Watched a few films on the plane back to Hong Kong.
The Farewell - Really loved this. Engaging performances and cultural premise where the grandma is dying of cancer but the family decide it's better not to tell her. Based in China but with a lot of English (for those subtitle haters). Funny, sad, wonderful.
Ad Astra - Felt it borrowed too heavily from a number of sci-fi films without ever doing anything original. I got bored, which is rare for me watching films.
Booksmart - Snappy coming-of-age comedy and a fun dynamic between the two teenage girl characters. Really enjoyed.
Completely agree with you on the first two. Haven’t seen the third
Just watched Blue Story the film set in south London about black gangs that caused controversy last year because of violence in the cinemas when it was shown.
I was expecting to hate it but i actually thought it was brilliant.
Great acting and a soundrack that is definitely not my normal thing , but tells the story so well .
Just watched Blue Story the film set in south London about black gangs that caused controversy last year because of violence in the cinemas when it was shown.
I was exepcting to hate it but i actually thought it was brilliant.
Great acting and a soundrack that is definitely not my normal thing , but tells the story so well .
Probebly the best film i've seen in 2020.
9 out of 10
15 year old grandson watched this with his Mum last week and both said it was very good.
I don’t know how Nites is still going but I’ll take it! They have an amazing selection of stuff in decent quality.
It’s not going anymore ( here in the UK anyway ) but managed to watch 2 of the best films around at the moment, Joker and Parasite. Joker is a phenomenal film and reminded of me of Taxi Driver and King of Comedy and yet tied into the superhero genre perfectly. As for Parasite, well this blew my tiny mind. Haven’t been able to watch another film since. To say anything about it would be too much to giveaway to anyone who hasn’t watched it yet. I will say I picked up on a few of the themes going on but it was only when I read more about it afterwards that I truly grasped what was going on. RESPECT!!! It was like listening to Public Enemy for the first time and realising afterwards that it wasn’t just the music you liked.
'We Are One: A Global Film Festival' - A 10 Day Online Film Festival Streaming Free on Youtube from 29 May
More than 20 film festivals around the world have joined together to stream movies for free on YouTube after the coronavirus pandemic closed cinemas and forced the cancellation of festivals like Cannes and New York.
The 10-day 'We Are One: A Global Film Festival' will feature content curated by the Berlin, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca and Venice film festivals, among others, starting on 29 May, the organisers Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube said in a statement on Monday. Other festivals taking part include those in Jerusalem, Mumbai, Sarajevo, Sydney, Tokyo and London.
Not exactly latest, but I finally saw Yesterday last night. Not a big Beetles fan at all, so I swerved this in the same way I avoided Mamma Mia, but I needed something to share with my daughter last night and this was an unhappy middle ground. It was fantastic. Great story line, well acted and a feel good film you could just go with. Even my complete lack of empathy with the music didn't spoil it (the Abba soundtrack in Mamma Mia was unbearable) and I was amused to see how little of the Beetles had crossed into my 13 year old daughters life - she identified two as 'heard this before' and Yesterday wasn't one. 9 out of 10 from me, and a very enjoyable evening.
(By way of comparison, Mamma Mia and it's bastard offspring get 1 out of twenty between them - garbage films with a soundtrack like fingernails dragged down a blackboard)
Not exactly latest, but I finally saw Yesterday last night. Not a big Beetles fan at all, so I swerved this in the same way I avoided Mamma Mia, but I needed something to share with my daughter last night and this was an unhappy middle ground. It was fantastic. Great story line, well acted and a feel good film you could just go with. Even my complete lack of empathy with the music didn't spoil it (the Abba soundtrack in Mamma Mia was unbearable) and I was amused to see how little of the Beetles had crossed into my 13 year old daughters life - she identified two as 'heard this before' and Yesterday wasn't one. 9 out of 10 from me, and a very enjoyable evening.
(By way of comparison, Mamma Mia and it's bastard offspring get 1 out of twenty between them - garbage films with a soundtrack like fingernails dragged down a blackboard)
Not a recent film but watched Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation last night. Just what I wanted, a throughly enjoyable action flick with a few laughs thrown in and not a lot to think about! Mission Impossible: Fallout is lined up for today.
I also watched Citizen Kane for the first time on BBC iPlayer. I can see why it’s revered and how it was groundbreaking for its time in storytelling and the cinematography. I would have enjoyed it more had I not known so much about it.
