Fences
What’s it about?
Life as a black man in 50’s America was hard – you had to fight for every ounce of respect. You are constantly reminded of this by Troy, garbage man and would’ve-been baseball legend (if he had’ve been white).
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: Adapted from an award winning play, Fences reminds us that before TV enslaved us, people talked to each other for entertainment. They talked & they talked & they talked & they talked. And they talked really fast. They talked about mundane things. About important things. About daily grind. About judgement. About being a black man in a white world. Really fast. A lot.
Talking fast makes Shakespeare natural sounding (a basic rule for theatre productions), and Fences feels like they filmed a theatre show then CGI’ed realistic backgrounds in to make it a movie. It’s blocky. It’s talky. It’s a play made into a film. It’s a beautifully made play made into a film with exceptional acting. But it focuses on style rather than the story. Almost as if it was made to get people nominated for award shows.
A Street Cat Named Bob
What’s it about?
A recovering heroin addict uses up five of his nine lives when he survives an overdose, gets a leg-up from a case-worker/guardian angel, meets a girl who might help him straighten out his life, tries to reconnect with his father, and is adopted by a street cat.
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: Homelessness and drug addiction go hand in hand; and this story opens your eyes to what happens on the other side of the tracks, and just how incredibly hard it is to get a second chance. Whilst a little clunky in its telling, the emotional connection of this harrowing, yet heartwarming story will leave you with a tear in your eye, and the knowledge that cats are indeed the best people.
Fifty Shades Darker
What’s it about?
The sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey sees sexually dominant Christian Grey beg his lady love, Anastasia Steel to come (snigger) back into his life, but not without women from his past shaking things up.
What did we think?
Andrew Danyals says: I have to admit that while watching this, I had the urge to be tied up and licked. Or spanked. Pretty much anything to get my mind off this dreadful movie. While it has slightly better eroticism than the first one (not necessarily saying much), the sequel suffers from a discordant narrative that drove me nuts. It’s all over the place. I like seeing the exploration of erotic themes and empowering situations on the big screen but this barely qualifies as the former and still confuses as the latter. I still can’t get over how a film about this sort of sex is somehow so very vanilla.
DISSENTING SQR REVIEW BELOW
Patriots Day
What’s it about?
A retelling of the horrific Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, and the dramatic four-day chase of the Tsarnaev brothers.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: Hollywood dramatising recent tragic events makes me uneasy, so I can’t say I find this film anything other than distasteful and unnecessary. That said, it’s reasonably well told (not too much high-drama BS thrown in with the facts) and a lot of the actors do a pretty good job, including Kevin Bacon and a strangely deflated-looking John Goodman, though Mark Wahlberg’s made-up hero character designed to neatly tie things up is pretty overdone. I’d much rather see a well-made documentary.
Live By Night
What’s it about?
It’s the 1920s, and Ben Affleck is a zoot suit-wearing, machine gun-toting gangster. Sometimes he has feelings, but you can’t really tell.
What we thought
Amy Currie says: Live by Night is overstuffed with plot and takes itself far too seriously. I’m sure the book on which it was based is quite interesting, and that it would have made a decent Netflix series. As it is, it’s not so much a saga as an edited highlights package. It certainly looks pretty, and some of the subplots and characters are genuinely intriguing. They’re gone in a flash, though, and we’re back to more of Affleck not moving his face.
Don’t bother.
Manchester By The Sea
A sombre examination of mourning as a withdrawn and troubled man is unexpectedly left guardianship of his dead brother’s 16-year-old son.
Angela Young says: This film will split audiences. For me, I was seared in two by its utterly real depiction of a pain so awful as to kill a man’s soul. An eccentric soundtrack (from orchestral to choral to swing) and extremely slow pace fits this artistic masterpiece like a glove. Casey Affleck’s portrayal of Lee – now guardian of his late brother’s kid – deserves the Oscar. Michelle Williams’ brief appearances are perfect, and Lucas Hedges is spot on as the kid. A profoundly moving piece on the vast variances of mourning, superbly written and directed.
What’s Popular
Truth or Dare
What’s it about?
A group of college friends celebrating their last spring break together in Mexico play a game of Truth or Dare in the ruins of an old missionary. When they return home, they discover something evil has followed them back and wants the game to keep going, with deadly consequences.
