Films watched in 2020

[Broo]

Rewatched Heat. Think it was about 10 years ago that I last watched it. For me it's one of those films where everything just came together and worked beautifully. Every actor brings their A game, direction captures the broad scope of the film's locations but feels intimate and immersive at the same time, and the bank robbery and street shoot-out still holds as one of The Great action scenes ever filmed. Cannot praise this film enough if that wasn't already apparent

[Raylenth]

12 hours ago, Broo said:

Rewatched Heat. Think it was about 10 years ago that I last watched it. For me it's one of those films where everything just came together and worked beautifully. Every actor brings their A game, direction captures the broad scope of the film's locations but feels intimate and immersive at the same time, and the bank robbery and street shoot-out still holds as one of The Great action scenes ever filmed. Cannot praise this film enough if that wasn't already apparent

I haven't watched it for a long time and it's a brilliant film, I remember being flabbergasted the first time I saw the gettaway scene

[Daniel]

Birds of Prey was brilliant. It was largely a comedy which was very funny and had another great performance from Margot Robbie. It was more light hearted than many of the comic adaptations but this suited the film well.

[The Friendly Dalek]

A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood- This was a beautiful little film. Short and to the point. Matthew Rhys carries this movie, and he does an excellent job. The film succeeds on a dramatic level, and there are lots of powerful moments. Tom Hanks is obviously fantastic, I just wish we got to see more of him. This film is simply charming, and I really enjoyed it. There's nothing that really stick out as bad in my eyes, this was an enjoyable watch. That's probably the most basic review of a film you've ever read. 

Overall- 8/10.

Dolittle- Oh dear. I'm not a fan of the Eddie Murphy films, and I've never read any of the books, so I'm probably not the best judge of this character, but blimey this movie fails in every way. Robert Downey Jr was a major disappointment. His accent was also incredibly distracting. The supporting cast are all wasted, the biggest example being Jessie Buckley. She's a great actress, but this film utterly wastes her with a useless role. Michael Sheen plays an incredibly over the top villain. He was the most entertaining of the lot but even he can't save the dreadful dialogue. The cgi was also rough in places. The comedy completely killed this movie. I don't think I laughed at a single point where I was supposed to. What was even more annoying for me, was how a potentially emotional and dramatic scene would be immediately undercut by a lame joke, thus destroying any potential impact of the scene. There is absolutely nothing about this movie that will ever make me want to rewatch it.

Overall- 1/10.

Birds Of Prey- I'm not a huge fan of this one. DC have been on a winning streak recently, and I was really hoping this would be another success for them. I don't know how a film this flashy and stylised can still be so dull and interesting. Besides a few stand out action scenes, this was a very dull film for me. Margot Robbie crushes it as Harley, but the characters around her are so bland and uninteresting that I didn't really care. Ewan McGregor was wasted as the villain, and the Birds Of Prey themselves have an incredibly minimal role. This film is saved by a great central performance and good direction, but the writing kills it. It's not all bad, but I wouldn't recommend this one.

Overall- 4/10.

Sonic The Hedgehog- It's a strange world I live in, where a Sonic movie ends up being more enjoyable than a Birds Of Prey movie. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a blast watching this. I'm not a gamer, so I can't comment on the accuracy of this film, but I liked how Sonic was portrayed, and Ben Schwartz did a great job voicing him. I really enjoyed the central relationship between Sonic and James Marsden's character. I've been a fan of Jim Carrey for as long as I can remember, and he doesn't disappoint. I just can't help but be entertained whenever he is on screen. the action sequences are well shot, with some particular highlights being very reminiscent of Quicksilver in X-Men. The film is hurt by some very poor attempts at comedy, a lot of jokes land but a similar number doesn't, and not all of the emotional beats work as well as they should. Most of the supporting characters are basic but still entertaining for what they need to do. This was a film that was simply fun, I had a good time watching it and the leads all do an excellent job. It was far better than I expected it would ever be.