Watched 2036 Origin Unknown on Netflix yesterday. Had Katie Sachkoff in it so I thought it would be at least ok. I wont put any spoilers as that would imply I enjoyed it. IMO utter shite! Not recommended, but then again maybe it was too intellectual for me.
Two young women, both damaged in different ways, try to rebuild their lives in 1945 Leningrad just after the end of the War. At times harrowing, I found this an immensely powerful film, with real depth and outstanding performances by the leads. The cinematography and colour palette, with its vivid use of reds and greens, is also exceptional.
It felt a shade too long at 137 minutes but, overall, I thought it was a compelling film. I was surprised to read subsequently that it is only the second feature from the 28-year-old Russian director and co-writer, Kantemir Balagov. He is most certainly one to watch.
It’s available on MUBI - who have made their entire library available to subscribers (including to people on free trials, like me) - and on Amazon Prime.
Been getting a fair bit of online review work recently, lots of it is Disney TV movie stuff, but also a few indie flicks.
Ema was very interesting. A couple break up after their adopted child turns out to be a rotter. She’s a dancer, very rebellious, and he’s a choreographer (it’s all modern expressionism stuff). I like the style of director Pablo Larrain, I thought his previous film Jackie was very well presented. Strange for him to revert to Chile again, I’d like to see him do something mainstream. Still, Ema is a very different film if you’re looking for an off-beat drama with the odd twist. (3/5)
Also saw To The Stars which is a 60s-set coming of age drama that borders on cliche - shy girl comes out of her shell and learns to deal with school cliques, bullies and a bitchy mother - before finding something under a surface that initially seemed quite shallow. (4/5)
Oh and a Russian movie called Why Won’t You Just Die! - would rather not say too much but if you come across it and consider it - pull the trigger and watch it. It’s a lot of fun. You won’t regret it. (4/5).
Netflix’s The Wrong Missy isn’t as bad as I feared. (3/7)
Cannot wait for Tenet. Meant to be released mid July but I’m guessing I’ll have to wait longer.
Does look a lot like Inception which is a very good thing. Definitely one I'll want to watch on the big screen
It has that relentless explanatory stuff going on. Nolan comes up with seemingly crazy worlds then has to explain then to you. Dunkirk made a nice change because that stuff was minimal. I do love going to see his movies on the big screen, I just don’t like it when he repeats his build-up shtick.
Maybe I'm being harsh, the trailers like any other show only the best of any film... Hell I've seen many a film where it would be better to watch nothing but the trailer because the rest of the film is bloody shit!! - I question if I'm being harsh about the King (a Netflix film about Henry V) because its based on the Shakespeare plays rather than genuine events that it covers
I'm not going to lie; I've never read those plays that cover Agincourt etc. so in this instance the film could be extremely true to its origins
But as someone who has always enjoyed reading about History (mostly Military) its a film that has a shocking amount of inaccuracies that surely dont need to be inaccurate because Henry's invasion of France in 1415 was such an interesting period!!... Now I may be biased as he's one of my favourite authors but Bernard Cornwell's novel on the battle is a perfect example of how the events can be turned into a decent story
Of course though I'm waffling about something that "Hollywood" has never cared about - The cinematogrophy of the inaccurate battle is excellent but for me its a film that needlessly drags on a bit too much at times - Robert Pattison as the Dauphin tried his best speaking bad English as a "frenchman" but come the end was more that of Peter Sellers as the Pink Panther rather than someone in a serious situation!!
As a plus point Timothee Chalamet is someone for me who comes out of the film with great credit though, and is an actor I'll certainly look out for in the future
Jojo Rabbit (by Taika Waititi; Thor; Ragnorak Director) is another I cant wait to see and is one film I'm really looking forward to from the trailer, just hope it doesnt leave me with the same disappointment
I watched this last night and agree with your review.
Also, let’s just say the French aren’t happy about it. Read an article on the Telegraph website and they are seriously pissed off about how they are portrayed and how well Henry V comes across.
Oh the French will be pissed with whatever we do, still remember them being annoyed when Eurostar was first built because trains ran from France into Waterloo Station which they saw as a slur
Any film produced which shows them having their arses kicked with always result in a complaint
I'm just pleased that there are more than enough of them
I wouldn't worry. The French are generally pissed off with whatever other French people do.
For example, French people had their tyres slashed by locals just for deciding to stay at their holiday homes during lockdown. This happened quite a lot in this region.
