rcuttill Reviews

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Snore for the planet of the apes

[7/10 · 10 May 2024]

Look I've given a 7. I'm not saying it's completely unwatchable. The scenery and effects are good. But it's slow. And as for the plot. Every movie should have one. Especially this one. Now I realise this is an unpopular opinion with 30ish reviews above 5 and 6 below 5. The emotional stuff didn't really gel for me. You have to buy that 2 apes or an ape and a human, whom the ape distrusts, become friends within a few hours and risk their lives to save each other. Basically the apes are living in a friendly village, a bit like hobbits, and Sauron comes, sorry I meant the Genghis Khan ape comes. He's called Proximus Caesar. Proximus Caesar is capturing or destroying all the other apes and also humans. I don't know. Perhaps he felt like a day out. Humans are of course considered stupid because they don't speak. Apart form the two that do speak. One is running the library for Proximus Caesar. These speaking humans don't seem to concern most apes. Whilst thinking all humans are stupid Proximus Caesar is trying to get into huge metal doors, like a huge vault, leading to a tunnel, that he believes contains human secrets. Quite how he knows this is unstated. Perhaps he's read some of the books in his library that the human is running, which may have been printed by ape or by humans or maybe someone bought a job lot on Ebay. Interestingly the other human who can speak knows exactly how to get into the vault but then stops Proximus Caesar getting access. As for action well there is some. Like the village burning down. But somehow it's not really that dramatic. I have to say that I watched this in a cinema with a Dolby sound system. I watched it there so I could enjoy the loud parts of the movie. But there didn't seem to be really loud parts. Even when burning the village down it seems to be done fairly quietly. To summarise this movie is in the category of movies I need a fast forward for or feeling I want to set an alarm and take a nap till something interesting happens. I suppose overall it's a nice movie. The hobbits get on with the elves and everybody settles down to plan a sequel or two.

Civil War (2024)

There's a civil war somewhere, just not in this movie

[6/10 · 22 April 2024]

Here's a quote from the film * Lee: You *are* aware there's a really huge civil war going on everywhere?

* Shop Assistant: We usually try to stay out of it. With everything that's been going on, it seems like it's for the best.

Basically the film takes the same attitude as the shop assistant. They are combat journalists trying to speak to the President. They are not embedded as one synopsis said. If they were we might actually see the civil war. If it wasn't for the Presidential broadcast, as in the trailer, and the Western Forces flag (like the US flag but only 2 stars) it could have been anywhere and any war. The trailer suggests you're going to see the civil war. The journalists are wandering around. They take pictures of burnt out cares and sometimes combat. It's not explained who's fighting who and why. They encounter the "what type of American are you?" guy and the "We're shooting at someone because they're shooting at us" guys. Neither of these are directly part of the civil war. They're not on either side. In other words it's just a film that's anti-war but done in such a slow way that I was thinking of calling this review "recommended for insomniacs". Watching the trailer you'd think there was constant battle throughout the film. I'm really tempted to say that the only combat scenes in the film are the ones in the trailer but that would be unfair. The ending battle is pretty good but I do think you'd end up with a 30 minute film if you took out all the chatting in the van. It's an anti-war film that doesn't make its point. It's more like a pro-sleep film.

Madame Web (2024)

I went expecting to see a terrible movie but didn't.

[8/10 · 16 March 2024]

I went expecting to see a terrible movie but didn't. I'm not saying it's the greatest but it's not unwatchable. I found it quite pleasant and engaging. I've seen far worse. The plot is intriguing. It's a voyage of discovery about hidden powers and also clearly has a sequel in mind. It skips about, such as bits in Peru, but that does follow the narrative. I agree with some that the villain isn't the baddest but he's passable. They clearly play with a mixed trio of teenage girls and gives it some of the humour, although there's not much laugh out loud humour. This is long from being the best Marvel movie but although way down the list it's not the worst. There aren't a huge number of fight scenes but overall the film is adequate. Don't go in with the expectation of a blockbuster but you will see a modest superhero movie.

The Iron Claw (2023)

I had a single tear at the end

[8/10 · 7 February 2024]

I though I'd write this because this movie may just be seen as a sports movie. In a sense it is not a sports movie. It's about a family, the Von Erichs. It's based on the true story of the Von Erichs. The Patriarch Fritz Von Erich is obsessed with the WMA World heavyweight championship. He failed to get it when he had his wrestling career. His sons are following in his footsteps. They're trying to please him and they've fully engaged in the dream. They seem to be cursed. There's even talk of a curse of the Von Erich's. Bad things seem to come their way. At first I thought I'd rate this a 7, my rating for an Okay movie. It is slow and at times does seem overlong. However it is compelling. The thing that made me give it an 8, my rating for a movie I'd like to see again, was the ending. Without giving anything away it's essentially a denouement you might have been expecting all through the movie but didn't get. It's very sad. I think it's well worth the wait. I do not cry at movies except for this one. At the end I suddenly noticed I had a single tear running down my cheek.

