Since the readership of this webpage has greatly increased of late, I thought it might be fun to widen the remit of the blog to include some of my other interests outside gaming. That being the case, I've decided to compile the film reviews I've been tweeting here on the blog. This is mostly for my own pleasure so I can look back at all of the films I watch over time and what I thought of them - but hopefully you find them of interest too! Best of all, I can further expand on each review as I'm not restricted by Twitter's character limits so I regard these as my "director's cut" versions of each review!
Note: I only started this exercise mid-April. Going forward, I plan making a weekly post which will have fewer reviews, making them more bite-sized posts.
Reviewed this month: Go, Kick Ass, Call Me By Your Name, The Fly, The Phantom Thread, Ant Man and the Wasp, The Equalizer 2.
Go
Director: Doug Liman
Cast: Sarah Polley, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf
Released: 1999
Three different young people embark on unrelated adventures whose paths inevitably cross and collide.
The Good:
I thought it was refreshing that the main characters were unlikable.
I liked the quirky filming and editing techniques which gave it that authentic indie vibe.
The 90's soundtrack was pretty great.
The Bad:
There were just too many crossovers in the stories by the end which made it feel too unbelievable and a little contrived. I admire what they were aiming to achieve though.
It really did feel like it wanted to be Pulp Fiction for the rave generation but, despite some good moments, never really hit the highs of that film. It would be a good thing if more films set out with higher ambitions as this does.
I never really took to the Simon character and his story was the least interesting.
And The Verdict:
Well worth a watch but don't expect a masterpiece. 7/10
Kick Ass
Director: Matthew Vaughan
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Chloe Grace Moretz
Released: 2010
A comic book fan's fantasies to become a real life superhero spiral out of control with violent - and often amusing - consequences.
The Good:
Very funny in places, well-filmed, well-made, ultra-violent superhero romp with great production values.
Big Daddy and Hit Girl are just brilliant.
Wonderful soundtrack, with special mention for Adagio in D-Minor by John Murphy, very reminiscent of his wonderful song from 28 Days Later; In the House, In a Heartbeat.
Superb action choreography.
Proper adult superhero film which is far superior to (and was released before) the more widely popular Deadpool.
The Bad:
Some of the violence didn't sit right with the general tone of the film for me, but I know this is an issue of personal taste - but it's something I've found with several Matthew Vaughan films.
Some of the teenage humour was of a similar ilk to American Pie, fine if you like that kind of thing.
And The Verdict:
There's a lot to like here, but you end up wishing they'd just made the Hit Girl and Big Daddy film, it would have been great. 8/10
Call Me By Your Name
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg
Released: 2017
A young man falls in love with his father's research assistant in 1980's Italy.
The Good:
Great natural performances by the main cast.
Beautiful Italian scenery and good sense of the 80's period of time, filmed with a dreamlike quality.
Michael Stuhlbarg's speech near the end of the film. It sums up how you would hope parents deal with the situation of their children coming out as gay.
The Bad:
Languid pace and lack of story made the film feel as though it would have benefitted with a good half hour trimmed from the running time.
And The Verdict:
I'm not the greatest fan of romance movies but I really did wish there was more story as the performances deserved better. 7/10
The Fly
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Jeff Holdblum, Geena Davis
Released: 1986
A scientist invents teleportation and extreme body horror.
The Good:
Great performances by Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. This film could so easily have become comedic if their performances hadn't sold the concept.
Fantastic body horror!
Make-up and gore effects which have stood the test of time very well (unusual for a film from the 80's).
Nice score by Howard Shore which had a classic, timeless feel.
Could be viewed as an analogy for living with chronic illness, a subject close to my heart.
The Bad:
I really didn't care for the sexual creepiness of Geena Davis' former love interest. That character hadn't aged well but the world was a different place in the 80's and it summed up the predatory nature of many yuppies from that time.
And The Verdict:
I remember being completely disgusted by the body horror stuff when I first saw this at the age of 14 but this time I just enjoyed all the gunk and gore! I didn't have high expectations, but I thought the performances sold the whole thing! 8/10
The Phantom Thread
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville
Released: 2017
A fashion designer who lives in his own world finds his life disrupted by his new love.
The Good:
The three main characters are beautifully played with so much story conveyed through their performances. The whole film feels like a game of chess.
Wonderful direction, relaxing dreamlike quality.
Sumptuous score by Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood which really elevates the images and performances even further.
The Bad:
Ok, I said none on the above pictured tweet, but I did feel my attention drifting towards the end. I think this was more due to me not feeling great rather than the film - this was annoying because I was totally drawn in to the film until then. Unlike Call Me By Your Name though, I didn't feel the film required any cuts, everything that was there should have been there and not removed.
And The Verdict:
I expected to hate this film as I'm not a fan of period drama, I don't like fashion and not I'm not keen on uptight British characters, yet I loved it! Would highly recommend, even if you don't think the premise sounds that interesting! 9/10
Ant Man and the Wasp
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly
Released: 2018
Ant Man and the Wasp embark on a search for a microscopic Michelle Pfieffer.
The Good:
There were one or two very funny sequences, notably cast members talking in tune with Michael Pena's narration.
Some fun action.
Nice seeing Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer digitally de-aged in a few scenes. It's still not perfect, but the technology is much better for this kind of thing now.
The Bad:
Where was the story?
Nothing at stake.
No opposition that felt like a genuine threat to the main characters which meant the whole film lacked drama and tension.
Instantly forgettable.
And The Verdict:
I have to admit suffering from major superhero movie fatigue. There's far too many of these films and I feel that while they are well-made and fun, there's nothing new to offer now, it's all the same thing again and again. Younger audiences will probably enjoy the froth and colour of it all (and there's nothing wrong with that). My hope is that after Avengers: Endgame, other cinema-goers look for something new and films like this do not get released on such a regular basis. 6/10
The Equalizer 2
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders
Released: 2018
Denzel Washington does good deeds for good people which usually entails committing ultra-violent deeds upon bad people.
The Good:
Denzel Washington is highly watchable but he is too good for this film.
Decent action sequences.
The Bad:
The thread-bare murderous motivations of the people hunting Denzel and his pals are laughably explained in two words of dialogue. Given that they are highly trained killers going to great lengths to achieve their goals, I want and expect more than that.
The battle in the storm is a great idea but sadly it fails to deliver a thrilling climax.
And The Verdict:
It's perfectly watchable but utterly forgettable. I couldn't think of anything that it added to the (superior) original. This is Denzel Washington's first sequel and on this evidence it should be his last. Sorry Denzel! 6/10
