Whilst my mum is on the front line working on a covid-ward at the hospital, my dad is carrying out the essential work of painting someone's caravan. And I am just doing quizzes on Zoom.
Fri. 24th April : Glass (2019)
DVD.
I ordered Glass after I saw and loved Unbreakable. With my 'realistic superhero' curiosity piqued, I settled down with a Twirl and Salt and Pepper Pringles and mostly enjoyed this sequel/crossover. Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson and James McAvoy are all back as the 'supers' and director M. Night Shyamalan is very keen to get them together, leading to rapidly paced opening that sees Willis' David Dunn take on McAvoy's The Horde. There is a lot of playing catch up to be done, with this film taking place nearly twenty years on from Unbreakable, but only a short while after Split (2017). The positives stem from the overall originality of the picture, the questions it raises and McAvoy, who delivers another awe-inspiring talent show of multiple personalities each with their own physicality and accent. His ability to switch between them is masterful and Glass is worth a watch just for the sheer range of this performance. It is also the most serious work SLJ has done in a while; not a single swear word or joke in sight, though it does take an hour to give him his first line. The film does suffer from being overly ambitious, with an ending that drags and refuses to end. It also falls prey to having characters commentate on what is happening, giving the film a meta-quality to it. But much like Deadpool (2016), simply pointing out the story beats does not excuse the film from still conforming to them.
Also check out : One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Sat. 25th : Extraction (2020)
Netflix.
Extraction is a new Netflix original written by Avengers' Joe Russo and directed in his debut by Sam Hargrave, the stunt coordinator on numerous Marvel films and other action blockbusters. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Extraction is set in India and concerns Hemsworth extracting a young boy to deliver him to someone or other. The story is extremely weak, and were it not Joe Russo writing, it would be surprising if this film would have been made. Luckily it did, because this is actually quite entertaining. The influence of the director's stuntman past is evident; the action has that John Wick style of clean wide shots, meticulously choreographed skirmishes and an appetite for unconventional weapons. There is a rather brilliant 12 minute car chase turned shootout turned foot-chase turned knife fight that is captivating, but the third act just throws an unlimited number of red shirts to be gunned down by the heroes. Basically Call of Duty: The Movie, Hemsworth has his primary and secondary load-outs, frag and smoke grenades, a knife and a high enough kill streak to endlessly summon canine units. Come for the action, nothing else.
Also check out : Lone Survivor (2013)
Sun. 26th : Gegen die Wand / Head-On (2004)
Box of Broadcasts.
An alcoholic forty year old German marries a young German-Turkish girl in order for her to have greater freedom from her parents. Such is the simplicity of the story outline, but this 'love' story is riddled with self harm, death, rape and envy. The girl, Sibel, is played by Sibel Kekilli (aka Shae from Game of Thrones) and she actually does a very good job, all things considered. Not a pleasant watch, but the episodic story, denoted by the Turkish band that pops up on screen to play a few traditional songs, makes this compelling viewing as a Greek tragedy.
Also check out : Romeo and Juliet (1996)
Mon. 27th : Moon (2009)
DVD.
The 2010s was a Golden Era for space films: Gravity, Interstellar, The Martian, Ad Astra and First Man in particular. Just missing out of that period is Duncan Jones' (the son of David Bowie) debut Moon, which stars Sam Rockwell as an engineer on the moon harvesting a fuel to be used on Earth. He is assisted by Kevin Spacey as a HAL-9000-esque robot, and it is very creepy. The moon is an ideal setting for science fiction: it walks that tightrope between fiction and non-fiction: humanity has been there, giving it credibility, but also it is still this far off, uninhabited destination which provokes imaginative ideas about it. With a brisk run time, Moon is certainly thought-provoking with a great premise that is better to experience then be told. Rockwell excels in a one man show, and the score accompanies the deafening silence of the moon well. What it is missing, perhaps due to the small budget, is a strong visual eye that makes the above space films so brilliant. It wouldn't have hurt the film to have more breathtaking shots of space or the Earth to satisfy my fondness for vast, empty spaces.
Also check out : The Martian (2015)
Tue. 28th ; Creed (2015)
DVD.
2015 was the year that nostalgia took over film. Star Wars The Force Awakens, Jurassic World and Creed are all guilty of tapping into that love for the old films, and they were all successful in doing so. Now I have never seen a Rocky film before but I have not met someone who did not enjoy Creed, so gave it ago. And it is a blinder. Directed by Black Panther's Ryan Coogler, this sports film transcends its conventional story with three unique qualities. Firstly, the bond between Adonis Creed (a solid Michael B Jordan) and Rocky (a watchable Stallone) is rich and dynamic. Secondly, the filmmaking is seriously muscular; a second fight is shot in a continuous take inside the ring. Thirdly, the film's exploration of legacy and identity means it has something far more substantial and fresh to say than Force Awakens or Jurassic World, steering it away from 'cash-grab' territory. The third act is also utterly energising, reminding me of how I felt watching the Olympics, the World Cup or Le Mans 66 (2019). Sports really is home of the goosebumps, especially when that Rocky theme song starts.
Also check out : Warrior (2011)
Wed. 29th : Limitless (2011)
Netflix.
Before 2014's Lucy unlocked the rest of her brain's potential, Bradley Cooper popped up a pill which gives him White Walker eyes and the deductive speech and visuals of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes. Limitless is pretty average entertainment; fun to watch with a premise that intrigues, but the next day it is hard to remember anything in the way of dialogue or scenes. It feels like Lucy and 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street, combining enhanced brain power with amoral, self-interested gluttony. The film shies away from emotion, missing out crucial conversations about Cooper's character cheating on his girlfriend, whether he is guilty of killing someone and ultimately why he is building this vast empire. There is a line early on that the book he is writing is about a utopia, and the implication is that everything he does is with the desire to better the world, using his advanced IQ to solve the world's problems as he eventually runs for president. But this is barely explored, and without it the character is just a greedy, arrogant and opportunistic Jordan Belfort type.
Also check out : The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Thu. 30th : Bad Day for the Cut (2017)
DVD.
An Irish revenge thriller, Bad Day for the Cut sees a farmer on the warpath after his mother is killed. His journey, in a red camper-van, sees him enter the underbelly of Ireland's crime world. An almost Shakespearean tale about family feuds and the chain of violence, the story is simple yet brought to live by some subtle performances. If you want to watch a man burn another man with a saucepan of beans, or watch a woman bash another chap's head in with an iron whilst screaming c-bombs, then I recommend. I also recommend just to boast you have seen a film that does not even have the 'Plot' section on Wikipedia filled in. Oh, and it contains an immensely satisfying use of Chekov's Gun theory.
Also check out : Hell or High Water (2016)
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