1. First Man Came out in 18 but saw it at the cinema in January. Stylish, intense, beautifully shot. Film of the year for me.
2. Never Look Away Not an easy watch by any means, but worth it for the most understated pay off in movie history. Brilliant storytelling.
3. Apollo 11 Hard to believe this was entirely shot in 1969.
4. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood QT’s most grown-up movie since Jackie Brown.
5. Dragged Across Concrete Zahler’s movies have big balls, and I’m a sucker for slow paced/ realistic crime thrillers.
6. A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood Very inventive. Very sweet. Made me be nice to people on the tube for a good 15-20 minutes after.
7. Knives Out Johnson is a hell of a director and he takes a decent script and makes it gripping. Excellent cast helps too.
8. Doctor Sleep Lots of free alcohol before the screening made a difference. Not really a film-friendly novel but thought it did a sterling job of being a sequel to a book and a very different film.
9. Brightburn Not amazing but exactly what I think should happen with superhero movies - make them dark!
10. Crawl A schlocky b-movie but all I knew about it going in was the name, so enjoyed it as a surprise.
Worst
1. Midway My god it’s bad. Annoyed me by being so long and so repetitive.
2. Once Upon a Time in London Cheap and nonsensical - worst storytelling I’ve ever seen on the big screen. Hated it.
3. Glass Just fuck off Shyamalan. How did you mess up an Unbreakable sequel?
4. X-Men: Dark Phoenix Nobody involved in this movie, not a soul, deserves an ounce of credit.
5. Hellboy Just a badly made film. Should’ve let Del Toro finish his trilogy.
6. A Hidden Life Fuck off fuck off fuck off. Three hours of pretentious shite. Fuck off.
7. Pet Cemetery So, so bad. I genuinely felt embarrassed for Jason Clarke.
8. IT 2 Zzzzzzzzz
9. Gemini Man Hilarious CGI, hackneyed script.
10. Men in Black 4
This is how not to make a franchise film. Predictable doesn’t cut it - I literally figured out the plot and twist from the poster.
Watched Glass this week, what utter utter shite. Was the purpose of the movie just to set-up sequels that no-one would want to watch?
6 Underground you have to take with a huge pinch of salt. It is purely a Ryan Reynolds action movie. He doesn't play Deadpool.
Reynolds typecast was set before then around Van Wilder or Two guys a girl and a pizza place, coincidentally it is similar to the character Deadpool
Deadpool and Reynolds are one and the same. He does the same thing in every movie but with varying levels of cynicism or swearing. Sometimes it’s funny. In this, it’s not.
As for the pinch of salt, to me it’s not about taking the film too seriously - it’s an assault on the senses. If you’re into Michael Bay fare then sure, enjoy - you win. But like Pain and Gain, Transformers 2-4 and various other Bay works, I - like the majority of people I’ve spoken to - found it vacuous, offensive, annoying and rammed with product placement. I can’t give it any credit whatsoever!
1. First Man Came out in 18 but saw it at the cinema in January. Stylish, intense, beautifully shot. Film of the year for me.
2. Never Look Away Not an easy watch by any means, but worth it for the most understated pay off in movie history. Brilliant storytelling.
3. Apollo 11 Hard to believe this was entirely shot in 1969.
4. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood QT’s most grown-up movie since Jackie Brown.
5. Dragged Across Concrete Zahler’s movies have big balls, and I’m a sucker for slow paced/ realistic crime thrillers.
6. A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood Very inventive. Very sweet. Made me be nice to people on the tube for a good 15-20 minutes after.
7. Knives Out Johnson is a hell of a director and he takes a decent script and makes it gripping. Excellent cast helps too.
8. Doctor Sleep Lots of free alcohol before the screening made a difference. Not really a film-friendly novel but thought it did a sterling job of being a sequel to a book and a very different film.
9. Brightburn Not amazing but exactly what I think should happen with superhero movies - make them dark!
10. Crawl A schlocky b-movie but all I knew about it going in was the name, so enjoyed it as a surprise.
Worst
1. Midway My god it’s bad. Annoyed me by being so long and so repetitive.
2. Once Upon a Time in London Cheap and nonsensical - worst storytelling I’ve ever seen on the big screen. Hated it.
3. Glass Just fuck off Shyamalan. How did you mess up an Unbreakable sequel?
4. X-Men: Dark Phoenix Nobody involved in this movie, not a soul, deserves an ounce of credit.
5. Hellboy Just a badly made film. Should’ve let Del Toro finish his trilogy.
6. A Hidden Life Fuck off fuck off fuck off. Three hours of pretentious shite. Fuck off.
7. Pet Cemetery So, so bad. I genuinely felt embarrassed for Jason Clarke.
8. IT 2 Zzzzzzzzz
9. Gemini Man Hilarious CGI, hackneyed script.
10. Men in Black 4
This is how not to make a franchise film. Predictable doesn’t cut it - I literally figured out the plot and twist from the poster.
