Films I watched in 2018
Every FILM I watched in 2018. Including short miniseries but no tv shows. I've tried to avoid watching the trailers or reading about most of the films on this list, and I have written the review almost immediately afterwards before reading other reviews.
Obviously, there will be spoilers, this list is mainly for self-reference, and notes are unedited streams of consciousness for when I write my own scripts. so excuse the ineloquentalism of this list.
Obviously, there will be spoilers, this list is mainly for self-reference, and notes are unedited streams of consciousness for when I write my own scripts. so excuse the ineloquentalism of this list.
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- StarsJessica BardenAlex LawtherSteve OramJames is 17 and is pretty sure he is a psychopath. Alyssa, also 17, is the cool and moody new girl at school. The pair make a connection and she persuades him to embark on a road trip in search of her real father.First Thing I watched this year. Was fucking brilliant. Alex Lawther seems to only ever play autistic freako psychopaths, but he really shines here. also this counts as a film even though it's a "series." each episode is only 20 minutes so it adds up to about a lengthy feature.
There's some spectacular character development especially for james (lawther). despite it's short runtime, by the end you truly grow to care for the well fleshed out characters.
Final Verdict
I was fucking impressed with how, in such a short runtime, we can grow to love the characters so quickly. We become invested in the characters within the first episode and both characters play perfectly off each other's personalities and quirks. This is proven in episode 5 when they're split apart from one another, and the episode falls a bit flat as there's no on screen chemistry. Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden (playing characters 6 and 8 years younger than themselves respectively) deliver absolutely superb lovable performances, backed up by Wunmi Mosaku (DC Teri) and Gemma Whelan (DC Eunice) who despite only being introduced at the end of the 3rd episode, are fully fleshed out as much as our main heroes.
The character development is definitely something to talk about though, especially James who goes smoothly from psychopath to romeo over the series arc.
The series is based from a comic book, and a lot of the stylisation of the series is obviously drawn from that-but in a nuanced style which isn't cheesy or off-putting at all (like in kickass perhaps). I personally didn't like the ending where we were literally left in the dark over whether or not James had been shot by the police. However this is probably because they want to get in another season-although like some tv shows it's best to let them finish along with the story than to keep beating out a second season. Although I felt the same way with stranger things 2 and they proved me wrong so hopefully, if they retain the format of short comic book style episodes, then season 2 should be fun to watch!
All in all, it's a great series and I definitely will be watching it again in a few weeks.
9/10 only because I felt the ending was poor, and while I liked episode 5 the least, it had a very entertaining "cameo" by Matt King (super hans-peep show). - DirectorAndrew SteggallStarsJuliet StevensonAlex LawtherPhénix BrossardA nuclear family unravels in the South of France.Second Film of 2018. Beautiful southern france vistas serve as a backdrop to a wonderful performance from bafta nominated juliet stevenson.
I must admit, it demands your full attention. I wasn't too sure of the plot if there is one. It's more like a procedural painting of human emotions on a 109 minute canvas. Despite great performances from Juliet Stevenson (and a good but slightly inconsistent one from Alex Lawther), it doesn't really jump out at me on the screen. I must admit, the scene at the end where Elliot (Lawther) jumps naked into the reservoir accompanied by an operatic hymn seemed a bit gratuitous and I do think Andrew Steggall got a little bit carried away with himself. Alongside the scene with the autumn leaves in Elliot's bedroom, they were both a little too incongruent with the style of the film. I think this film, just like Elliot, doesn't really know where it fits itself into the world. On one hand, it's a small intimate dramatic, but then it also tries to be an abstract character study. Things to take away from this: as artistic as it might feel to have a naked teenager throw himself into a lake and film him underwater in slow motion to a dramatic operatic score, unless the rest of your film has these moments-you might want to remember the style of your film. Of course, this isn't the biggest crime of this film. That would be perhaps the fact that nothing really jumps out of the film. It's all very well to paint a photorealistic picture but then it's no different to a picture isnt it. I think this film is too muted. Will I be watching it again? Probably not. Maybe in a few years time but otherwise it's unlikely. Solid 7.4/10
bewarned
this is an intelligent film, but unless you want to see an autistic freako Alex Lawther sodomise himself with a carrot whenever he's not childishly competing with his own mother for the affections of the village edgelord, then you might want to watch the second act with caution... - DirectorSimon CurtisStarsDomhnall GleesonMargot RobbieKelly MacdonaldThe relationship between writer AA Milne and his son, Christopher Robin, and how this became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh.Third Film of 2018. Trying to watch less tv and more films. Anyway, this is an interesting film, perhaps it's a cautionary tale on parenting. Superb performances from the core cast (except Lawther, who reprieses his role to as an autistic bullied weirdo freak at the end who spills spaghetti all over his lines that are supposed to be delicate and nuanced. luckily he's at the end). Some moving scenes at the end melted my icy heart and I even teared a little. Margot Robbie is a complete bitch but it's perhaps unintentionally hilarious to see her telling a gobstruck nanny that she should be glad that there was a great war because all the men were killed and she wouldn't ever be able to get married even if she wanted to and she'd be forced to be a nanny for the rest of her miserable life. Absolutely cinematic art form. Anyway it's a heartwarming traditionally british film about stolen childhoods (and shitty parenting, although lets be honest that's to a british person like what breathing is to a human).
