REWATCH: I don't enjoy James Bond films in general. I find them crass, predictable and outdated. But Casino Royale is something else entirely. It still has certain bits of silly dialogue and ridiculous stunts but it's also dark, touching and funny. The shower scene with Eva Green and Daniel Craig in particular is very well done.
This re-watch confirmed that it still stands up as being a totally decent film in it's own right, nevermind being easily the best James Bond franchise movie ever. I'd give Casino Royale an 8 out of 10 and all the other Bond movies would be trailing behind on 5 or 6 out of 10.
This is a disturbing story based on a book written by a journalist who, while passing through an Iranian village, is told of some unspeakable crimes against woman, hidden behind the structures of sharia law. It's very interesting to see how the film pans out, because the viewer knows exactly what is going to happen given the title. The film is clever in that way as it uses this to take us to a place of horror and manipulates us into fearing what we all know is coming.
The performances are mostly solid and the Director (Cyrus Nowrasteh) does a decent job of flinging us into the setting of this little Islamis community in the hills of Iran. What I had a problem with is the Westernization of the film. By that I mean adding a couple of touches (one scene in particular at the end) to the movie that presumably were included to add excitement. This had the opposite effect for me. There was absolutely no need for any added intensity. The film was gripping enough on it's own.
There are obviously some scenes of extreme brutality which were hard to watch, and knowing it's based on a true story made it even more difficult.
Overall it's a very decent, effective drama portraying how women are still treated in some parts of the world
Extremely harrowing, massively important documentary about the liberation of the Nazi death camps at the end of World War 2. 'Lost' Footage shot by the allied army and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and Sidney Bernstein was finally completed by the Imperial War Museum and this gets dissected here. The scale of the atrocities arepicked apart. Also touched on is the healing process of those that survived. Not for the feint-hearted. But hugely recommended.
'In the Fade' throws up a few moral dilemmas, gets your heart racing and is part revenge thriller, part courtroom drama. Diane Kruger is very believable as the grieving woman with an axe to grind. The pace is perfect and the viewing felt like half of the actual running time.
There are some rather silly subplot errors, and some moments play out like a traditional american thriller, but on the whole, just when I thought the film may veer into the 'too ridiculous' territory, it always seemed to stop and pull me back in.
At it's heart it's an 'anti-hatred' movie with a very simple message but quite well done. It's nothing original and the third act is rather blunt. But the reality is that things will come to a blunt end if hatred is allowed to continue spreading.
More proof that Xavier Dolan is a film-maker way beyond his years. It's not quite as good as the others I've seen from him but it's still pretty amazing how a 22 year old was able to articulate a script like this and direct a film this satisfying. Monia Chokri is probably the standout of the 3 friends who become embroiled in a love triangle. The film explores themes of rejection, lust and sexuality, and the music is used to really good effect throughout.
Netflix 4 parter produced by the Duplass brothers. Very intriguing.
Absolutely nuts, but great tv. The story starts with the tale of a pizza man who robs a bank with a bomb around his neck -- and gets weirder from there.'
Absolutely brilliant. One of the greatest love stories I'v ever seen in film. Still processing it really. Devastatingly real.
I enjoyed Peter Strickland's 'Berberian Sound Studio' from 2012, and this film made by him 3 years earlier is just as good, if not better. It has a strange tone - almost like a 1970s Agnes Varda film, but it's set in Romania in present day. It's extremely erie in places and very beautifully shot in the Carpathian mountains about a woman with nothing left to lose out for vengeance. It also features a superb (but disturbing) monologue midway through the film from lead actress Hilda Peter.
If I had watched this 2017 film in 2017, it would be near the top of my best movies of 2017. But I watched it in 2018 so was too late. It's a slice of life type movie set in the days that follow the Rodney King incident in Los Angeles in '92. It's written by, directed by and stars Justin Chon as the lead male Eli. And he pulls off a terrific job. The entire cast is perfect. There are some proper acting chops on display here. From the young Simone Baker playing 10 year old Kamilla to the amazing Curtis Cook Jnr who plays the gang member Keith - they all nail it. Chon even cast his own father as the liquor store owner, and there's one scene in particular that I had to re-watch after reading that fact, as it becomes even more affecting. Chon also states that 'La Haine' is a massive influence on 'Gook', which is no surprise given the subject content and aesthetics.
The film itself centres on Eli and his brother Daniel (played by David So) trying to run a shoe shop in Paramount, L.A. The story is touching, funny, brutal, poignant, tragic and touches on the things you'd expect it to - race relations, immigration, gang culture, poverty, family. What it also does is explore the experiences of Asian American families during the 90s, something not many films have done.
