FilmFincher

I love how high these Black Swan rankings are.

Maybe my expectations were in check because I've been catching up on some of the lesser entries in the franchise recently. The characters were pretty dumb throughout and the logistics of the last 5 mins have not been thought out. I think I screamed at the screen the 10th time someone said "remember that night". Plot definitely feels like wheel-spinning before the conclusion. It felt like Green's direction took a bit of step back as well. But Michael was a badass, the kills were awesome and brutal (glorious gore), returning characters were solid. Feels like a proper continuation of the same night. Some unexpected surprises. Overall the fun outweighed the frustrations. 6/10

Definitely more enjoyable than the 1st, seemed like Woody was having fun. 4.5/10

There's so much fluff in this. It's like when a show is trying to fill airtime. DC need to learn how to get in and out, will have more of an impact.

I've heard the trailer is quite spoilery. Someone suggested stopping at 1:48 if you want to be teased by the central conceit, which worked quite well as a stopping point for me.

This is as much as my brain can handle right now. I feel like I'm forgetting half the horror movies that have ever existed. Will try to get around to seeing Rosemary's Baby, Don't Look Now and Raw. Top 7 are a definite holy grail for me though. THE THING (1982) SCREAM (1996) EVIL DEAD II ALIEN THE EXORCIST JAWS THE CABIN IN THE WOODS THE SHINING HALLOWEEN (1978) HEREDITARY A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) PSYCHO (1960) EVIL DEAD 2013 28 DAYS LATER BLACK SWAN THE WITCH THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020) THE FLY (1986) ALIENS THE RING (2002) SHAUN OF THE DEAD ATTACK THE BLOCK IT FOLLOWS THE SIXTH SENSE GET OUT CANDYMAN (1992) BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA THE OTHERS ANNIHILATION DOCTOR SLEEP THE RITUAL A QUIET PLACE PART II WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE SAINT MAUD THE NIGHT HOUSE THE DESCENT HELLRAISER THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT CHRISTINE KILL LIST DRAG ME TO HELL US GHOST STORIES SUSPIRIA (2018) A QUIET PLACE OVERLORD AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON UNDER THE SHADOW SLITHER SAW PANS LABYRINTH GREMLINS [•REC] THE HOST (2006) SLEEPY HOLLOW NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) LET THE RIGHT ONE IN MOTHER! CLOVERFIELD THE WAILING HUSH (2016) BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) SUSPIRIA (1977) THE EVIL DEAD (1983) THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE THE BABADOOK THE CONJURING 2 IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS CARRIE (1976) READY OR NOT IT CHAPTER ONE DON’T BREATHE DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979) POLTERGEIST (1982) FINAL DESTINATION GREEN ROOM @WrathOfHan I've just added some more to my list 50 onwards.

My local Odeon hasn't even decided what their scheduling this weekend is yet with the slew of films. 1 screen dedicated to Venom and an evening Bond showing is the only thing up at the moment.

The whole handcuffed escape, followed by the motorbike/helicopter chase! One of the best action sequences in the whole franchise.

Wouldn't mind a couple of one-offs to give the older stars their time to shine after missing out. Elba and/or Hardy. I imagine Nolan has a very distinct take on Bond as well that would work for a one-off. He's pretty keen on On Her Majesty's Secret Service iirc. For the longest time my pick was Dan Stevens, he nails the charming psychopath which is perfect for Bond. Alas, even he'll be 40+ when the next one rolls around. Richard Madden would be a great pick, being Scottish is a big plus. Would start at a similar age as Craig. Marvel may have him tied down though. Dev Patel and Daniel Kaluuya are interesting younger choices. They're such inspired, bold performers, I'm worried audiences wouldn't accept their takes but I'd love to see it.

May The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It A Quiet Place II June Those Who Wish Me Dead Cruella The Father A Quiet Place II (Repeat) Nobody In the Heights F9 July Freaky Black Widow Jungle Cruise The Suicide Squad August Stillwater Another Round Judas and the Black Messiah The Suicide Squad (Repeat) Snake Eyes Free Guy The Night House Reminiscence Candyman September Shang-Chi Malignant LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring LOTR: The Two Towers October No Time to Die No Time to Die (Repeat) Total Trips : 30

I want to say Empire recently confirmed that's the plan. They were talking to Scott about how he manages doing films back to back and he brought up that the next plan was to shoot Kitbag and go straight into Gladiator 2 which is being scripted now.

