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Reviews
Fresh (2022)
Wonderful little horror romcom!
The idea of starting the credits 33 minutes in after a charming romcom start is just brilliant, marking the turn into the horror of the story. The relationship between the two leads seems real and believeable and is the basis of why this movie works so well. The horror has real impact and consequence, making the stakes so much higher, cranking up the tension of the final scene. Yes, it's 20 minutes too long and Noa's method of salvation was very obvious, but neither detract from a great movie. There's also some great world building and threads left open for you to consider - the back story of the wife being the perfect example. Recommended for those looking for a stylish, new horror, with a great cast.
Day of the Dead (1985)
The brutal act of zombie genius.
Of the Dead series, this is the hardest and most brutal to watch. It is a depressing look at the end of the world, and one that makes even The Walking Dead look optimistic. The strange acts of levity come from Doc Frankenstein and his joy at understanding how the Dead work... It ends up with much more depth than its predecessors, but not the nice metaphors of Dawn. It also ends up with one of the most memorable and influential of zombies, one that really changed the question, and has not been explored outside of this séries. Bub remains one of the strongest characters, which alongside Rhodes, gives one of the strangest hero / villain mixes in movie history. If you like zombie movies / horror, you must see this film.
Joker (2019)
Stunning... This film is beautiful and insanely challenging.
This movie does match the hype and you can ignore the arguments about its one note social commentary. This society doesn't make the Joker but it definitely doesn't help Arthur in not becoming him. The performances are stunning, and this Joker feels insane, not the calculating criminal mastermind of The Dark Knight. Watch it. Stunning, dark, mesmerising and brutal...
Game of Thrones (2011)
6 perfect, one good and a dreadful end.
I've always believed GoT was game changing, a brilliant, intelligent show which increasingly challenged cinema for visual wonder. The development of characters and story was well paced and careful, to the point where you believed it, a true achievement in a fantasy show. Unfortunately the last season undoes all that. After a strong start with episodes one and two, which felt like they were from earlier seasons, it's down hill all the way. The best thing I could say about the last episode was "meh", which is a sad way to feel after so many perfectly crafted seasons.
Mortal Engines (2018)
Not bad, but awful if you've read the book.
I loved the idea, cities eating each other, but it hardly happens, the idea is introduced and then forgotten. The concept was great but I think Peter Jackson has lost the ability to adapt books. Lord of the Rings worked because the kept to the story and adapted it for screen, the Hobbit didn't work because they extended it into a bloated monster for screen and Mortal Engines fails because they have changed the story so much to make a their movie version. I didn't mind it when I first saw it, it's an ok film with great ideas that it doesn't really capitalise on but then I read the book.....
The nuanced villain has become almost comic book, despite Hugo Weaving's best efforts and the changes to make the Star Wars like ending took the tragedy from the finale. Hester seems hollow and her affection for Tom seems forced. Tom doesn't get to be our unwitting hero, with all his bravery that breaks down Hester removed and the tragic end is turned into an explosive pyrotechnic fest. Even Shrike's story is broken for no good reason, just to make Valentine even more evil and Tom less heroic. What a shame.
So, if you've not read the book, give it a go - there are far worse films - if you have, beware.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solid Solo movie which opens up a more interesting universe
Finally, an interesting Star Wars movie with a beginning, middle and end. Great acting helps hold it together and it delivers everything you want from a back story. Also introduced excellent characters to open up the wider universe between episode 3 and 4. More importantly, there is no new Jar-Jar in this.