Well, yesterday and yesterday and yesterday have certainly crept in petty pace over the last couple of months. But! I’m back and here’s a catch up on the last few months:
The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling has now arrived at a triumvirate of stellar comedic leading man performances, in a film that struggles to find its storytelling feet. Individual jokes are well done and it never feels like it overstays its welcome, but doesn’t quite reach the high’s it was aiming for.
Also, for a film that shows in the credits how the majority of the stunts were done practically, why have all of them been drenched in VFX afterwards? The credits reel hits as a massive shock at the end!
But, if this helps the case for stunt performers at awards ceremonies, it will have done a good job.
Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Yes it’s bad. That point will never be up for discussion ever again. Yes, Jar Jar is a travesty of writing that gets slumped at the wrong person’s feet. Yes, racial stereotypes are littered all over the ensemble characters. And yes, it trounces all over the excitement leading into the original release.
But even with all of that, there is something still awe inspiring about seeing that opening crawl rise through the frame. That main theme is still a shortcut back to being a child, discovering a world to get lost in all over again. Sitting there seeing it open and the ship come into view, one still has a momentary hope that this time, it will be good.
Star Trek (2009)
Ah yes, the glorious era of late 2000s blockbusters with incredible VFX, scores, and a confident story telling. We had the likes of the latter Pirates films, Iron Man, and Half Blood Prince. And we also had the best Star Trek film since Wrath of Khan (yeah, I said it).
There is so much about this film is on point: JJ’s casting of everyone is spotless, Michael Giacchino’s score is a beautiful and weaves so much emotion into every minute of its presence, the VFX show up so many modern films with might higher budgets, and it boldly wins the prize for the best example of the reboot/legacy sequel genre that would appear in the decade that followed.
And maybe there are some flaws, JJ treating this as Star Wars in a pre-Disney purchase world, and its gender balance are somewhat glaring, but at the end of the day it so comfortably finds its way into a world without demeaning anything else that had come before, it is just wonderfully comforting to watch. And the fact that this propelled Giacchino into the spotlight of big budget scores is a win for us all.
Top Gun: Maverick
It’s fun rewatching this now how much it prepared us for the Glen Powell-filled world we all now inhabit.
Halo: Season 1
This killed time on a flight. That’s it. Nobody should be watching it unless you’re a completest in the ‘older-parental-figure-guides-a-child-through-the-universe’ genre.
Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes
It’s bold of the film to give us Giacchino’s War score at the beginning over Ceasar’s funeral and then not expect us to compare to what had come before. Disappointingly this never quite escapes the feeling of just being expensive cosplay, setting up a set of stories to come, whilst never fully engaging us in its own one.
Also, why does California now look suspiciously like Austrialia…?
Mad Max: Fury Road
For a film that is generally thought of as the best action movie of the last decade, it was surprising how much of this I’d forgotten. It feels like a little underwhelming to say that it’s damn good, that’s just a given. One would love to see a dialogue free version of it at some point maybe?
Hitman
Yeah, this is Glen Powell’s world and we’re all just living in it.
Can we just have a film of him doing a Tilda Swindon impression please?
Sting
Nah, just solidified one’s hatred of spiders!
That being said, it is infinitely satisfying in its kills and gore. More please.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Coming to this one this late means that it’s difficult to talk about it without including mention of the underperformance. The fact that this took Miller so long to get made probably didn’t help in its performance as the window of people caring after Fury Road shut a while beforehand. That being said, along with Dune: Part 2, it enters this year’s crowd solidly on its own two feet, demanding to be accepted as a bold player in substance driven blockbuster fare.
Fallout (Season 1)
Out of everything this show provided, the longing to have an ending to Westworld is not what I was expecting to leave with. This is really what video game adaptations should aspire to be though. As opposed to Halo, this doesn’t try and force itself to be a video game cut-scene and is instead relying upon the tenants of the world to craft it’s own story.
Inside Out 2
Nine years on from the first one, this sequel struggles to find the concise brilliance of its predecessor. Maybe some of that comes from a story that rambles around its lot points, without fully committing to each one. Maybe it comes from imitating that age of children, when life becomes messy, frustrating, just downright all over the place. The answer is somewhere in there, but doesn’t quite show its face.