I was not impressed. There's some nice callbacks like others have said but overall it felt like an algorithm generated Bond opening. Nothing distinct or memorable about it.

Venom 2 is once again a 15

This was pretty damn good! Has a fair few flaws, it's bloated in trying to juggle the carry-overs from Spectre and the newer elements. The newer stuff worked better for me, but your milage will vary on the old stuff depending on how much you liked Spectre. I appreciate their commitment to the bit though. I thought Malek, Lynch and Armas were standouts in this. Its a very satisfactory send off for Craig. This is a very gadgety/heightened film, reminded me a lot more of a MI film or even latter Fast and Furious'; matches the new tone. The film has a real sense of fun which is much needed after the dour affair of Spectre. It goes for some proper laughs/gags. Occasionally too goofy. The cinematography is incredible. Absolutely stunning. It rivals Skyfall for me but I have a strong bias for film and 70MM IMAX, also love a film that's not afraid to get down and dirty with its shooting style when it needs to. The action sequences are pretty great as well. Captures the scale/stunts cleanly without losing momentum. Lots of really well done gunplay which is usually a weak point for Bond. While there is some occasional CG work (The odd car and some face replacement), it reminds you how thrilling it is to see these in-camera set-pieces unfolding in front of you. Proper old-school blockbuster filmmaking. Sound design was fantastic as well. Zimmer's score was solid (starts sounding a bit Batmany in the final act) but doesn't come close to David Arnolds work in earlier Craigs. It is a clear number 3 of the Craig era. Casino Royale Skyfall No Time to Die Quantum of Solace Spectre

SEPTEMBER Did not watch a lot of stuff this month. Super busy with work and am in the midst of a few new TV shows which take up evenings. Movies Atonement - 10/10 - I was completely blindsided by this film, emotional wreck. Big - 9/10 Evangelion 2.0 - 9/10 Winter’s Bone - 9/10 The Green Knight - 8.5/10 Evangelion 3.0+1.01 - 8.5/10 - An emotional finale that I found just as (if not more) effecting than the original show. The plot is somewhat incoherent and I don’t care for the 3D animation but it hit me like a ton of bricks. Shang-Chi - 7.5/10 Malignant - 7/10 - The audacity of this film impresses me the more I think about it. I still don’t think Wan nails the tone completely, but the blood soaked third act gives me sheer joy. Evangelion 3.0 - 7/10 Big Eyes - 6/10 The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf - 6/10 Triple Threat - 5/10 - This and 'Kate' are only getting a 5/10 for having pretty good action, 'Triple Threat' has the stronger action but Kate has Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Story/characters are whatever in both. Kate - 5/10 Chaos Walking - 4/10 - This is not nearly as bad as people make out to be, I was quite onboard with the initial character dynamics, the concept and even how it is was visualised. What really kills the film is the underwritten Daisy Ridley character who has literally nothing to do and a increasingly dull second half where the film stumbles to nowhere. TV The North Water - 9/10 - Somewhat straightforward plot but a real sense of atmosphere, strong visual choices and incredible performances all around help elevate the show into something more. Why is Jack O’Connell not as big as he should be. It seemed like he was going to pop after Starred Up. The White Lotus - 8.5/10

Complete Bond takeover at my local Odeon this weekend. Has 81% percent of all showings. It helps there's been nothing since Shang-Chi. Likely to hold onto a lot of those until Venom.

The opening scene/credits are great and more along the lines of what I was expecting. The 2000's are back baby! But then the movie was not clicking for me in the first half. The dialogue/acting are awful throughout and Malignant struggles to meld all these different tones. It's like every single actor was told they were in a different kind of film. It didn't feel intentional to me (and if it was it wasn't doing it for me) especially when the film tries to be dramatic. It's full on soap opera but plays it so straight. Everything in-between the Gabriel scenes are rough. It's not like a Sam Raimi film where everything is melding together perfectly, pure fun from start to finish and so sure of itself. Turning what should be schlocky B-movie stuff into something great. Instead Malignant is wildly uneven. Then we gets a 2000's era foot chase about halfway through and I had a big goofy smile on my face. The film just gets better from there, the ridiculous plot finally has some momentum and starts leaning into the schlock. Wonderful practical effects and solid attempt at creating iconic imagery for a horror villain. Wan is swinging for the fences with the most fun I've had in a third act of a film since maybe Cabin in the Woods. I might hate it more as I think about the first half or revisit it but i cannot deny the giddy joy it gave me and it leaves you walking out of the cinema on an a high. I don't think I'd be able to say with a straight face this was good film, but was it an entertaining one? You bet your ass it was. 6/10 EDIT I love it the more I think about it 7/10

