Whiplash has a great opening scene, perfectly introducing the two main characters without wasting a beat.
The ending is pretty awesome as well.
And so is everything inbetween.
January 18, 2015 at 09:11PM
18 January 2015
10 Things I Hate About You, 1999 - ★★★★
Unbelievably this was my first viewing, I thought it made sense to slot it in before seeing Beyond Clueless this afternoon. If analysed too much there are probably more than 10 things to hate but in the end it's just too enjoyable not to love.
January 18, 2015 at 11:58AM
Shell, 2012 - ★★★
There's something quite captivating about the loneliness and beauty displayed in both the film and character of Shell. Throughout there are hints of darkness which, like Steve McQueen's Shame, are mostly left in the past leaving an uncomfortable and ambiguous feeling in the air. When the truth is finally relieved it may not come as a surprise but the details are unexpected and perhaps even more conflicting than the awkwardness of the rest of the film.
January 18, 2015 at 11:50AM
Jay And Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie, 2013 - ★½
Even as a Kevin Smith fan I found this to be puerile nonsense.
January 18, 2015 at 11:31AM
The Help, 2011 - ★★★★
I always feel slightly wary going into award-baiting films which The Help undoubtedly was; there's a danger that everybody is just trying too hard which often makes it difficult to truly appreciate. Early on the film appears to be heading that way, with the outcomes obvious and frequently sailing into cliched waters. Later on there are some great and surprising moments that lift everything up.
It's shocking that however much we think we've been told about segregation and civil rights that there are still more disgraces to discover. One problem with the film is that Bryce Dallas Howard's character is so despicable to everybody else that is almost undermines her racism.
In the end The Help manages to feel worthy, well made and enjoyable which is often not the case.
p.s I don't mean to sound racist but, why all the gingers?
January 18, 2015 at 11:29AM
12 January 2015
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, 2013 - ★★½
After the disappointment of the first film and the understanding this was an improvement I was expecting to like this, but it turns out that it's just more of the same. Looking back at my review of the first film I claimed that things made little sense and although there are some attempts to recap the story early on the bigger problem of the entire set up not making sense remains. I still don't understand why the revolution hasn't happened yet. I don't know how The Games are supposed to work and keep the population under control. If The Games are supposed to be this horrendous thing how are we supposed to feel as the film's audience when half the film is devoted to presenting us the entertainment of Katniss partaking in The Games.
The whole world feel ridiculous and this is highlighted more when Philip Seymour Hoffman turns up in his civvies (perhaps the character dresses like that in the books but I prefer to think of PSH turning up and saying "I'm not wearing that"). It does look like everybody is having fun making the film but everything defies all logic and if you don't get on board it's so easy to start picking holes in everything.
As soon as it starts to get interesting everything is rushed and then cut short for the next film which is almost as infuriating as when the dodgy CGI monkeys turn up.
I'm struggling to justify spending more time with this franchise but I'd still like to see that revolution happen, just like I was 10 minutes into the first film.
January 12, 2015 at 11:04PM
11 January 2015
That Day We Sang, 2014 - ★★★
Nice enough but on reflection probably not really for me. Victoria Wood's voice came through so much in the lyrics which I actually found a little distracting.
January 11, 2015 at 03:31PM
04 January 2015
Arthur Christmas, 2011 - ★★★★
Much better than I expected with some incredibly funny moments towards the end (Grandsanta's final delivery may the hardest I've laughed in a long time). Likely to become a festive regular.
January 04, 2015 at 09:31PM
Playtime, 1967 - ★★★
It's difficult not to admire the craftsmanship behind Playtime, the film always looks fantastic and the precision and attention to detail is amazing. The film starts in a slightly surreal way and becomes more and more chaotic, the chaos starts off entertaining is frequently amusing and occasionally laugh out loud funny but along the way gets messier and messier. By the restaurant scenes I'd really lost interest and found most of the humour passing me by. Every positive review I've seen, states how multiple viewings are required to take everything in, so perhaps I was always focussed on the least interesting part. I would agree there is too much to fully absorb in one viewing but as the film felt stretched out over two hours I can't see myself ever returning. All of the best moments are in the trailer (which also lessened their impact) so perhaps I'll just watch that on a loop instead.
