Tag Archives: Cinema

Dec 30 2022
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Art, Cinema, Crime, Film, Movie, Movies

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022).

The first one I recall was a highly entertaining bit of hokum, a Cluedo for the big (small) screen, but a trilogy of them?

The positives: Dave Bautista is a rarity, a wrestler who can act, Ed Norton is flawless as always, and Craig is perfectly fine in the role. He’s better suited (no pun intended) to this fare than Bond. He’s a camp Columbo and great at it.

I cannot stand the term ‘disrupter’. Imagine calling yourself that. These fuckers get deservedly mocked here.

Negatives: I had to watch it over the course of three days, such was my complete indifference to any of these ‘disrupters’ and any crime committed. It’s boring and I was bored.

And I don’t know who Elon Musk is. True story.

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Dec 26 2022
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Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized

The Final Destination (2009).

The Final Destination (2009), and I don’t know what number this is in the series. I’ve lost track.

Despite being, well, shite, they are perverse and disturbing and addictive as you know something is going to happen to these highly annoying folk and they don’t. 

Ascribing all of the blood and guts to Death than merely to the accidents of the world gives the franchise a sadistic edge, especially considering how unsympathetic and irritating the ‘characters’ are.

Get the popcorn out. Forget the tissues. 

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Dec 24 2022
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Art, Cinema, Crime, Film, Movies, Uncategorized, United States

Bad Santa (2003) is the ONLY Christmas movie.

It’s beyond hilarious and it would not be made today; there would be riots in the streets. And the sad thing is that this ‘statement’ is true.

It’s a movie so funny, it knows it’s funny and takes the piss out of how funny it is.

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Dec 23 2022
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Art, Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized, United States

Oppenheimer (2023).

As trailers go, this one had me at … title. You just know it’s going to be a tasty affair.

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Dec 18 2022
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Art, Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized

The Wonder (2022).

The director here can direct like the bloke who constructed The Wicker Man (1973) can, and I’m not alluding to Nicolas Cage and “the bees”.

Quite the captivating drama this one, featuring the usual committee of elders/morons, the martyr lead, and your go-to religious allegories, but it’s done so well. It’s more watchable than Persona (1966), and definitely less irritating.

That’s it for the spoilers.

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Dec 14 2022
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Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized

Deck the Halls (2006). This is purgatory.

I’ve seen some shit (accidental alliteration) in my time but bloody hell, Deck the Halls (2006) takes the proverbial biscuit. 

I’ll just leave you with this from Richard Roeper:

“You can’t believe how excruciatingly awful this movie is. It is bad in a way that will cause unfortunate viewers to huddle in the lobby afterward, hugging in small groups, consoling one another with the knowledge that it’s over, it’s over, thank God, it’s over. Compared to the honest hard labor performed by tens of millions of Americans every day, a film critic’s job is like a winning lottery ticket. But there IS work involved, and it can be painful, and the next time someone tells me I have the best job in the world, I’m going to grab them by the ear, fourth-grade-teacher-in-1966-style, and drag them to see Deck the Halls.”

And that’s that.

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Dec 12 2022
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Art, Cinema, Film, Movie, Movies, Uncategorized, United States

Cop Land (1997).

It’s the high expectations due to the extraordinary A-list cast that sort of let it down a bit. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s good. What’s lacking is a mood, a sense of you really being involved in proceedings. It’s just too workmanlike and clean, and lacks any sense of style. The cop-mob connections aren’t really illustrated, and there’s too much nebulous backstory between the characters.

However, it is acted as well as you’d expect, and even Stallone is fine in it, though his character could have had an edge to him, some shades of grey. The supporting cast are also stellar, and it was surreal seeing the T-1000 with a moustache. For all the considerable talent on display, Ray Liotta walks off with the movie, his conflicted Figgis shambling his way through the narrative, a guilt-ridden bad boy whom you’re never quite sure about until the denouement.

Nice poster, too.

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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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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 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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