Final thoughts,
This is actually quite a sweet film. I started watching worried it was going to be 107 minutes of over gratuitous shots of Will Tilston (Billy Moon) being as cute as possible, but it definitely has an underlying message. A cautionary tale against the stealing of childhoods, you see-the film isn't REALLY about an author and how he made winnie the pooh into a multi billion dollar brand. It's about a young boy who's trying to connect with his father who sold the boy's childhood. I will watch it again I think, not in the near future but watch it again I will. I'd give it a solid 7.75/10. - DirectorAndy MuschiettiStarsBill SkarsgårdJaeden MartellFinn WolfhardIn the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.Film number 4. Now I see the appeal as to why people might think this is a good film, and it certainly stands on its own two feet. I must disclose that I don't like to watch horror films, especially on my own. I must say I think the cast is a little too big. I know it's an adaptation but it's not easy to really flesh out the characters, and it quickly became the girl+the stuttering boy+fatso+speccyfromstrangerthings and the gang. the acting was good, the main bully looked a bit too prepubescent, and the mullets too campy-but the main cast were mostly solid. I'd particularly mention that finn wolfhard was particulary good-even as some weirdo comic relief.
A problem I did find with the plot though was that it was far too easy for them to kill pennywise. I get that it was feeding off their fear and they just had to stop fearing-but it should've been more of a challenge. Perhaps the annoying jewish bahmitzvah kid could've died. (actually surprised the black guy didn't die first or at all, not surprised he was the only one with the gun. I blame hollywood).
all in all its a good horror film, certainly better than most. but it's no art film. Won't be watching this again-although that's partly because I dislike horror as a genre. I'd give it around 7.3 - DirectorLudovic BernardStarsAhmed SyllaAlice BelaïdiKévin RazyA young man from the suburbs with no mountaineering experience decides to climb Mt Everest to show a woman he'd do anything for her.Film number Five! Nice to watch a classic french romance film!
Ok... it's not a classic by any means. In fact this film would be a 6, there are pretty passable moments. but the premise seems quite original, and I must admit-I was grinning from ear to ear at the end. The main character is incredibly likable (even though a bit of a bumbling idiot). His Nepali Sherpa companion is humorously naive-having never seen a black person before. There were some confusing moments however, relating to the script. For example; when Samy has to say goodbye to the sherpa, you'dve thought they'd at least hug or like "brofist" where he just shrugs it off. Also the climbing companion who is portrayed as a sincere stoic climber throughout the film gives up like 30ft from the top when he has a nervous breakdown and starts rambling about his daddy issues and the "stars" even though it's theyre literally being bathed in sunlight.
How I would end it.
I'd have the second sherpa guide refuse to take samy any further when the oxygen ran out. Samy would then finish the climb by himself and as he reaches the top you see what you think is him dying from hypoxia. The next scene would be the senegalese mourning, only for him to turn up in a big prodigal moment.
My final verdict.
It's not exactly an intelligent film, but I like that it doesn't try to be. It's a great feel good flic. Also it's in french which was certainly fun to watch (how many sherpas even speak english let alone french anyway lol). I will probably be watching this again but not for a while. It's reliably a 7.0 - DirectorStephen GaghanStarsMatthew McConaugheyEdgar RamírezBryce Dallas HowardKenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on a journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia.Mathew McConaughey is perhaps one of the best Actors alive today. In this capitalist adventure flick he plays a desperate gold prospector in a position many of us can relate to. That being of course when no one believes you or in you.
The film has an unoriginal premise, but the first half is quite exciting. Unfortunately it kinda runs out of steam towards the end, and I was even checking periodically to see how long is left. I think a runtime of 120 minutes is too much... This film could've been easily 15-20 minutes shorter and could've told the same story only more concisely.
Impressive performances by Corey Stoll (Russo from House of Cards) and McConaughey himself especially.
