FilmFincher

This is out the same weekend as Freaky here in the UK which only serves to emphasise what doesn't work in this film. The concept is really good. It feels like a classic kids horror premise, like a Monster Squad or something. There is a fair amount of enjoyment to be had just from that. It's fun seeing these kids try tackle a variety of ghouls. Wished the film leant more into that tone. It's got that murky look that Netflix loves so much. Direction is nothing special. There's no effort to get us to actually like the main characters. A lot of the development that happens with them feels unearned. It's all very heavy handed and I didn't care very much about their fates. None of them are charismatic enough to carry the film. There's a few cute nods to older horror films but it never feels like the film is having real fun with it. One creative kill towards the end was great. A lot of the jokes fell flat for me. Awkwardly paced and odd editing choices. 5/10

Pretty generic directing, Chris Mckay hasn't made the same leap from animation to live action like Brad Bird did. Chris Pratt is charming/funny enough, he struggles with some of the more nuanced dramatic moments. The father/daughter storyline actually really worked for me, it kind of won me over. Solid supporting cast, all very likeable. Yvonne Strahovski finally gets something to do which is nice. Great creature design. CGI looked good on them. First action set peice is disappointing but they do improve as the film goes on. Nothing exceptional but solid. Score was awful and constantly out of place. The film genuinely gets more enjoyable, it starts off like another one of these middling streaming blockbuster films but it finds a nice rhythm once Pratt and Strahovski get to interact and a couple of solid set pieces to support it. 6/10 - Streaming is the perfect place for it. Lazy Sunday movie.

Semi's will be on the 7th same as Black Widow

June Movies Almost Famous - 10/10 - This is one of those films that just gave me everything I wanted. I loved it. Consistently funny throughout and Billy Cruddup was electric. The Father - 9.5/10 - Unbelievably powerful and Hopkins deserved the Oscar 100% Saint Maud - 9/10 - Best horror since Hereditary Everybody Wants Some - 9/10 Won’t You Be My Neighbour - 9/10 - Was really moved by this despite knowing nothing about Mr Rogers. To Catch a Thief - 8.5/10 The Conversation - 8.5/10 Cold War - 8.5/10 - Beautiful cinematography and incredibly heartbreaking Clear and Present Danger - 8/10 Nobody 8/10 - A lighter, comedic straw dogs with action to rival John Wick. Cruella - 8/10 - Delightful, the two Emma’s are so captivating and light up the screen. In the Heights - 8/10 - Super enjoyable, Anthony Ramos is great One Cut of the Dead - 8/10 - I don’t think I’ve seen a film perfectly encapsulating the energy of a film set and the highs/lows that come from that. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) - 8/10 Rurouni Kenshin 2 - 7.5/10 - Most consistent action of the series Luca - 7/10 - It was sweet and Pixar always lands the ending Raya and the Last Dragon - 7/10 The Naked Gun 2 - 7/10 - Not as good as the first but still some solid laughs. The Ladykillers - 7/10 - I know it’s a classic but it took until after the heist for the movie to really start clicking for me and making the most out of the situation. All that stuff is excellent, first part is a slog. Rurouni Kenshin 3 - 7/10 F9 - 7/10 - Better than the last one. Enjoyed the ridiculousness. Good practical stuff, still needs less CGI Rurouni Kenshin - 6/10 - Was quite disappointed in the action after all the hype, super choppy, But I actually enjoyed the characters and story. Rurouni Kenshin 4 - 6/10 - Great villain Those Who Wish Me Dead - 6/10 - I’m happy Jon Bernthal got to do something Death Becomes Her - 6/10 Assassination Nation - 5/10 - Sam Levinson without any filters or grounding. Violent hot-occasionally enjoyable- mess. The Dead Don’t Die - 4/10 My Bloody Valentine (1981) - 3/10 Men in Black: International - 2/10 - This is the worst film I've seen in a while, what a slog. TV Inside - 9/10 - Is it a film or TV special, I don’t know but it was fantastic.

I quite enjoyed it, nice to look at. Felt like a bit of a CG showcase at first but ends strong. Mostly world set-up. Also I cannot understate how great it is to hear that T-Rex roar again in a theatre.

They still need to do Halloween Ends. They held off shooting it.

