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Caught up at the weekend with Ladybird and I, Tonya.

I enjoyed Ladybird, I was surprised at how quickly the film moves on, means a lot happens within a reasonable amount of time.

I really enjoyed I, Tonya. It was weird going in knowing nothing bar what I saw in the trailer. It was quite funny at times and the cast are amazing (although after watching the original footage of who it's based on at the end surely Amy Adams would have been even better as Tonya?). I felt really bad for Tonya pretty much the whole way through, such a horrible upbringing and just surrounded herself with awful people.
 
Red Sparrow

Not sure what I was expecting from it (nothing really), but it was very good. Well, quite formulaic in many ways, but entertaining enough. One of the stronger spy thrillers in recent years at any rate.
 
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Game Night - I'd been looking forward to seeing this for a little while and it exceeded my expectations. Towards the start the comedy was more "cringe" than anything which isn't my sort of thing and some deadpan moments are left to linger just a tad too long but it's still enjoyable and the film just gets better and more ridiculous as it goes. There were some moments where everyone in the cinema just lost it. Aside from being funny it is shot really well, there's an action sequence in this house which is done in one shot and it's incredible. Some of the shots in this film are more interesting and exciting than most films released (loved the use of tilt shift for example). Just really enjoyed this film, I feel like it sets up for a sequel but I kinda hope that doesn't happen.
 
I completely disagree with the Phantom Thread opinions. I thought it was utterly brilliant. Though it may be because I love quiet character studies. PT Anderson perfectly encapsulated the toxic relationships men with mother problems can have. The acting is likely the best of the year (in terms of actor and actress combined). I totally get why people wouldn't like it though. It's not for everyone since the pacing and narrative thrust are very slow. Plus, as much as I adored how it ended, I can see audiences being unsatisfied with it.
 
Saw the new Nic Cage film last night, Mom & Dad. Urgh, it was terrible and not even in the so-bad-its-good way. All of the crazy Nic Cage moments are in the trailer if you want to save some time. The film is all over the place like it doesn't know what it wants to be (like it has a 70s style credit sequence but nothing else is in the same style). The editing is atrocious and some of the shots are just, well, so poorly framed that you just get like the top of someone's head. The only thing that stopped me from walking out really early on was the hope that the all out crazy at the end would actually be interesting and funny and it just wasn't. I'll admit there were several moments dotted about that amused me or gained quite a big chuckle from everyone watching but everything around those moments just makes it something to avoid.
 
So over the past few weeks, I've been able to see quite a few movies. They came out with this new subscription service called moviepass that, for $10 a month, you can see 1 movie a day, every day. There are some restrictions like no IMAX, 3D, or any goofy **** like that, but it works at most of the large chains. It's not sustainable, but I'm gonna enjoy the **** out of it while I can.

Black Panther
One of the better Marvel films, same goofy **** issues. I thoroughly enjoyed it though.

Game Night
Stupid comedy with a few laughs, would wait for Netflix

Greatest Showman
I hate musicals, like, with a passion, but friends who are in same boat said they loved it, and i did as well. It was fantastic.

Death Wish
Enjoyable popcorn flick.

Going to see a bunch of stuff over next month. My goal is to see 60 movies this year in the theater.

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Here's my next part to the Marvel films I've watched.

Doctor Strange ok didn't expect much from it like Black Panther and finished watching it pretty much surprised. The Magic side of the MCU I didn't expect would be that great but they've somehow managed to make it a good film to watch the villains were that's about it.

Now my most Controversial film. Spider-Man Homecoming. He's one of my favourite Superheroes I loved him in Civil War but the film didn't exceed my expectations the suits were amazing and tech but the villains and Peter Parker as a person were dull I wish they'd gone for an older Spider-Man because Tom Hollands Spidey speaks too much when there's part that didn't need his comments. But to contradict myself I think he's a good Spider-Man out of all of the film incarnations with Tobey not far behind.
 
Went to a preview screening last night for Ready Player One.