Final Verdict,
Impressive production values and performances sadly don't compensate for this film, which was far too slow and had too many acts for it's own good. Also it sets up Kenny and Kay's relationship problems and the payoff is a bit lacklustre. It would've been nicer perhaps if he proposed earlier in the film when he first found out about the gold find-they'd then break up as they do in the film, and then he'd propose again at the end as a changed man and she'd accept and they'd live happily ever after in their trailer park.
The problem I have with it is there's no real MEANING to the film or message. It's really just plot. It feels like a biopic. Gold is a film about it's own plot. It doesn't aspire to have a message or moral. It does feel like the Wolf of Wall Street, only the aforesaid actually attempts to have a meaning that transcends itself-whereas gold is a bit lacklustre.
I did like the final scene though, when he opens up the contract Kenny signed with Acosta in the first act, and it's revealed that the contract signed on a napkin reads: "Prove 'em all wrong" (the film's tagline) and "50-50" with their signatures below. Underneath is a check for 82 million dollars, half of what Acosta stole from investors.
It just about scrapes itself into a 7/10 rating. Really it's about 6.5-Passable, would not watch again. - DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsSally HawkinsOctavia SpencerMichael ShannonAt a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.I can't believe this is the 6th film that I've watched this weekend. KILL ME.
Director Guillermo del Toro brings us a 60s New-Yorkian (with parisian influence) love story about two bipedal outcasts. One being a mute cleaner, and the other being an aquatic monster/alien/merman.
Now, this film has won quite a few awards, 2 golden globes in fact (best director and best original score).
However I must admit I didn't actually enjoy it. It just seems ridiculous that a top secret military research lab would let simple cleaning ladies into a secret laboratory where they were enacting cruel experiments on some aquatic merman. (I'll refer to him as a merman from now on, it's really some amphibious demon fish man).
What's more it's ridiculous how easy they managed to escape with the merman.
The villain is simply rather forgettable. Strickland is an evil racist officer who carries around a big black phallic looking cattle prod and doesn't wash his hands after peeing. I can't be bothered to write about him.
The film reminds me of a french love romance film-the twist being its with some aquatic monster. and yes they have sex. there's a ridiculous scene where they flood the bathroom to the ceiling.
All in all the there is a good score, and Octavia Spencer (Snowpiercer) gives a particularly noteful performance. But I don't like this film as there is not a lot of credible motivation. it feels like a lethargic "pretty girl befriends someone who looks scary on the outside but is really nice on the inside, and they break out of prison/etc" trope. It's a bit unoriginal. I must say though I like how the girl and the merman bond, it's cute. Also the fact that neither can talk is quite sweet but helps give a bit of credibility to her motivation for breaking the merman out.
Anyway I think I do actually regret watching this. 123 minutes and I haven't left the theatre (well my bedroom) a better or at least changed man. I'll give it a 6.5/10 because it does have a few good performances and the music is quite good. However it's ridiculous that two janitors could break out a "TOP SECRET ASSET" from a "TOP SECRET RESEARCH FACILITY" during the height of the cold war. Stupid film! - DirectorGarth JenningsStarsBill MilnerWill PoulterJessica HynesDuring a long English summer in the early 1980s, two schoolboys from differing backgrounds set out to make a film inspired by First Blood (1982).it's 1am on a tuesday (it was a three day weekend) and this is film number 8.
I saw this film twice or thrice when it came out with my dad, and a few more times after-but this rewatch was so far away from the first time it felt like watching it for the first time again. What can I say? This film is so fucking cute! Debut performances from 12 and 14 year old Bill Milner (William) and Will Poulter (Lee) are incredibly consistent in their standard of quality.
There's an underlying theme of friendship throughout the movie. Lee is an outcast, hated by his peers. He makes friends with the impressionably naive William-who's been raised in some sort of mormonesque cult his whole life which has banned him from consuming media (films and tv etc). This unlikely friendship is in form of some sort of working relationship where lee makes an over imaginative william into his stuntman, and they record increasingly dangerous and humorous stunts for a film he's planning to enter into the BBC screen test young filmmaker competition. As they're filming their rambo-inspired "epic," the arrival of the french exchange-and the cigarrette smoking girl kissing rebellious (oddly efeminately dressing) teen Didier, turns the school upside down. I guess we could say Didier represents the "cool" wave, and quickly the rest of the school is copying him-however he gets quickly bored. While he's outside lighting a cigarrette using a human chain touching a frayed wire, he catches sight of Lee and Will filming a scene for their movie with a giant plastic dog strapped to a kite flying in the air. Lee gets hauled inside by an angry science teacher and Will runs away after an accident, however he drops his wildly imaginative sketchbook-which didier and his gang find. With Lee suspended for a week, Will takes over filming-and this is where their friendship goes awry. Didier takes a liking to Will, and wants to be in his film. As the whole school seems obsessed with Didier, soon the whole school wants to be in it and when Lee returns-he's bemused to say the least to find Will hanging out in the 6th form common room (a discotheque) and rolling with the cool kids. Obviously Lee hates this, and I can empathise with him as he feels his (best and only) friend is being stolen by the cool kids who are only using him and don't really care for him. This set up is paid off at the end when Didier almost kills Will by crashing a jeep and sending the little will into a large oil spill. Didier and all the cool kids flee the scene and Will is trapped under rubble and is only saved at the last minute by Lee.