Overall- 6.5/10

Parasite- Wow. I can't really say anything about this one that you haven't heard a million times already, but this film is truly incredible. Bong Joon Ho's masterpiece. The acting is stellar across the board, and the dialogue is razor sharp. All of the characters are well realised, and the pacing is great. The filmmaking on display here is astonishing, it is gorgeously shot. To sum up, everything about this movie is incredible, and you should certainly watch it if you can. It certainly earnt that best picture Oscar.  

Overall- 10/10.

Edited February 16, 2020 by The Friendly Dalek

[Raylenth]

David Copperfield (2000).  It's an OK film, it's hard to go wrong with a Charles Dickens story and they have all been done a few times before.  It's a nice film to watch, you get what you expect.  A few interesting names in it, along with Mr HD there's also Paul Bettany amongst others 7/10

-1 for random boom mikes in shot  (rather a lot actually)

In a nice Hannibal nod (even if this was several years before they even thought of the TV series) people are wearing flower crowns and playing the Goldberg Variations.  I approve.

[nicky]

IP MAN 4: THE FINALE (2019)

4/5* No Spoilers

So if you're like me, the first question on your mind would have been, "is this one gonna be a return to form after the disappointing 3rd one?" The answer is YES. Although it's not as great as the first two films it is certainly a lot better than the 3rd one and the MASTER Z spin-off from last year. 

Any 4th entry into a film franchise is always a tricky one because trilogies usually round themselves up so neatly. But IP MAN 4 isn't just a cash-grab and thankfully there is a story actually worth telling to give closure to the series with familiar characters returning from previous installments. However, what was also familiar in this film was the cliche "White man as racist bully" theme and "your Chinese kung-fu is s***" both of which had already been touched upon heavily before in IP MAN 2 (2010). This time the oppressor theme is even more prominent and as a Chinese man myself I found myself becoming much more emotionally affected by the film. Ip Man's relationship with his son following his wife's death was also a great emotional arc but this and Ip's illness should really have been developed more and pushed to the front of the story since those were the reasons why the film was set in the US in the first place .

Scott Adkins as the villain was pretty OTT as a shouty drill instructor. In fact I found a few of the White actors in this to be a bit underwhelming which is a common problem I find in Chinese films. Obviously in Chinese films the casting team won't have a massive pool of Western talent to choose from (or they hire people who are primarily martial artists, not actors) so I think they often just go with whoever looks the part while a lot of their acting skills in the audition is lost in translation. But IP MAN 4 was filmed in the UK so I don't understand why they couldn't source better actors.

There are quite a few subplots within the film, almost too many, and I would love to have seen more of Bruce Lee in the film but I understand that you can't risk having him overshadow Ip Man. "The Finale" is a very fitting title to this last sequel which very neatly ties up Ip Man's life with a great ending while at the same time paying enough homage to Bruce Lee in the film. There is even a subtle hint towards the end of the film that the next spin-off in the franchise will focus on Bruce himself. I hope this was deliberate.

Edited February 19, 2020 by nicky

[Daniel]

Sonic the Hedgehog was a fun and well made film. It wasn't much different to what I was expecting but it was fun to watch.

[VikingGrrrl]

The Gentlemen was a good film with plenty of twists and turns

[Daniel]

Dark Waters was a deeply disturbing but very well acted film, especially from Mark Ruffalo. It is a story which definitely needs to be told and will certainly keep you thinking for a long time after.

[Wrong Name]

I've not really written many reviews here recently but I had to pop in just to say how incredibly horrific the latest Charlie's Angels film is. It has to be one of the worst films I've ever seen. Some terrible acting, poor poor action, and stupid plot. I can't believe how many named actors are in this and how terrible they all are despite me loving some of their previous work. I never watched any of the Cameron Dias etc films but they can't be as bad as this. And the writers/director obviously had a full on agenda here as every single male in the film was a full on sexist/misogynist for no real reason. I'm all in support of female led action films but it can be done WAY better than this. Do not waste your time watching this movie. Go stare at a brick wall instead.