I'd been looking forward to this since it was announced, I even purchased the book with the intention of reading it before the release (that didn't happen). I really enjoyed it, the various references throughout were fun to spot and there's a whole portion of the film which kinda blew my mind (did they re-create everything or splice original film in there?). The visual effects throughout are very impressive, from huge CG scenes filled with hundreds of unique CG characters to simply the details in the main characters. The scale of things is impressively shown off but sometimes there are shots focusing on small groups of recognisable characters but they feel a bit short and blurred so it's hard to actually tell what you're really seeing?

I don't think this film is for everyone but I had a great time throughout and think it's one of Spielberg's best films.
 
Wrinkle in Time - What a total waste of time. There are some neat concepts in this film but boy are they ruined by everything else - actually the acting was pretty good. The first 30 odd minutes (maybe longer) are just an assault on the brain. The editing is just a shambles (potentially due to the script/book?) where nothing makes sense. Characters are barely established and scenes seem either too long or barely exist to the point of wondering why they even exist in the first place. Everything is just totally mis-judged. On top of this you have the most annoying character name in the history of entertainment said about a thousand times every scene - for no reason!

The visual effects are a bit all over the place too, there's some good stuff in there but things like a flying sequence have some cringe-worthy poor green screen. The whole scene with the fab Zach Galifianakis is a mess, continuity is not a thing that exists in that scene. Urgh, was there anything good in here? I liked the ripple travel (or whatever they called it). I think that is everything I liked. I think it's weird this is being marketed to kids because if adults can't watch and understand this how are kids expected to tolerate it? Don't waste your time with this film.


Pacific Rim: Uprising -
I liked the first film, just a fun CG feast for the eyes and nothing to really think about so can just sit back and enjoy. This sequel is very similar. Everything feels a lot brighter and not as grim and mechanical as the first but I'm not sure if that is necessarily a bad thing. The acting is fine with a lot of poor dialogue and there's a character who sort of just pops up from time to time and feels kinda irrelevant? (like a Producer note was that there should be some sort of love interest?) I quite liked the twists in the last third of the film and overall I enjoyed myself.
 
Ready Player One

Very fun and enjoyable. The CG was stunning, the visuals were awesome, and was an overall pleasure to watch. Some parts were a bit predictable, and I wish some of the characters were given a bit more depth, but it didn't really take anything away. All the easter eggs were fun to find as well. Definitely recommend.

A Wrinkle in Time

It's utter ****. Don't bother. Characters flatter than paper, plot was so predictable, and just kept me questioning everything. Very reminiscent of Tomorrowland from a few years ago, but more ****.

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On top of this you have the most annoying character name in the history of entertainment said about a thousand times every scene - for no reason!

THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS. I was ready to walk out. It was so bad, and only compounded by this ****ing **** bag name. Seriously, this movie was a cluster **** of epic proportions. I hated literally everything about it. The story. The cast. The visuals. Every ****ing thing.

Pacific Rim: Uprising

I didn't expect much. What I did expect was at least a scene or two of action not in the trailers. I truly try to avoid trailers after the teaser due to spoilers, especially TV spots, but with the increase of films being seen, first world problems, right? Anyways, I wanted fresh action. I didn't get it. I got a mediocre story...a decent twist...and John Boyega not being able to carry a movie. The characters were **** and we will probably get a third.

Tomb Raider

Mindless action. Entertaining but far from great or good.

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Saw Blockers the other night. I thought the trailer was horrible despite a decent premise for a comedy, ended up seeing it anyway but I went in with very low expectations. I actually enjoyed it and I chuckled a fair bit. Some bits were drawn out a bit too long and Ike Barinholtz was annoying as usual, his character actually has an attempt at being human/emotional but he just can't pull it off and the whole scene comes off as awkward. John Cena is amazing though, I love how three of the most entertaining actors around at the moment come from the WWE (others being the Rock and Bautista). Overall the film is fun but maybe just wait for DVD/TV release.
 