This theme of fickle popularity is present on several fronts. Will becomes an overnight "celebratory" (if you can say that) much to Lee's annoyance-he warns Will that they're not his real friends, but naive Will doesn't listen. Of course at the end this is proven, when none of his new friends try to save him from the oil spill. However in one of the last scenes, we see Didier sitting by himself at the back of the bus being laughed at and mocked by his french classmates who don't see him as cool as the english do, as he scrambles to pick up his gifts that he dropped on the floor.
I feel a lot for Lee. His parents are in spain leaving his disinterested older brother in charge of the affairs. Lawrence (Lee's big brother) obviously doesn't care about Lee however for Lee, Lawrence is all that he has-a sort of father figure perhaps. His brother's rejection of Lee is rather painful for the audience to watch and it only makes Lee's rejection by Will only more poignant.
Will also lacks a father. His died when he was younger so he is raised solely by his mother. Coupled with his wild imagination, one might think that him fashioning himself as the "son of rambow (sic)" is related to that-some wild coping mechanism. Just a thought.
Oh and theres a "cameo" by Asa Butterfield (Merlin, Hugo) who plays perhaps what could be described as a younger Will in an alternate timeline where his dad hadn't died. He says; "My dad doesn't let me go to your school he says you're all a bad influence." This played off nicely to Will's character-who blossoms his creativity and imagination after joining the new school and befriending Lee. Perhaps if Will's dad hadn't died, Will wouldn't have been allowed to school either.
With Will's family there's an underlying theme of religious oppression. His mother when she was a girl also wanted to consume media but her backwards family burnt her record player and you see an internal conflict with her. Throughout the film the "brethren" is an antagonistic force on Will, demanding that his mother prevent him from continuing the film production. Eventually she snaps and decides to leave the toxic community for the betterment of her family.
Also to be noted, there's a lot of pleasent "cyclycallness" in the film. It starts in a movie theater and ends in one, for example. A cute one is where earlier in the film, Will (having just been rescued from the lake by Lee) jubiantly says "Lee? This has been the BEST day of my life!" (and then they become blood brothers), and then at the end once they've watched their film in the cinema- Lee says to Will, "Will? This has been the BEST day of my life!"
I must say I'm surprised that the director Garth Jennings went from directing Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) to directing Son of Rambow (2007) to directing Sing (2016). Having made a few music videos and shorts in between, he must've been a rather good networker. Regardless he evidently seems to know what he's doing-and if Sing (2016) is anywhere as good as Son of Rambow (2007) then maybe I will have to watch it! (just kidding I won't-I hate musicals)
Final Verdict.
This film will always have a warm place in my heart. I admit this biases my opinion on it-but this is my own list i can do whatever i want. Performances from leads Bill Milner and Will Pouter are phenomenal, with a strong cast of supporting actors and actresses to back them up. It's also funny to see that Will Poulter's (who's career has taken off quite well since then) eyebrows were still as ridiculous back then as they are now.
Out of all the films I've watched this year so far, this has been the most enjoyable (alongside end of the f***ing world). If you're reading this and you're not me and you haven't seen this... WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!
I'll definitely be watching this again in the future. Maybe with my own children one day. 9/10 -it's a great little film which doesn't try to do anything too clever but has a neat plot with quite a number of themes sewn up within it. - DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsBrie LarsonJacob TremblaySean BridgersA little boy is held captive in a room with his mother since his birth, so he has never known the world outside.Oh boy don't I want to give this film a higher rating. It's such an original premise, and the Jacob Tremblay is great.
The first 40 minutes are really strong. We see the mother (Brie Larson) pretending the entire world is this tiny room, to her adorable son Jack (Jacob Tremblay). We really begin to grow to empathise with the characters, especially after it's revealed that "Ma" is being repeatedly raped every night by "Old Nick," their captor. Eventually, it's revealed that Old Nick is unemployed and soon won't be able to pay the mortgage. Ma deduces that this means that he'll kill them to prevent his secret being let out when the banks come to foreclose the house. This is where the plot peaks in potential. Ma tries to explain to incredulous 5-year-old Jack, that she's been lying about the Room, and that there really is a big wide world outside. Jack at first rejects this, saying she's tricking him. Eventually, she convinces him to help her in their daring escape.
