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Exam (2009)
Clever "Single Room" Film
As a fan of films like Cube and psychological sci-fi thrillers that try to pose and resolve the classic "Big Brother" psychology test cases without any limits (violence is fair game- something I imagine Big Brother should perhaps consider to keep audience interest!) this film caught my eye and I wasn't disappointed. Slickly put together, tightly filmed, and with a solid cast and enjoyable premise, I found this film really enjoyable from beginning to end. It won't necessarily surprise you with twist after twist, but it's execution is sound and the tension portrayed enjoyable enough to watch through to its conclusion. The only challenge that remains for me now is finding my next "single room" psychological drama!
Last Knights (2015)
Dramatic fantasy without being Robin Hood or featuring any dragons!
Although this film suffers from a predictable set of characters and action it's high budget style and reasonable pace makes for an solid fantasy film that avoids a lot of the clichés of the genre (although still falls into a few). Clive Owen's character is likable if simplistic, and Morgan Freeman's dramatic inclusion in the film is solid if rather plain, but realistic sounding dialogue and sets helps keep this film feel solid and believable even when it stretches the imagination. There's not a lot going on here story wise, but as an action adventure film with some high quality actors up in front it's a likable, if mindless, story.
Paper Towns (2015)
Heart warming coming of age story
There's road trip movies - and then's real road trip movies. OK, so this probably won't happen to you (if only because the puzzle pieces would be difficult to lay out!) but every other element of this "last days of high school" story plays out perfectly with realistic struggles, characters and dialogue. I hadn't heard of this film, any of its actors (I live a sheltered life) or the director, but was loved getting caught up in a heart felt story that avoids laying it on too thick and instead sets up a fun story that feels honest and inspiring. Tight plot and a strong cast of characters who avoiding being 2D despite getting little time to develop on screen makes the whole picture feel heart warming.
Z for Zachariah (2015)
Scenic but a little bit empty
Although Z for Zachariah is well cast and placed in a beautiful location that nicely captures the sound idea of an "apocalypse escape" that isn't a down-trodden hell hole or a imperfect utopia balancing on thin ice, it's dramatic premise as told by those lucky few survivors manages to hold little weight. I'm glad we're starting to see movies exploring worlds very different from our own whilst avoiding the temptation to build an action based drama, the plight of the characters and their relationships is predictable and two dimensional. The on screen portrayals play out largely as you'd expect from the onset and the movie fails to surprise or draw you in closely with basic wants and needs simplified to very clear black and white choices and consequences. There's conflict, but it's mild and, whilst true and perhaps real to life, it lacks the level of tension that could drive the plot along - instead we're left with a solid cast acting honestly in a lovely setting but little to love and little to make you want to re-watch or shout about
The Martian (2015)
Science and exploration at it's best
With an excellent sense of humour and a refreshing story that (finally) manages to be an adventure story without a bad guy (you know adventures can be hard without someone being out to get you, right?) the Martian manages to show that Hollywood really can still do magic with a big budget film that doesn't involve a fight sequence that is perfectly planned in advance.
I don't want all my sci-fi like this, but between this, Moon, and Primer, it's nice to see science fiction explore the implications of science on a human scale- and fortunately they have a solid, believable cast on board to tell the tale.
Easily one of my favourite movies of the year - and I hope there'll be more like this to come.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
The best of Simon Pegg, British Comedy and a perfect slice of life and comedy.
A great slice of British-ness mixed up with perfectly delivered humour, amazing side characters and more subtle jokes that make the rewatch factor for this movie higher than most comedies - Hot Fuzz might just be the perfect modern comedy. Simon Pegg is spot on as the up-tight character who warms to Nick's country police officer, but a lot of the praise must be passed onto the background characters who make this a witty character study akin to the works of Swift. There are many who may prefer Shaun of the Dead, but, for me, Hot Fuzz is the better slice of British town life and elevates the tone of the wit and humour to a near perfect high.
