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Films you've watched recently.

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Tangled up in Blue said:
Saw The Railway Man last night (on DVD).Quite impressive,post-modern stuff. Thought Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman were especially good.

Still think I preferred Merry Xmas Mr Lawrence though.

(Thanks to @Swiss Tony for the heads up on this).
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Colin Firth is an impressive actor imo, he has not allowed himself to be stereotype cast, very good ar drama, comedy, action and also has a musical on his CV. Underrated.
 
Finch, on Apple TV, a post apocalypse sci fi starring Tom Hanks, a bit like The Road, very bleak but Hanks was his usual very watchable. 6.5/10 . Has some good music to it.
 
The Rite- good cast, and a watchable exorcism movie. Nice scenery chewing from Anthony Hopkins who also speaks some Italian.
 
Mr Plow said:
Some sci-fi/horror on Halloween weekend: Cronenburg classic 'Scanners'.
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Have’t watched that in decades, classic.
My favourite is “the dead zone” Christopher walken is brilliant , but great cast all round and great story.

ps- don’t watch the trailer, it’s really badly done and would put me off
 
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Bexley Blue said:
13. The Courier - 9/10
Went in with high hopes and wasn't disappointed. Surprisingly didn't know much about the story, considering I'm a Historian who loves his Cold War-era stuff, but it had me gripped. 1960s-era London and Moscow cinematography put a huge smile on my face. Felt myself at the edge of my seat and biting my fingernails as the main character's espionage work became more daring. Fantastic performance from Cumberbatch, especially towards the end where he really came into his own.

14. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins - 6/10
Big, loud summer action movie that I didn't expect much from but ended up enjoying. It's a G.I Joe (and, in particular, Snake Eyes) origins story. I don't know much about G.I. Joe and haven't actually watched any of the other movies, so might have missed some references. It was fun with some good action, and some standard moral turmoil before the hero came good. Thought Henry Golding added some charisma to it too.

15. Candyman - 7/10
Really enjoyed this reboot/sequel. Great performance from Abdul-Mateen as his character spiralled into his tailspin. Thought it was quite a clever film really. Jordan Peele has stayed true to and respectful of the original but has really added his own undercurrent of BLM social commentary to it, and it works well despite being a bit heavy on the politics in places. Ends up being an interesting way of turning monster into anti-hero. Very stylishly-made film, which leaves a lot to the imagination by not being obvious orin-your-face with the blood and gore.

16. The Nest - 4/10
Plenty of moody atmosphere in the period setting, and it was well set-up with an early sense of foreboding......but it never really paid off for me. I suppose it's a cautionary tale in a way by showing the crumbling of a family unit, and makes good use of the shaky socio-economic picture in the UK in the mid-1980s. But felt like it missed the mark with the psychology, and I realised by halfway through that it wasn't really going anywhere.

17. Reminiscence - 2/10
I can't tell you how frustrated I was by this film. I saw the trailer and thought it had so much potential. Near-dystopian future setting, and a mix of sci-fi and moody noir thriller....bags of promise. But underneath atmosphere and great visuals, it badly missed the mark in my opinion. It felt like there were too many ideas, most of which weren't particularly original, and it tripped over them all. Add in too many flashback scenes and the feeling that the storyline was chasing its tail, and you get what ended up being a bit of a mess. The script didn't help either - came across as cheesy and contrived, and you know it's a bad script when it causes a decent actor like Hugh Jackman to come across as wooden.

18. The Night House - 7/10
Enjoyed this. An old-fashioned, atmospheric, jumpy supernatural horror which got more complex as it went along. Quite a clever premise with a psychological and philosophical edge. Plenty of genuinely tense and scary moments by a lake in upstate New York, and an impressive performance from Rebecca Hall who flits between despair/hysteria and single-minded determination and certainty with ease.

19. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - 8/10
Didn't know what to expect, but loved it. I don't know much about the story as, whilst I am deep in the Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom, I've never really been into the comics. Visually impressive with really strong performances, especially from Tony Leung as Wenwu and from Simu Liu as Shang Chi. Perfect blend of an exciting origins storyline and some great characters and actors to introduce Shang Chi to the MCU, with the character development (some nice family drama) matching the awesome action/fight scenes. Had some Dr. Strange witchcraft vibes, so I'm sure that will link in, and made me excited for the upcoming next installment of the Spider-Man franchise.

20. James Bond: No Time To Die - 7/10
The film that it feels like we've been waiting for forever! In the end, a fitting finale for Daniel Craig's run as James Bond. Didn't quite hit the heights of Casino Royale or Skyfall, but was undeniably better than the disappointing Quantum of Solace and Spectre. Had the occasional cringey, cheesy Bond line or moment but nowhere near as many as in Spectre (which I cringed all the way through), and I suppose it has to retain some of that so that it still feels like Bond! The character is different these days, and certainly in this film - less sex and womanizing; plenty of self-doubt; and a much more human side to him. All felt a bit less sleek as well, although what should have been a pretty implausible plot ended up working well and the camera work for fight scenes and car chase scenes was dazzling. Loved the cameo from Ana de Armas too - badass! Will be very interested to see where they go next - looks like a reboot of sorts could be on the cards.


