Latest Films

Moonlight - a sad and tenderly story of an emotionally neglected and damaged boy/young man. I thought it was very good but not outstanding.

Blucher said:

Moonlight - a sad and tenderly story of an emotionally neglected and damaged boy/young man. I thought it was very good but not outstanding.

Thought Moonlight was superb - best film I've seen this year. The subject matter will limit its audience but I thought the acting and the way it was shot was outstanding.

Bill Paxton passed away at 61. What a screen legend he was. "We're on an express elevator to hell, going down!"

I caught La La Land last night. It's not really my genre, but I'll try most films if the reviews push me that way, and the rest of the family wanted to go. To be honest, I hated the first part. The opening songs were utterly forgettably in my opinión. A dance scene on a jammed freeway like a crazy/happy versión of the REM video for Everybody Hurts. A girly night out that looked derived from a lot of the stuff my daughters enjoy on the Disney Channel. Then Ryan Gosling appears and the film actually begins to settle. It's still fairly straightforward Hollywood fare in my opinión, but from there on, the lead actors get into gear and the film is enjoyable, and I did like the City of Stars track. And the ending warmed me to it s a film too.
My wife and I both made the same comment leaving - that it would be a bit unfair if it swept the board as far as the Oscars went, as it wasn't anything extraordinary, and essentially that is what seemed to happen as far as prizes went. But it was a good film, and given that my previous visit to the flicks was to see 50 Shades, it was nice to come out with the whole family chatting about the movie, rather than the rage that being forced to watch a voyeuristic arse-slapping movie induced.

7.5/10

I'm sure it was mentioned on here around 100 pages ago when it was first out, but I finally watched John Wick this afternoon ahead of the 2nd one coming out.

How I missed it first time round I don't know.

Typical "man needs revenge so kills a shit load of people" film, like Taken etc.

Good film if you haven't seen it.

I have watched 3 films this last couple of weeks

I Daniel Blake 9/10

Bloody brilliant, very clear axe being ground and done very well. I couldn't work out where I'd seen the lead actor before and after spending most of the film thinking it must be a really old version of the guy who played Michael in Alan Partridge it clicked. I'd seen him compère a couple of times at comedy clubs and very good he was too.

It's quite an emotional watch, and the director does a brilliant job of telling the way things can be, a huge dollop of poetic licence included but I really enjoyed it as a body of work. Made my wife cry her eyes out, I must have had some grit in my eye at the end!

Logan 7/10

Good film, but flipping mental. I'm not an expert on marvel films or x men but I like Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine character and he does his usual bit and does it well. Patrick Stewart is brilliant but Stephen Merchant was, well I'm not sure if he was really good or awkwardly terrible. The time lines of the x men films bend my head and whilst it was a good way for Jackman to retire from the character it left me with a few questions. Solid 7 out of ten

A streetcat called Bob 6/10 (bob the cat 10/10)

A by the numbers effort, I liked the book but having encountered the man it concerns and been told by a very kind hearted lady friend of mine he is the only person she dislikes (she works for the big issue and a homeless charity) it made my mind up a bit about the protagonist. Thought the cat was brilliant as was Joanne Froggatt, who is always excellent but the film as a whole was like watching a montage. It gets a 6 for the cat and Joanne Froggatt. And to be fair to him Luke Treadaway is good too but the film is just a bit bleurgh

Going to see Logan then Skull Island for my birthday. It will bring back memories of going to the flicks in my childhood and there being two films in the programme. The last time I tried this, with The Martian and some other film, the cinema caught fire. Wish me better luck today.

Thought Sully was a good watch.

Loving the new Aardman spin off

Certain Women

Set against a prominent and beautiful Montana backdrop, this comprises three essentially unrelated tales of women struggling (variously) with loneliness, unhappy marriage and male neediness. Laura Dern is a small town lawyer troubled by a deranged client (Jared Harris), Michelle Williams is a businesswoman trying to build a perfect rural home in order to underpin her ailing marriage and Lily Gladstone is a lonely rancher who becomes infatuated with an evening-class teacher, Kristen Stewart. The director's approach is understated and minimalist, to say the least, but this is a quietly poignant and engaging film, albeit one that didn't quite meet my expectations, given that it won the Best Film Award at last year's London Film Festival - 7/10.

Saw The lost city of Z yesterday.
Well written, well acted, good photography and interesting story.
Lacked something though as in the end I didn't care what happened to the central character.
Glad I saw it as a free preview as if I'd paid for it I'd have felt I didn't get my full moneys worth.
Synopsis - Percy Fawcett has a family history (unspecified) that limits his career in the army in the early 1900s. Is invited to survey unknown Bolivia by the Royal Geographic Society so as to stop war between Bolivia and Brazil over rubber. Explores Amazonia, has exciting adventures. Finds tantalising clues to a lost civilisation. Returns to London where he is laughed at over his feeling there is a civilisation that predates the west. Goes back with a useless member of the RGS, fails again to find Z. On his return useless bloke threatens to sue him. WW1 breaks out he goes to war.
After war goes back to seek Z with oldest son more adventures.
Fin.
6/10 I think.