Now essentially everything after this goes downhill. It's only about 45 minutes in out of a 118-minute thriller.
At first, Ma tries to trick Old Nick into thinking Jack is sick, and to take him to hospital/ER, where Jack would alert the police. However, Old Nick unsurprisingly fails to fall for this trick and says he'll just buy stronger antibiotics for Jack. A frustrated Ma decides to double down on this tactic and wraps Jack into the rug-telling him to play dead. She tells Old Nick that Jack died in his sleep and for Old Nick to bury him in a beautiful place. Old Nick doesn't even check to see if Jack is dead and in fact both act rather underwhelming to the "death" of their son (Jack was formed of rape). Old Nick carries the rug to his truck and drives to the woods, and when he stops at a stop sign, little Jack jumps out and runs for help. A good samaritan passer-by challenges an angry Old Nick, who was trying to haul Jack back to the car. Old Nick, frustrated, tosses Jack to the floor and races away in his truck. The police pick up Jack and a kind female officer looks after him and deduces where Ma is and subsequently saves her.
This is where the first act ends and the biggest problem of the film begins. You see, it's not even halfway, and the threat/evil has been defeated. Now that they've escaped the shed, and Old Nick has been arrested, we're not sure where to go. With such an underwhelming escape, it feels like Room (2015) smoked away it's premise too quickly. The rest of the film descends into an effectively directionless compilation of Ma and Jack "re-adjusting" and their difficulties with closure. Eventually, the film ends with Jack asking to see the room for one last time, they visit and he states that it's not as big with the door open, and they leave. Roll credits.
The problem I have with this film is that it doesn't really know what it wants to be. Is it an escape thriller? or is it a 118-minute sobfest of the trauma of being held against your will for 8 years? The first half of the film burned brightly, but the flame went out without a fight only 50 minutes in, where they escape, and the film slowly runs out of steam until it slowly limps across the finishing line.
How would I have made this into a better film? First off it wouldn't be so long, it doesn't need to be. You could easily have a better story in 97-103 minutes instead. I'd also have the film be about their escape primarily. Perhaps it'd take 3 or 4 attempts to escape, each one wilder than the last. How it is at the moment, I'd have Old Nick catch Jack, and take him back to the shed to torture him and his Ma only for the police to break in at the last second. Then there'd really be a credible foundation for the audience to emphasise with the trauma of the two shown in the rest of the movie. How it is currently, it actually gets a bit annoying how Ma behaves.
Final Verdict.
I would've made the escape around the 60-minute mark at least, and include a gratuitous torture scene. Perhaps Jack would see Old Nick raping Ma, and she'd invent a wonderful lie to protect his innocence. Perhaps the film could explore how she slowly chips away and sacrifices her own humanity in order to protect Jack's.
I must commend the performances of Jack (Jacob Tremblay), and Ma (Brie Larson, who actually won an Oscar for her portrayal (It must've been a weak year for the film industry though-she wasn't THAT good)) though. However, it simply runs out of steam far too quickly and betrays the brilliant premise for some amateur attempts at trying to make the audience cry. Will I be watching this film again? No probably not. However, I'll give it a high 7.7/10. If It wasn't for the second half betraying the first, it could easily have been a 9 or 10. - DirectorJay RussellStarsEmily WatsonDavid MorrisseyAlex EtelA lonely boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend.Wow I'm tearing through movies frightfully quick, aren't I. It's almost shameful that I've watched 10 films since last weekend, and it's only wednesday (17th Jan 2018).
Anyway. Waterhorse is another film from 2007 that I saw when it came ou, and boy at the time didn't I fall in love with it. A story about a lonely boy (who can't swim) finding a strange egg which hatches into a Loch Ness monster? Right up my street! At the time I was obsessed with dragons, but I made an exception because the water horse was basically a fish dragon. I must've seen this twice or thrice in the cinema with my family, so literally 10-11 years later, I'm watching it again.
First and foremost. Unlike Son of Rambow (2007), this film is actually just a family film. There's some things there for the adults, but it's clear to whom the film is marketed. Having said that though, it's not just 112 minutes of child actors and animals doing slapstick things.
Angus MacMorrow is a lonely 10 year old living in the scottish highlands during the 1940s. He can't swim and is terrified of drowning-in fact the opening shot of him is of him drowning. His father has been MIA for over a year and there is an absence of a father figure in his life. He finds a mysterious egg and it hatches into a baby loch ness monster just as a British Army regiment arrives to station themselves in Angus's house.
Major themes include father figures. Angus is missing a father, and the Army captain takes it on himself to try and fill this void-by forcing Angus to help out with military chores. He's obviously unsuccessful and is hated by Angus after he fires shells into the Loch from cannons.