A shame.
January 04, 2015 at 06:52PM
Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas, 2014 - ★★
I'm not sure what the point of this is supposed to be, I hope at 11 years old the original film isn't seen as too old for some people. A strange animation style is the only interesting thing, everything else falls flat.
January 04, 2015 at 06:25PM
The Guest, 2014 - ★★★
Starts off as a brilliant classy film full of danger and suspense (with that guy from Downton Abbey) and then about halfway through cuts to a different B-movie (with that guy from The Wire). Things never really recover and everything just goes disappointedly dumb and over the top. Both parts of the film are enjoyable in different ways but the juxtaposition between the two was just too great for one film and left me thinking it was a mess.
At least the soundtrack remains consistently brilliant throughout.
January 04, 2015 at 12:58AM
Around the World in Eighty Days, 1956 - ★★★★½
So I finally find an epic film that I really enjoy and then discover that most people seem to hate it. The film is perfectly bookmarked by a wonderful opening utilising Méliès A Trip To The Moon and credits animated by Saul Bass. The rest of the film really is epic, never have I desired to see a film on a big a screen as possible as I did whilst watching this on TV. Perhaps it is too long but as someone who usually complains about the length of films I didn't really notice and thought the length only made it feel more like an epic journey. Even just as a sequence of visually stunning set pieces it would still be great, but the story is also strong with great characters and a series of entertaining cameos.
January 04, 2015 at 12:48AM
02 January 2015
Fruitvale Station, 2013 - ★★★★
There's a problem with Fruitvale Station caused by the decision to open the film with the camera phone footage (unsure if this was real or reconstructed) from the real life event. By showing where the film is heading it just makes everything else that then happens in the lead up feel manipulative and all the scenes could end with the viewer rolling their eyes in disbelief. Perhaps the real life events are well known to others so the decision to open with the footage made sense to the filmmakers but I wouldn't have felt so manipulated if I didn't know what was going to happen.
Once we catch up with the beginning of the film, the scenes at the station are incredible: shocking, intense, dramatic, horrifying and lift the whole film into the category where it's easy to see why it received all the praise. The rest of the film isn't bad either, Michael B. Jordan delivers a wonderful performance as Oscar Grant and manages to convey the flawed everyman despite the heavy handedness of those scenes.
My advice, if you don't know what happened at Fruitvale Station, is to start watching the film from the title card which appears at 2:25 and it may be a 5 star experience.
January 02, 2015 at 11:34PM
One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing, 1975 - ★★
Terribly British (in a good way) but horrendously racist (in a bad way). The effects have dated better than the 70s attitudes which just make this awkward to watch.
January 02, 2015 at 08:16PM
01 January 2015
2014: The Time Capsule
If I could only save 20 films from 2014 it would be these.
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
January 01, 2015 at 02:09PM
31 December 2014
Lost In The UK 2014
Ten great films I saw in 2014 which don't yet appear to have a UK release.
In order of enjoyment.
- Bird People
- Tusk
- Housebound
- Everybody Street
- Song of the Sea
- Free Fall
- The Creeping Garden
- Witching & Bitching
- A Hard Day
- Tokyo Tribe
December 31, 2014 at 06:21PM
Soundtracks of 2014
The best soundtracks of 2014
Plus a special mention for all of D-Lime's wonderful appearances in Paddington.
Based on UK release.
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Her
- The Lego Movie
I'm only including it for Everything Is Awesome, but you knew that.
- Frank
The music is a big part of the film but the closing song is simply wonderful.
- 20 Feet from Stardom
- Chef
- The Wind Rises
- Boyhood
I'm not sure how great the songs are but as a reflection of the period of time the music in Boyhood works really well.
- Guardians of the Galaxy
It didn't work for me as much as it did for others but there's no denying that this is one of the best movie soundtracks.
- Interstellar
December 31, 2014 at 02:46PM
2014 The Regrets
The films of 2014 I regret not seeing
Based on UK cinema release.
