Post by william on Jun 10, 2019 3:23:57 GMT
FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019, Simon Kinberg)
Cinema
The Critics would have you believe that the longest running superhero franchise in history has gone out with a whimper rather than a bang. That may be true with the box office but is far from true for the quality of the film which was a wonderful and serious send off with this final core X-Men film from a series that has been a wonderful alternative to the homogenised MCU films that feel very interchangeable and even more disposable as they go. Where as the MCU have pushed the cheap comedy awkwardly against their more serious story lines, the X-Men have always walked the fine line much better with comedy (Deadpool aside, that is a different animal altogether) that does not lessen the impact of the story at hand.
This film however is probably the most sombre of them all and I found it rather refreshing in this market of poorly rendered bubblegum releases. I don't think the blockbuster masses will appreciate this one so much but as a fan of this series I got a lot of enjoyment. This is Fox's second crack at telling the Dark Phoenix saga, with the first attempt (X-Men: The Last Stand) being a rather stale effort from a director who did not have the chops. With the timeline being reset with the events of Days of Future Past, they get another crack at it and while not perfect, it is
emotionally resonant and a very good film.
Long time X-Men writer/producer Simon Kinberg makes his directorial debut and does an excellent job with it being the first super hero film in a while where the effects (for the most part) look natural and have some weight to them. Also the performances are a notch above with Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) anchoring the film with a lead performance better than I thought she was capable of and making this certainly the best female led superhero film we have had to date.
The production had some problems with the realisation that the finale of the film they shot had a similar ending to another superhero film that came out as they finished the shoot. So the third act was retooled in re-shoots, either way I am happy with the result and this is a fitting end to this run of the X-Men, soon to be rebooted by Disney and folded in to the MCU. All we have left is one final spinoff movie (The New Mutants) which has been on the shelf for over a year and will finally have the first of its reshoots soon before a 2020 release date.
7.5/10
Rocket man (2019, Dexter Fletcher)
Cinema
It’s obvious from the start that this is a much more visually and narratively adventurous film than Last years Bohemian Rhapsody. It has many fantastical scenes as well as musical numbers which the spectacle sometimes costs the overall character development but I feel they earn their emotion in the third act. Taron Egerton (Kingsmen) is spectacular in the lead role of Elton John and hopefully will be remembered come awards time.
7/10
Undertow (1949, William Castle)
In this film noir We see an ex-convict (Scott Brady) who is framed for a murder. The man sets out to find the real killers before the police blame the crime on him. This is a solid second tier noir with a strong lead performance.
6.5/10
Inside Job (1946, Jean Yarbrough)
Pretty forgettable noir with only a couple of memorable scenes. Overall it’s a bit of a snoozer.
3/10
REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING
Ride the Pink Horse (1947, Robert Montgomery)
blu ray
This Border-noir sees Robert Montgomery donning both the directors hat and the lead role as a WW2 veteran Lucky Gagin who arrives in a New Mexico border-town intent on revenging against mobster Frank Hugo but FBI agent Bill Retz, who also wants Hugo, tries to keep Gagin out of trouble. This is my second viewing and I really appreciated it much more this time. It’s an unusual film and one worth seeking out.
7.5/10
WEEKLY FILM AWARDS
BEST FILM: Ride the Pink Horse
BEST ACTOR: Taron Egerton - Rocketman
BEST ACTRESS: Sophie Turner - Dark Phoenix
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Thomas Gomez - Ride the Pink Horse
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Andrea King - Ride the Pink Horse
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Russell Metty - Ride the Pink Horse
BEST SCORE: Hans Zimmer - Dark Phoenix
BEST SCRIPT: Lee Hall - Rocketman
BEST DIRECTOR: Robert Montgomery - Ride the Pink Horse
10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible)
09/10 - An Excellent film
08/10 - A VERY Good film
07/10 - A Good film
06/10 - A Solid film
05/10 - An Average film
04/10 - Below Average film
03/10 - A mostly bad film
02/10 - A mostly terrible film
01/10 - Awful through and through
00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too
Yours:
Rocketman 7.5/10
I enjoyed it too. I liked Taron Egerton, and the musical numbers. Didn't like much the subplot about his parents.
Mine:
Hereditary 8/10
Finally caught up with it. I liked it a lot.
It was pretty different from what I was expecting. 
I found it pretty creepy. The twists too, even if some you can see coming. It's really nice visually too.Liza 9/10
It's a Marco Ferreri movie, with Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve. It's about a woman who meets on a deserted island, an artist who lives there with his dog. They start a relationship, and things get pretty weird and surreal. I don't want to spoil it more
, loved it though, loved the atmosphere, the acting too, Marcello Mastroianni is incredible. There's Michel Piccoli too in the cast, in a small role, he's good though.Never Let Go 8/10
It's a crime movie with Peter Sellers. He plays a dramatic role, he's a crime boss who runs a car-stealing operation, his gang steals the car of a salesman who becomes obsessed with getting it back, because without it he would lose his job and he has financial troubles. It's really good, pretty intense, the acting is great, Peter Sellers plays a real bastard, he's fantastic. I really liked the lead actor too, Richard Todd.
Turks Fruit 8/10
It's a Paul Vehroeven movie from the 70s, with Rutger Hauer, he plays a womanizing sculptor who can't forget the love of his life who left him and we follow their story in flashback. I liked it, it's erotic and surreal, but also a melodrama really. It gets pretty over the top. I liked the ending too.