Meru
83/100
Inspiring climbing doco where the guy who made Free Solo is in front of the camera a lot more. Maybe the order to watch them now is The Dawn Wall, Meru and then Free Solo.
Reviewed on December 31, 2020
Thunder Road
87/100
Relentless dark comedy that's like a car-crash that you can't look away from. Jim Cummings' face changes so much from second to second it's a joy to watch.
Reviewed on April 22, 2020
One Cut of the Dead
84/100
Japanese comedy horror I saw once on youtube before it got taken down. Might have to use the free trial of Shudder to watch it again.
Reviewed on May 26, 2020
Pain and Glory
74/100
Not sure Antonio Banderas' performance is particularly oscar nominee worthy. I liked the other guy better. The movie's fine though, maybe a bit slow.
Reviewed on February 4, 2020
The Peanut Butter Falcon
87/100
I loved it. It's a like a sequel to Mud, if the kid grew into Shia LaBeouf and met a guy with down syndrome. With a better ending it coulda been anything. And like Mud, it'll be better next time with subtitles.
Reviewed on February 4, 2020
A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood
76/100
Pretty slow and deliberate, it often felt kinda awkward. It does though have a good message and manages to be sweet without being overly so.
Reviewed on January 23, 2020
Little Women
79/100
I was seeing it with fresh eyes as I've never watched or read it before. Not sure I'm part of the target demographic, but it was well made and it won me over in the end.
Reviewed on January 23, 2020
1917
90/100
Constant tension makes for a remarkable movie, especially the first time through. Relatively wholesome too for a war movie. But can it hang on for my movie of the year? Long way to go, but early signs are promising.
Reviewed on January 10, 2020
A Hidden Life
53/100
Film critics have to say they love it to be taken seriously, but I'd hate for any normal person to have to sit through it. Pace, length, camera angles, music, etc all seemed designed to put me to sleep. Might have succeeded for a few seconds here and there.
Reviewed on February 4, 2020
The Invisible Man
67/100
As a metaphor for battered women, it's probably good. As a high tech horror-ish movie, it's so ridiculous in parts not even Elisabeth Miss can save it. Wasted opportunity.
Reviewed on February 27, 2020
For Sama
85/100
Lucky for me it's so far removed from any reality I've experienced, I found it overpowering. The woman behind the camera was so gorgeous, but her camera work often wasn't, which makes it even harder to watch. Fantastic movie, but hard to enjoy.
Reviewed on February 18, 2020
Richard Jewell
86/100
Fascinating story and really well told. I dunno how much acting range Paul Walter Hauser will have in the future, but I think he deserved an oscar nomination for this.
Reviewed on February 18, 2020
The Lighthouse
52/100
For all it's artsy weirdness, I still thought it was gonna build to something special. But it just got worse and worse.
Reviewed on February 18, 2020
Honeyland
84/100
Beekeeping doco drama that's almost like it's from a forgotten time when people could be happy with very little. Amazing to see how fearless and durable the kids are.
Reviewed on July 14, 2020
The Personal History of David Copperfield
77/100
I liked the little flourishes in the way the story was told, but didn't feel like Dev Patel handled very well the comedy there could have been in it. Felt good to be back at the movies though!
Reviewed on July 12, 2020
The Way Back
81/100
The basketball bits are really good. The life bits are a bit much. It's very anti-alcohol, a stance I can't quite get behind.
Reviewed on March 6, 2020
Dark Waters
80/100
One of those you wouldn't believe it if it wasn't true type stories. It's a bit stretched out so that we can go through the struggle too, but it makes it a tad boring.
Reviewed on March 6, 2020
The Booksellers
74/100
It's like a collection of very similar short stories, when if it was called The Bookseller and had more of an arc I would've liked it better. I'd better publish at least one physical copy of Trivia Humph so these guys have got something to sell.
Reviewed on July 14, 2020
La Belle Epoque
74/100
It's like a French rom-com version of The Game or a prequel to Westworld when they were still using actors instead of robots. I think the idea was good, but both the rom and the com bits were lacking.
Reviewed on July 28, 2020
Babyteeth
70/100
There's a great movie in there somewhere, but I felt like it was too quirky for it's own good. I wish it was made now so that the camera man would have had to take a step back.
Reviewed on July 28, 2020
The Translators
60/100
French whodunnit where the twists were of the "If this ends up happening I'm gonna be upset" variety. And the character's name was Brach, not Bach like it kept saying in the subtitles. Sloppy translating!
Reviewed on July 28, 2020
The King of Staten Island
79/100
The first two thirds it had glimpes of a dramedy I'd enjoy, but it was like the comedy was too sad to laugh about and the drama was too stupid to cry about. The last third redeemed it enough for me to like it.
Reviewed on July 20, 2020
A White, White Day
75/100
It had some great moments, especially with the grand-daughter, but made too many choices that made me shake my head.
Reviewed on July 14, 2020
Bill and Ted Face the Music. 69 Dudes! Just kidding
54/100
So forced and over-acted. I was a massive fan of the first one, and it's made me question that.
Reviewed on September 10, 2020
Tenet
72/100
It's pretty hard to judge on first viewing because it's so complicated. Has way too much exposition for you still not to know what's happening. Many very cool moments, but can be very loud and dramatic when it doesn't really deserve to be.
Reviewed on August 22, 2020
Corpus Cristi
82/100
I wish it had have gone full blown feel-good uplifter, which it threatened to do at times. I mean if it's only based in part on a true story, maybe leave out some of the harsh parts instead.
Reviewed on October 18, 2020
Les Miserables
82/100
Nothing like the musical. It reminded me a lot of The Shield and Spiral, so it felt more like a pilot episode than a movie. It's a show I'd definitely keep watching though.
Reviewed on September 16, 2020
A Night at the Louvre : Leonardo da Vinci
65/100
I'd had a bit to drink before I went to The Louvre in real life, so I wanted to see what I'd missed out on. Some stuff that art lovers would find fascinating, seeing the works up close with no crowds, but almost put me to sleep.
Reviewed on October 19, 2020
Freaky
69/100
Terrible movie, but a terrific performance from Vince Vaughn during the swap that made it bearable. It woulda been twice a good if they got a girl who could do a Vince Vaughn impression. Such a wasted opportunity.
Reviewed on December 11, 2020
Possessor
84/100
Bit harsh in places to recommend, but I really liked it. The slow reveals, where you see what's happening before you know what's happening, were top notch.
Reviewed on November 28, 2020
The Comeback Trail
59/100
It's a throwback to when comedy was all telegraphed and predictable. If it was a tv show, they would have had a laugh track and I would have whinged about when it was used. The performances were so hammy it even made Morgan Freeman look bad.
Reviewed on November 13, 2020
Kajillionaire
67/100
I really liked Me and You and Everyone We Know because of it's awkward charm. This lost the charm through being so far-fetched, leaving it way too awkward. I had no confidence in their con artistry.
Reviewed on October 27, 2020
Baby Done
42/100
Nup. I'm glad I was the only one in the cinema so no-one else had to see it, but also so they couldn't hear how much I was swearing at it.
Reviewed on October 27, 2020
Nomadland
80/100
Well made and interesting, but a bit bleak for me. It's like a post-apocalyptic movie if they still had to find part time jobs. I'd vote for it for best quasi-doco, but not best picture that it's favourite to win.
Reviewed on December 29, 2020