I got Covid for a second time so spent much of last week watching films that I find comforting (Marvel and Tarantino mainly!). But I did occasionally try something new - In The Heart Of The Sea (Amazon) was decent, and surprisingly understated. I get a little tired of Hemsworth doing the same performance over and over but Tom Holland was as engaging as ever.
MIB: International was bloody awful.
Detective Pikachu was better than it had any right to be. Thanks to Ryan Reynolds really. I did lose interest towards the end but I have to give it credit for having a decent stab at film noir-style storytelling.
Also I watched An Innocent Man for the first time in 30 years and it made me realise how much I love F Murray Abraham.
Do go and see Riders of Justice if you can. Danish crime thriller with dark comedy elements, I was expecting a very standard film from the setup but it was really refreshing once you get past the weird tone. Some of the best characters I've seen on screen in a long time, and surprisingly touching and humane.
Watched the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The first 20 minutes is truly woeful but it does get better. Also Jay sadly now has false teeth after years of heroin abuse and his slurring speech is quite distracting. Still enjoyed it for the most part.
I like serial killer films and was looking through prime the other night, ' Hangman' came up, Al Pacino, thought I'd give it ago even though IMDB was 5.2/10
Honestly the worst film I've sat through to the end for years.
Shocking acting, like a shit episode of CSI, it was that bad I just wanted to know the ending, story wasn't a bad story tbf but executed like a spoof rip off Seven
Did anyone watch the Fear Street trilogy? Finished it last night, thought each film got progressively better and the final instalment was pretty decent (dodgy Irish accents aside).
I watched Nobody yesterday and I've got to say it was absolutely excellent
Stars Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill from breaking bad and better call Saul) and he is fantastic, the premise is very John Wick-y which I am absolutely fine with, the film isn't trying to be anything it isn't. Its an out and out action/revenge flick and the action scenes are incredible especially the fighting. Thoroughly recommended
Back to the cinema last weekend for the first time in a year and a half. Watched "Summer of Soul", a documentary using excellent rediscovered footage from a series of concerts held in Harlem in the Summer of 1969. The whole film is excellent - one stunning performance after another. Brilliant solos by Stevie Wonder on the drums (I had no idea he could play them) and the organ, Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples with an extraordinary gospel duet, BB King playing the blues, Gladys Knight and the Pips with Motown and wonderful cheorgraphed dancing, Sly and the Family Stone with bass driven funk and Nina Simone with some pretty radical politics.
Probably the best music documentary I've ever seen and I've seen a LOT.
Did anyone watch the Fear Street trilogy? Finished it last night, thought each film got progressively better and the final instalment was pretty decent (dodgy Irish accents aside).
I watched the first one and quite enjoyed it - it was kinda hammy but it knew it was and was pretty enjoyable. Some half-decent twists that if it was a standalone would've been a bit shite but I imagine helped link it to the 2nd and 3rd films. Hoping to watch the other 2 at some point but will probably take months
In the Earth directed by Ben Wheatley and has already as ever polarised people. Personally found it strange but very intense throughout. Needs to be watched in total blackout 8/10
Did anyone watch the Fear Street trilogy? Finished it last night, thought each film got progressively better and the final instalment was pretty decent (dodgy Irish accents aside).
I watched them over the last week or so. Quite enjoyed them for what they are and they were pretty well done. As someone brought up on Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc. they were a decent stab* at revisiting my youth. I'll never look at breadslicers in the same way.
Flat on my back at the weekend with some sort of bug so I hit the movies.
Jojo Rabbit I tried this before and couldn't get into it but this time I stuck with it and enjoyed it a lot. A cute whimsical Hitler is a big push but fitted into the film as the young aspiring Brownshirt deals with the fact that his mum is hiding a youg jewish girl in the walls of her house. Great acting, and I was dragged along by the film to it's moving finale. 4/5
Jungle Cruise. I like old Dwayne, and I'm generally a sucker for a Disney movie, and as it had a respectable 69% on rotten tometoes, I went along for the ride. My personal take that it was a silly, dull movie, in which the story made little sense and really needed a lot of work. I'll avoid a guaranteed spoiler but there was one standout fail that annoyed me thrughout. I'll happily go along with the crowd in suspending my doubts for a good fun movie but I just found this one incompetent. 1/5
Inception seen it before but the disney film made me long for something different. Love everything from the soundtrack to the acting to the effects. 5/5
I hated Suicide Squad. I’m not expecting Oscar Winning dialogue and story line from a comic movie but it was like my 8 year old wrote some of the script.