5, 6, 7, 1, 8, 2, 3, 4 $67M opening

It's just formatted for IMAX. Which just means they just un-crop the image for select scenes (for Digital IMAX theatre ratio majority of the time, which is just shorter than 16:9 but above 2.39 : 1, very rarely has a film been formatted for the full IMAX ratio). Technically they could do it for the whole film. The whole of Blade Runner 2049 was formatted late into the post-production process for Digital IMAX ratio. Deakins talked about how they had to go back and erase boom mics and other things popping into shot because it wasn't intended.

It was given minimal showings at my local Odeon (it's down to one showing a day by next week), such a fantastic film though, I'm so happy I got to experience it. I also don't know if the older crowd have returned to cinemas yet.

Lin is definitely an above average director. I did a rewatch of the Star Trek trilogy not too long ago. While there is a drop in quality (Abrams can direct the shit out of a blockbuster, he's made for them), Lin is still doing a few things that make him stand out from the Brad Peyton's of the world. Star Trek Beyond could be a way duller affair but he does stretch his legs a bit. What he did with Fast Five especially cannot be understated, that film harkens back to the best of the best 80's/90's blockbusters. Introducing a team dynamic, thrilling foot chases, hulking hand to hand fights and a two cars pulling a safe through the streets of Brazil causing destruction. And to top it off...all that is in-camera. Then he repeats the same success with F6 but CGI starts to creep in. That's also part of the reason why I'm so tentative about F9, it looks a lot more CG heavy, whereas the strengths and joys I derived from F5 & F6 largely came from how straightforward they felt, in their filmmaking and stories. Maybe 9 films in, the ongoing narrative starts to wear on the franchise as well. He has made the two strongest films in the franchise so I hold out hope it's a return to form.

Really solid set-up, lost of exposition to get through but they handled it well. Tom Hiddleston is effortlessly charming as always. More Loki reaction shots please. The premise is extremely enticing, I'm glad they held back on revealing that. Filmmaking and writing wise this first episode feels so much more consistent than the other MCU shows. I feel like it'll keep a solid quality level throughout.

I absolutely love the bar room brawl and university bike chase. Most of the opening is great as well before they get to the rocket booster and nuke town. I do enjoy the film though, it's not nearly as bad as everyone says, but definitely not up to scratch. I think when things get too CG is when I get pulled out. I hope Mangold takes a page out of Abrams book and finds that balance. Fingers crossed he shoots on film as well. Just wont feel like Indy if he doesn't.

May Movies The Thin Red Line - 9/10 Scarface - 9/10 A Quiet Place Part II - 8.5/10 Shallow Grave - 8/10 - Danny Boyle’s first film, tight thriller about bad people. Christopher Eccleston is A*. Do the Right Thing - 8/10 The Quick and the Dead - 8/10 - I’m always gonna love some Sam Raimi (except for Oz, Oz never happened) Only the Brave - 8/10 - Surprisingly moved my this, the bromance with Taylor Kitsch and Miles Teller made me tear up. I have much more faith in Top Gun’s dramatic elements after this. The Taking of Pelham 123 - 8/10 - The original, was a lot funnier than I was expecting. Ed Wood - 8/10 - I miss this Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. The Mitchells vs the Machines - 8/10 Dead Presidents - 8/10 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - 7/10 - Beautiful locations/cinematography The Final Girls 7/10 - Fun. self aware, a little cheap looking, solid character arc. Clue 7/10 - Get’s funnier as it goes on. By the last act it’s a laugh a minute. Tim Curry is incredible. Brightburn 6/10 - Dumb characters, takes a while for the kills to start, but when they do it’s entertaining/gruesome. The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It - 6/10 Stowaway 6/10 - Gravity but not as good, still watchable. Doesn’t earn any emotional beats. Army of the Dead 5/10 - Doesn’t live up to the promise of it’s splashy posters and opening. Dull, dreary, liked the Zombie hierarchy. The last half hour where everything goes to shit is pretty entertaining. TV Mare of Eastown - 9/10 Castlevania S4 - 8/10 - Solid finale, series peaks with S2 but really satisfying ending. Friends: The Reunion - 8/10 - I have the same pros and cons as everyone else but I just felt so emotional watching this. Love, Death + Robots S2 - 7/10 Yasuke - 6/10 Get out to a cinema to see A Quiet Place Part II if you feel safe enough to do so and cinemas are open. It’s the perfect cinema is back movie (whereas Conjuring let me down a little). Thrilling, tense, heartfelt. Krasinski pulls from the Spielberg bag of tricks so well. That opening was incredible. And if you’re at home Mare of Eastown is the one to watch. Loved watching this show week to week, my favourite thing on tv for a while. Masterclass in storytelling, tone, performances etc. What an emotional, entertaining and powerful rollercoaster this was.