Lewis Mowbray (Ben Chaplin), the new handyman-a veteran of the war, fills this void more smoothly. You see the bond between father and son between Lewis and Angus start to grow, as Lewis begins to become complicit in Angus's hiding of the water horse. As Lewis enters the MacMorrow family, we see the wound of the death of the Father, start to heal. Angus starts to come out of his shell. We see the importance of a father figure for young boys, especially in the early formative years.
Another theme seems to be anti-war, with several soldiers at some points mentioning their discontent in the background. Minor characters hint at the idea of the futility of war, and Mowbray doesn't pride himself in being a war hero even though he is. At the end, Angus's mother delivers a speech about how the monster wasn't "crusoe" but war. I thought this theme was a bit heavy-handed and almost incongruent with the film, and should've been handled a bit more delicately.
A major gripe that angers me about this film, is the STUPID format of having the film be essentially a narration. The film actually starts in modern day Loch Ness. Two American tourists are in the local pub, looking for the Loch Ness Monster. A local old man overhears them arguing about wether or not it's real, and he hands them an unsolicited offer to recount the true story behind the loch ness photo. Then the film actually begins, and we barely hear from this old man except at really incongruent times. The film ends with him saying something infuriating along the lines of "and that was the end of that! and it's ALL TRUE!" and flashes them a knowing smile. He then introduces himself as Angus, Angus MacMorrow. The couple leave the pub arguing over wether or not it was true, and the camera pans away to show a worried mother calling for her son William. The camera tracks down to the beach and shows us William, another 10 or so year old boy, who stumbles along another water horse egg.
The use of narration in film, as a rule, is lazy and uninspiring and I find it even disrespectful to the audience. This removal of the narration would literally detract nothing from the plot, and would, in fact, make the film better.
Final thoughts.
It's a nice family film, it's a lot of fun to watch, and it touches on some deeper themes about fatherhood. The biggest problem I have with it is the use of Narration, which adds nothing to the film. There's also a sort of contempt to factual accuracy, although it is a childrens film after all.
I won't be watching this again I think. However I would give it a high 7.2/10. Although I must admit my nostalgia biases me in favour of it. - DirectorJames FrancoStarsJames FrancoDave FrancoAri GraynorWhen aspiring actor Greg Sestero meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.Wow. I'm not a fan of James Franco, after his ridiculously cringey collaborations with Seth Rogen. However boy this film was something else.
It's absolutely hilarious. James Franco is an insane actor, and Dave Franco (not related to James Franco) has perfect onscreen chemistry with him.
This is, I guess, a story of proving the haters wrong and following your dreams even if it takes a million years.
Final Thoughts
It's really funny. I have a heart of stone and I was howling at points. James Franco nails the characterisation of Tommy Wiseau.
Will probably watch it again in the future while drunk. The Acting and Script is strong. I can't think of anything wrong with it, but there's nothing really ground-breaking here. 8/10 - DirectorCraig GillespieStarsChris PineCasey AffleckBen FosterThe Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952.Wow what a waste of time.
It's uncompelling and uninteresting. The Love interest Miriam, proposes on what seems to be the second date, then acts all upset when a confused Bernie says no. Bernie then relents in the same scene and almost reluctantly agrees to go through with it. Miriam says a specific date, April the 16th, but the significance of this date is never repeated again.
Anyway, the vfx are pretty bad. Especially the water scenes, they do the job but it doesn't blow me away. I was even waiting for it to finish towards the end.
Only one person dies in the entire film. Should've been a lot more.
The two main characters are dull and boring.
There's a recurring trope where the sailors sing songs to keep the spirits up. This is just cheap and tacky after the first few times.
Final Thoughts. This film is shit. Never watching it again. 4.5/10 - DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsLeonardo DiCaprioTom HardyWill PoulterA frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.Well, this film is certainly a cut above the rest.
Dicaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhall Gleeson... The cast is ridiculously good. In fact it's a dream cast. Dicaprio even won an oscar for this, although we all know he should've got it for the Wolf of Wall Street (2013).
I digress. This film hasn't got a lot of dialogue in it, it's quite an intimate story of man vs wild. Dicaprio's character quickly loses his identity as a settler/american, and simply become a man fighting for survival-after his own party abandoned him when he got attacked by a bear.
Talking of which, the bear scene is gripping. Absolutely riveting. I had to force myself to breathe throughout!
The cinematography is visually pleasing, that'd be an understatement. Cinematographers are rather under-appreciated by the consumer and likely the industry as well. Emmanuel Lubezki was honoured with an Oscar, well deserved. He insisted on lighting the film with only natural lighting, which made filming a nightmare, but you can tell the blood sweat and tears that went into this film.
