#201 - Faces Places [doc] (2017)

"A warming and poignant testament to art and the joy of experiencing art, this documentary pairs the iconic filmmaker Agnes Varda and photographist JR on a roadtrip through rural France capturing the human spirit through pictures as they go. 

JR's van doubles as a photo booth printing giant pictures that are then plastered on dilapidated houses, craggy rock, silos - wherever the eye can trace, their pictures end up telling a story. 

JR, the enigmatic figure always hiding behind darkened sunglasses, and Varda are a brilliant if unlikely duo who both share a love for creation, mischief, and exploration of people. At every leg of the journey they want to know the stories behind the eyes they photograph, the lives led. 

There is a fantastical feel to the film as if slipping through a dream as we travel from place to place and meet a myriad of people from all walks of life. 

Every frame captures a still and contemplating mood that feels welcomingly detached from the hustle and stressful bustle of modern day exertion. 

In this we get the chance to sit back and marvel at the power of art and those that dedicate their lives to exploring just what that entails"

- 9/10

#200 - A Star is Born (2018)

"Another to be added to a small list of 'remakes worth being done', A Star is Born is a wonderfully gripping tales spanning through drama, tragedy, and inspiration all on the backs of two strong performances from Cooper and Gaga. 

This film lives or dies by the believably of the central relationship as it forms the backbone through which everything else hangs from. Luckily for the viewer, both Cooper and Gaga are on electrifying form in their respective roles, Cooper as the veteran singer battling his personal demons (a cliche, but expertly acted and explored) and Gaga the undiscovered talent thrown adrift in the past due to a perceived lack of 'the look' to make it. 

Their interactions are both charming and heartfelt, with the blossoming relationship and subsequent marriage never feeling forced or embarrassingly convoluted. Instead there is a raw honesty about how it is played, a truth which makes you want them to succeed and makes the spiraling plot of drink abuse even more heart breaking. 

Keeping the engine turning is Cooper's solid direction, especially as it is his directorial debut. Uncomfortable close ups of our protagonists give an almost documentary feel at time - a realism well earned"


- 7.5/10

#199 - Gangs of New York (2002)

"Dashing between excellent and flawed, Scorsese's sprawling epic flits between a gritty revenge tale and a historic period drama.

Set in the mid 1800's, focusing on the notorious gangs of the five points in New York, the film definitely looks the part. 

From every costume to building, this screams of a trained eye that has fine tuned every small detail to impeccable detail. This instills an almost unconscious sense of validity that  lends the characters that inhabit it a vibrant and grounded sense of realism - vital if we are to care for the protagonist and his journey over this almost three hour piece. 

Through Daniel Day Lewis this film evolves from respectable to masterful. His performance is hypnotic, evoking both astute awe and breathless fear, as he plays a ruthless boss running the five points after killing DiCaprio's father in a bloody and thrilling opener. 

Alas, one performance, even as astonishing as Lewis's, cannot save a film. The film meanders frequently, almost losing itself in the spider's web of a plot it threads itself. All too quickly subplots are begun and finishing, with an ending rushed that feels like 5 fragmented ideas instead of one or two completed ones"


- 7/10 

#198 - Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

"Sincerity within a grindhouse style tale of  violence often falls flat or comes across corny due to the inherent over the top absurdity that is usually found in the genre, however Brawl in Cell Block 99 is an expertly blended tale that mixes brutal violence, dark comedy, and genuine emotion. 

Vince Vaughn is phoenix-like in his rise from the ashes of generic comedies to playing a menacing, foreboding protagonist that uses his huge frame to brilliant effect.

 The plot of a man down on his luck who gets involved in the drug industry to support his wife may feel steeped in cliche but its decision to play it completely straight only enhances the tension and feeling of stakes once the movie moves to its jail setting almost half way through the film. 

Like a train with broken brakes, Vaughn methodically ploughs through all obstruction to reach the man he must kill to free his kidnapped wife. The violence is strong but not overly used to fatigue - each action scene is methodically considered and only erupts on the audience when needed to evolve the story or character.

 It's brash and extreme but never needlessly sadistic, even at its gnarliest"


- 7/10 

#197 - Hardcore Henry (2015)

"More an experiment than a film, Hardcore Henry is a non-stop, frantic exercise in adrenaline fueled marvel.

 Shot completely in first person on Gopro's, the film is every FPS fans dream as the silent protagonist makes his way through a landscape of people to kill and obstacles to drive or jump over - the fact the stunts are seamless and you can never be sure just what was done real or digitally is only more impressive. 

There is a definite sense of self awareness as this is never played for reality. Characters reload guns with all the stylised, mechanical movements of a computer game, whilst others often fall into the NPC style of stiff movements that look programmed - it's a visually engrossing 90 minutes that will be too much for some but to others a spectacle you cannot look away from. 

 Sharlto Copley shines as he plays a disabled genius who controls varying hilarious avatars of himself to aid the protagonist  (including a wonderfully surreal dance number in the final act). 

Inevitably, you will know within the first ten minutes if this is for you. It's a unique, overblown destruction fest, which I am very glad got made" 


- 7/10

#196 - The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)

"Defiance in the face of people stating 'you are wrong' is a premise most people can relate to at some point in their life, and so this moving story about a teenager forcibly sent to a 'pray the gay away' conversion camp is one that can resonate with the audience.

The story itself mainly takes place within the camp, following our main character Cameron as she exerts a soft and indifferent rebellion against those who try to change who she is and how she views herself.

 Speaking mainly in quiet spouts of one word answers, it's refreshing to see the filmmakers avoid the cliched grand arguments and lofty defiance that could so easily have made for an emotionally manipulative tale. 

There is an earned satisfaction in a tale that comes to a head through the breakdown of another character who is shattered by the relentless dogma of 'you are sin'. 

The supporting cast are great for the most part, the two main ones feel real and developed as they form a bond of friendship united in their disgust of ignorant authority. The only weakness is the story never feels like it kick into the next gear"


- 7/10

#195 - The Predator (2018)

"The Predator should be taught in schools as an exercise of how to do almost everything wrong. The first scene is probably the best of the entire film (and you should probably leave as soon as it finishes) - a predator ship being chased tears a hole in space before crash landing on earth and rudely interrupting our main 'hero' from his job shooting people with his sniper.

 The plot crawls along scene to scene as if a different writer wrote the last and was only allowed to see the final sentence of the previous - this film is an insult to the words 'plot convenience'. 
The tonal dissonance is staggering; there is a constant, uneven kilter between supposed edgy humour and hilariously over the top gore, all in the unimpressive wonders of lackluster CGI.

Characters exist only as fodder or exposition, often forgotten and normally gratuitous. The films tackles mental awareness with the blunt tongs of cinematic ignorance, people often 'slipping' into whatever condition they are supposed to have only when it's 'funny' or required to move the story onward. 

Mind-boggling from start to finish, this is a shocker, languishing in a self-made pit of ineptitude"


- 3/10