Been off work for the past few days with a horrible dose of man flu so Netflix has been my friend. Sorry for the long post, but I've watched the following (scoring them out of 5 - I had a lot of time on my hands):
American Sniper
I didn't like this very much. A bit too tub-thumpy "woo yeah USA USA" for me. Some fantastically shot scenes and I thought Bradley Cooper was excellent, but there's no subtlety to this at all when on occasions, I think it could have benefited from some.
2.5/5
Philomena
For me, a good film is one that can bring out several emotions in a very short space of time. On numerous occasions, I was deeply moved by the story of Philomena Lee (it's impossible not to be) yet moments later, one of the many wonderful quirks in her character makes me laugh. Judi Dench is on absolutely top form as a woman searching for her lost son who was taken from her as a toddler and her on screen chemistry with Steve Coogan is amazing.
This is a lovely film - tragic, funny, warm, dark and it really sends you through a whole host of emotions. Get the tissues at the ready as it's a tearjerker but one that absolutely deserves your time.
4.5/5
The Young Offenders
Not sure why I clicked on this - maybe because it's always appearing in my 'recommended' feed on Netflix, but I gave it a go and laughed my ass off. Alex Murphy and Chris Walley play a pair of useless Irish drop outs who cycle 100 miles to the coast to try and find a stash of cocaine that had been washed ashore after a shipwreck. I thought the two lead characters were hilarious - some genuine laugh out loud moments.
It's daft, it's childish, but it's undeniably funny. This isn't really a spoiler but the scene with the chicken had me in bits.
4/5
The Rise
For the vast majority of this, I thought it was an incredibly average buddy crime caper with 2D characters and an uninspiring plot (with the most interesting thing about it being the juxtaposition of Ramsay Bolton and Neville Longbottom in the same gang) but the final act of The Rise is actually quite clever.
It just about saves the film - but it's a shame that nothing really gripped me for the first 80 minutes or so. I couldn't massively recommend it, but I've seen worse. If you slog through the first hour, make sure you stick with it.
3/5
Killing Bono
This was good fun - two brothers go to the same school as the 4 members of U2, and are determined to follow the lead of their old classmates and make it big in the music industry. But Neil - the elder brother - refuses to allow his younger sibling Ivan the chance of joining U2 as their guitarist in their very early days. Something Ivan isn't aware of until many years later...
What I wasn't aware of was that this is loosely based on the true story of Neil McCormick. I wish I'd have known that beforehand, as I thought it was too far fetched throughout most of the film, albeit in an entertaining way. Some good performances, Ben Barnes as the lead role, Peter Serafinowtiz is entertaining as the head of the record label Neil is so desperate to sign for, and it marks Pete Postlethwaite's final role before he passed away in 2011.
Good fun but nothing groundbreaking.
3/5
The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies
I remember this case quite well when it happened as the Jo Yeats murder was so high profile. I can remember her landlord - Chris Jefferies - being plastered all over the front pages, as his very eccentric demeanour and look made everyone put 2 and 2 together and come up with 68.6. Which - if you're an editor of pretty much every major paper in the country, or a member of the Police investigating the case, or a member of the public who also can't add up - really isn't acceptable.
What happened to this poor man was unforgiveable, and by the time he gives evidence to the Leveson Enquiry it's apparent just how much the police, the media, the general public had changed his life.
Jason Watkins is brilliant as Chris Jefferies and steals the show - also look out for Steve Coogan who plays himself. But it's Jefferies' story.
The poor guy. Human beings really can be utter cunts.
3.5/5
Blackfish
Ever seen a film and then thought "grr - WHY did I watch that??"
This is clearly very one sided but even so, Blackfish is alarming and heartbreaking. I remember going to SeaWorld Orlando when I was 11 and my dad saying to me that he wasn't comfortable with the Killer Whale shows, as the tanks they live and work in are so tiny for such a massive animal - something he wasn't really aware of until we saw it for real.
So it really isn't a massive shock that these amazing, intelligent creatures have reacted in such a way that has resulted in fatalities.
SeaWorld come out of this about as well as can be expected, but my main concern with Blackfish is that we're never given the story from their side. Sure, a LOT of what is documented cannot be unseen, or unproven but there were several things that were reported as conjecture and it left me thinking that this was not dissimilar to a Michael Moore production. I know what the aim of Blackfish is, and they should absolutely be commended for bringing the plight of Killer Whales in captivity to the public eye in the way they did but I do sometimes struggle with the one sided approach to these projects.
It's something I want to read up on as I'd like to know what the current regulations are, and if keeping Killer Whales are still being used for displays what improvements have been made to keep them happy in captivity. There didn't seem to be any reasonable argument as to why they're kept at all. Very sad.
3.5/5
127 Hours
Brilliantly directed by Danny Boyle, with a superb performance by James Franco as Aron Ralston - the adventurer who got trapped in a Utah canyon with his arm pinned between the rocks. For 127 hours. True story.
Gory films don't normally bother me and the vast majority of this film isn't gory at all, focussing of Aron's life, his regrets, his desires as he starts to accept his hopes for survival are fading by the hour.
I'm spoilering the next bit if you don't know what happened to him:
Overall I thought this was a triumph. I loved the directing, I loved the acting and both did this remarkable story the justice it warranted. Recommended.
4.5/5
