I'd heard a lot of good things about this movie so I was looking forward to seeing it. It was another Cineworld Unlimited screening but it was quite a low turnout. I think this is one of those films that not many people know about - it's kind of off the big-movie radar.
The movie follows Chiron from childhood through his teen years into adulthood. He has a fractured relationship with his mother (a drug addict), and he's bullied from a young age as he grapples to understand his sexuality. You can really feel his pain and one word that kept going round and round in my head was "suppression". He continually suppresses his feelings and his true self until as a teenager he snaps and attacks his tormentor (I did a little cheer at that point). As an adult, he says he had to build himself "from the ground up, hard".
Although it was a little slow at times, I found it quite captivating - there was something quite real and raw about the performances. Three different actors played Chiron throughout the movie (at different stages in his life) but I thought they all genuinely felt like the same person and I really got a sense of his hurt. Subtly powerful and an important watch.
My rating: 3.5/5 ★
Tuesday, 31 January 2017
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
Hacksaw Ridge
Holy crap, I was not prepared for the level of violence in this movie.
I was lulled into a false sense of security at the beginning; in fact it was all a bit cheese on toast. I found myself cringing a little at Andrew Garfield as he awkwardly lisped his way into a girl's heart. Then he decides he wants to fight for his country, without touching a single weapon. It just all seemed a little twee at first. Even when he joined the army, the other soldiers seemed to be almost like caricatures; all the stereotypes were there and some of their lines seemed too scripted.
Then... WHAM BAM THANK YOU MAM. V I O L E N C E!
Good grief, it was violent. It went from 0 to 3432141 in 0.2 seconds and I felt like I was on the verge of an anxiety attack for the second half. There were so many close ups of people getting shot and stabbed and blasted into oblivion. I guess it was really trying to show you how utterly horrendous the war was, and it definitely succeeded! I just think a higher certificate would have made me a little more prepared for it.
Amazing that it was a true story though, and the real footage at the end did make me well up a bit. Just far too violent for me. I had to go home and watch some Kardashians to lower my blood pressure.
My rating: 2.5 ★
Then... WHAM BAM THANK YOU MAM. V I O L E N C E!
Good grief, it was violent. It went from 0 to 3432141 in 0.2 seconds and I felt like I was on the verge of an anxiety attack for the second half. There were so many close ups of people getting shot and stabbed and blasted into oblivion. I guess it was really trying to show you how utterly horrendous the war was, and it definitely succeeded! I just think a higher certificate would have made me a little more prepared for it.
Amazing that it was a true story though, and the real footage at the end did make me well up a bit. Just far too violent for me. I had to go home and watch some Kardashians to lower my blood pressure.
My rating: 2.5 ★
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Manchester By The Sea
Ugh it was a long old slog, watching this movie. I did walk out of the screening thinking, "Well, that's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back".
The story follows Lee (Casey Affleck) who has to take care of his teenage nephew after his brother dies. He lives a very solitary life, working as a janitor and being hit on by multiple women to which he responds with a blank stare. This happens a lot. He's such a morose, sombre character and throughout the movie it becomes clear why as something horrific happened to his family some years before. Although I can appreciate the sadness of the situation, the movie just didn't really go anywhere. I was expecting him to come around and find a way out of the fog he was under the whole time but it just didn't happen. I guess in a way it's more realistic that way but personally I don't think it makes for great viewing. I'd heard that it was an emotional watch and I expected to get a little teary, but it was more of a heavy depressed feeling that lingered over the whole thing. It was basically 2 hours of watching someone's miserable life.
The main thing though - it was so painfully slow; there were so many long pauses and scenes where characters would just stare at objects or into space. A lot of the lines appeared to be ad-libbed which for me just made things a bit awkward to watch. Also the operatic soundtrack didn't work for me; I found it quite jarring and it didn't fit with the subject matter or style of the movie.
I know Casey Affleck had been nominated for awards for his performance but I don't think it was much of a performance because he was the same throughout the whole movie; a shell of a man, wandering around like a zombie, barely interacting with anyone. I do agree it was probably a more realistic performance of grief and guilt, but I think I just wanted to feel a bit more from it.
What a complete contrast to La La Land yesterday!
My rating: 2/5 ★
The story follows Lee (Casey Affleck) who has to take care of his teenage nephew after his brother dies. He lives a very solitary life, working as a janitor and being hit on by multiple women to which he responds with a blank stare. This happens a lot. He's such a morose, sombre character and throughout the movie it becomes clear why as something horrific happened to his family some years before. Although I can appreciate the sadness of the situation, the movie just didn't really go anywhere. I was expecting him to come around and find a way out of the fog he was under the whole time but it just didn't happen. I guess in a way it's more realistic that way but personally I don't think it makes for great viewing. I'd heard that it was an emotional watch and I expected to get a little teary, but it was more of a heavy depressed feeling that lingered over the whole thing. It was basically 2 hours of watching someone's miserable life.
The main thing though - it was so painfully slow; there were so many long pauses and scenes where characters would just stare at objects or into space. A lot of the lines appeared to be ad-libbed which for me just made things a bit awkward to watch. Also the operatic soundtrack didn't work for me; I found it quite jarring and it didn't fit with the subject matter or style of the movie.