What did we think?
James Tinniswood says: I pick truth: eh. It borrows from It Follows, Unfriended and Final Destination but is neither as tense as the former two or as over-the-top and silly as the latter. Most of the Pretty Young Things are either underwritten or just not good people, so it’s often hard to care when they’re forced to do bad things. The kind of movie where people earnestly say “the game is playing us”. Fine but forgettable.
Rampage
What’s it about?
A gorilla gets infected with a virus of some sort and some other animals get big and aggressive and the Rock is a primatologist(?)
What did we think?
Nick says: This movie is garbage. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about it. The action is boring, humour doesn’t work, and the Rock tries too hard. Gee whiz. Just watch anything else.
Isle of Dogs
What’s it about?
In the near future the dogs of Japan are diseased and dangerous. Every dog is sequestered on a trash filled island off the coast. Six months later a young boy steals a plane in a desperate attempt to rescue his beloved pet.
What we thought
Dan says: Wes Anderson’s film-making is exceptional but I find his stories chaotic and unsatisfying. In Isle of Dogs his art is recontextualised by the sublime stop motion puppeteering and the Japanese locations. It makes it much easier to settle in and appreciate a performance, rather than a story. The narrative is thin on the ground but that’s not what you’re watching for. The theme of lost dogs is so beautifully crafted that I can only urge you to get out and see this film.
“They’re good dogs Brent”
Peter Rabbit
What’s it about?
A young family orphaned by their violent neighbour, who killed (and ate!) their father, seeks murderous revenge on his nephew.
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: if you’d let your kids watch the homicidal activities of Itchy & Scratchy or Wiley Coyote & Roadrunner, then you’ll all have a ball with this cute and highly modernised take on the beloved classic. As with all good family films, it works on many levels, with a simple storyline for the five year olds up to some quirky characters for the adults. Hilarious and stupid fun.
Editor's Choice
Avengers: Infinity War
What’s it about?
Thanos sends his cronies to acquire the remaining infinity stones while our heroes try to stop him. That’s it.
What did we think?
After this movie the term ‘action-packed’ will never be the same. Cramming nearly every Marvel hero into two-and-half hours means non-stop quips and fights. As such, the actual storyline is extremely thin and simple, but the investment in the characters we’ve built up over the past ten years ensures you’ll cheer, laugh and gasp regardless. The sheer number of potential spoiler moments in this movie makes it difficult to write about, but if you’ve enjoyed any of the Marvel films, rest assured you’ll love this ‘roided-up herofest. It’s a delightful romp that is a culmination without being a finale.
I Feel Pretty
What’s it about?
An average-looking, average-weight person crushed by society’s unhealthy obsession with svelte beauty gets everything she wishes for, before losing it all. Then regaining it because Hollywood.
What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: a funny, moral allegory that falls apart when it gets confused about its own identity.
The Pitch: “Amy Schumer magically gains the body of a supermodel, except she’s only imagining it … but this belief banishes her self-doubt and she lives her life with gusto and happiness”
The Reality: “Amy Schumer pulls off a lot of laughs, carries the concept really well, but just over halfway the plot and characterisations get lost and inexplicably she goes all Mean Girls / Devil Wears Prada, and even though her final speech brings back the original concept, it’s a hollow victory as her joyous oration about looks-aren’t-important is celebrated by a room of supermodels”
Truth or Dare
What’s it about?
A group of college friends celebrating their last spring break together in Mexico play a game of Truth or Dare in the ruins of an old missionary. When they return home, they discover something evil has followed them back and wants the game to keep going, with deadly consequences.
What did we think?
James Tinniswood says: I pick truth: eh. It borrows from It Follows, Unfriended and Final Destination but is neither as tense as the former two or as over-the-top and silly as the latter. Most of the Pretty Young Things are either underwritten or just not good people, so it’s often hard to care when they’re forced to do bad things. The kind of movie where people earnestly say “the game is playing us”. Fine but forgettable.
Rampage
What’s it about?
A gorilla gets infected with a virus of some sort and some other animals get big and aggressive and the Rock is a primatologist(?)
What did we think?
Nick says: This movie is garbage. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about it. The action is boring, humour doesn’t work, and the Rock tries too hard. Gee whiz. Just watch anything else.