For my new format, I will be doing monthly reviews. The following are all the films that I saw in the month of March. These are only the films that I had never seen before. I have supplied bite-sized reviews for new films, and quick ratings for older ones.The ratings are based on a 5-Star system.
I hope you enjoy!
Chappie
2.5
2.5
Nowhere near as good as District 9, and not even as pretty or entertaining as Elysium. Just a dull and listless film. However, it still has a great performance and rendering from Chappie himself. He provides enough interest to remain invested. I just wish that Neil Blomkamp would stop writing his own films. A great imaginative director who writes poorly and consistently and ineffectually miscasts.
Predestination
4
4
A time traveller hunts down a notorious bomber through various decades. An excellent character study that keeps unfolding with good-ol' time travelling twists which give way to effectual character reveals. Quiet and efficient story-telling with two strong performances not unlike a small stage-play. Perhaps too complex for its own good.
Cinderella
4
Perhaps I'm 100% Disney biased, but this is a lovely little film. Certainly better than the original. (wasn't too hard to top) This remake doesn't strive for much more; it chooses to be a safe and calculated remake. The winning factor here is the tone. It is simply pure cornball fairytale cheesy Disney entertainment. It puts the terrible and recent Maleficent to shame.
Focus
2.5
An odd choice for Will Smith. He could do anything, but he settles for a standard con-artist flick. This one starts off very strong with the usual fun heists and cons, plus the charismatic flirtations of Smith and Robie. Then it devolves into a serious less-engaging second half about ridiculous long-cons and betrayals. Yawn...
What We Do in the Shadows
4.5
Not unlike the classic This is Spinal Tap, this is a hilarious mockumentary about a niche group of people. However this one is about a set of flatmates in New Zealand who happen to be century-old vampires. It seems like a played-out idea (vampire movies), but it still feels fresh. Like Tap, the comedians make fun of their subjects, while wholly embracing the culture and lovingly inhabiting their characters. Funny and original
Paddington
4.5
Just what a family film ought to be. Not too long, not too cheesy, funny for everyone, full of life and happiness, colourful, a happy ending and a simple after-school-special moral. This is an adorable film with a surprising amount of comedy and heart. Whimsically put to screen with the care and craft of a Wes Anderson film.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939): 4
The Thief of Baghdad (1940): 3.5
A Matter of Life and Death (1946): 5
Macabre (1958): 1.5
Inherit the Wind (1960): 5
Judgement at Nuremburg (1961): 4
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962): 2.5
Point Blank (1967): 3.5
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968): 4
Cujo (1983): 2
Out of Africa (1985): 2.5
The Queen (2006): 4.5
I Declare War (2012): 0.5
The Homesman (2014): 3.5
Top Five (2014): 4
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014): 1.5
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