Director, Joshua Blewitt brings us chauvinistic, narcissist, movie lover and filmmaker, Chez Florentine (Joe Carmichael), amidst the release of his latest (very controversial) flick, Mean.
Opening on a talking heads/interview is the first entry we are given in a film with subject matter which is clearly an ode to films, filmmaking and the numerous techniques and artistic choices that come with it.
With varied styles, the cinematography ropes you in, keeping you engaged throughout. However, these multiple styles also leave this short struggling from a tonality point of view. Not to say the contrast doesn’t work but the script may have just been a tad heavy for lead, Carmichael, who doesn’t necessarily demonstrate the passion for film that his onscreen counterpart required, convincingly.
As an artist, there is a difference between the stories you want to tell and the stories you’ve been asked to tell.
Mean serves as more than just a title, not only doesn’t it hit on the downsides of the movie industry but it represents 21st-century filmmaking in the age where the internet has a voice and everyone is a critic. Although the ending falls a little flat, the finale does succeed in leaving you with a strong message: As an artist, there is a difference between the stories you want to tell and the stories you’ve been asked to tell.
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Afterlife Photo’ (2023)
Director and writer, Tatsuaki Mizoi brings us an individual (Mitsuki Moriyama) who hires a photography studio to […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Whale’ (2022)
After a long hiatus, audiences at Tyneside Cinema welcome the beautiful soul that is Brendan Fraser back to the big […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Hereditary’ (2018)
Following the life of a dysfunctional family, as they grieve, this abysmal world and the characters within it […]
Jacked In Reviews ’28 Years Later’ (2025)
In 2002, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) and Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) teamed up and […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Iron Claw’ (2023)
The pillars surrounding the screen at Tyneside Cinema provides the perfect opening, as a black and white man comes […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘The B Movie’ (2023)
The humble opening of Richard Bray’s documentary establishes what’s to come in terms of tone as we begin with […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Don’t Look Up’ (2021)
Based on real events… That haven’t happened… Yet. Don’t Look Up tells the story of two minor league […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Flight of the Navigator’ (1986)
Flight of the Navigator follows the story of David (Joey Cramer), a typical 12-year-old boy in the year 1978. After […]
Behind The Scenes of Sam Raimi’s ‘Army of Darkness’
Travelling back in time, far away from the intimate cabin in the woods setting, we have Army of Darkness AKA […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘The Lost Daughter’ (2021)
Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, The Lost Daughter tells the tale of Leda (Olivia Colman), a middle-aged, […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Joker’ (2019)
Brutal homicides, cigarettes and a cool as f*ck slow-motion dance down the stairs sequence (just ignore the Gary […]
Behind The Scene Tales From ‘An American Werewolf In London’
John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London is a cult classic in the world of horror and owes a lot of the […]