This was like a 6/10 I enjoyed myself and wasn't bored A lot less focus on character and they don't milk the most out of the set-pieces as James Wan did. It just quickly moves from one to the next, there's no real standout sequence. Did enjoy the the structure/plot though, I was fond of the investigative nature of the film. Wilson/Farmiga are always great but the character drama that's there feels somewhat trite, as do the plot mechanics. The links to real life did bother me throughout, especially since this one revolves around an actual murder (the previous 2 were largely harmless) and like the previous films the movie does try to tie itself to reality in the end credits. Left a bit of a sour taste.

I'll post just my top 10 here The Iron Giant Toy Story 2 How to Train Your Dragon Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Tarzan The Red Turtle Princess Mononoke Akira Mulan Spirited Away

That breakfast scene was better than anything in the first film by miles. Unfortunately everything else looks just like the first. Hopefully Woody Harrelson will go maximum ham & cheese to at least make it watchable.

April Movies Sound of Metal - 9/10 - So powerful, hit me in the feels. Riz Ahmed kills it. I love how it looks, how it's edited, how it's told. Sound design in fantastic. The film feels so raw. Palm Springs - 9/10 - Funniest film I've seen in a while. Warms your heart. Plot is fairly predictable but that doesn't matter. Leads are fantastic especially Milloti, wonderful chemistry. Cast Away - 9/10 Nomadland - 8/10 - Very intimate, and understated. Really felt like it captured an essence of a lifestyle. Almost documentary like in how it's constructed at times; the anecdotal nature of it and the editing style. Heathers - 8/10 - Sharp, funny, fantastic premise. Winona Ryder is great in this. Lego Movie 2 - 8/10 Love and Monsters - 7/10 - Sweet, charming, good acton, I like the leads. Nice little movie. Backdraft - 7/10 - Some cheesy dialogue, spectacular fire sequences. The practical work is outstanding. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 6/10 - Great ending, rest of the film is kinda meh. Enjoyed the realistic elements and was quite funny at times. Re-Animator - 6/10 - Schlocky, gory fun. Without Remorse - 5/10 - Action set pieces were surprisingly quite good. The film works best when Jordan is being relentless. Unfortunately the majority of the film is really flat, stilted dialogue, generic plot, horrible sequel set-up. Godzilla vs Kong - 5/10 - Last hour is entertaining enough. Human side is awful. Mortal Kombat - 5/10 - Story/dialogue pretty bad. Editing/Pace pretty bad. Action with Scorpion and Sub Zero pretty damn good (bad for the rest), gore and finishers were great. Kano was hilarious, he's the only thing making the dialogue/plot scenes bearable. The Nun - 4/10 The Losers - 3/10 - Action sucks, film tries hard to be edgy. Cast chemistry is good but not enough to save the film. TV Invincible S1 - 9/10 - Just incredible, go watch it. I enjoy the show even when it's not the main plot. But those last two episodes, oh man. Easily one of the best superhero shows out there. What We Do in the Shadows S2 - 9/10 - Still great. Matt Berry has been sent from heaven to bless us with his comedy. The Expanse S1 - 8/10 - Some characters are a little generic but love the scale of the plot. Has the interconnectedness of GOT. Shadow and Bone S1 - 7/10 - Full of YA tropes but I was also pretty entertained by it. The cast is charismatic, the show moves at a really good pace and it makes use of it's budget unlike The Witcher. The Flight Attendant - 6/10 - Airport novel, throwaway type fun. I had fun with it. Kaley Cuoco is electric and I genuinely enjoyed some of the turns the story takes. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - 5/10 - The inconsistency of this show annoys me so much. The initial set-up for the main storylines is good, the show takes a huge nose dive in Ep.3, editing gets choppier. Action is choppy for the majority. Isiah Bradley scenes are incredible, Sams character arc lands, Walker was so interesting and compelling until the rushed redemption. Bucky gets sidelined. I found a majority of the banter and chemistry stilted. Mixed bag.