Argylle (2024)

Enjoyed it immensely. Watched it again.

[9/10 · 3 February 2024]

Why so many negative reviews? Was Henry Cavill not given a big enough role? Does it have to be serious like Daniel Craig's James Bond?

It was billed as a comedy and it is a comedy but also has a serious side. They are going to save the world.

It starts with an author, Elly Conway(Bryce Dallas Howard), writing about a fictional character, Argylle(Henry Cavill), It turns out she's correct about what's happening in the real world. Too correct. It's interconnects with the real world of spies. Bad guys are after her to find out what she knows and good guys, including Aidan Wilde(Sam Rockwell) are trying to save her. It is brilliant on the twists and turns. Who's really a bad guy? And the music is great. It romps along to a satisfactory. It's fun.

Without giving anything away it's worth going for the scene outside the armoury alone. You'll see.

I enjoyed it immensely. I gave it a few days and watched it again and still enjoyed it. It's still worth a 9. I considered upgrading it to 10 out of 10 but it narrowly misses that partly because the twists are not such a surprise on the re-watch.

For comparison my 9's include Casablanca, The Imitation Game, Beverly Hills Cop.

The only 10s i've awarded in the last 10 years are for Joker, Top Gun: Maverick, Blade Runner, The Red Pill. Free Guy, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and The Great Escaper.

All of Us Strangers (2023)

How to be boring and powerful at the same time

[6/10 · 30 January 2024]

I was thinking of describing this film as "do you know those conversations you're in where you feel you'd rather be at home with the TV and a cup of tea. Well this film has that feeling". To be fair I changed my mind somewhat, but not completely, further on. I now find it both boring and powerful and I'm not sure why. I can explain the powerful in that it's a world of pain and loneliness and well portrayed but the boring is not quite so obvious. It's a bit like a horror movie where you don't know exactly what the monster looks like and they're hyping the suspense by not showing it and you're thinking oh come on, show me the monster. They keep bits hidden to help this movie but I'm not sure it helps. I have to add the music was a redeeming factor but not used enough. So for me I'd suggest put it at the bottom of your list and see when you've seen all the stuff you want or see it when you're feeling sad.

Poor Things (2023)

There may be a vaccine for this but I'm not sure if I want a jab

[7/10 · 12 January 2024]

There may be a vaccine for this but I'm not sure if I want a jab. Firstly the trailer is misleading. It suggests it's a comedy. It is not. That's not to say there aren't laughs but that is not the whole of the film. Emma Stone portrays Bella Baxter an innocent having an adventure in the world. This is where the comedy comes from but it also addresses the darker side of humanity when Bella is shown a poor area of one town. Willem Dafoe plays Dr Gordon Baxter who brings Bella back to life by doing a brain experiment on her. We find out exactly what he's done later. He is a father figure to her. Mark Ruffalo is Duncan Wedderburn a researcher drawn in by Dr Baxter and who becomes the finance of Bella. Both men are possessive of her but she has to go to see the world before marrying Wedderburn and defies them both. She shocks them by both her words and actions as she challenges ideas about what a woman should say and do. The women in the film are supportive of her. A review would not be complete without mentioning the incredible scenery and sets that are deliberately vivid and evocative and suggest this is all taking place outside reality in some way. The film moves to a satisfying conclusion for Bella. The only question left is why only a 7 from me. The answer is that this is one of those idiosyncratic films. Jo-Jo Rabbit comes to mind but especially Asteroid City. Movies where the story is real but in some way also unreal and where it is incredibly stylistic visually. These are films that I want to see but only once. I never give more than a 7 if that is the case. Hence a 7 for this. My recommendation is see it once.

Gone Girl (2014)

Woman playing the system

[8/10 · 5 December 2023]

This movie could be a blueprint for women to treat men badly or it could be an indicator that women, not all, but certainly some, have gone really bad and they can game a system that supposedly is only fair and designed to protect the woman.

Any movie that contains a man abusing a woman will get a discussion about what we should do about this situation, and it's often generalised to all men. A movie containing an abusive woman will never get any real discussion. In fact, it will be excused by the man accepting the situation.

This movie is treated by most as a thriller in which we find out what happened to the woman. I understand in that sense this movie works exactly like that. The cast are good and acting is good, and it moves along at a fair pace with plenty of surprises. It's worthwhile seeing. It just begs the question that most will never ask, would this happen if a man disappeared?