[Daniel]

The Invisible Man was a very good thriller. It was different to what I expected and had some pretty good twists that kept you guessing. Certainly not your conventional scary film.

[Daniel]

2 minutes ago, Wrong Name said:

I've not really written many reviews here recently but I had to pop in just to say how incredibly horrific the latest Charlie's Angels film is. It has to be one of the worst films I've ever seen. Some terrible acting, poor poor action, and stupid plot. I can't believe how many named actors are in this and how terrible they all are despite me loving some of their previous work. I never watched any of the Cameron Dias etc films but they can't be as bad as this. And the writers/director obviously had a full on agenda here as every single male in the film was a full on sexist/misogynist for no real reason. I'm all in support of female led action films but it can be done WAY better than this. Do not waste your time watching this movie. Go stare at a brick wall instead.

I liked Charlie's Angels 

[Wrong Name]

4 minutes ago, Daniel said:

I liked Charlie's Angels 

How?! 

[The Friendly Dalek]

I'm in agreement with Wrong on this one, I'm glad you enjoyed Charlie's Angels but I couldn't stand it. Not the worst film I saw last year but it was down there for sure.

31 minutes ago, Daniel said:

I liked Charlie's Angels 

 

[nicky]

 

THE WANDERING EARTH (2019)

1.5/5* (Spoilers - but you won't care cos its s***)

China's most expensive film ever is planet Earth's stupidest film of 2019. Its similar to ARMAGEDDON (1998) but makes no sense and is laden with a slew of "WTF moments" and cheese...but at least it looks nice with it's great production design and cinematography, right?

SPOILERS: Man, I was asking so many questions about this film that it just pissed me off. Why do they have guns and randomly shoot at s***? How could humans possibly get the Earth to stop spinning on its axis? Why did the kid have a robot glove? Why were the bro-sister going up to the surface? Why does a space-station have a defense system?? Why does the station's A.I tell people everything? Why save granddad only for him to die 3 mins later? Would a schoolgirl really give such a cringey speech like that to humanity's last stand?  Why are we supposed to give a s*** about the estranged father/son relationship at the end when they practically had no scenes together?? I could go on. 
SPOILERS END.

Its a stupid film trying to emulate Hollywood blockbusters by using every movie cliche in the book without realizing how dumb and non-sensical it is. These Chinese filmmakers just don't get how to make a movie and probably thought they were making it look like a cool big sci-fi movie. It's SO badly written its as if 12 year olds wrote it. It certainly feels like that's who it was aimed for. Another embarrassment for China.

Edited March 3, 2020 by nicky

[nicky]

THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020)

4.5/5 (No spoilers)

When I heard this movie was written by Leigh Whannell (SAW) I suspected it would be good. Whannell is a writer who really knows how to come up with good s*** and isn't just another predictable sell-out Hollywood hack. He and James Wan are two guys who worked really hard and their passion for writing their own great scripts without big budgets or special effects is really admirable. Furthermore Whannell is also an actor who didn't let his ego tempt him into casting himself in this film so I knew that was a sign of him treating this right. Additionally, I always thought writers turned directors sucked but Whannell really proved he's got some talent behind the camera as well as behind the keyboard.

Firstly, do not watch the trailer as it gives away some of the jump scares. Secondly, yes, its way better than HOLLOW MAN (2000). But this isn't a remake of the Claude Rains mad-scientist 1933 original either but rather an updated hi-tech version of the character with added feminism and a political message concerning domestic abuse. What separates this film from past "invisible man" films (including the forgettable John Carpenter/Chevy Chase one) is this is a delicious cocktail of science-fiction horror-mystery-suspense-thriller with an added topping of cat and mouse psychological drama too. 

