Starred Up

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A gritty prison drama, a young kid put in an adult prison with his estranged father. It's completely enthralling and often unnerving and violent. The cast are all great, authentic and Jack O'Connell is electric. Great film.

Obvious Child

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: George, Jack

Abortion romance! Okay. Jenny Slate gets a leading role and she smashes it. It's endearing and natural. The opening really turned me off, something about female comedians doing full sets about their vaginas that just seems so cliched, but it wasn't all cheap humour like that. I guess I've just never been a fan of stand up comedy either.

But the actual narrative story works well, it's a fun little romantic comedy.

Listen Up Philip

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

That's a neat little teaser trailer, that doesn't use any footage for the film. This is a bitter little drama, filled with characters that are wondrously brash, self-centred, egotistical and self aware about it too. It's a world populated by New York intellectuals with rapid monotone quips and dry passive aggression. It's very funny but also pretty frustrating and very hard to like these characters.

The cast do a wonderful job though, and the story freely switches protagonists throughout so they all get a chance to do their stuff. Shot on 16mm, and it has a retro vibe. It's a fun watch but almost unbearably cynical.

Patema Inverted

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Jordan, Amberly

Cool anime, similar set up to the live action move Upside Down. But this film focuses a little less on the romance and more on the mystery behind this strange world. Which is why it was a little frustrating there seemed to be so many plot holes regarding said world. But the story is sweet and the animation is beautiful and if you're scared of heights this one's sure to give you nightmares. Some really great action sequences too using the gravity well. Good fun.

Among the Living

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Jordan, Ben

Write Up.

Yeah, it's just not a very cohesive film. The parts all seem great on their own but don't work together, especially without anything solid to hold them together.

Queen and Country

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Oh wow it's so British. John Boorman's latest is a period drama, that had funny moments but leans more towards the drama side. It ambles along from scene to scene, setting up and playing out various little dramatic tableaux. It's really stiff and proper and... British. It was fine but I couldn't really get into it.

Aunt Hilda!

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A delightful french animation, beautifully styled. All about the dangers of Genetically modified crops. Perhaps odd, or heavy subject matter for a kids film but hey, it's still really fun. Not subtle, but fun.

It Follows

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Jordan, Amberly, George, Jack

Write Up.

Was even more fun the second time through sitting next to a screamer.

Life After Beth

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Jordan, Amberly

Hilarious movie. Great cast. Best use of Slow Jazz.

There's a lot to like here. Not least of which is seeing Dane DeHaan play someone that doesn't have to go completely dark and insane, which he does so well, but nice to see him play a regular kid. And Aubrey Plaza slow decent into zombiedom is great fun to watch.

Surprise Anna Kendrick!

It's a really sweet story really, about getting over someone. But it's got hilarious mild-zombification going on too. Definitely one to check out.

The Expendables 3

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Aka FACEPALM: THE MOVIE.

Is this not the same plot as the last movie but with a different bad guy and 5 kids instead of 1? Thank god for Antonio Banderas who was the only person being purposely annoying.

Was it just me or are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jet Li in a gay relationship in this one? Or was that a joke? Did I miss something? I must admit I did start drifting off during the climax, it was that thrilling.

Among the Living

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

There's no denying Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury can make a mean horror film, and there are some really great sequences in this film once it gets going in the second half. I love their unabashed brutal violence. What lets the film down is the story and characters. Unlike Inside or Livid, this one just seems to be a bare bones structure to set up some fun times later. It's not a strong story, it's more of an excuse to justify making some really cool sequences and freaky imagery. 

I really loved the 80's slasher vibe that's taken to modern day extremes. If this had a stronger theme and a slightly more believable, or explained premise and characters that weren't so hard to get behind it'd be flat out brilliant. As is, it's a real fun but questionable ride.

Welcome to New York

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Abel Ferrara's made a new movie, loosely based around a scandal involving a prominent french politician and an unsuspecting housekeeper. The opening contains some wild and pretty graphic sex scenes. Gérard Depardieu really gets into this dark character and it's not exactly pleasant to watch. The latter half becomes more of a character study as he's placed under house arrest. It's a little slow and a little long but there's some great naturalistic performances. I can only presume some of the peripheral cast were the genuine article working unscripted because it has that kind of realism. 

A good and unsettling character study.

God Help the Girl

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Jordan, Amberly

I don't know the music of Belle and Sebastian, perhaps if I did I would have known the heights of hipsterdom I was getting into. It's go that retro British pop style through and through, it's extremely hard to tell what decade the film is in, it looks like the late 60's, shot on old film stock, and has the same counterculture vibe of the films from then and there.

The trailer says it's a pop musical for everyone. I'd say it's for a very very niche market. And they'll eat it up too, it's quite fun. The cast are all fine, perhaps not all the best singers but the music didn't do anything for me anyway. I like it when songs have some kind of structure or rhymes.

It's a puzzling little piece, there's stuff about it I really like but it's all just a bit too cool for school, and the main attraction, the music, is really not to my taste.

Wish I Was Here

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Jordan

Uhg, this was such a self-important film.

Night Moves

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Jesse Eisenberg leads a fine cast in the very slow yet intriguing thriller/drama. It manages to create suspense with seemingly little effort. A best laid plans gone astray scenario as we see the characters attempt to pick up the pieces. It's a really simple story but it was done pretty well.

Tom at the Farm

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Finally got around to watching a Xavier Dolan film. It's just odd to think someone younger than me has already written and directed 5 films. I enjoyed this one, a slow paced thriller and a very dark intriguing drama. Well shot but best of all was the beautifully retro hitchcockian score from Gabriel Yared. Interesting stuff.

Turkey Shoot

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Another world premiere, sadly no trailer yet, but it is a remake of the Ozploitation classic. Having said that, I'd never seen nor heard of it.

So this new version sees Dominic Purcell, wrong convicted and hunted in a reality television show. It's a cheap production, making much use of stock footage and some even cheaper vfx. All that shouldn't mater as long as the film is fun though.

The film is a little fun. Sometimes.

Housebound

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Aaron, Paradox

A really fun concept of being placed under house arrest in a haunted house, made into a really fun film. It's got plenty of laughs, the comedy is pretty broad and the tone of horror changes as the plot keeps twisting. It still manages to get some genuine scares, I think it would have been far more effective without the incessant score, but this one is weighted far more in the comedy genre than horror for me. Having said that, they do pull out the stops for a glorious blood bath in the final act. A lot of fun and one to watch out for.

Jack

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This drama puts us squarely in the shoes of young Jack, who gets into trouble and attempts to survive on the streets with his younger brother while they look for their wild mother. The young actors create authentic characters to invest in and while it's never horrific or dark, it's certainly a grim journey you go along with.

Beautifully shot with a casual observational style this was enthralling whilst maintaining a quiet natural tone. And they nailed the ending with a really simple short scene. Good stuff.

Paper Planes

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

Once again no trailer yet. Got into the World premiere screening, which was neat. Robert Connolly's latest is a sweet little kids film that follows the Karate Kid trajectory, only with karate swapped for making paper planes. And Mr. Miyagi replaced with a little Japanese girl.

There were plenty of the target audience in attendance, as the back of my seat will testify, but despite my discomfort, they all really seemed to enjoy it. Any problems I have with the ham-fisted writing, vague thematic work and missed opportunities don't matter to them. It's that kind of broad strokes movie, and it's funny enough that adults might get a chuckle or two as well. Even the conflict is very pleasant to watch.