The serialisation doesn't work for me. I like some recurring elements like Felix but that scene in Spectre with all the previous villains photos hanging up/Author of all your pain deal makes me roll my eyes. And a film should be exactly how long it needs to be and you don't know the answer to that until you see the film! PS. There's an 'No Time To Die: The Official James Bond Podcast' currently releasing which will have interviews with cast/crew and preview Zimmer's score. Have not listened to it yet but it's there for anyone who wants it.

I love the original Matrix, it managed to combine big fun summer blockbuster with high concept ideas/themes/philosophy. It's pure movie magic. The film has an incredible amount of momentum to it for something so lore heavy. More mixed on the sequels (and the Wachowski's subsequent works). They amount to nice ideas and bold narrative choices but get bogged down in tiresome exposition and loses it's human touch. You're basically cutting from fun action scenes to someone reading a manual. I was surprised by how excited the little teasers got me. I haven't felt this giddy about a film in a while, it's tapping into something in my brain. I'm honestly going to try avoid anything else about the film from now, including tomorrow's trailer.

God I'm so happy we got so much Trevor in this. Highlight of the movie. All of his stuff was hilarious, the playing dead bit killed. Wong joining Shang and Katy for karaoke also killed at my screening, what a great pay off.

It's a pretty good MCU film! Solid plot, arcs, pace, endearing/likeable characters, excited for their future, great hand-to-hand combat choreography and coverage, actual fantasy elements and really funny throughout. It's lacking on the villain side, CGI/green screen/big set-pieces are average/uninspired, homogenous colour grade, serviceable music and sound design. Couldn't tell you if it was directed by one particular person but it gets the job done better than some of it's peers. I had fun. 7.5/10

I enjoyed this, solid MCU outing. Has all the usual things that stop it from being truly exceptional. But hey, they know how to do a fun blockbuster. I loved all the characters, thought the connection between Shang and Katy was especially poignant, definitely worked the strongest for me. Needed more Tony Leung, outside of a couple of scenes he didn't really get to stretch his legs (motivation was interesting though) and his big 3rd act moment gets lost in the green-screen, CGI, smashy/crashy stuff. Lacking in the emotional catharsis I wanted. The sister aspect was fine, her connection with Katy was fun but the Shang side was a little perfunctory. The character arcs and plot are pretty simple origin movie stuff, nothing crazy, hits all the marks, ticks all the boxes. Moves at a fairly good pace, the flashbacks might feel intrusive to some but they fit perfectly for me. Much more magical than I was expecting, which I also really liked. Fun creatures (especially Morris, what an adorable little fella), again doesn't quite capture that classic sense of wonder that the MCU struggles so much with. It was also consistently funny throughout (Karaoke payoff had me howling). Where this film has a leg up is the hand to hand combat, the wonderful Bill Pope (credited here as William Pope) brings his experience to give the MCU a bit of pep in it's step when it comes to fight scenes (Albeit not as good as his previous works). There are a couple of things that bring the fights down, namely the misuse of slow-mo, occasional CGI doubles (yes during hand to hand combat) and the MCU homogenous colour grade that prevents the image from truly popping and lacks clarity at the times. But he still works his magic, there's some incredible one take sequences in this film where you're just in awe of the way Shang is weaving through the set-peice combined with swift camera moves. Overall they're really fun to watch whereas in previous MCU I end up tuning out. The film struggles with the larger action set-pieces (car chases, big battles etc), feeling less inspired and fails to capture any sense of awe, scale or threat. Lacking in tangible direction compared to the hand-to-hand stuff and ultimately forgettable. Music and sound design also fall into the 'serviceable' category. 7.5/10

It's honestly impressive, some of the line readings are straight out The Room or Attack of the Clones. The whole thing also had this very Stephen King vibe that I loved. Maybe I just had The Dead Zone in the back of my mind but I think the premise of people with powers hidden from the world just lends itself to that feeling. Ironside is also deliciously villainous.

