall

Overall, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Season 1 is a bad show and falls really flat of its licence. It is definitely an example of style of substance and I hope the second season is a huge improvement on this as the franchise deserves way better. 

Rating - 3/10