What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I think i was the only person here who enjoyed Suicide Squad.

Nope, I enjoyed it when I saw it, haven’t watched it since or bought it yet though

[keirarts]

I enjoyed suicide squad well enough. I don't think it's a very good film though.

[nosferatu42]

Just watched "The Lego movie" on ch 5 and really enjoyed it.

Intelligently subversive and self aware in the way it treats the Lego brand, while full of stupid moments and just really entertainingly surreal.

Reminded me of Airplane style comedies which just throw anything in to get a laugh and also moments of Spaced style comedy with the throwaway description of the plan to infiltrate the evil empire.

Then it turns it all around to make a point about not losing your inner child, which should be cheesy but manages somehow to make it work in context.

A pleasant surprise, and yeah ok i've already hit the booze but i found it really enjoyable and definitely up for a rewatch.

[Dave Boy]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I think i was the only person here who enjoyed Suicide Squad.

Nothing wrong with Suicide Squad. I thought it was great.

[Demoncrat]

Suicide Squad Pocket Review .... tits & bats.


NEXT!!

[Demoncrat]

Neon Maniacs. Late Xmas pressie.

BONNY. Sober review tomorrow. New favourite ahem.

[keirarts]

killing of a sacred deer

Truly messed up new years viewing that makes my best of 2017. Difficult to do justice in a short review it takes the sort of abstract discomfort felt in the lobster and morphs it into something utterly sinister.
Colin Farrell plays a heart surgeon who has a weird friendship with a teenage boy that morphs into something much darker. I'm saying no more as it's best watched without much prior knowledge of what going on bat warning you that you'll come away feeling like you need a shower and a warm comedy afterwards. Excellent stuff.

[MacBlayne]

Atomic Blonde

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Ten days before the fall of the Berlin Wall, a British agent carrying a top secret list is murdered. Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is sent in to retrieve the list, but soon discovers that the list is the least of her concerns.

I honestly believe that the John Wick duo, Chad Stahleski and David Leitch (who is the credited director), may be the successors to Ridley Scott. Like Ridders, they possess a strong eye for beautiful visuals, a keen ear for music and ambience, and succeed in creating fully fleshed out worlds that make you believe in some of the more outlandish sequences. Not only that, they also bring an arthouse sensibility to genre filmmaking.

Atomic Blonde continues this tradition. The film is visual triumph. 1989's Berlin is one that is cast in dour grey-blues with eye-popping neon, and a glorious soundtrack filled with synth-pop. It perfectly illustrates a city ready for rebellion, but still under fear of being brutally crushed.

Theron is great in the lead role and is clearly having a blast. Her Broughton is not the Mary Sue that lazy hacks (*cough*Joss Whedon*cough*) fall back on nowadays, but a human. She kicks plenty of arse, but also makes mistakes, and hurts. Without giving too much away in terms of spoilers, there is one really punishing fight scene that has her looking like she'd rather curl up in the corner and cry, than soldier on.

The supporting cast is great. Toby Jones and John Goodman, while not doing much, chew scenery in every scene they're in (Goodman gets extra points for saying "Irish," and not "Oir-ish"). Sofia Boutella and Eddie Marsen bring a surprising amount of emotional involvement into their small parts. Daniel Bernhardt, the tough-as-f**k henchman from John Wick, has another memorable role as another tough-as-f**k henchman. But it's James McAvoy who steals the show as the rogue-ish British agent, David Percival. As much fun as Theron is having, McAvoy is having barrels more fun. Every scene with McAvoy is a delight and where the film really shines.

The cast is aided by Leitch's careful direction. His command of the camera is assured and confident, capturing every punch, kick, wallop, and gunshot with clarity. The action is extraordinary. Theron may not have the elegance of Keanu Reeves, but Leitch wisely doesn't copy the ballet of violence that was John Wick. The action in Atomic Blonde is more crunchy, heavy, and clumsy, and just as exciting. But he never falls into the trap of missing the trees for the forest, as he always keeps his focus on his performers, making sure to catch the small shows of emotion that make their characters.

However, and this is a big however, Leitch (and possibly Stahleski) shares another similarity with Scott. They're not the best at salvaging an underwhelming script. Remember when I said that McAvoy steals the show? There's a reason for that. The John Wick films had the luxury of tight, focused scripts. The script for Atomic Blonde is a bit of a mess. It employs a flashback structure (which actually works against the beautifully choreographed action scenes), and most damning of all, is not driven by Theron's Broughton. In fact, it's McAvoy's Percival who drives the story. Only when he is onscreen does the film move forward. Meaning that Theron is kind of wasted in her own film. It's a crying shame because I really enjoyed her character. I understand why the film is structured like this, but it just renders her sole scenes pointless. Hopefully, there will be a follow-up that has her more involved in the story.

Atomic Blonde is perhaps the most enjoyable type of disappointment. The rapturous cinematography, foot-thumping score, strong performances, and kinetic action make for a great time. It's just a shame that the script couldn't meet those standards. Finger's crossed for a sequel that does justice to Lorraine Broughton.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Excellent review which has really rekindled my interest in Atomic Blonde!

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by keirarts

killing of a sacred deer.

This is highly anticipated by me I’m really looking forward to seeing it!