Best F(r)iends

So after Tommy Wiseau's infamous movie The Room has gained cult status, they decided to make another one. And oh boy is this one a doozy. It has a much higher production value than The Room, so it actually looks very nice. A lot of the supporting cast is very good. Tommy and Greg, though. They're the real magic makers. The quirky and sudden delivery of Tommy's lines mixed with the ever-so-slightly anxious Greg makes for an absolutely amazing mix of characters. Parts are extremely reminiscent of The Room, while still maintaining a custom flair. If you're going into this expecting a proper, studio-quality movie, you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting something that's even remotely close to The Room, you're going to have the time of your life. I would absolutely recommend, but it was a one-day select viewing event. They are releasing a Part 2 in June, so look out for that if you're interested.
 
Ready Player One.
Awesome! Hugely entertaining film, this. Kind of like a mash-up of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tron, The Matrix and Avatar, but with added dinosaurs, DeLoreans, batmobiles, ninja turtles, Robocops, King Kongs and ... wait for it... MechaGodzilla!
Even Chucky gets a look in. :D
I know - it sounds awful, and in the hands of anyone other than Steven Spielberg (and possibly Joss Whedon), it probably would have been. But it was in the hands of the bearded demi-god, so it's officially awesome.
Highly recommended.

Edit: 1,000th post. Go me!
 
Ready Player One.
Awesome! Hugely entertaining film, this. Kind of like a mash-up of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tron, The Matrix and Avatar, but with added dinosaurs, DeLoreans, batmobiles, ninja turtles, Robocops, King Kongs and ... wait for it... MechaGodzilla!
Even Chucky gets a look in. :D
I know - it sounds awful, and in the hands of anyone other than Steven Spielberg (and possibly Joss Whedon), it probably would have been. But it was in the hands of the bearded demi-god, so it's officially awesome.
Highly recommended.

Edit: 1,000th post. Go me!
This review has made me decide to go see it. Thanks for being selfless on this glorious day of celebration.
 
^^But we all know it's not the worst Star Wars film ever made, don't we? ;)

Nah, that would be the Star Wars Holiday Special.

A good second would be Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, though, which I just watched. I know there's something called suspension of disbelief, but this is one of those movies whose plot requires every single character to consistently make idiotic decisions. From the assassin using a crappy subcontractor, to Padme deciding that the best place to hide would be out in the open at a luxury resort on her home planet, to the Jedi order still allowing a blatantly unqualified and emotionally unstable Anakin to not only continue his training, but also go solo on a bodyguard mission with the one woman he has shown emotional connection to, but is not allowed to love. Add to this the copious amount of CGI (apparently, not a single Clone Trooper costume was made for the movie - they're all CGI, and it shows) and a handful of other questionable directorial decisions and a terrible script, and you easily end up with the worst of the main saga Star Wars movies. The monsters in the colosseum scene were cool, though, and the visuals of Coruscant were very nice. But that's pretty much the only positive things I have to say about it.

Overall... not a movie I'd eagerly watch again any time soon: 1/3

I also watched Ready Player One. I really like the book, so far it's the only book I've read through then decided to immediately go back to page 1 and read it again (although I did get an English copy of The Martian immediately after finishing my Norwegian copy). I've seen it get a lot of criticism, however, but I find myself strangely unfazed by it. I guess I'm in the target demographic, and still found it hugely enjoyable despite its supposed flaws. I was very excited to hear they were making a movie out of it, but my expectations were a little so-and-so. How would it translate? Quite well, it turned out, but it was a very liberal translation.

The movie follows the book closely on a conceptual level, but on a detail level they could hardly be more different. They made huge changes to almost every scene for the movie (for instance, the main character is seen sleeping on top of his aunt's washing machine, while in the book he sleeps behind it ;)). Some were clearly for the better, such as the quests for the keys. For the first gate, a pretty slow-paced and calm walk through a D&D module is swapped for a high-speed race through a copy of NYC. I think this scene is, hands down, the best CGI-fest I've ever seen. Spielberg must have told his writers and artists "there are no rules and no logic! Name any IP, we can get the rights to use it. Have fun!". Hence a T-Rex eating cars in the middle of Times Square, and that is one of the tamer bits of the scene. Brilliant.

