Magic should be bewildering and so is this film but for all the wrong reasons. It starts off a great concept but gradually falls apart as illusions are replaced by unbelievable effects. When the final reveal is made it trips up the entire film having exactly the opposite effect a twist ending usually provides.
February 07, 2016 at 05:04PM07 February 2016
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2015 - ★★★★½
Away from any anticipation, hype and distractions of 3D and Imax this second viewing was a much better experience. There are still flaws but they didn't seem as prominent. Bizarrely knowing what's going to happen somehow made things seem less obvious. It's clear that this is a film that is going to be watched multiple times for years to come (although perhaps not by me).
February 07, 2016 at 04:52PM03 February 2016
The Big Short, 2015 - ★★★★
The Big Short is a huge amount of fun until you remember it's a true story and then it's depressingly horrific. The biggest problem is not that everybody in the film is a bad person but they are presented as some kind of do-gooder hero which (spoilers) just isn't the case.
I've heard a lot about how this and Spotlight could be considered televisual rather than cinematic and I have to disagree. There's something special about the deliberately sloppy shooting and touches such as breaking the fourth wall that really stand out on the big screen.
February 03, 2016 at 10:57PM31 January 2016
Room, 2015 - ★★★★★
I've waited over two months to see the second half of Room and it didn't disappoint. The first half remains just as brilliant on a second viewing and if had ended at the point I'd still be satisfied. The final sequence of events in the first part of the film builds to such a satisfying conclusion via a range of emotions.
I was worried that second part would take things in a different direction and not be as effective but it's here that the heart of the film really starts beating. It's great to see both Larson and Abrahams mature into such profoundly brilliant roles (infront and behind the camera) and Jacob Tremblay is just fantastic as Jack.
January 31, 2016 at 10:32PM29 January 2016
My Most Anticipated Films of 2016 (take 2)
My most anticipated films of 2016 (based on UK release).
In no particular order.
- Joy
- The Hateful Eight
- The Danish Girl
- The Revenant
- Room
- Spotlight
- Trumbo
- Deadpool
- Bone Tomahawk
- High-Rise
...plus 60 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
January 29, 2016 at 08:53PM24 January 2016
Girls On Film 2015
Yes but where are all the good roles for men?
- 45 Years
- Brooklyn
- Difret
- Ex Machina
- Girlhood
- Grandma
- Heaven Knows What
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
- Mistress America
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
January 24, 2016 at 10:46PMPerformances of 2015
The best performances of 2015
- 45 Years
Charlotte Rampling
- Big Hero 6
It's not necessarily the vocal performance that makes Baymax so great but whatever magic was used to create the character makes it a worthy addition to this list.
- Black Mass
Joel Edgerton
- Brooklyn
Saoirse Ronan
- Clouds of Sils Maria
Kristen Stewart
- Love & Mercy
Paul Dano
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Rebecca Ferguson
- Mistress America
Lola Kirke
- The Theory of Everything
Eddie Redmayne may be getting all the accolades but it was Felicity Jones who really stood out for me.
- Whiplash
J.K. Simmons
18 January 2016
The Revenant, 2015 - ★★★
As a series of beautiful moving images The Revenant is absolutely spectacular. As a story, it's a quite dull and lacking any real heart. Most of the more spectacular moments are in the trailer so seem predictable when they do arrive.
A number of small niggles nibble away at the rest of the film. It's hard to take Hardy's Bane voice seriously now that it's been parodied so much. There's blood splatter, snow and condensed breath on the camera lens which is a personal bugbear of mine and always takes me out of the moment. It's so long that my the time a group of characters turn up towards the end I'd forgotten what they were actually doing.
There's almost time to watch Slow West twice and so much more happens in that smaller film.
But boy does The Revenant look good.
January 18, 2016 at 10:22PM17 January 2016
Tomorrowland, 2015 - ★★★½
It's a shame that Tomorrowland got lost amongst all the sequels, superheroes and Mad Max (not to mention poor reviews). It's great to see an original ambitious film even if it doesn't quite manage to pull everything together as neatly as it should. It all looks fantastic and is further proof that only animators seem capable of merging VFX with live action. In years to come I suspect people will reevaluate this film to great acclaim, which isn't the only thing it shares in common with A.I.
January 17, 2016 at 03:22PM15 January 2016
12 January 2016
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, 2015 - ★★★★
Every few years a really great film comes along disguised as just another teen comedy. This isn't one of those films but it comes so close with many great touches and a director to watch out for in the future. It's a shame that it sags so much in the middle but perhaps that's just to lure you into it's powerful ending. I didn't think it would 'get' me but it absolutely did.
January 12, 2016 at 09:47PMClouds of Sils Maria, 2014 - ★★★★
I've yet to fully understand why I liked this so much. Perhaps it's the way it frequently disappears into itself so you're always questioning exactly what it is your watching. I found it far more effective than something like Birdman or Persona to which it has been compared.
January 12, 2016 at 09:22PM11 January 2016
The Hateful Eight, 2015 - ★★★★
The Hateful Eight starts very slowly and although there are some great early moments it is also incredibly boring. I'll offer the disclaimer that I'm full of cold so perhaps wasn't in the best state to see the film but I did find myself practically nodding off at points which is something I never thought I'd say about a QT film.