The Marvels (2023)

Nice CGI, Shame about the movie

[5/10 · 10 November 2023]

Congratulations. Very few movies get 5 or below from me and this is one of them. Normally a film gets 7 if i consider it ok, 8 if I'd watch it again and 6 if I think it sub-par. Very few get anything but 6,7 or 8. This year Police State, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One got a 9 and The Great Escaper got 10. The last time anything got a 5 was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, 2022.

What can I say about this movie? First of all a rather unconvincing villain with a plan that unfolds in a rather undramatic way. Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel teams up with Carol's estranged niece Captain Rambeau and super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel. Ms Marvel has newly acquired powers. They get proficient as a team surprisingly fast. There's plenty of fights and space vistas. Who's doing what is not always obvious. The only amusing bit was with the kitties. You'll see. I can't see repairing a rift in space and time like it's crocheted together as really convincing. So it's quite a spectacle but with a rather weak plot.

Cat Person (I) (2023)

Men are afraid what women will say and with good reason

[6/10 · 23 October 2023]

Men are afraid what women will say, women are afraid what men might do. This is the trailer quote. For good measure the Margaret Atwood quote is added on screen. "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them" - Margaret Atwood. Now we know where we stand. Margot, a student, does a side job at a cinema when Robert, a regular there, asks for her phone number. Margot's friend Taylor keeps advising Margot about potential dangers from Robert and advises her how to keep Robert at arm's length. Robert claims to be a cat person but Margot doesn't see a cat on a short visit to Robert so this is a red flag that he might be a serial killer. Margot has a lecturer who informs her that some male ants will "get their "comeuppance" for not protecting their Queen and joyfully tells her that male Bees die from having sex the first and only time they do. Margot has sex with Robert when she doesn't really want to in order not to upset Robert who might do something if upset. So she pretends to have a good time and later dumps him by text. He's confused by all this having believed she reciprocated his feelings. Meanwhile Margot acts as if he's a serial killer.

I would say the first half is a dark comedy and the second half gets serious. I've only given it a 6 because it's not completely unwatchable but don't expect any serious answers as what to do about women who assume the worse of men.

The Creator (2023)

A morality tale

[6/10 · 28 September 2023]

Clearly It's a morality tale. It's got a touch of Avatar and also rather like any film about US vs Vietnam war. Our good guy is an African American. Married to an Asian women. America vs Asia. The Asians understand how nice the AIs are and the Americans are at war with them because they wrongly blame AIs for nuking LA. So US vs Asians and one African American man. The AIs are shown petting cats and holding children. The metaphor is that anything other than non-diverse Americans are good people, even when they aren't people. I'd say an enjoyable romp but once you realise where it's going it gets predictable.

Passages (2023)

No need to worry if anything is going to happen, it isn't

[6/10 · 20 September 2023]

As you see from the trailer a gay man in a gay marriage has sex with a woman. Don't think you'll find out why. You won't. His gay husband is OK with that. Don't know why. He just seems to sleep with one or the other as he pleases and nobody seems to object. There is almost no pressure on him to choose between them so don't expect any drama. I'm not telling you the ending but it's as calm as the rest of the film. Is he in love with either of them? Don't know. So I am giving it a 6. It's not bad but it doesn't go anywhere and doesn't answer any questions about the characters. Given the potential material it's very disappointing.

The Dive (2023)

Moving in parts but could have been better

[7/10 · 21 August 2023]

I wasn't sure if I'd go and see this movie, then it turned up on a surprise Scream Unseen screening. It clearly centres around one of the sisters trapped underwater and having diminishing oxygen. I was unsure they could keep up the suspense for one and a half hours but they did.

Now the script could be better but the scenes where the two sisters interacted when things where getting desperate I thought were well done. Now there is a suggestion that the audience moaned during some of the dialogue and its unclear if the reviews done on the same date or next day, like this one, were from the same screening but they might have been. I'm sure the dialogue could have been better but it is still a watchable film.

There is a back story which I won't spoil for you but I think this is not as explored as much as it should be. We could have had the sisters redemption and reconciliation and to some extent we did but it could have been better.

So my conclusion is - it's not a horror story. It is a suspense story. They did fairly well and it's not perfect but I would recommend it.

Talk to Me (I) (2022)

Grabs your attention and doesn't let go

[7/10 · 24 July 2023]

Some teenagers/young adults are partying and bring out a supernatural hand to play with. The hand puts them in touch with something supernatural, possible evil. As long as they don't stay too long with it everything is fine and it's a teenage thrill. They enjoy the daring and wild ride. However then things go too far.

