Dec 09 2022
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Art, Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized

Another Round (2020).

Mads Mikkelsen should be in everything. Really, he should. Because he is awesome. His ending here (no spoilers) seemingly comes out of nowhere but the booze-infused Kelly/Donen … ripple was signposted all along.

This has a genuinely intriguing opening and the movie never lets up in its unpredictability. The four-character ensemble, lost in a listlessness of their own making, take an unorthodox and ludicrous premise and roll with it. Of chief concern here is the fun of the Devil’s buttermilk – teachers giddying around in a desperate attempt to recapturing a lost stage of development – but also the Dark Side. And it gets very dark, booze an outlet for a deeper malaise. 

The best tragicomedy I’ve seen in ages.

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Dec 05 2022
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Art, Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized

Tremors (1990).

This movie is so mad and frankly ludicrous but it’s so well put together, acted, and for a movie about killer worms, actually well written. And what a pleasure it is to see the late, great character actor Fred Ward in a leading role. Why hadn’t I seen Tremors until now?

Superb.

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Dec 01 2022
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Architecture, Art, Building, Construction, Crime, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

Thamesmead no more.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/30/cockney-riviera-botched-regeneration-brutalist-utopia-thamesmead

Brutalist and utopia are never two words to be used in the same sentence without negative connotations, but it’s a recurring theme with these building projects. We did, however, experience the “aesthetically pleasing” luxuries of A Clockwork Orange (1971) because of these architectural faux pas. 

Once again: “As we walked along the flatblock marina, I was calm on the outside but thinking all the time. So now it was to be Georgie the General, saying what we should do, and what not to do, and Dim as his mindless, grinning bulldog. But, suddenly, I viddied that thinking was for the gloopy ones, and that the oomny ones used like inspiration and what Bog sends. For now it was lovely music that came to my aid. There was a window open, with a stereo on, and I viddied right at once what to do.”

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Nov 29 2022
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Art, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized

Strange Days (1995).

Ralph Fiennes has the strangest way of delivering his lines in some movies and this is no exception. It’s like he shouldn’t fully be involved in the world he resides in, like he’s a tourist. But it works perfectly in this ahead-of-its-time cyberpunk thriller from the always interesting Kathryn Bigelow.

The POV scenes are a technical tour de force and wouldn’t look out of place in a peak De Palma, but rather than merely an aesthetic treat they serve the story, which is never dull and continually engrossing.

And it’s not bad looking, either.

It bombed at the box office. Strange.

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Nov 24 2022
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Art, Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies

James Cameron in the clip of the week/month.

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Nov 22 2022
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Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Technology

Arrival (2016). What’s the big deal?

Some movies you just ‘don’t get’. I don’t get Arrival (2016).

It’s boring. It’s derivative. It’s inordinately and agonisingly slow for no reason. It’s not even pretentious but wants to be; if you fail at that then you’re rubbish. I didn’t hate it … which just made the experience even worse. If I despised it then at least I would enjoy ranting about it. It’s merely pointless.

And so is this review.

Bye for now.

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Nov 14 2022
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Art, Cinema, Film, Movies, Uncategorized

Gene Hackman. We think you are awesome.

Such a body of work from this legendary thesp and such a knack for either choosing the right films or being handpicked for them. Either way, directors knew what they were getting – commitment, gravitas, an actor incapable of giving a bad performance. He excelled at both unperturbed man of action and a lad who blew his top when his buried frailties and superstructure of masculinity were exposed.

He actually got even better as he got older, and in the ’90s he was pulling out a masterclass a year. Personal highlight: Gene and Denzel Washington screaming at one another on a nuclear submarine.

I hear he’s retired from acting now and works as a novelist. He is missed. And that chuckle of his.

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Nov 07 2022
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Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized

Halloween H20 (1998).

Everyone is in this, even a bloke who looks like the kid from Jumanji (1995), and LL Cool J is the exact same character here that he plays in Deep Bue Sea (1999) and Any Given Sunday (1999). Special mention to Janet Leigh’s mental cameo.

A rarity – a slasher in which you can believe that any character can be killed. Yes, it’s shite, but in a funny way, and it does have a wee bit of transcendence dare behind it. Amidst the garbage Halloweens, this and the first are the only ones worth watching. 

Decent poster, too.

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Nov 02 2022
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Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Technology, Uncategorized

Event Horizon (1997). Crikey, this is terrible.

A total clichéfest after an almost absorbing first 10 minutes and admittedly impressive set design, this is one of those ‘cult movies’ that quite a few renowned movie critics admire. I believe they have been bribed by the producers or blackmailed or something. It’s the worst kind of B-movie in that everything in it is lifted from everything else, even down to the bizarre appearance of an Eddie Murphy lookalike as one of the ship’s crew; I did a double take and it took about a minute to realise it wasn’t him.

Not a developed character in the picture, the script bafflingly tries to compensate with constant jargon that the characters relay to the audience in order to inform us that we are stupid and not crew members on a spaceship. And it’s all so rushed it feels like the editors took speed during the latter half of the cutting sessions. 

Only reason I’m moaning about such a shitter is that a few cinephiles whom I respect have said it’s great.

They are very wrong.

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Nov 01 2022
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Art, Hip hop, Kanye West, Music, Uncategorized

Watch the Throne (2011) – throwback to this masterpiece.

The best collaborative album, and Kanye West at his peak. Apparently, he lost his mind or something recently.

Yes:

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