Watched Glass this week, what utter utter shite. Was the purpose of the movie just to set-up sequels that no-one would want to watch?
I just avoid anything M Night Shyamalan does. There is only so many bad films you can watch from one director . The same goes for Michael Bay ( although i quite liked 13 hours - Jimmy wont be happy !) and controversially , because he's adored by film lovies , Wes " The Emperors New Clothes" Anderson. His films make me genuinely nauseous.
Little Women Very high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, but one I was keen to avoid. Sometimes you have to take one for the team,. I'd like to say it was an eye opener and changed my mind, but it was exatly what I expected. A question of what you like I guess, it was well acted, but for me, there was a horrible lack of plot, or anything I would pay money to see. Only my view, but dull, boring, and pointless. Even the films they advertised before the show looked boring. Not as bad as another highly rated nothing, Invisble Thread, but I'm happy I saw Charlton had beaten Bristol before going in.
Finally finished The Irishman on Netflix yesterday, after warding of my daughters so I could enjoy it without interruptions. great film, really enjoyed it immensely. Well acted (when the lead characters were supposed to be young, they lacked a bit of the spightliness of youth, but all very well done) and a great plot. After Little Women, this was what I needed. Now to see if I can get away to see Knives Out.
Just back from seeing JoJo Rabbit. I thought this was a fabulous film. I highly recommend it. Ignore any reviews you may have read, and just enjoy it. Its wonderfully strange combination of ingredients shouldn't work but they absolutely do. Lovely story, very funny, especially to pull you into the film at the start, and the strangeness makes sense in the context of the film.
Spies in disguise, animated will smith vehicle - just passable waste of an hour and a half but funny enough I guess and the under 10s really enjoyed it
Watched Marriage Story and thought it was overrated. I almost fell asleep on my sofa while watching it - I've never ever fallen asleep during a film before. My mum was watching it with me but she fell asleep about 20 minutes in. I sped it up to 3x halfway through. I think a similar film Blue Valentine is much better.
After Marriage Story I watched Beirut, a political thriller starring Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike. It's much more entertaining than Marriage Story and I didn't feel sleepy at all. A decent film worth watching. 7.5/10.
I watched Lighthouse with Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, more or less the only two actors in the film. A disturbing, but slowly paced, and well acted examination of madness in a lighthouse station, resolutely in 14:9, ie, square frame, and in painterly B&W. It kind of reminded me of Eraserhead in terms of atmosphere. So definitely not for all tastes.
Marriage Story An engaging and well acted film but, for me, it did not measure up to the critical acclaim - 7/10.
So Long, My Son (China) An epic melodrama which looks at the impact on two families of both China's one-child policy (between 1979 and 2013) and the social, economic and political upheaval over that period. The non-linear structure demands concentration, there are a couple of narrative holes and, at just over three hours, it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I nevertheless found the subject matter very interesting and there were strong performances from the leads - 7.5/10.
KnivesOut Hammy and entertaining, with a fine ensemble cast. Daniel Craig looked to be enjoying himself as a Kentucky private detective after his rather strait-laced James Bond roles. I see it has taken over £10million in the first month, which reflects its broad appeal - 7/10.
Little Women The first half of the film meandered but I thought it finished more strongly. Fine performances from Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh and I found Timothee Chalamet less irritating than usual - 7/10.
The Souvenir A friend of mine warned me about this one but, given the near universal critical acclaim it has received, my curiosity was piqued and I got the dvd out of the library. In the event, I had zero empathy for the two protagonists and found the film predictable and totally one dimensional. It was funded by BBC Films and so will probably be on TV in the next 12 months or so. One to avoid - 3/10.
Watched Ford v. Ferrari last week. Both Matt Damon and Christian Bale did a great job. Overall a very entertaining film but with a surprisingly sad ending (I didn't know anything about Ken Miles so had no idea what happened to him after that Le Mans race.) The racing scenes are quite exciting, very well-shot.
8.5/10. Highly recommended and better than many of the 2019 films I've watched.
By the way, despite my family car is a Ford SUV (it is okay), this film made me dislike the company, Ford II and their then vice president Beebe.