This is the best horror I have seen this year. Compared to. Evil Dead Rise and The Boogeyman this is much better. Sure they have jump scares and nasty things happen but you're not a invested in as much as you are in Talk To Me. It revolves around Sophie Wilde and she keeps your attention all the way through. You really want to know what happens, is anyone going to die? And can they get rid of the evil?

The loud music as times also helps. I did think it was a bit slow getting going but it is worth the wait. I was tempted to give it an 8 but shied away from that. I would give it a 7.5 if I could.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Tom Cruise delivers again

[9/10 · 10 July 2023]

After giving Top Gun Maverick a 10. I was considering giving this a 10. It possibly is a little below that so a 9. The chases and stunts are great. The chemistry with Hayley is wonderful especially in the airport scenes. Especially a great menace and villain. It apparently has a budget of £290M partly due to COVID lockdowns affecting the schedule. I'm sure it will make a profit even on that budget.. Of course, we have to wait a year for the conclusion but I like that the movie is upfront about that. Some aren't. It's one of a small number of action films this year that are really all about the action so we'll worth seeing.

The Flash (I) (2023)

Time is spaghetti but good fun

[8/10 · 14 June 2023]

So Barry Allen goes back in time to stop his mother being killed and also his father being blamed for the murder. The result is not what Barry hoped. He's created a completely different timeline. There's now a world without superheroes. So he has to try again. And at the same time he's trying, with the help of Supergirl and a retired Batman and another Barry Allen, to stop Zod who as seen in another movie has come to take over the World again. It's at this point the spaghetti metaphor is used with an actual plate of spaghetti. The time lines are like the strands of spaghetti and where they touch each other is some sort of overlap. I can see how attractive this multi-verse or multiple timelines are to Hollywood. You can have all sorts of variations of characters when you assign them to different timelines. I'm not sure Einstein would approve the physics but he might like the movie. It is fun. There's a humour going through it. The interplay of characters is good and, of course, there are some superheroes battles. Overall the nearly 2 1/2 hours went by quickly and enjoyably. I'd recommend it.

Beau Is Afraid (2023)

Three hours well spent. A change from the usual.

[8/10 · 21 May 2023]

The best way I can describe this is how to watch a film that's like a surreal or hallucinogenic trip and have 3 hours fly by. The plot is that Beau is trying to visit his mother. He's stopped by having his luggage and keys stolen and that's just the start. He's disbelieved by his controlling mother. There are places where it's real and places where it's unreal and places where you're not sure. The main thrust of this is that Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) looks nervous and befuddled and Joaquin Phoenix is convincing in that. Beau certainly has plenty to be nervous about. He's not coping in a very violent world. His journey to his mother is full of surprises. Some of which it's not clear if they are real. It's a change from the usual superheroes stuff (Much as I liked Guardians of the Galaxy 3) and it's 3 hours well spent.

Audition (1999)

Some tension and some horror but..

[6/10 · 30 April 2023]

Some tension and some horror but in spite of the torture scene it seems a bit disjointed. There's some surrealist stuff and sometimes you're not sure if it's real or not. The centre premise is that a man participates in an audition to find a wife. He finds someone but there are red flags from the beginning. It's almost as though it's just inevitable, rather predictable. In fact it doesn't seem like there's any question about the woman's intentions, just that something is going to happen but the only question is what. The lack of doubt breaks it for me. It's on my list as a film I would never see again. Worthwhile seeing once but only just. So only a six from me.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Planet CGI but fun and good villain

[7/10 · 19 February 2023]

We go down into the quantum world and enter planet cgi. Apart from the actors everything is CGI. There are strange creatures and landscapes. There are people who for the most part are similar to human, body, 2 arms, 2 legs etc. But with various different heads. There's no exposition of where everything came from so it's just the quantum realm and you have to accept it. It's kind of true for a lot of films these days but it's just such a surprise which makes it noticeable.

The plot is acceptable and the villain is great. He's definitely menacing. They're so confident of him they say he'll be back.

So enjoy. Ant-man and the wasp will win but they left a let out for a sequel.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Has no beginning and has no end

[7/10 · 16 December 2022]

"The way of water has no beginning and has no end" is the quote about the philosophy in the film but it also sums up the movie perfectly At the beginning the 'sky people' are at war with the Na'Vi. What happened to Unobtainium? I guess they obtained it. Why are they fighting? Revenge seems to be the only reason. Jake Sully must work with his Na'Vi family to save them. To do this they decide to hide with the Metkayina, the water people. This leads to almost a soap opera section where the family, especially the children, try to fit in. Later on we get introduced to the tulkun, intelligent friendly whales like creatures. In effect it becomes a save the whales section. Now the overall effect is not bad. It could be shorter and tell the same story. When you're in a cinema with recliners you get a small number of people moving past you to and from comfort breaks which is a bit distracting. The ending seems unsatisfactory. Perhaps they want an Avatar 3? Overall a good.brilliant vibrant film with some stupendous fight scenes. The plot is slender but adequate so I class it as pleasant, watchable but not great.