I'm completely on board with a blockbuster resurgence. I definitely think we're gonna see that swing back after such a lack of big movies. I just don't know if Dune has what it takes to get into BP for the reasons listed before. Is it going to feel like a complete film? Is it going to be too contemplative for Academy voters? It's all just "if's" and 'is it?' at this point though. But I just don't know. I'm down the middle with it. I mean out of all the blockbusters releasing Dune, No Time to Die and Eternals are the likely ones to get in right? Dune seems like it should come out ahead of those on paper. I just wont know where the academy might land on it until I actually sit in a theatre and get to see it.

@titanic2187 @lorddemaxus I'm just listing what's on my radar from this far out guys. I'm pretty sure at least half of these will get knocked out and probably end up being underwhelming (A couple will probably fall flat on their face) but all I can do at this point is look at a wikipedia list of films releasing in 2021 and pick the ones that sound 'Oscary' to me. 🤷‍♂️ I think like most years, once some festivals happen and the films that don't get buzz years in advance start actually getting buzz we can get an actual idea.

Soggy Bottom - Paul Thomas Anderson The Tragedy of Macbeth - Joel Coen Untitled David O. Russell Project The French Dispatch - Wes Anderson House of Gucci - Ridley Scott West Side Story - Steven Spielberg Don’t Look Up - Adam McKay Next Goal Wins - Taika Waititi The Power of the Dog - Jane Campion Nightmare Alley - Guillermo Del Toro From this far out these are the ones on my radar. Biggest problem I have is that it's an extremely white male line up so I'm expecting some smaller films to hopefully punch their way through. I reckon Nightmare Alley is the 'niche' pick that wins out over the others; The Northman, Last Night in Soho, 'Don't Worry, Darling', The Green Knight, Annette etc. I think there's only room for one and from here I've gotta go with Del Toro. West Side Story will win the battle of the musicals; 'Tick, Tick, Boom', In the Heights. Mostly because Spielberg's direction and release date will help dominate the others. House of Gucci is already generating buzz and I think will capture a certain zeitgeist with the description of 'big budget soap opera'. It'll win the Ridley Scott battle. Amazing year coming up for Adam Driver, after dominating 2019 he's set to do it again. Annette, The Last Duel, House of Gucci. Could see dual nominations for supporting and best with the Ridley Scott films. Same goes for Timothée Chalamet who's appearing in Dune, The French Dispatch and Don't Look Up. I'm not too sure about Dune's oscar chances, I reckon it's going to be too somber and too unresolved narratively to be considered but I'd love to be proven wrong. People have been predicting a swing the other way. After a year of small films that a lot of people didn't see the return of blockbusters to the cinema is a cause for celebration, so we might see some bigger films get nominated which would be interesting.

It feels like Bill Pope is being brought down by the MCU's chosen style a little bit. Especially in the lighting/grading. Maybe it's more that he works best with big/brash directors who have a strong visual style like Raimi/Wright/Rodriguez/Wachowskis. But that being said the hand-to-hand action looks well shot as I'd hope from him, definitely looks like it should be the best for the MCU so far. Not too keen on the slo-mo though. That Crouching Tiger-esque sequence looks like it could be great. Not enough of a sense of what Shang-Chi is like as a character from this trailer, very stoic throughout.

Looks so much more cinematic than the last two. The fight scenes seem like they're gonna be really well done. Glad to have Justin Lin back. It feels like Fast and Furious. My only peeve is how much CG there is. I remember him talking about how with Fast Five he made a real effort to use practical effects after the criticisms of the 4th one. Between 5 and 6 the only egregious CG is that mid air jump with Dom/Letty. Whereas the next two had a lot of CG heavy sequences that I didn't care for. So I'm a little bit disappointed he's stuck with that. I think 6 was the last to shoot on film as well which is a shame. That being said it looks like so much fun and I'll be there opening weekend.

Really great episode. I found last episode super choppy and plot heavy so this was a big improvement. Solid balance of character/themes/plot. Action is still so-so.