There will no doubt be some criticism of it being overly sentimental, and perhaps rather fanciful, and there were some histrionics late on that were perhaps a tiny bit out of place. But overall, this movie completely grabbed me from the off, reeled me in, chewed me up a bit then spat me out, as movies should. Absolutely excellent.
I've not seen many Jim Jarmusch films. Dead Man was ok but here's always something ethereal and dream like about them. Paterson is the same in that it meanders along with repetitive scenes, dialogue and features. I enjoyed the overall premise, and the notion that anyone can be a poet or an artist if they have it in them.
I felt a little frustrated though that it took 2 hours to get to this. Maybe it was because I expected the themes (Twins, black and white, waterfalls) to link up in some way. I guess that's for us to work out. Maybe it means that there is a ying to your yang if you look hard enough or that there is a perfect version of you in there somewhere if you let it out. All in all, I wasn't 100% sure what the deeper meaning of it all meant. Maybe that's my error though.
A nice dreamy movie but I'm not sure it hit the high notes 6.5/10
I was keen to look at a couple more Kenneth Lonergan movies after enjoying 'Manchester by the Sea' so much. It's long and slow (150 mins) and half way through I did wonder where it was going, consequently it does ebb and flow.. Having said that, on reflection after completing the film it is actually a pretty interesting character driven piece that explores personality dynamics in families and guilt and closure. Anna Pacquin does an amazing turn as the awkward teen, if a little hystrionic at times, and it's far more than a coming of age story.
Jeannie Berlin is also very good as Emily the deceased's friend, although is only marginally more neurotic than the rest of the characters.
I will say that it has one of the most powerfully beautiful endings I've seen in a long time. Lonergan sure knows how to captivate an audience.
I stuck with it and it delivered. 8/10
This is a movie that deals with alot of common themes; family life, difficult news, dealing with sexuality, life and death. And it does them quite well. Jesse Plemmons is rather good as the main character, and Molly Shannon is excellent as the mum. It was very funny in 2 or 3 places but the constant product placement got on my nerves - maybe that's how the movie was financed, but every 5 minutes there was a mention of pepsi, jc penney or applebee's etc It will not break any cinematic moulds but is ok for a gentle nights movie viewing.
6.9 cup cakes out of 10.
A classic. I really liked this. It felt very real, as if I was taking a tour of New York City with some cops. And some of the shots were lovely to look at. There were flaws, the biggest one was the scene in the underground car park where Roy Scheider's character literally bumps into the criminal Sal Bocca and exchanges words - I thought at the time Scheider was a dirty cop. That scene was a bit muddled. But the rest of it, wow it was brilliantly edited and acted. Gene Hackman is a bona fide hollywood legend.
The way Freakdin creates a mystery within a mystery is also great. He leaves us with little tantalysing images of French advertsiments, French logos, and the "word connection" etc I expect he was having fun with us, but I enjoyed his shennanigans.
All in all a really enjoyable cops and robbers turn with little Hollywood sentimentalism or cliches to be seen.
8.5/10
I've always been keen to watch this as it's highly rated. Edward Norton's performance stood out as extremely strong and brought back memories of the excellent 'Primal Fear'. Even Furlong was convincing (not an actor I particularly admire). The message was quite clearly spelled out at the end as we read Danny's paper. And that is...... hate doesn't work.
As I was watching it, it became quite clear that:
1) It is a very important film and I can imagine that the reason it's held up so well is that the message is so vital to take on board in order to make society stand up and realise what society should be, and that no matter what "justification" there appears at the time, violence just breeds violence.
2) Unfortunately, the message hasn't got through and the implications of the character's actions still mirror everyday life. I'm sure I don't need to rant anymore about the films moral and how it relates to current affairs, so I won't.
The transformation / 'rehabilitation' of Derek Vinyard was fascinating to watch. I think it all begins when he sees the hypocritical nature of the skinheads in prison (buying drugs from the very people they are supposed to despise) - showing that the neo-nazi bravado is just a sham.
I thought it was an extremely good watch; although the early basketball scene had the completely wrong tone (felt like something out of Rocky when it needed to be more sinister). So there were minor flaws but overall I'd say it's a movie everyone should have on their lists. It would probably make my Top 100.