AUGUST Movies Gosford Park - 10/10 - What a smart, compelling, dense script. It’s not even the ‘whodunnit’ aspects that will keep you hooked. Impeccably crafted. Another Round - 9.5/10 - So happy I waited to see this on the big screen. Notting Hill - 9/10 - Hugh Grant is one charming guy isn’t he. Sense and Sensibility (1995) - 9/10 - I'm not gonna lie, the ending where Emma Thompson just breaks got me good. Boy - 9/10 Battle Royale - 8.5/10 The Night House - 8.5/10 RocknRolla - 8/10 Judas and the Black Messiah - 8/10 - The end captions for this were maybe more powerful that the film itself but it puts the entire peice in a context that it heartbreaking and makes me interested to revisit down the line. Kaluuya is magnetic and steals the show. Dawn of the Dead (1978) - 8/10 Suspiria (1977) - 8/10 Death Wish (1974) - 8/10 - This is what I imagine Aronofsky’s Batman would look like. Candyman (2021) - 7.5/10 Stillwater - 7.5/10 Flatliners (1990) - 7.5/10 - Beautiful looking film. Wish it was creepier/scarier. Ocean’s Thirteen - 7/10 Scanners - 7/10 - Love everything except for the main characters performance. Hot Shots - 7/10 Free Guy - 7/10 28 Weeks Later - 7/10 - Brought down by trying to go too big but does a decent enough job at recreating Boyle’s frenetic energy. Ocean’s Twelve - 7/10 The Return of the Living Dead - 7/10 Evangelion: 1.0 - 7/10 Tomorrowland - 6/10 - Gets at something really interesting with it themes but struggles to capture a proper sense of momentum in what should be a rollicking adventure throughout. When a Stranger Calls - 6/10 - Incredible opening, rest is fine. Shadow in the Cloud - 6/10 - Horribly heavy handed and has some trash dialogue but it ends with Chloe Grace Moretz fist fighting a gremlin. Reminiscence - 4/10 Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part II - 4/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows - 3/10 Snake Eyes - 3/10 Blood Red Sky - 3/10 - I did not come to this Vampire plane film for endless flashbacks. Why is this not 90 minutes. Sweet Girl - 2/10 - Awful, avoid at all cost. One of the dumbest/laziest reveals I’ve had the displeasure of watching. TV Harley Quinn S1/2 - 8/10 - Consistently funny and endearing. Good fun. Been re-watching a lot of 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown after Sean Lock’s passing. I highly recommend to everyone. Truly one of the funniest panel shows.

Overall I had a good time. The cinematography is incredible. The shots of the building in the opening credits are entrancing, I was immediately pulled in. The framing heavily emphasises architecture and the landscape of Chicago, which is heavily woven into the themes of the film. Visually everything is tied together so well, the shadow of the police office at the end to represent the shadow puppets, it's just so intimately thought out and constructed. Sound design was also fantastic, stronger than most of the blockbusters this year. It's suitably gory but not necessarily scary or creepy, the first film leans more on psychological thriller whereas this one felt it was trying to be a bit more of a slasher but was also too busy being artsy to relay any sense of threat; beautiful to watch it unfold but not unnerving. Much heavier focus on supernatural elements as well, whereas the first is more tangible. The themes and plot worked for me, its suitable for a film like this to directly open a dialogue about race and the linkage of urban myths to the history of racial injustice. I thought it was a really interesting expansion of the Candyman lore and it lets the film do it's own thing while also being a sequel. That's also where my contention lies. I really appreciate the film doing it's own thing; focusing on a different Candyman, Anthony not having the same mental break Helen has etc. But my heart can't deny I would have loved more focus on Helen and Tony Todd Candyman. I also think the film struggles to connect you emotionally to it's characters. Everybody is fantastic, there's some stellar performances in here, especially Vanessa Williams. But it's pretty clear what path Anthony is on very early and you don't really get any moment of empathy after that like we do with Helen. It's just waiting for the inevitable, much more akin to Jack in The Shining but there's also not enough emphasis on the supporting characters to carry the rest of the film. Brianna is nearly there but she gets saddled with a backstory that serves a irrelevant thematic link but doesn't do much outside of that. There's also some really sweaty dialogue, the two art exhibit people, oof, that was tough to listen to. Pacing is also strange. The sense of escalation isn't really felt, so I was surprised when we hit the final act, it's almost like we were missing one step. The kills almost felt studio mandated in their placement. A real sense of 'we've gotta spice things up now'. I did love the final act though, everything clicked for me and I went 'oh that's what this film is about'. This is what it's all been leading to. Left me on a real high but also wanting more. 7.5/10