There are a few great twists and turns throughout the film, a couple I really didn't see coming which only affirms how well-written the screenplay is. It's very smart while smoothly weaving in political feminist themes without letting them over-shadow the main plot. The script sticks to its guns as a horror-thriller and is engaging from start to finish. On one hand the horror aspect reminded me of another "female-tormented-by-invisible-force" scare-fest, THE ENTITY (1982) and on the other hand a Wes Craven slasher movie (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, SCREAM). But this film differs in that we have a really clever and delightfully manipulative villain complete with edge-of-your-seat tension and scares and great musical score. Elizabeth Moss is amazing in the leading role too and not too dissimilar to Jodie Foster (while looking like Courtney Love).

The only bad thing for me was the underwhelming climax which I think should have been played out more to give the audience a better sense of closure and satisfaction - we deserved a better pay-off. Also it would have been nice to know a bit more about the villain's work and how he acquired his invisibility tech. But despite that, THE INVISIBLE MAN is my favourite film this year and probably the best horror-thriller I've seen in ages and a definite buy on blu-ray for me.  In fact I'll even say its one of the best horror remakes ever along with THE THING (1982), THE FLY (1986) and THE BLOB (1988).

Edited March 10, 2020 by nicky

[Jabberwocky50]

Along with "The Invisible Man" can also recommend "Dark Waters". 

It's a film in the same vain as the movie "Erin Brockovich"

Mark Ruffalo plays real life lawyer Rob Bilott who's a corporate lawyer who takes on a environmental lawsuit against the chemical giant "Dupont" and exposes their lengthily history of pollution in the surrounding area.

It's scary watching this film being played out as it shows how big business put profits above a human life.  It also shows the length a big company will go to drag the case out in the hope that it will eventually go away.

Mark Ruffalo is excellent in the movie and carries it throughout the 2 hours he's on screen.  Ann Hathaway is a little under used as his wife, but she gives a sense how this lawsuit took over Bilott's life for well over a decade.

It's worth sticking round to the end of the movie as there's a written monologue which I found very disturbing and thought provoking that a company's profits are everything.

 

 

[Raylenth]

Our Idiot Brother.  A nice uncomplicated film with a decent cast list, not a bad watch if you find yourself with a bit of time.  Paul Rudd leads a story about a family falling apart and coming together again around the titular character.

Also

[The Friendly Dalek]

The Invisible Man- Leigh Whannell achieved the impossible. He managed to reboot the story of The Invisible Man and make it work for modern times, whilst also crafting a very effective horror film around it. It's more like a psychological thriller than a straight horror film, but that doesn't mean it is any less impactful. 

Elizabeth Moss caries this movie with a very emotional performance, and she expertly portrays every emotion needed. The film deals with the subjects of domestic abuse, but it does it in a way that deals appropriately with a sensitive issue, whilst not making it the key focus of the film  thus avoiding the film falling victim to preaching a message over delivering an effective story. Subtlety is key, and that's what makes this film as effective as it is.

Whannell utilises masterful camera work in order to wring the tension as much as possible. I found myself looking around the screen often, trying to look for any clues of his presence, despite knowing I'll never see anything because the threat is literally invisible. That's how effectively this movie managed to place paranoia in my mind, I was constantly looking for something despite knowing I'd never see it. This makes it so much more impactful when The Invisible Man does make a move. 

The supporting cast all does a great job, and there is some nice development to certain characters, but some of them aren't as three dimensional as I was hoping for. The acting is great, but certain characters, such as Emily, don't receive much development over the course of the film.

To conclude, this is a highly effective little horror movie, with some excellent acting by Moss and great direction by Whannell. The pacing is very good, and there's some nice twists which keep the narrative consistently interesting.

Overall- 8/10.

Onward- Pixar have done it again. This isn't one of my top favourite films of theirs, but they are so consistent in quality that even an "average" Pixar film like this one is still excellent.

Tom Holland and Chris Pratt absolutely excel in the lead roles in this film. I bought their brotherly bond from the start, and their emotional arcs were hugely satisfying to see unfold. 