Glass Onion (2022)

Only the second movie I've given a 10 to this year

[10/10 · 16 October 2022]

The other being Top Gun Maverick.

This movie is a worthy follow up to Knives Out. I watched it at the London Film Festival and we were asked not to give any spoilers so I won't. Sufficient to say that it's like Knives Out and a murder mystery game becomes a real murder mystery and Benoit Blanc solves it in his inimitable way. The actors clearly having fun. Apart from Daniel Craig I particularly liked Dave Bautista, Edward Norton and Janelle Monae. The others were good too but those stuck out to me. It's one of the few movies that are really truly laugh out loud funny for everyone including me. Only one little niggle. A woman slaps a man early on. That is domestic violence and no movie should think that that is funny or OK. Anyway I will see it again when it comes out. I cannot recommend it too highly. That's Wednesday November 23rd, both cinemas and Netflix.

Black '47 (2018)

Let's hate the British part 123

[7/10 · 14 September 2022]

As white old male 'coloniser/slave owner' supposedly 'far-right' (I'm not) I'm used to films that tell me how bad I am. Several here are happy there's some Irish language in it. I'm not. Sure it adds a bit of authenticity. Although this film doesn't excel on authenticity. "according to statistics, food imports exceeded exports during the famine". But my main complaint is that I regularly watch movies where everyone speaks English because it's easier than reading subtitles. Anyway it's a movie wheree all the British are nasty and all the Irish lovely. It claims to be the first depiction of the famine; which it isn't. As an action movie and well played I'll give it a 7. As an authentic historical depiction it's up there with Hollywood "based on a true story" genre where everything has been changed apart from some of the names. For authenticity I would give it a 3 or 4.

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

I wished for a film

[6/10 · 11 September 2022]

"There's no story about wishing that is not a cautionary tale". It sounds like we're getting wishing stories and then how to wish safely but that's not the case.

"What does one do with three wishes?". Not much apparently.

"From the mad genius of George Miller". Genius? Mad Max it isn't.

The wishing stories are good but it goes nowhere and saunters to an end where nothing happens. I found some of it slow and was hopeful of something happening. I'm also not sure why the neighbours are shoe-horned into this script unless it's some sort of point about diversity. Although nothing is stated explicitly. Some may see it as a pleasant tale with a Djinn but it asks more questions than it answers and it's slow in parts. Three Thousand Years of Longing? Really 2 hours of Longing? So only a 6 from me.

See How They Run (2022)

Amusing little romp

[8/10 · 10 September 2022]

So it's the 100th show for the play "The Mousetrap" and the producer for a film version is murdered at the play. Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) are assigned because others are busy with the Rillington Place murders (a real event. Serial killer John Christie murdered at least 8 people and was hanged in 1953). Inspector Stoppard is a tired, seen it all, policeman and Constable Stalker is an enthusiastic just started arrest everybody and anybody constable. Now don't expect a Agatha Christie Poirot denouement. We do find out who did it and why but not before more happens and then the killer is exposed. This is a bit like Knives Out. The fun is the detective playing off the constable and other interactions. The jokes are like the one in the trailer - Constable tells the detective about the playwright from her notebook - "Mervyn Cocker-Norris, overrated playwright" Mervyn Cocker-Norris - "Celebrated playwright" Constable - "I'm sorry, Sir. I can't read my own writing" It's fun. No CGI. It's from the days when the script and the actors are king. I give it an 8. Enjoy.

Nope (2022)

Nope

[5/10 · 16 August 2022]

The horses were more afraid than I was. First I didn't understand the brother/sister relationship of the main two characters, OJ and Emerald (Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer). They just didn't seem to get along and I've no idea why and it didn't help the movie. Without giving anything away I can say I also didn't understand how they guessed so much about the antagonists. They just seemed to intuit stuff about them. However the main problem with this movie is pacing. I looked at my phone a couple of times wondering when it was going to get going. Nothing much seemed to happen in the first hour. There is something around the father but that's it. There's also a completely unnecessary side plot about a chimpanzee that is irrelevant. Now there are some tense moments when it gets going but it starts and stops and the ending seems kind of ludicrous. So for me some good bits but it's slow and patchy. It's a NOPE from me.