8.5/10
I'd heard great things about this, with some movie critics even calling it the best film of 2016. It wasn't. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad film. It is very well made and the two female leads are extremely convincing. Where I had trouble was:
"slight" spoilers below
-The sheer amount of metaphors for terror/oppression that we are getting. The missile, the crack in the roof, the book, the garage door, her dead mother, the husband, the doll, the djinn ghost, the mute kid, the door slamming, the tape on the windows, the locked drawer etc etc etc
They all jumble up in to one big metaphor of oppression and terror that she experiences. Which is fine but it was just too overbearing.
Maybe I over-analysed this movie in looking for one single thing that was driving her to have a breakdown, when it was all of the things she was experiencing in her life. I'm not sure, but it just felt muddled and I felt that Babadook was a better movie of this kind of subject. Disappointed 6/10
I had high expectations of this movie, namely because Kelly Reichardt is a Director that comes with alot of recommendations. It's a Western at heart and follows the decision makings of 3 families and the guide that's taking them to safety through the Oregon desert. It looks lovely, it sounds lovely and Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Bruce Greenwood give superb performances. I enjoyed the sparse dialogue. But there was something that just didn't click with me. I don't mind the non-closure. I don't mind the minimalistic feel and slow pace, but I do feel that there was just a little bit of substance missing. The isolation, the xenophobia, the hardship, the fear of these times was captured beautifully. There was just not enough of it.
Unfortunately the movie didn't really live up to my expectations, I guess they were a bit high, but that won't stop me checking out more of Reichardt's films. 6.5/10
Richard Ayoade is a very talented man. He's a funny comic and a good director. His first feature, 'Submarine' was a lovely tale about handling the harsh realities of being young. 'The double', however is basically a retelling of Dostoyevsky's novel. It's also a bit of a homage to a mixture of inspirations such as Gilliam, Fincher, Lynch and Wes Anderson.
Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska deliver nice performances here, but I'm afraid I'll have to resort to the cliche of "I didn't find myself caring about them much" to ram home the flaws in the Direction. Perhaps we're not supposed to care about them but then that leaves little else to engage with. This film came out the same year as Denis Villeneuve's 'Enemy'. But that film (though not based on Dostoyevsky) was so much more engaging because it lured you into the mystery and made you want to find out why things were the way they were.
The Double is a bit of a let down as it is just so unoriginal. Have we seen these bubbling up in a plot before?
Dystopian corporate culture - check
Themes of dopplegangers - check
Old striking faces to instill dread and claustrophobia - check
Odd Dream sequences - check
Lead character scorned by parents - check
Overbearing soundtrack - check
Very fast paced witty dialogue - check
Social misfit trying to fit in - check
It all melds into a huge crockpot of unoriginality that however nice it is to look at, never gets off the ground because of the forced nature of the storylines. That means that every 5 minutes, something in the back of your brain is twitching, saying, "oh that reminds me of Fight Club", or "that was similar to Brazil". It eventually distracts the viewer from the action which is a shame.
I still like Ayoade and the lighting in this film is used masterfully though. Some of the photography is a joy to look at. Yellows, greys and white lights are used very well in almost every scene with some luminous blues and reds chucked in for good measure to add to the dystopian feel/
It's about time Ayoade directed something else, I'm convinced he has at least 1 great film in him.
This wasn't it though
Noah Baumbach's neat little film about growing up in New York is quaint and quirky. I can understand why someone would think it's a bit of second rate Woody Allen rip off, but I just took it for what it was and really enjoyed it. Greta Gerwig is great as the lead, and the goofyness or aloofness just adds to her character rather than detract. Some characters are spoilt, some are unlikeably care free, some are pious and pretentious. But then that's what some people are like.
If I was to be hyper critical I'd say that the third act just announces itself rate abruptly on our laps, and could have done with a few more scenes to bed in, especially given the movies' short running time. But that' a minor quibble. Baumbach's films continue to entertain me.
I found it charming, quirky, unusual, endearing, amusing and interesting. As I was watching I was thinking to myself "I bet this film got loads of hate" and I still think that. But there's always the next Mission Impossible round the corner for the haters. I enjoyed it.
Hirokazu Koreeda's work has been recommended to me by a few people, and I'm ashamed to say this is the first of his movies I have seen. Based on 'Like Father, Like Son' I am now in a rush to see a few more. It is an excellent film that deals with raw human emotion. But the genius is the way Koreeda shows us that emotion. There are beautiful looking films and then there are just beautiful films. This falls into the latter category.