The quest element of this film worked fantastically, and the world building was great. The incorporation of mythology and references to things such as Dungeons and Dragons was wonderful. I related to elements of both of the lead's personalities, so it was easy to develop an attachment to those two.

The film is let down by poor supporting characters. The voice acting is very good across the board, but the other characters get very little of interest to do. Thankfully, the core story with the two brothers was so incredibly strong that it doesn't bother me too much. 

The last twenty minutes of this film are heartbreaking (in a good way). There's excellent development in the relationship between the two brothers, and without spoiling anything, the final scenes are truly beautiful. 

Overall- 8/10.

It was a good day at the movies today, seeing two very different movies back to back but absolutely loving them both.

[Beth]

Joker

Frozen 2

Little Women

The Invisible Man

Brahms:The Boy 2

The Call Of The Wild

The Grudge

 

Harley Quinn:Birds Of Prey

Bombshell

The Gentleman

Judy

 

The Personal History Of David Copperfield

 

Sonic The Hedgehog

 

Military Wives

A re-release of Labyrinth.

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by Beth

[Beth]

On Wed Jan 01 2020 at 7:43 PM, Raylenth said:

Alice Through The Looking Glass.  A reasonable film and good follow up to the first, though nothing outstanding.

Is that the one that was made in the 80's?.

[nicky]

UPGRADE (2018)

4/5 (No spoilers)

Imagine if David Cronenberg directed a cross between DEATH WISH (1974) and THE SIX-MILLION DOLLAR MAN for Cannon Films and you get this little known cyberpunk gem, UPGRADE. Its a basically a sci-fi B-movie done really well with enough violence and gore to keep both action and horror fans happy as our paraplegic hero (Logan Marshall-Green) battles to avenge his wife's death with the use of A.I. implants.

Leigh Whannell (SAW, INSIDIOUS, THE INVISIBLE MAN) writes and directs this fascinating look at when A.I. is fused with Man but in a so much more entertaining way than we're used to. The film knows exactly what it is and isn't pretentious nor does it try to be deep in any way, its just a solid good time with a couple twists along the way. Inevitably it's going to be compared to ROBOCOP (1987) and VENOM (2018) but UPGRADE comes with a dark style of humor not found in its peers.

It's been quite a while since I saw I science-fiction film like this that I could really get my geek on with. Cyberpunk is often a tricky sub-genre to tackle but UPGRADE keeps itself simple, fresh and thoroughly entertaining thankfully without disappearing up its own ass...despite having one quite large plot-hole. Its cheap schlock but its good cheap schlock. Its the kind of smart entertaining sci-fi film Alex Garland (EX-MACHINA, ANNIHILATION) probably only wishes he could make. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by nicky

[Raylenth]

8 hours ago, Beth said:

Joker

Frozen 2

Little Women

The Invisible Man

Brahms:The Boy 2

The Call Of The Wild

The Grudge

 

Harley Quinn:Birds Of Prey

Bombshell

The Gentleman

Judy

 

The Personal History Of David Copperfield

Remember to tell us what you thought of them as well, it doesn't need to be much. 

8 hours ago, Beth said:

Is that the one that was made in the 80's?.

No the Depp one.

[Raylenth]

Passengers.  Decent film, very nice visuals.

 

At the beginning why is he putting a jacket on to go and meet his fellow passengers?  He's on a climate controlled spaceship.  And at the end it's just as well that all those medical procedures she initiates that she has no idea about don't backfire.  Also someone's going to get a shock when they find their rotting corpses.

[Kurdamoni]

I saw all three Gerard Butler 'fallen' movies.

Olympus has fallen: enjoyed it, raw action scenes with some pretty cool acting done by Gerard. Good plot too. 

London Has fallen: enjoyed it, but it felt more forced in a way. everything was over the top. 

Angel has fallen: nice ending of the 'saga'. Good story and better acting than the previous installment.