Jungle Cruise is based on the Disney ride - saw it with low expectations as a result and while not at all perfect, thought it was entertaining enough. It is a bit of a female Indiana Jones/ Pirates hybrid with Jack Whitehall providing the light relief/posh Englishman stereotype. Also managed to spot Michael Whitehall’s extra cameo toward the start. 6.5/10
I hated Suicide Squad. I’m not expecting Oscar Winning dialogue and story line from a comic movie but it was like my 8 year old wrote some of the script.
The first Suicide Squad was directed by David Ayer, who is a decent director who can tell a story. There was an early trailer for it, edited by a company that exclusively make trailers. It was one of the best-received trailers in history. So, long story short, Warner Bros. lost confidence in what Ayer was doing (mainly after Batman V Superman got slated), kicked Ayer's team out out of the edit suite and hired the trailer company to edit the entire movie.
Given that trailers don't really tell stories, it's no surprise that what that company did was turn Suicide Squad into a series of music videos. It's a horrifically bad edit, and Ayer recently said that his version is totally different, but Warners won't release it the way they did with Justice League.
Beds is lucky to have enjoyed it. I always think that when someone likes a film more than someone else. But fuck me it's one of the worst big budget movies ever made. The Honest Trailer for it really nails it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdiFhv3gsyo
I got to interview her, along with most of the squad during the junket the day after the reviews broke. I think they had all been out partying the night before and were hungover. It was a really tense vibe in the hotel where the junket was, because everybody knew the movie was getting savaged but nobody was talking about it!
Comments
The jumping onto the rocks scene was disturbing.
MIB: International was bloody awful.
Honestly the worst film I've sat through to the end for years.
Shocking acting, like a shit episode of CSI, it was that bad I just wanted to know the ending, story wasn't a bad story tbf but executed like a spoof rip off Seven
Stars Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill from breaking bad and better call Saul) and he is fantastic, the premise is very John Wick-y which I am absolutely fine with, the film isn't trying to be anything it isn't. Its an out and out action/revenge flick and the action scenes are incredible especially the fighting. Thoroughly recommended
9/10
Probably the best music documentary I've ever seen and I've seen a LOT.
8/10
*see what I did there?
Typical Dwayne Johnson movie. Watchable if not spectacular. A family affair.
Jojo Rabbit
I tried this before and couldn't get into it but this time I stuck with it and enjoyed it a lot. A cute whimsical Hitler is a big push but fitted into the film as the young aspiring Brownshirt deals with the fact that his mum is hiding a youg jewish girl in the walls of her house. Great acting, and I was dragged along by the film to it's moving finale. 4/5
Jungle Cruise.
I like old Dwayne, and I'm generally a sucker for a Disney movie, and as it had a respectable 69% on rotten tometoes, I went along for the ride. My personal take that it was a silly, dull movie, in which the story made little sense and really needed a lot of work. I'll avoid a guaranteed spoiler but there was one standout fail that annoyed me thrughout. I'll happily go along with the crowd in suspending my doubts for a good fun movie but I just found this one incompetent. 1/5
Inception
seen it before but the disney film made me long for something different. Love everything from the soundtrack to the acting to the effects.
5/5
Scarlett Johansson was fantastic in it.
Given that trailers don't really tell stories, it's no surprise that what that company did was turn Suicide Squad into a series of music videos. It's a horrifically bad edit, and Ayer recently said that his version is totally different, but Warners won't release it the way they did with Justice League.
Beds is lucky to have enjoyed it. I always think that when someone likes a film more than someone else. But fuck me it's one of the worst big budget movies ever made. The Honest Trailer for it really nails it.
I think Will Smith was probably the best thing. Also Margot Robbie will always get my attention
It's pretty hard going at times - but once again....Frances McDormand is fantastic.
Reminded me of Into The Wild......another fantastic film with some incredible scenery / cinematography.