Movies catch-up

Now I’ve moved, it’s come to my attention that I have not done any of the film reviews I normally do. This is partly because I’ve been “busy” (i.e. too lazy), and partly because I really haven’t been in the mood. Well here we go - a quick run-down of the ones I haven’t yet reviewed, in date order:

Mission Impossible: Fallout (1st August 2018)

Verdict: 9/10 - A fun, well-put-together action romp, full of one-liners, great grudge match moments and even some proper Acting by all concerned. Saw this twice in the cinema - just for my favourite two moments (“That’s right - PRICK”, and ‘why won’t you just die?”). Honestly, based on the last few MI films, this one had no business being so much proper fun (and more than made up for the last few lacklustre movies). Will be watching this again on digital when it arrives.

King of Thieves (4th September 2018)

Verdict: 7.5/10 - A based-on-true-events story of a bunch of supposedly past it blokes doing the Hatton Garden job back in 2015. This is not about cuddly old grandads having a laugh as they try to rip off a jewellery store shut for the Easter break, this is about a group of hardened bastards trying to get away with anything they can, for the most they can. Good cast and good acting - and depending on who you were rooting for, the ending was pretty clean.

The Predator (13th September 2018)

Verdict: 7/10 - If you were expecting something in the same vein as the original Predator or any of its sequels, think again. This is like a Syfy original movie version, complete with characters who explain the plot for us, bad guys being in the right corners, and some cheesy lines. They do one or two throwbacks to the originals, which gave us all a good laugh and definitely helped the movie along, but this is its own film and it’s not trying to rehash some beloved plot line from years gone by. Although it’s not hard to guess ‘what’s in the box?’, and you will be upset when the inevitable happens to certain characters, this is an enjoyable shoot-em-up that is good a disposable night in.

Venom (3rd October 2018)

Verdict: 8/10 - Wow. This is the year everything changes - people no longer care what critics think and go to watch whatever movie they feel like, and then broadcast to everyone via social media just what they thought of it. For example, Venom had a 29% rating by ‘critics’ on Rotten Tomatoes, but an 86% rating by the audience. I definitely agree with the audience rating on this one - it was loud, it was brash, it was strangely compelling, and most of this was down to Tom Hardy. Picking someone so over-qualified for the job of playing Eddie Brock worked out well; Eddie quickly becomes the person you root for, as he’s a bit of a disaster and not the sharpest tool in the drawer when it comes to thinking on his feet. The only reason this is getting an 8 and not a 9 is down to a bit of clumsy character development, which could have been fixed with one or two throwaway lines by the symbiote. Anyway, good times, and I will be watching this again.

First Man (13th October 2018)

Verdict: 8/10 - I’ll be honest: I did not want to sit through a 2.5 hour movie about the first man on the moon. However, I had an afternoon free and it was about space, so why not? Ryan Gosling does his usual good job, the script is polished and felt solid, and you have some really good cast members making it worth it. Claire Foy is impressive and is rapidly getting to be one of those actresses who can become someone different with every job she takes. She will go far. Not to the moon, but hopefully far. With her new Girl in the Spider’s Web movie coming soon, she is one to watch.

Johnny English Strikes Back (14th October 2018)

Verdict: 6/10 - A Sunday afternoon movie and a pretty funny one, if you can wait the 10 - 15 minutes in between good jokes. Rowan Atkinson is awesome as always, but seeing him in these films does make me wish he’d do another season of Blackadder instead.

Bohemian Rhapsody (24th October 2018)

Verdict: 9/10 - Awesome, awesome, awesome. Rami Malek is of course brilliant, the casting of the other band members inspired, and with such a back catalogue to get through, what’s not to like? You don’t have to be a fan of either Queen or Freddie Mercury to enjoy this film; the scenes between the band members being band members are gold, and the interaction between them and the contrast of loneliness is a powerful one. Not sure if Oscars are in order, but it’s definitely one I’m watching a few times.

Beetlejuice (30th Anniversary Showing) (30th October 2018)

Verdict: 9/10 - How has this aged? Well the effects are old and the actors very young, but the jokes are still good and the social commentary still relevant. Barbara’s calling-out of the ghoul being a pervert, and how she treats Lydia, are still awesome and you can’t beat a bit of Alec Baldwin before his Hunt for Red October days. All in all just plain fun.

Overlord (5th November 2018)

Verdict: 9/10 - Yay! A twist on the science-experiment-gone-wrong premise and a nice fresh set of people to bring it to us. I liked the idea of it basically being a creepy thriller (this is not a slasher or gore flick) that accidentally happens to people trying to have their actual film about the second world war. Nothing here will surprise you, but it’s done so well and everyone in it knows exactly what they’re doing on set, so this is an enjoyable 2 hours of ‘don’t let that dude die! We like him!’ etc. Totally worth the price of a cinema ticket, and I will be watching this again. Odd though, how the main dude in the film (Jovan Adepo) isn’t even on the movie poster. Hmm.

And that’s about it - I haven’t been to the cinema since and that’s just disgusting. However, what with Christmas coming up and the usual dearth of anything resembling interesting at the box office, I guess I’ll have to wait till the new year for the nest round. Oh, and cancel my cinema card with the current chain and get one with their rival. I now live equidistant between 2 Odeons. Get in!

Soopytwist.