I know Casey Affleck had been nominated for awards for his performance but I don't think it was much of a performance because he was the same throughout the whole movie; a shell of a man, wandering around like a zombie, barely interacting with anyone. I do agree it was probably a more realistic performance of grief and guilt, but I think I just wanted to feel a bit more from it.
What a complete contrast to La La Land yesterday!
My rating: 2/5 ★
Monday, 9 January 2017
La La Land
"City of stars, are you shining just for me?"
(I've had this song stuck in my head since I saw this movie last night, and I am fully okay with that.)Oh, what a beautiful, charming, magical movie. I looooved this.
The story follows aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) and musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) as they meet, fall in love, and face difficult decisions in the pursuit of their dreams. Mia has to contend with multiple unsuccessful auditions and uninterested casting agents alongside serving coffee to the stars in a Hollywood Studios coffee shop. Sebastian is a passionate lover of all things
First of all, I thought both these actors were perfect for their parts. They just work, these two. They look good together, they have chemistry, they're believable, they're likeable. Emma Stone is beautiful and charismatic, but in a reserved, endearing way that makes her relatable and real. Ryan Gosling, well, let's just take a moment to appreciate Ryan Gosling. Ryan Gosling, playing a piano... He does that whole old school understated charm thing so well, able to portray so much with just one look.
The movie is just full of glorious, visually stunning scenes, one of my favourites being the one just after they first meet where they dance and sing together overlooking the city. The colours and backdrops are so beautiful and vivid. I found myself just staring wide eyed at the screen with a big smile on my face throughout the whole thing, and I kept having to stop myself from giving a round of applause after each musical number, I was so engrossed.
What a perfectly lovely antidote to all the horrible things happening in the world right now. A beautiful piece of cinema escapism. I want to watch it all over again already!
My rating: 5/5 ★
Friday, 6 January 2017
Live by Night
This is going to be a fairly short review because this film just wasn't for me. I can imagine it would have been a good watch for a lot of people, but personally, I found it kind of dull...
The movie follows Ben Affleck's character as he gets caught up in a life of crime during the Prohibition Era. Aaand that's where my synopsis ends. I could attempt to write out a full outline of the plot but in all honesty I'd struggle and have to resort to plagiarising imdb.com. As a rule, I seem to find gangster/mob movies quite hard to follow. Is it just me?! I don't know if it's a lack of concentration or if I'm just a bit dim (most likely a combination of the two). I just find that I lose interest during all the "talking about dodgy dealings/business" scenes and my mind wanders on to other things and then before I know it I'm back in the movie and someone's died and I have no idea who. Anyway, this was basically a load of men shooting a load of other men, often at close range, in the face. Nice.
So, did I enjoy anything about this movie? I did like the costumes and I thought some of the sets were impressive. The women were very beautiful and glamorous looking. I found myself admiring Sienna Miller's hair and make up rather than actually listening to the dialogue. That's one thing I noticed throughout the movie actually - the fact that the women were portrayed as these beautiful (almost ethereal in Elle Fanning's case) beings. But that was kind of... it. I would have liked to have seen more from the female characters rather than them just being a sort of footnote to all the men. Elle Fanning's character seemed kind of interesting but the lingering, extreme close ups on her face all the time were a little strange and I felt, unnecessary.
This was a completely forgettable movie for me and definitely not one I could watch again. I booked it as it was a Cineworld Unlimited screening and I do like taking advantage of those, but otherwise I'm not sure if I would have chosen to watch this.
My rating (based on my own enjoyment of the movie, taking into account this just is not my thang): 2/5 ★
The movie follows Ben Affleck's character as he gets caught up in a life of crime during the Prohibition Era. Aaand that's where my synopsis ends. I could attempt to write out a full outline of the plot but in all honesty I'd struggle and have to resort to plagiarising imdb.com. As a rule, I seem to find gangster/mob movies quite hard to follow. Is it just me?! I don't know if it's a lack of concentration or if I'm just a bit dim (most likely a combination of the two). I just find that I lose interest during all the "talking about dodgy dealings/business" scenes and my mind wanders on to other things and then before I know it I'm back in the movie and someone's died and I have no idea who. Anyway, this was basically a load of men shooting a load of other men, often at close range, in the face. Nice.
So, did I enjoy anything about this movie? I did like the costumes and I thought some of the sets were impressive. The women were very beautiful and glamorous looking. I found myself admiring Sienna Miller's hair and make up rather than actually listening to the dialogue. That's one thing I noticed throughout the movie actually - the fact that the women were portrayed as these beautiful (almost ethereal in Elle Fanning's case) beings. But that was kind of... it. I would have liked to have seen more from the female characters rather than them just being a sort of footnote to all the men. Elle Fanning's character seemed kind of interesting but the lingering, extreme close ups on her face all the time were a little strange and I felt, unnecessary.
This was a completely forgettable movie for me and definitely not one I could watch again. I booked it as it was a Cineworld Unlimited screening and I do like taking advantage of those, but otherwise I'm not sure if I would have chosen to watch this.
My rating (based on my own enjoyment of the movie, taking into account this just is not my thang): 2/5 ★
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