Hi there film buffs! It’s been a while since I indulged in my favourite activity of rambling on about what I’ve been watching and sharing recommendations. So, what have I been watching? The truth is not a lot in comparison to my regular cinema trip routine with my notebook and Costa landslide. Due to various things taking up my time which I won’t bore you with, I had to take a temporary hiatus from my amateur critic career. But now, after what feels like an eternity, I’m back and ridiculously excited for what’s shaping up to be an incredible awards season. From Ryan Gosling reaching for the moon as astronaut Neil Armstrong to Glenn Close on Oscar-worthy form in a curiously normal role, what more could you want in cinemas this winter? Anyway, instead of trying to write essays on my fairly recent watches, I have reviewed some of the films I have seen in short(ish) summaries with a general verdict. Enjoy your cinema going and keep me posted on what’s not to be missed right now!
‘The Post’ (dr. Steven Spielberg)
Spielberg’s acclaimed political thriller tells the mostly true story of The Washington Post’s battle to publish classified documents exposing America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Starring Tom Hanks as executive editor Ben Bradlee and Meryl Streep as CEO Katharine Graham, it’s a timely film through its exploration of issues that strike a resonant chord with today’s headlines. It’s impossible not to see similarities between the corrupt president depicted in the film and the current president Spielberg is reportedly very against. Katharine Graham’s struggle to gain respect from her male colleagues confronts issues of women in the workplace in the year of #MeToo. After a slow start, ‘The Post’ gradually emerges as an intricate, finely polished piece of true life drama. I liked the attention to period detail and there are some very good performances from the ensemble cast. If you enjoyed the fast talking and sharp writing of ‘Spotlight’, you will enjoy this high brow journalism drama.
‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ (dr. Ol Parker)
‘Mamma Mia!’ was the surprise summer blockbuster of 2008 which had crowds dancing in the aisles and wanting more not least for its unashamedly feel good factor. Almost immediately after its record-breaking box office success, there were whispers of a sequel in the making. At last it has come at the right time in the current resurgence of the old-fashioned all-singing, all-dancing musical. First of all, it goes without saying that this film isn’t for everyone. Those who cringed at Pierce Brosnan’s rendition of the Abba classic ‘S.O.S’ and failed to see the funny side should stay well away. What I loved about it is how the cast are having such a good time belting out signature Abba tunes we can’t help but enjoy ourselves watching it. The younger cast do a good job portraying the mid-twenty-year-old Donna, Sam, Harry, Tanya and so on. Lily James brings energetic charm and pulls off a young Meryl Streep very well. There are moments of genuine poignancy that will really tug at your heart strings if not have you crying, and they are completely unexpected which made this prequel/sequel somewhat better than the first. It’s definitely worth taking a chance on if you like upbeat musicals.
‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ (dr. J. A. Bayona)
The fifth instalment in a franchise that’s clearly going extinct. Yet another film with Chris Pratt jumping around acting like a prat, if that wasn’t irritating enough in ‘Infinity War’. The barnstorming first Jurassic Park film marked a T-Rex-sized step forward in special effects technology. Claire Dearing’s open question ‘do you remember the first time you saw a dinosaur?’ takes us back to the jaw-dropping realism of the first film’s dinosaurs, but that’s about it. The main problem with the film is that it suffers from an over-reliance on special effects at the expense of a decent storyline. The screenwriters have clearly struggled to come up with ideas for a new direction to take the worn-thin series in, so the end result is a nothing more than a formulaic popcorn cruncher. That being said, I enjoyed the chase sequences and liked the supporting characters. Suspension of disbelief goes hand-in-hand with the dinosaurs vs humans sub-genre, so the film succeeds in what it’s trying to do. No doubt film six will be stomping into cinemas in the next year or so with another equally forgettable plot.
‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (dr. Christopher McQuarrie)
Tom Cruise is showing no signs of slowing down or hanging up his stunt boots any time soon. At fifty-six years of age he’s still surprising us with his unbelievably crazy lack of limitations. Despite the film’s almost two and a half hour running time, Christopher McQuarrie maintains the breakneck pacing so that at no point are we stifling a yawn and longing for a caffeine kick to get us through it. Even though this is the sixth time we are watching IMF agent Ethan Hunt take down the bad guys in a familiar enough storyline, the film still manages to be stylistically clean and sustains its dynamic appeal throughout. There are a few references to the previous MI films thrown in that first time viewers won’t get, but it’s not essential to be a die hard fan to find this film entertaining. On one hand, it works as yet another showcase for Tom Cruise’s insane willingness to do death-defying stunt work. On another it’s hands down the best film in the high octane spy franchise. Just watching Cruise hanging from a helicopter will give you an adrenaline thrill. I would recommend seeing the film on the biggest possible screen to appreciate the impressively vast scale of the production and stunning visuals.
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (drs. Anthony and Joe Russo)
Not one of my summer watches admittedly, as I saw it back in May the day after attending a wedding and having a much later night than normal. Who knew that watching superheroes kick ass was the perfect hangover remedy? In a nutshell I absolutely loved this film, hence why I couldn’t not mention it. There are many storylines happening at once involving different groups of Marvel characters, so it can feel like we are watching an over-packed mashup of several superhero films at once. But somehow it works. One of the most enjoyable aspects is the comic timing and teasing rapport between the characters, as it makes up for the film’s much darker second half. Though Chris Pratt’s Star-lord cop constantly trying to outdo Chris Hemsworth’s Thor rings a little tiresome after a while. Alongside conquering the gargantuan task of bringing out the best in its many characters, there is hefty emotional weight in the climax that we don’t normally expect in average superhero films. Plus the slick charisma of Downey Jr’s Iron Man is still impossible to resist. I’m already counting down to the next Marvel film.
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