That being said, the simple delight of such a novel premise doesn’t lose its footing, and one finds oneself feeling less woe betide afterwards, and at the end of the day, that’s what Pixar does best. The fact that it’s this years best performing film, speaks for itself, compared to the likes of last years output from the studio, this will stick around in people’s consciences.
Paddington 2
Is there any better review of this film than Pedro Pascal earnestly saying that it makes one “want to be a better person”?
Something in the Water
Yeah, a shark. That’s it, nothing more or less. But it has a surprising bight to it.
The Thick of It
Peter Capaldi’s Masterclass of Creative Swearing. How is it that this show now feels tame compared to the shit show of British politics since its ending? Also why is the BBC not reaching for programs of this quality anymore?
Doctor Who (Series 15/Season1)
Ncuti was such a brilliant pick for taking on this role, his passion exudes from every frame, and one never wants the moments to end. Finding their own take on the character is always job number one for each new actor playing the Doctor and he sidles into it like he’s had him in his brain for decades. His chemistry with Millie Gibson rivals the likes of Tennant/Noble and Smith/Gillan, whilst never feeling like they were having to force any moment. And the show in general comes across as having being given a shot of adrenaline. After seven long years of poor writing, Russel T Davies returning brings the show a much needed refresh, to the point where one almost forgets the Chibnal era. And the return of Murray Gold is another highlight. His Fifteen theme is sweeping, catchy, and sticks around long after the episode is done, emulating the work he did for Doctor’s past (and for the love of god BBC, release the bloody soundtrack).
But, it’s not perfect. RTD’s worst practices creep up again; one very silly episode at the beginning really shouldn’t have been the reintroduction to the series, and everything wraps up far too quickly at the end. And one can never quite escape the feeling that what was once a stalwart of British television, a show that is inescapably our contribution to the vast word of sci-fi, has been diluted too much for an American audience. Disney’s money, whilst good for the show’s VFX budget (and scoring Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathon Groff)), has clearly been used to pull strings away from the BBC: the show is now on ‘Season One’, not ‘Series One’, it airs at midnight on iPlayer, but normally television time across the pond, and eight episodes feels too short for a Who season. But, boiled down from all that, the show now lacks the refined ‘filmed on a back lot for very little money’ vibe that made old Who have to be creative. Would we have had the Rings of Akhaten, if Moffatt had had this budget?
But all in all, the show is back, brilliant, and beautifully bold. And the fact that Rogue is on Disney Plus is an excellent full circle from Kate Herron’s frustrations from Loki.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring – Extended Edition
One does not simply read the LOTR books and not watch the films then afterwards.
(Hi Adrienne).
The Bike Riders
Okay, maybe this is Jodie Comer’s world? She is the best part of this film, which surprisingly finds a depth in what is just a photobook of a motorcycle club. Jeff Nichols’ career up to this has been an interesting list of successes and this is another one to add to the list. And how the hell does Austen Butler’s hair stay like that?! It’s definitely a better look than Fayed Rauther.
W1A/Twenty Twelve
The latter is nowhere near as good as the former, but does have some excellent jokes at Boris Johnson’s expense. And the former is maybe not the best advert for Bromptons. And who wouldn’t want a job just watching Top Gear all the way through?
Derry Girls
Well after what seems like a long hiatus from the likes of Toast of London, the IT Crowd, Friday Night Dinner, this will live long in their company as an excellent example of a sitcom that Channel 4 will keep around in people’s memories. And whilst it finds at least one brilliant joke per episode and each character is given room to grow and find their place without falling into stereotypes, it’s greatest strength is the depth and understanding it gives to ‘The Troubles’. Bomb threats and violence are present both in the foreground and background, and the characters acknowledge it both in jest and sincerity. And the final episode, centring around the Good Friday Agreement being voted on, could have easily slipped into a lecture on politics. But thankfully it doesn’t! It’s filled with hope and understanding and longing for a better world – words we could all do with currently.
A Quiet Place: Day One
Joseph Quinn is going to be very expensive soon, and Lupita Nyong’o is criminally wasted. It’s a good film but never quite manages to escape the thought that maybe the gimmick has long since passed. Nice hearing Quinn act in his own accent though.
Red Eye
Cillian Murphy is somehow scarier than many of Craven’s other creations. It’s those blue eyes, they just drag you in.
So there we go, all caught up, now onto the next things!
PLOTTIVE 
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