6 Underground- 7/10 - bit all over the place, but action packed so I didn't mind it! Still wouldn't really rave about it though
The Do-over 6/10 - Adam Sandlier movie, its watchable but nothing really stands out. No Happy Gilmore, a bit predictable but something you can half watch and don't really have to invest yourself too heavily in it.
Just back from seeing a Picturehouse Mystery Movie (ie you get in for a fiver and take your chances on what you see, though it'll be a forthcoming release).
Tonight's was Knives Out (no spoilers follow, but do try to avoid them). A sort of souped-up whodunnit that apparently has all the ingredients of an old fashioned crime solving film. But add to that a twisty plot, lots of laugh out loud moments, a very good cast including Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis and others, and it was a film I really enjoyed. Moderate expectations often result in a more enjoyable experience, and tonight's was a properly entertaining film which buzzed along.
A good 8.5/10, and very highly recommended.
Gave that a 7 as I thought it was slightly predictable. Reasonably entertaining though.
Comments
Reynolds typecast was set before then around Van Wilder or Two guys a girl and a pizza place, coincidentally it is similar to the character Deadpool
All three can do one as far as i'm concerned.
https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/1917-movie-review-sam-mendes-930098/
Very high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, but one I was keen to avoid. Sometimes you have to take one for the team,. I'd like to say it was an eye opener and changed my mind, but it was exatly what I expected. A question of what you like I guess, it was well acted, but for me, there was a horrible lack of plot, or anything I would pay money to see. Only my view, but dull, boring, and pointless. Even the films they advertised before the show looked boring. Not as bad as another highly rated nothing, Invisble Thread, but I'm happy I saw Charlton had beaten Bristol before going in.
I thought this was a fabulous film. I highly recommend it. Ignore any reviews you may have read, and just enjoy it. Its wonderfully strange combination of ingredients shouldn't work but they absolutely do. Lovely story, very funny, especially to pull you into the film at the start, and the strangeness makes sense in the context of the film.
9/10
But dont be fooled; Waititi throws in enough drama to make it serious at the same time
Be interesting to see how it does come award season
Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie could both go on to have good careers with the latter already having starred in a few films
Sam Rockwell is absolutely brilliant from the MCU contingent!!
8/10 for me
After Marriage Story I watched Beirut, a political thriller starring Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike. It's much more entertaining than Marriage Story and I didn't feel sleepy at all. A decent film worth watching. 7.5/10.
Knives Out
Avengers: End Game
Rise of Skywalker
Joker
Captain Marvel
Lion King
Judy
Rocketman
Want or see JoJo Rabbit
paced, and well acted examination of madness in a lighthouse station, resolutely in 14:9, ie, square frame, and in painterly B&W. It kind of reminded me of Eraserhead in terms of atmosphere. So definitely not for all tastes.
Marriage Story
An engaging and well acted film but, for me, it did not measure up to the critical acclaim - 7/10.
So Long, My Son (China)
An epic melodrama which looks at the impact on two families of both China's one-child policy (between 1979 and 2013) and the social, economic and political upheaval over that period. The non-linear structure demands concentration, there are a couple of narrative holes and, at just over three hours, it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I nevertheless found the subject matter very interesting and there were strong performances from the leads - 7.5/10.
Knives Out
Hammy and entertaining, with a fine ensemble cast. Daniel Craig looked to be enjoying himself as a Kentucky private detective after his rather strait-laced James Bond roles. I see it has taken over £10million in the first month, which reflects its broad appeal - 7/10.
Little Women
The first half of the film meandered but I thought it finished more strongly. Fine performances from Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh and I found Timothee Chalamet less irritating than usual - 7/10.
The Souvenir
A friend of mine warned me about this one but, given the near universal critical acclaim it has received, my curiosity was piqued and I got the dvd out of the library. In the event, I had zero empathy for the two protagonists and found the film predictable and totally one dimensional. It was funded by BBC Films and so will probably be on TV in the next 12 months or so. One to avoid - 3/10.
By the way, despite my family car is a Ford SUV (it is okay), this film made me dislike the company, Ford II and their then vice president Beebe.
Some real iconic directing moments. Funny. Sad. Taika Waititi showing off his chops. Loved it.
6 Underground- 7/10 - bit all over the place, but action packed so I didn't mind it! Still wouldn't really rave about it though
The Do-over 6/10 - Adam Sandlier movie, its watchable but nothing really stands out. No Happy Gilmore, a bit predictable but something you can half watch and don't really have to invest yourself too heavily in it.
He does have quite a few duffers, his old ones were good Happy Gilmore, Billy Maddison, 50 First dates... imo but probably seen a lot more bad ones.