However, in the transition from book to film, a lot of explanation was lost. The characters meet in real life suddenly with no explanation, they are all just in a hurry, so the movie never stops to explain why how they all came together. I guess that, looking back at it, one scene kind of implies that three of them knew each other IRL already, but I still found it puzzling how the five top players of a worldwide game could suddenly be in the same street in the same city at five minutes' notice. In the book, they all live in different cities and none of them have ever met in real life until the last few chapters. Also, it is never explained why the evil megacorporation is so obsessed with finding and offing the main character, or why the megacorp goons have to switch stations whenever one of them dies in-game. Other things also seemed a little rushed, for instance the "here's this castle and that is where the treasure is" thing.

Fortunately, most of the changes from book to film were for the better. Putting a whole scene in The Shining was quite genius, while also a nod to the parts of the book that would not easily translate into movie format (ironically). I really like the last "trial" the game's creator put in to weed out unsuitable heirs to his fortune. The character I-R0k was completely overhauled for the better; in the book he's a nobody who just disappears halfway through. And the pop culture isn't restricted just to the 1980's.

I found the movie very watchable, and I'll probably see it again. Still think the book is better, but I know that's an opinion many will disagree with. 3/3.
 
And the pop culture isn't restricted just to the 1980's.

I saw a lot of people moan about this but I think that's one of the better things about it. Having references from a few different decades provides a nicer variety and really shows how the users are injecting their own favourite IPs and not just what Halliday put in there.


So I went on a cinema binge yesterday. I started with Love, Simon. I really enjoyed this despite some horribly cringe moments that had me dying inside. Simon's motives were quite frustrating and you could see what was going to happen from a mile off. However I enjoyed the cast and there were some amazing moments, oh and the vice principal and drama teacher were the best.

Next up was Ghost Stories. I saw the play on the West End and loved it despite not really liking scary things. The film adapts the play really well by adding in a bit more to the Professor's story and I was on edge a lot more. I'm not great with horror films and this did make me jump quite a few times. I love the twist at the end and the cast were brilliant. So overall I really liked it and if you like scary things than I'd recommend.

Tomb Raider. I wasn't going to bother but it slotted in nicely between two films. I had really low expectations as the trailers were awful but I ended up enjoying myself - maybe because of those low expectations? I thought the whole third act with the tomb was great. A lot of the vfx were sub-par though, especially for such a large blockbuster. They went all-in with the set up for many sequels though and I can't see that happening and I'm not sure I care? Overall it was an ok no-brain flick on a Sunday afternoon.

Thoroughbreds. I was looking forward to this, the last film with Anton Yelchin and I'd heard good things about the two female leads. The film wasn't what I was expecting at all but I liked it. Sometimes shots lingered a bit long and it had a dreadful soundtrack which was similar to the surreal/annoying soundtrack of The Lobster/Killing of a sacred deer. Actually the whole film gave off really strong vibes to those two films however the dialogue was better and the camera work was amazing. So, overall it was weird but fun to watch.


I also finally got round to watching The belko experiment on Netflix. It was pretty much what I was expecting and it's amazing they got some of the cast that they did considering it looks like the budget was about 10 dollars.
 
The Quiet Place
Really good film, i'm not normally a fan of monster-type horror films but this was excellent. Not in your face scary, but one of those films where you feel on edge throughout the entire thing. A couple of jump scares but not overdone, and a horrifying birth scene which I was peeking at through my hands. Really good acting as well from all the cast.
My only criticism was that because the whole film is so quiet, the constant sound of people eating/drinking etc. was really irritating. Slightly annoying when your really into the film and then you get distracted by someone chomping on nachos. Definitely worth watching though. 4/5
 
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