Man Up (2015)
Brilliant brit-rom-com
British rom com done right (at last!). Post Love Actually and the "Hugh Grant" era, British Romcoms, for me, have fluctuated between utter drivel and touchingly honest. Some focus too much on being "British", others struggle to find a couple who you can feel might work. The pairing here is refreshing, with wonderfully honest, British and fun characters caught up in an admittedly improbable situation (I know I couldn't go through with this level of caper!) but the grand build up at the end (if predictable) was enough to make me teary (again, not in itself a first, but a good threshold!). Pegg isn't a buffoon, but a regular guy (which is definitely Pegg's greatest acting talent!). The coincidences of fate aren't crazy. In reality, it's nice to see a couple of middle aged people facing plights beyond the regular "I've just been waiting for the right man/woman" and instead being caught up in more normal challenges like anxiety and fear of repeating your own failures. Wonderfully refreshing for a genre that has to cope with clichés and predictable outcomes!
Kaguya-hime no monogatari (2013)
Beautiful Animation
It really is hard to put across how beautiful the animation is in this movie - whilst I expect no less from the artists/Studio in question, this movie made me want to pick up a pen and draw as each line felt perfectly placed and simply stunning.
It's a zany fairy tale story (and not particularly western, but all the more refreshing for it) that is simple and heart warming and it's told with a lot of thought and care put in to every moment.
The English dub (I had to watch with this due to the small screen size making the subtitles option impractical for my viewing) is read beautifully and the songs and wisdom of the words is translated without any loss of meaning or impact.
I've had this film on my "to watch list" for sometime and my biggest regret is taking so long to get to it - and I'm looking forward to watching it again soon!
Southpaw (2015)
Not a boxing fan - but a well paced drama can be found here
I'll confess to something up front - I still haven't seen Million Dollar Baby. I was put off by the boxing. This movie, however, has changed my mind - and demonstrated that a simple story told with perfect pacing can tick all the right boxes with almost any backdrop. Whilst it's a long film, there wasn't a moment which felt out of place and wasn't part of Jake's character transition as he fights with his circumstances - the dialogue seems perfectly suited and delivered at every moment.
Maybe my only complaint is Oona isn't given much time to explain her swings in character- it's perfectly understand if you imagine more about her story, but for a man who misses his daughter so much there is little exploration of the impact on her.
Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
Classic Drama/Romance
Warning: I watched this on a flight so not necessarily a visual treat... Set against lovely backdrops of the country side and telling a classic story, Far from the Madding Crowd is the best period drama I've seen since Pride and Prejudice. As a tale, FftMC's characters are as true and real as they ever are - whilst the gender story isn't as important as it might once be (although it's not entirely irrelevant no matter how much I'd like to hope it would be) and the politics of the era hopefully something of the past, this story still explores the plight of love and trying to be true to yourself under outside pressures which, I feel, remains as true today as it ever did. The soundtrack does manage a few mis-steps, but is generally lovely and the overall package feels very polished and beautiful. Casting is solid and the script manages to be modern without losing any of the charm of the classic. The story itself, if you don't already know it, is touching and heart warming - human and full of love and mistakes - and just prefect as a result.
Something Borrowed (2011)
Solid Rom Com if cliché ridden
The characters may lack depth (workaholic who misses the guy she likes really liking her, a well intentioned but cheating man, the 2D "surfer dude", etc) and the plot predictable, but the presentation is refined rom-com material and is delivered nicely. I'm maybe getting older, but it's nice to see the settling down couple contrasted against the worried loner in middle age (maybe that's because it's familiar!) and I guess other (teen rom-com) movies explore this theme often enough too, but little is said of these people's lives except the romantic journey they're caught up on - unfortunately this results in two dimensional characters that exchange advice like it's going out of fashion.
It won't break your heart or show you something new, but it's a refreshing, enjoyable movie.
3 Days to Kill (2014)
Entertaining (silly, but well executed)
I wasn't sure what to expect from this film - the plot synopsis as I read it offered two possible paths- one was a cliché ridden story of a spy pulled back in for one last job, and ... well, this. A silly (True Lies springs to mind) story where you need to suspend any notion of a 100% plausible scenario, Costner manages to pull off being a father and a spy juggling killing with a demanding daughter. The action elements of the story are well executed, with plenty of fun thrills without resorting to boring protracted gun fights. Honestly portrayed, with a beautiful French backdrop and a like-able heart-warming personality, this was far more enjoyable than it has any right to be when it mixes silly moments with action without even blinking.