- Tim's Vermeer
- The Babadook
- The Raid 2
- Of Horses and Men
- Winter Sleep
- Citizenfour
- 20,000 Days on Earth
- American Interior
- The Overnighters
- Belle
...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
December 31, 2014 at 12:03PM
Performances of 2014
The standout performances for new films I saw in 2014.
This list is based on UK releases but also includes films (Bird People and Tusk) which I saw at festivals and have not yet had a UK release.
- Maps to the Stars
Evan Bird
- Gone Girl
Rosamund Pike
- Nightcrawler
- Tusk
Michael Parks plus special mention for Guy Lapointe
- The Drop
It's Gandolfini doing what he did best, knowing we'll never see another performance makes this one special.
- Bird People
The bird(s) - performance of the year.
- The Imitation Game
Benedict Cumberbatch
- St. Vincent
Bill Murray, or the cat, or the kid.
- Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
It's so great to see Christopher Lloyd on the big screen again, shame the rest of the film is so terrible.
- Under the Skin
Not just Under The Skin but Scarlett Johansson was great in The Winter Soldier, Chef, Her and Lucy (I also caught up with Don Jon and she had a baby!)
December 31, 2014 at 11:51AM
Cinderella, 1950 - ★★★★★
Contains something for everybody and does it so well. In fact it's only let down by the flaws of the original story which never made much sense.
December 31, 2014 at 12:11AM
Scenes of 2014
The best scenes I remember from new films I saw in 2014. Most of these were UK releases but Titus and Bird People may not have had a UK release yet.
Ordered by viewing date.
- American Hustle
It could be Live and Let Die or the entry and quick exit of the science oven but for me the greatest moment in American Hustle is Sydney (Adams) and Richie's (Cooper) date night.
- 12 Years a Slave
The final whipping scene is just too brutal for me to consider including but the hanging sequence is just magnificent in every possible way.
- The Wolf of Wall Street
There are many great moments; all of McConaughey's screen time, the moment the Lemons kick in, the London park bench but for me the biggest surprise and delight was Rob Reiner's entrance.
- Inside Llewyn Davis
It may be the worst song in the film but when Please Mr. Kennedy is performed the smile that sat on my face throughout most of the film turned into a huge grin.
- Her
There's an inevitable moment in Her that's heavily signposted in the trailer which could have derailed the entire film. I wondered how it was going to be handled and if it could work. I was so impressed when Spike Jonze just fades to black, other sex scenes have moved the camera away from the action but this just seemed like the perfect way to film the scene. Unfortunately we stick with black and the dialogue continues which is lessens the initial impact but for a few seconds I thought it was going to be one of the best sex scenes.
- Titus
When Titus finally takes to the stage we find out everything we need to know about him in the most amazing way. The final scenes are pretty special as well.
- Noah
The "Creation" scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwSWRdbSQK0 - Calvary
My favourite film of the year so far and it's full of great scenes but I'll have to go for the opening scene which has the best first line and perfectly sets up the entire film
- Godzilla
In a film with a series of spectacular set pieces there are many candidates for the best scene. Right now it's hard to pick just one. The airport, the HALO jump, the electricity breath...
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
The prison break.
...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
December 30, 2014 at 11:57PM
30 December 2014
Wild Bill, 2011 - ★★★★
Dexter Fletcher was obviously paying attention to all the filmmakers he's been working with over the years. This is an impressive debut offering a fresh and likable take on themes that have been done many times before.
December 30, 2014 at 12:26AM
A Shot in the Dark, 1964 - ★★★
Sometimes the simplest jokes are the best.
December 30, 2014 at 12:18AM
On the Town, 1949 - ★★★★
After the disappointment of Guys And Dolls it was a relief that I liked this so much. All of the songs are great, the dancing is fantastic, New York looks wonderful and there's a plot and characters to care about. The only minor problem is that it suffers from repetition, there really isn't any need for the Day In New York sequence, although it is also wonderful.
December 30, 2014 at 12:01AM
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