Film Reviews

There was a scene with Maurice and it looked like a costume and not CGI, so real.

Typical that if humans aren't fighting apes they'll be fighting each other.

H2H where is showing Dunkirk in 70mm?

Just came back from it, trying to go to the cinema more as an alternative to the pub, and went without reading any reviews or anything. I didn't even know Harry Styles was in it and was unsure if they hadn't just remade the Richard Attenborough film from the late fifties.

Which is why I am so surprised by the reviews, yours being the consensus! I know I am a cynical and contrary old bastard but I thought it was utter tripe. I constantly felt it was going to break into a full-on spoof. The music, which is getting wide-acclaim, completely removed any tension, the dialogue was incredibly cheesy and nearly all the acting wooden, the exception being Mr. Dawson. Speaking as someone who can cry at a drop of a hat, I was left completely unmoved by this and felt absolutely no empathy at all. The whole thing felt like a propaganda film really!

I don't think his decision to sew three different threads together throughout helped either. I feel bad because it would have been nice not to have been contrarian for once, but I was genuinely surprised to overhear positive comments and the person I went with cried at the end. Not out of boredom either. 2/10

As I am here, a few more I watched recently.

Romper Stomper- Never got around to watching this and decided it was time to, I really can't understand why the far-right love it so;I can't understand why anyone would love it! Badly acted, badly scripted, it is essentially a very bad rip-off of A Clockwork Orange. The only real redeeming feature is 'Gabe', brilliantly portrayed by Jacqueline McKenzie, as the vulnerable young girl attracted by the strength and devotion of Russell Crowe. 3/10

A.C.A.B. All Cops Are Bastards - An excellent Italian film which tries to make us understand, without judgement, the reasons for police actions, reactions and overreactions through following around a squadron of Roman riot police. Despite this task being incredibly  difficult it is pulled off rather well, you are essentially left with 2 different questions from polar viewpoints. Why are certain types of people attracted to join the police force; white, working-class, violent and nationalistic  and why are they badly trained and underpaid. The only major quibbles being the football riot scene where the ultras leave the stadium to riot in the car park and some of the other violent scenes don't seem real. The guy who plays 'Cobra', the squad leader , is excellent, as is the directing. It also has a brilliant soundtrack, which, apart from the 4-Skins oi classic, features some great tunes from Mokadelic who I would best describe as an Italian Mogwai. 8/10

I.D- I went to watch I.D. 2 and can't bring myself to do it, so I plumped for the original. Still the greatest film about football violence, complete with over the top fight scenes and immensely quotable dialogue. It makes a similar sociological comment to A.C.A.B, without getting weighed down too much in deep and meaningful questions. 9/10

Imperium- In a film inspired by real events, Daniel Radcliffe plays a geeky F.B.I agent who goes undercover with the American far-right after being recruited by Toni Colette. A timely topic and an interesting story that never really gets properly going. Radcliffe plays the anxiety of being undercover quite well without ever convincing as an American, something which Colette manages quite well. It still moves along at a reasonable enough pace and there is enough there to always keep you interested without ever really  griping the viewer. A lot of the characters are oversimplified too. I think when creating a film about distasteful ideologies it is important to try and make the audience understand how and why they came to believing in it themselves, which is overlooked and it does make it feel like the film has a liberal agenda. Still watchable though. 6/10

The Nice Guys- An action-comedy film about a couple of P.Is  set in L.A during the late '70s is probably as far from my type of film as you can get, especially when you throw in Russell Crowe, but this was really enjoyable. A brilliantly scripted piss-take of every stereotype that Hollywood set in that ere, it is exceptionally funny and Crowe and Gosling had a brilliant on screen chemistry. Simply put; this is good fun. 8/10

Some of the cinematography was well done, with some great panoramic shots and the opening certainly grips you, it just also releases you very quickly as well. There is absolutely no depth to the film and that is what makes it feel like some '80s piece of Hollywood propaganda rather than a serious attempt to understand Dunkirk.It doesn't have to be  the latter, it is after all supposed to be a piece of entertainment, but I do think it should have a certain gravitas when dealing with such a subject.

 A lot of the acting is pretty terrible as well. I have enjoyed Cillian Murphy's work on a few occasions, but his attempts at being shell-shocked were not in anyway convincing. Kenneth Brannagh made me laugh on a couple of occasions, his facial expressions were hilarious.

 I certainly feel that a lot of people here in England have bought into the propaganda and that by merely covering the story of Dunkirk, especially in a manner which was supposed to instill pride in the British nation, that they're avoiding a proper critical evaluation.

Or maybe everyone really thought that was genius and my sense of humour is getting even darker.

I formed my opinions before I knew anyone else's though, if it comes across like that then fair enough. I think there are more people who felt the same in this instance but will go along with the consensus in order to be not labelled a contrarian, or over here they would probably be branded unpatriotic! I form my own opinions, right or wrong, and keep them until someone can convince me otherwise. If you don't like them, I have others. I don't think anybody will convince me to like this particular film though.

What I did like was Whiplash. I finally got around to watching it there. An absolutely magnificent film, so good that it is difficult to describe or pigeonhole. Simmons is superb as the sociopath and the story runs smoothly, never getting too bogged down in cliche or stereotype, even when it seemed inevitable. Anybody that hasn't seen it should watch it, it is hard to pick a flaw in it. Even if you don't like jazz. 10/10

Once Were Warriors- This certainly isn't the easiest film to watch, it is pretty raw and brutal, particularly the domestic violence, but it is certainly worth watching.

It starts off as a typical macho film with a local hero acting as police to anyone who acts up in his local  bar or community, as soon as you have been charmed by him his facade is quickly removed and the film becomes an extreme look at the struggle for the Maori people in postcolonial New Zealand as the traditional family structure breaks down.

The biggest downside is the inexperience of the actors lets them down in places but in other ways it adds to the rawness of the subject matter. It certainly isn't a film you could mix up with another or forgot you had watched! 9/10

"full on spoof"  you're casting a line ffs.

And yes, I was only thinking to myself that a thread in this very section should be dedicated to your cynical views on the world where you can ramble away to your hearts content. 

Finally watched Baby Driver last night, it was excellent.

Brilliant direction, a great cast and a great soundtrack.

Edgar Wright really is in a league of his own 

9/10