Fortunately things pick up a lot from Chapter 3 and continue to improve through the remainder of the film. The crudity and gore feels immature especially in contrast to some of the more beautiful scenes. In a way it's a shame that Tarantino is so obsessed with cinema because so much of his work would be better suited to the HBO/Netflix world of television.
January 11, 2016 at 09:40PM10 January 2016
Slow West, 2015 - ★★★★
There's so much to like from the quirkiness through to just how beautiful everything looks. Less than 90 minutes with an absolutely fantastic climax.
January 10, 2016 at 11:26PMJoy, 2015 - ★★★★
It's always nice when a film's title reviews itself. Like David O. Russell most recent film, Joy often feels like it shouldn't be working but somehow it just does. I found myself thinking that perhaps this isn't a great film but this scene is really fantastic. Then the next scene comes along and it's just as good. And then another. It's only towards the end when it should be delivering a knockout climax that it falters but recovers for the final moments. I left with a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
January 10, 2016 at 11:20PM07 January 2016
A Most Violent Year, 2014 - ★★★
Of all the films I didn't see last year this was the one I missed the most. Now I've seen it, it's not troubling my top whatever list but it was refreshing to see a gangster film effectively without any gangsters. Great performances, two fantastic chase sequences and a wonderful look throughout but not one that you need to rush to see.
January 07, 2016 at 07:54PM05 January 2016
Love & Mercy, 2015 - ★★★★
The two different parts of the film really shouldn't work together but like so much in the film they somehow do. The film often ends slips into music biopic cliche ("It's a good vibration") but usually rises above them to present a moving portrait of genius, obsession and madness.
January 05, 2016 at 10:28PM04 January 2016
Happy Christmas, 2014 - ★★★
A disappointment after Drinking Buddies but an entertaining distraction for 80 minutes.
January 04, 2016 at 12:03AMPeter & Wendy, 2015 - ★★½
I was without TV reception or internet over Christmas and I wasn't sure if this would be worth catching up with. The two reviews I found in the press appeared positive but the two other reviews on Letterboxd were negative. I've had an interest in the story of Peter Pan for some time so I decided to give it a go and it probably wasn't worth it. Had it been on in the background over Christmas it may have appealed more but on it's own it quickly became dull. It's a shame because the structure (not dissimilar to Sherlock) works well and the Neverland sequences seem to be incredibly faithful to the very dark story (not that I remember it too well - it's been a few years since I last read it). The problems far outweigh anything good; from the ridiculous decision to badly subtitle Tinkerbell through to the distracting performance of Peter Pan. The only other thing worthy of a mention is the strange televisual oddity of Theis Birk Larsen from The Killing talking to Lydia from Breaking Bad.
January 04, 2016 at 12:00AM02 January 2016
My Most Anticipated Films of 2016
My most anticipated films of 2016 (based on UK release).
In no particular order.
- Joy
- The Hateful Eight
- The Danish Girl
- The Revenant
- Room
- Spotlight
- Trumbo
- Deadpool
- Bone Tomahawk
- High-Rise
...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
January 02, 2016 at 09:45PM01 January 2016
Disappointments of 2015
Not bad films but the ones with high expectations that left me disappointed in some way.
Mostly UK releases apart from Victoria which I saw at #LIFF29 and isn't out until April.
- Bill
Fun but not as good as Horrible Histories.
- Carol
- Crimson Peak
- Ex Machina
- Foxcatcher
- Inherent Vice
- Macbeth
- The Lobster
- Victoria
Not out in the UK until April 2016
- While We're Young
For a lot of the running time this could have been one of my favourite films of the year but when a plot kicks in everything rapidly falls apart.
Film of The Week 2016
Setting out to prove that there's a film released each week that is worthy of your time.
Each week I pick one new film.
Based on UK release dates.
- Joy
Wasting no time getting 2016 started with both Joy and The Danish Girl on wide release. Based on the directors' previous work I'd have to go for Joy.
30 December 2015
Scenes of 2015
The best scenes of 2015.
Based on UK release date in the order I saw them. Although The Case Of Hana and Alice has yet to be released in the UK but screened at festivals.
- Whiplash
The opening scene wastes no time in setting up the two characters and their relationship, I wish more films would just get to the point.
However it was the ending that convinced me this was a five star film.
- Ex Machina
Perhaps the moment of Ex Machina where things really passed the turing test was when Ava asked Caleb to close his eyes.
When Nathan tears up the dancefloor is a pretty special moment as well.
- Big Hero 6
Just about any moment when Baymax is on screen but let's go for the batteries running out.
- Appropriate Behavior
The final scene on the train is a great ending.
- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Fleeing the palace.
- Still Alice
Alice finds her own video message
- Wild Tales
So many great moments to choose from the freeze frame title shot came close but it's the climax of the road rage sequence that stands out the most.
- It Follows
The opening sequence is a wonderful condensed version of the entire film.
- Mommy
Yes, that moment. I knew it was coming and it still completely floored me.
- Girlhood
Diamonds
or
"Let's try something new" followed by crazy golf.
...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
December 30, 2015 at 10:39PM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)