Been getting a fair bit of online review work recently, lots of it is Disney TV movie stuff, but also a few indie flicks.
Ema was very interesting. A couple break up after their adopted child turns out to be a rotter. She’s a dancer, very rebellious, and he’s a choreographer (it’s all modern expressionism stuff). I like the style of director Pablo Larrain, I thought his previous film Jackie was very well presented. Strange for him to revert to Chile again, I’d like to see him do something mainstream. Still, Ema is a very different film if you’re looking for an off-beat drama with the odd twist. (3/5)
Also saw To The Stars which is a 60s-set coming of age drama that borders on cliche - shy girl comes out of her shell and learns to deal with school cliques, bullies and a bitchy mother - before finding something under a surface that initially seemed quite shallow. (4/5)
Oh and a Russian movie called Why Won’t You Just Die! - would rather not say too much but if you come across it and consider it - pull the trigger and watch it. It’s a lot of fun. You won’t regret it. (4/5).
Netflix’s The Wrong Missy isn’t as bad as I feared. (3/7)
Have you seen 'Tony Manero' and 'No' by Larrain? I strongly recommend them both.
Been getting a fair bit of online review work recently, lots of it is Disney TV movie stuff, but also a few indie flicks.
Ema was very interesting. A couple break up after their adopted child turns out to be a rotter. She’s a dancer, very rebellious, and he’s a choreographer (it’s all modern expressionism stuff). I like the style of director Pablo Larrain, I thought his previous film Jackie was very well presented. Strange for him to revert to Chile again, I’d like to see him do something mainstream. Still, Ema is a very different film if you’re looking for an off-beat drama with the odd twist. (3/5)
Also saw To The Stars which is a 60s-set coming of age drama that borders on cliche - shy girl comes out of her shell and learns to deal with school cliques, bullies and a bitchy mother - before finding something under a surface that initially seemed quite shallow. (4/5)
Oh and a Russian movie called Why Won’t You Just Die! - would rather not say too much but if you come across it and consider it - pull the trigger and watch it. It’s a lot of fun. You won’t regret it. (4/5).
Netflix’s The Wrong Missy isn’t as bad as I feared. (3/7). I was getting worried with all those marks out of five. I feared your account had been hacked so I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the last one was out of seven. I’d like your next two marks to be out of pi and e, please.
Comments
Thought it was really good. Pretty scary considering
I was expecting to hate it but i actually thought it was brilliant.
Great acting and a soundrack that is definitely not my normal thing , but tells the story so well .
Probebly the best film i've seen in 2020.
9 out of 10
An interesting development. It won't feature the blockbusters scheduled for late this year or early 2021, but there should be some interesting material. As Bradshaw says, it's a loss leader for the big festivals - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/apr/28/online-film-festival-we-are-one-cannot-replace-cinema
It was fantastic. Great story line, well acted and a feel good film you could just go with. Even my complete lack of empathy with the music didn't spoil it (the Abba soundtrack in Mamma Mia was unbearable) and I was amused to see how little of the Beetles had crossed into my 13 year old daughters life - she identified two as 'heard this before' and Yesterday wasn't one.
9 out of 10 from me, and a very enjoyable evening.
(By way of comparison, Mamma Mia and it's bastard offspring get 1 out of twenty between them - garbage films with a soundtrack like fingernails dragged down a blackboard)
IMO utter shite! Not recommended, but then again maybe it was too intellectual for me.
Beanpole (Russia)
Two young women, both damaged in different ways, try to rebuild their lives in 1945 Leningrad just after the end of the War. At times harrowing, I found this an immensely powerful film, with real depth and outstanding performances by the leads. The cinematography and colour palette, with its vivid use of reds and greens, is also exceptional.
It felt a shade too long at 137 minutes but, overall, I thought it was a compelling film. I was surprised to read subsequently that it is only the second feature from the 28-year-old Russian director and co-writer, Kantemir Balagov. He is most certainly one to watch.
It’s available on MUBI - who have made their entire library available to subscribers (including to people on free trials, like me) - and on Amazon Prime.
Don't think the small screen will do it justice.
If I came up with my top five action movies of all time that would be in there. Cruise and McQuarrie work brilliantly together.
For example, French people had their tyres slashed by locals just for deciding to stay at their holiday homes during lockdown. This happened quite a lot in this region.