That's a poignant point. Apparently a large number of crew were fired/dropped out because filming conditions were so horrific and arduous. You can really appreciate the blood sweat and tears that went into this film. You can feel the passion seeping into every frame.
Final Thoughts.
It's a good film. The picture is great. The acting performance is in a class of it's own, in fact it doesn't even feel like acting anymore. The characters are fleshed out. But to be honest, there's nothing that really changes the way one thinks/percieves anything. This isn't a groundbreaking film. I probably won't watch it again as it's 156 minutes long. 8.2/10 - DirectorBenjamin ClearyStarsMatthew NeedhamChloe PirrieEric RichardA man whose lush inner thoughts are rendered mute by a crippling stutter feels isolated from the world despite a flourishing online relationship.Disclaimer: This is a short film. It's only 12 minutes. It's not the only short film I've watched this year, but it's the only one I've felt deserves to be amongst the feature films, since this does have a multi-act plot.
Stutterer is about a guy with a severe speech impediment, who feels like an outcast to society. He learns sign language so he can pretend to be deaf to avoid social interaction. He has a 6-month online relationship to a girl, who one day wants to meet him in real life. Our protagonist is terrified of this encounter, as he is afraid of her reaction to his impediment. However at the end it's revealed to us that she is deaf.
This film is beautifully filmed. The lighting in the scenes shot within his home is so soft and warm. The cinematography is beautiful, a scene that stood out to me in this regard was when he said an idiom to his father, and we got a closeup of the elderly man.
Final thoughts. This is an incredibly well done film. Of course, it won an oscar for best live action. It's a bit of a pest to track down in terms of actually watching the film. I had to use a vpn to watch it on "the new yorker" youtube channel, as for some reason it's location restricted to only the USA. Perhaps it hasn't premiered in the uk? Anyway, I'll be watching this again in the future, there's a lot to be learned here. 8.8/10 - DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsMichael KeatonZach GalifianakisEdward NortonA washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.THIS IS ART. THIS FILM IS ART. THIS FILM IS A PIECE OF ART.
Seriously. This film literally has me dumbstruck. All I can say is that this is art.
At 119 minutes, it's certainly a long film-especially for a comedy. However, at no point did I even think of the time! I also was a bit nervous watching it, as in I didn't know if I wanted to commit to nearly 2 hours. But I'm glad I did.
The format for this is quite something else. The entire film is filmed in a single shot. Well of course, it isn't, but it is edited to look that way. The same cinematographer from the Revenant worked on this film, along with the same director. So unsurprisingly this film is incredibly visually pleasing. The use of natural lighting once again (in reference to The Revenant) bestows a certain "timeless" quality to the film.
Final Thoughts.
Birdman is an indepth character study, of a man haunted by his previous success in something he doesn't see as worthy, and the struggle of the artist to create. The photography is beautiful. Will probably not watch again in the future, not enough time. However I'll give it a 9.5/10 because it really does do something different, and not only does it do something different, it does it well! And of course, it won like 4 oscars. - DirectorEdgar WrightStarsAnsel ElgortJon BernthalJon HammAfter being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.Does feel a bit like a long music video crossed with bonnie and Clyde.
It's a nice action.
7.4/10 - DirectorNick MooreStarsEmma RobertsAidan QuinnNatasha RichardsonA rebellious Malibu princess is shipped off to a strict English boarding school by her father.love this film. even though its not that good
- CreatorHossein AminiJames WatkinsStarsYoalah BrinsonJames NortonMerab NinidzeAlex Godman has spent his life trying to escape the shadow of his family's past. But when a murder unearths their past, Alex is drawn into the criminal underworld where he must confront his values to protect those he loves.Impressive and expensively shot. Felt the main character, Alex, was a bit too cold and emotionless for my liking. Alienated the audience.
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsMichael ShannonJoel EdgertonKirsten DunstA father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.Cute film but not much substance
It does feel quite "spielberg-esque" especially in the first and second parts, but it kinda falls off in the third act. There's a lot of symbolism and imagery in the script, but unfortunately it's a bit too subtle, and to the untrained eye-it can seem a bit simplistic. We're also left with a lot of questions. Where is Alton from, how/why did they know to go to where they were going? etc etc. Anyway the director seems very talented and I'm looking forward to watching more of his work.
Scenes I loved:
The scene where Shannon loses Alton, and feels like he's failed as a father. The way he wanders slowly towards the traffic communicates so much to the viewer without need for exposition.
The opening sequence. It had my hair up on end. The way Lucas (Joel Edgerton) drives with night vision goggles after killing the lights of the car is definitely something I'll steal in the future.
