Monday 2 September 2013

August 2013 Film Round-up

I stopped reviewing every film I watch towards the end of July and have gone from 30+ to (last month) four reviews a month. While I haven't really missed writing about the movies I've seen, I wanted to make sure I at least wrote something about every single one so that I could keep some sort of fluidity in my blog. So here are my very brief opinions of the films I've seen since I stopped reviewing everything.



July

Rebel Without a Cause

James Dean can’t play a teen. Great acting, interesting, super cool. 8/10



Maniac

Better than the average slasher. Interesting. Far too grizzly for me. 5/10



Double Indemnity

Quintessential Noir. Beautifully made, gripping. 8/10



Frances Ha

A cross between French New Wave and Woody Allen. Annoying at first but I warmed to it. It made me want to live the BoHo life. 7/10



August

Wild Strawberries

Entertaining, funny, charming and sweet. Fantastic story. Original road movie. Better rear projection than Hitchcock ever managed. 8/10




Only God Forgives

Loud. I’m still unsure if I liked it but I was gripped. Borrows heavily from Park Chan-wook. Would work as a silent movie. I worry that the talented Gosling is limiting himself to roles which are too similar. Kristin Scott-Thomas is award worthy. Too violent for me in places. 7/10



How Green Was My Valley

Great sets, really dull, about 15 minutes of interesting political/religious stuff. Terrible Welsh accents. One of the worst Best Picture winners I’ve seen. 5/10



Kick-Ass

Great fun. Wonderfully entertaining post modern take on the genre of the decade. 9/10



Belleville Rendez-vous




Sharknado




Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Exactly what we all wanted from a Partridge movie. Tonnes of laughs, great development of much loved side characters, kept things small. 9/10



The Lone Ranger

Overly long, far too dull, it doesn’t know which character is the lead. Surely the end is near for this type of super budgeted nonsense? (Read my full review here) 3/10



Tetro

It looks fantastic and is well acted but I was bored throughout. 5/10



Man With a Movie Camera

Easily one of the best films I’ve ever seen. (Read my fullreview here) 10/10



Side by Side

An interesting look at the film making process with expert interviews. The discussion of film vs. digital was fascinating and well argued on both sides but lacks a solid conclusion. 8/10



Kick-Ass 2

Not as funny, subversive or exciting as the first film. Toned up and down in all the wrong places. 5/10



The Wild Bunch

Surprisingly violent and ‘adult’, good performances, beautifully shot and well made. It didn’t always hold my attention. 8/10



Before Midnight

A near perfect end to what has become one of my favourite trilogies of all time. All pre screening nerves went away after the opening scene. Wonderfully written and brilliantly acted, a fitting conclusion (?) to the eighteen year arc. Although initially sceptical, the additional characters added more than I ever could have imagined. 10/10



Benny and June

A mediocre film in every aspect bar one performance. Johnny Depp shows what bought him to the attention of Hollywood with a nuanced and sweet portrayal of a guy all women want to mother. Some great physical comedy in the vein of Buster Keaton. 6/10



Elysium

Half a great movie with some interesting and pertinent ideas. It looks fantastic but gets bogged down in unnecessary action towards the end meaning that it ends up as a ‘seen it all before’ type of film. 6/10



2 Days in Paris

My second watch in less than six months. Loved it just as much this time around. (Read my full review here) 9/10



Lovelace

A deeply depressing film with a nice twist in its narrative structure. Amanda Seyfried is brilliant but the film only seems to skim along the surface and if you pardon the pun, doesn’t go deep enough. 6/10



The Way, Way Back

Nothing new and nothing surprising but it captures the awkward teenage years well and gets great performances out of Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney. 7/10



Jurassic Park

Still looking good after twenty years and the action beats most modern blockbusters hands down. (Read my full review here) 10/10

1 comment:

  1. Very cool list of movies there Tom. Yeah Kick Ass 2 wasn't as good as the first one. Loved Before Midnight very much Was kinda skeptical of Frances Ha and Only God Forgives, but will give those movies a look. What no love for Sharknado. lol

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