This story centres around receiving the inexplicable news that your child was swapped at birth and your real child lives a few miles away ion the next town. That's a horrific thing for anybody to deal with but Koreeda doesn't show us the hysterical scream fits that both mothers would have no doubt had, he instead deals with the inner turmoil and pain that anyone in this position would no doubt feel. Questioning yourself to understand if you could have done something different. Examining your morals and your judgments on others.
The main protagonist is Ryota, expertly played by Masaharu Fukuyama. Through his journey we see that he has to learn alot about his role in the family even though he thinks he has made it as the main breadwinner with a high powered job. The use of pianos, kites and robots are all fantastic mechanisms to enable us to see how he views his "son", and the level of expectation placed upon him. In one scene towards the end in particular (you could very loosely call it a reveal scene) the emotions become too much for Ryota and we finally see him learning and accepting what his role in the family should ultimately be. How Koreeda manages to weave this into the plot is just masterful film-making.
It's such a simple concept - child swapped at birth = tragedy. But not many people could write a screenplay and direct a 2 hour feature on the turmoil and upheaval of family life based around it. Koreeda manages it, and also enables every single actor in this movie to nail their roles. Great film
Andrea Arnold is an oscar winning director, she's no spring chicken and knows her way around. Maybe that's a factor when considering that the performances in this movie are nothing short of incredible. Loads of first timers. Loads of inexperienced kids. How she has got these performances out of this cast is nothing short of mesmerising.
The movie is long, lets be honest. But it is very rewarding and is a very accomplished way of exploring society's values and attitudes towards youngsters, poverty, opportunities etc. I found large similarities between this and her short 'wasp'. Which is no bad thing. The film also looks amazing.
I'd probably find a place for this in my top 10 of 2016.
8.5/10
This is Macon Blair's directorial debut. Given he produced and starred in 'Green Room' and 'Blue Ruin' I was really keen to see what he could do.
The problem with this film is that it isn't quite sure what it wants to be. It's too funny to be a thriller, and it has to many serious elements to be a full out comedy. Therefore it ends up being a mish mash of both. It's a bit like a Ben Wheatley black comedy co-written by Edgar Wright. While that might sound appealing it just doesn't click with me because it gets it a bit wrong, especially in the final act.
I really liked Elijah Wood's character and I was totally on board with what the film was actually trying to tell me, it just didn't pull it off very well.
Blair is still one to watch though I feel. 6/10
Hans Petter Moland's dark thriller delivers despite having a less than original premise. Man seeks vengeance after death of son. It must be difficult to get a film like this just right because revenge capers have been done so many times. But this film just about manages it, mainly due to the script, it's interesting enough to keep us switched on amongst the cold blooded actions on screen. Stellan Skarsgård and Bruno Ganz also give us more than adequate performances. There are elements that reminded me of Fargo, Snatch and others, and the way in which we see the 'order of disappearance' is quite novel, especially the very end sequence.
There are moments of dark comedy that intermingle with the beautiful landscape photography. All in all it's not going to tear up any trees but there is enough here to result in a decent 2 hours of film watching. 7/10
Quite a touching documentary, although felt very forced / choreographed at times, especially when the girl meets Joe. Worth watching.
A harrowing, heartbreaking, disturbing 22 minute short focusing on the captain of the coastguard ship on a Greek Island who gets continually called out to save the lives of thousands of Syrian and Afghan Migrants coming across from Turkey on poorly constructed vessels. There is little closure here. It's just a slice of life type short on the continuing humanitarian scandal we occasionally get to hear about.
A must see. Simply the best heist movie of all time.
This film made me weep like a 4 year old girl who just dropped her chocolate bar into a puddle. Mark Duplass has nailed it. He wrote it and got the brilliant Sarah Paulson to co star with him. And she delivers. Big time. Every once in a while, a movie comes along that rips your guts out. Derek Cianfrance's 'Blue Valentine' did this to me a few years back, and Blue Jay has done the same. The couples' relationship just feels so candid and exposed. It just got to me. It's not dis-similar to Richard Linklater's 'before' trilogy, although it's more of a neatly packaged powerpunch and it works. I just hope lots and lots of people get to see it.
I don't normally comment on movies but I'll make an exception for this because it was astonishing. Chan-wook normally makes you sit up and take notice of his work and this was no exception. I think it's a masterpiece. I was open mouthed at both the beauty and the way the plot unravelled. An absolute must see. 9/10
Mind. Blown.
One of the greatest movies I have ever seen. Villeneuve is a god like genius. This is a must watch for anybody who, well anybody who wants to see one of the greatest masterpieces of modern cinema.
Very beautiful movie. Loved it.
