Film Reviews

Watch them anyway and see what ya think.

For some reason I thought this was a comdey or a very lighthearted film. It tells the story of the Gucci family from the late 70s to the early 90s.  I wasn't expecting the ending either which added to the film

Enjoyable enough. 

'Kin hell 

Underrated movie with some fantastic acting by Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt more tolerable than usual; not even Cameron Diaz's acting can ruin it.

Think Sicario without all the FBI and CIA agents. Powerful arc re: Fassbender's central character, well choreographed action set pieces, great cinematography and memorable gore.

Visceral stuff.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would seeing it for the first time since it came out. Christian Bale is his usual gripping onscreen presence and it moves along at a brisk pace. David O. Russell has a good directing style and that, along with a good soundtrack and strong editing style, is reminiscent of Scorsese's works. I notice Mark Wahlberg's line delivery is the same in every movie whether he's starring in a comedy or a drama.

Traumatised my then girlfriend by bringing her to the cinema to see this when it came out. It was the opening scene of the movie, and probably the most effective part in truth. Watched it again and it's not very good. The cinematography and story beats seem to be inspired by The Deer Hunter but it's not a patch on that. It's a slog to get through with uninspiring dialogue and poorly fleshed out characterisation. It would just make you want to watch all the movies it reminds you of. I also find Casey Affleck to be an overrated actor while Bale is more subdued in this. As mentioned, the characterisation is poor and Woody Harrelson isn't much more than a caricature in the role as antagonist. 

Wonder - Family movie. Lovely film about a kid with disfigurement and joining a middle class school. Few tears shed I love that little guy

Loosely based on the true story of Dan Burros, a Jewish member of The American Nazi Party, who killed himself after a reporter exposed him being Jewish.

Ryan Gosling stars as an incredibly articulate and passionately racist self-hating Jew who is recruited by a fringe fascist group that want to infiltrate the mainstream.

Gosling does a fantastic job selling the internal conflict of the main character, a clearly tortured soul, with flashback scenes of him arguing with his teacher at Yeshiva adding background to his descent into Neo-Nazi idealism. Scenes that also pay off as the movie reaches its climax.

Watch it now on Amazon Prime. The integral cafe scene is a breathtaking performance of acting by Gosling, whose conviction in what he's saying, and the way he articulates it, is shuddering. 

Some other fantastic monologues about his problems with Judaism and the growing turmoil and doubt surrounding his faith put this up there with Edward Norton's performance in American History X for me.

Date movie ?