The sequence where they're having a car chase. The tension is palpable here, we don't see the Electrician and the Deputy of the Cult being arrested or anything. We're in the dark. We see the entire thing from shannon's perspective, the helicopter etc. It's incredibly done. Lesser directors would've chosen to have a gimmicky car action scene.
The scene at the gas station where Alton says "i'm sorry," after accidentally bringing down a
Scenes I wasn't a fan of:
All the long dialogue scenes where FBI/NSA agents interviewed the ranch cultists etc. Felt like it really took the wind out of the sails of the film.
The scene where Alton explains he's an angel/alien and there's a second world built on ours. We already know most of that, and the way he explains and interacts with the rest of the cast in the way he speaks, it's incongruous to the adult-child relationship. Not sure how to word it but it wasn't healthy.
Conclusion.
Midnight Special is a special film. It is shot beautifully on film, and has fleshed out characters with motives and backstories. Unfortunately it's final act feels a bit weak, and anticlimactic. Furthermore, I don't think Midnight Special is a good name to be honest. It makes me think of something you might find in the food court at the mall haha. This film cost 18 million dollars to make but apparently only returned about 6.3 million at box office. Jeff Nichols, while being a great artistic director, isn't' incredibly bankable. Regardless, it's definitely a film for the film aficionado.
7.8/10 - DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithThandiwe NewtonJaden SmithA struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.Such an emotive piece. The relationship between Jaden and Will Smith wouldn't have been nearly as authentic as if it was with two unrelated actors. The fact that Jaden is Will's son in real life, completely bleeds into the screen. Definitely a film you should watch before dying!
8.5/10 - DirectorKyle NewacheckStarsAdam DevineAnders HolmBlake AndersonThree friends are on the verge of getting their video game financed when their benefactor is taken hostage by terrorists.FUCK this film. I feel completely offended for watching this trash heap. The only reason it gets 2 and not 1 is because of the scene where Devine pretends to auto erotically asphyxiate himself.
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsBrad PittShia LaBeoufLogan LermanA grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April, 1945.A moving film.
The film is not so much about ww2 as it is about violence and killing (kill or be killed). We see Brad Pitt having lost his humanity, and forces Logan Lerman to lose his as well. It's very violent, don't even bother trying to keep count of the deaths. Funnily enough it's the Americans who seem more inhumane than the Nazis in this film. The most powerful scene was at the end when Logan (who has the belief of kill or be killed instilled in him) is saved by an SS soldier who spots him hiding under a tank and doesn't say anything. This goes to show even the most "evil" of Hollywood villains are still human. We should NEVER betray our humanity, not for any reason.
The acting performances are impeccable. I personally love John berthal from the walking dead, so it's always fun seeing him in things. The entire ensemble cast were incredibly strong. There's so much I want to say about this film but I'm too tired.
8.5/10 - a must watch, it examines murder and humanity - DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsViggo MortensenCharlize TheronKodi Smit-McPheeIn a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.A bleak story/odyssey about humanity, and the innocence of children.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsTom CruiseEmily BluntBill PaxtonA soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.It's an interesting premise, but not exactly a new one. I wasn't particularly excited by the "hive mind" plot device (as in, instead of killing all the baddies you just have to kill one) as this is lazy and has been done many times already (The Great Wall (Matt Damon,2017)). However It's got some funny moments, such as when the fat guy lands on the beach and screams "we've made it!" triumphantly, before being crushed by a massive vtol. The comic moments (like when he gets run over by a jeep) keep the action in the film fresh.
Tom Cruise of course is no stranger to this genre and he delivers a solid performance. The rest of the cast was decent but there was no really outstanding performances (although that's in part due to the writing).
I liked the special effects and VFX, especially with the "Alphas" that did feel quite extraterrestrial. However the regular mimics felt too much like angry tumbleweed. Furthermore I wasn't that impressed with the conceptual design of the suits. Mainly the fact that the guns were part of the suit and came out of the arms. Also some of the designs were reminiscent of hockey pads/helmets. I did really like the VTOL/landing ship design, which reminded me of Starcraft2 (marine medical drops etc) which was cool.
Verdict: 7.3/10
Edge of Tomorrow is a decent action film with an interesting (but unoriginal) concept. The CGI is great especially for 2014, but there film gets a little bit tedious at some parts.
7.3/10 - StarsChai HansenLuciane BuchananJosh ThomsonEntering the mythical world of the Monkey King, where a young monk and his group of disciples are on a journey to collect scrolls of Buddhist wisdom.Cute and cheesy. Feels very "green screen" in style, which can be very divisive.
But it's a nice light hearted series and is about the length of about two medium size films so it's definitely worth a watch
7/10