That's me up to 20 films since May with the Unlimited card, not too shabby!
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21. Venom: Let There Be Carnage - 7/10
Better effort than the first film. A lot of fun with some great action scenes. Really builds on the split personality dynamic between Eddie Brock and the wise-cracking Venom, who comes out with some genuinely funny lines at times. Lacking a little in the script department, but can just about forgive that. Lots of excitement from the mid-credits scene...

22. Halloween Kills - 3/10
2018's Halloween was good - they did the right thing by positioning it as a direct sequel to the original Halloween, and by ignoring all previous sequels/undoing the silly "Laurie is Michael's sister" schtick. It actually felt much more in the spirit of the original. But this sequel doesn't match-up. Lots of slashing and blood for those of us who like it, but the story was lacking and the developments/reveals contrived, and the script and delivery of lines made me cringe in places....JLC referring to Michael Myers as "the essence of evil" with a constipated look on her face. Ugh. I liked how the 2018 sequel went back to basics and brought Michael Myers back into the realm of flesh and blood, but this then undoes that and heads back in the supernatural direction again. So disappointing. Let's hope Halloween Ends is both better, and the true end.

23. The French Dispatch - 7/10
Undoubtedly a Wes Anderson film! If you're a fan of his then you'll like this. A typically fast-paced comedy with vintage cinematography and a narrow colour pallette similar to Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, etc. I liked the setting of early-C20th France and the diversity in the four "chapters", but to some people the "chapters" won't fit together to form a solid story and could be a little overwhelming. The characters and their stories were quirky, even absurd in places, and the script had a wicked straight-faced humour running through it. Great ensemble cast too.

24. The Last Duel - 9/10
This one really flew under the radar. I know the films are coming thick-and-fast at the moment as they try to catch-up on releases, but this was only in the cinema for a week and deserved better. A brilliant Ridley Scott historical epic. Some might find the story structure a little repetitive as the incident and its build-up are told from the perspectives of each of the three main characters, but I found the differences between the accounts interesting and thought it was clever how Matt Damon's and Adam Driver's characters each gradually and unwittingly contradicted/unravelled their claims. The acting throughout was absolutely top-notch from Damon, Driver, Comer and Ben Affleck and my word, the cinematography was stunning - Medieval France at the height of the Hundred Years War with a detailed recreation of Paris whilst Notre Dame was still under construction. Mesmerising.

25. The Card Counter - 5/10
I expected something a little more action-packed. Oscar Isaac played his role really well, with a brooding moodiness, and his backstory was interesting as it came to light. But I expected a much better payoff at the end of such a slow-burning and occasionally boring build.....but the ending that we got was odd, unsatisfying and anti-climatic. I certainly didn't think that it offered the redemption for the main character that it thought it did. Also not sure that I like Tiffany Haddish in a more serious role - it might have been the script letting her down for her lines and poor direction, but I just couldn't take her seriously.

26. Dune - 8/10
I had been really looking forward to this, and it didn't disappoint, although I've never read the book and so can't comment on the quality of the adaption. This was an ambitious project though, and Denis Villeneuve pulled it off. Stunning cinematography with a narrow colour pallette, not too dissimilar to his previous work with Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival. The action scenes were great, the acting was superb and there was a decent amount of focus on character development, which I liked. Absolute feast on the eyes and ears and I think I might go and watch it again. Some might find it a bit of a slow-burner, but I imagine that it is building up to the second part, much like the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, for example.

27. Last Night in Soho - 8/10
Another feast for the eyes and ears with absolutely captivating 1960s London scenes, and a neon colour palette and 1960s soundtrack to match. We often idealise the 1960s but this feels like a retort to that idealism, showing a glimpse of the ugliness underneath. The first half or two-thirds of the film was really gripping and although the final act relied a little bit on traditional psychological/supernatural horror tropes, it didn't detract from a unique and stylish story. Taylor-Joy and Thomasin were both superb in their roles, and Diana Rigg's final role felt like a really fitting one. I liked the twist at the end too, although it seems to have caused ruffled some feathers in some quarters.

28. Eternals - 5/10
Definitely enjoyable, but lacking in comparison to its MCU siblings and something that I expected more from considering the lofty reputation of its Academy Award-winning director. Clearly posing a question of what it means to be human but felt a little narratively hollow in places, and part of me feels that the noble aim of ensuring diversity and representation in the cast of main characters detracted from the development of the storyline. Just felt a bit clunky and probably half an hour too long. Nevertheless interested to see where these characters fit into the MCU, and where the end credits scenes go.
 
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