A woman with a metal plate in her head from a childhood car accident embarks on a bizarre journey, bringing her into contact with a firefighter who's reunited with his missing son after 10 years.
I'm not sure I'm qualified to give this a rating out of 5. I mean, it's art — you either vibe with it or you don't. I didn't but that doesn't make it bad.
I can say that Agathe Rousselle is astonishing.
itane, 2021
A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.
There aren't many options for a "spooky season" family film night. It's a fine line to walk – you don't want to tip over into actually scaring the crap out of the kids – but I _think_ this did the job.
I still like it. Yeah, it's a bit hammy, a bit clunky, too on the nose but the good parts make up for it. Joaquin Phoenix is excellent, as are Abi Breslin and Cherry Jones.
★★★½
Only wrote to my MP expressing such concerns… 3 years ago. Better late than never?
Friday 7 July 2023
Dear Andrew Selous,
I’m deeply concerned by the lack of urgency within the current
government (and, frankly, across the country) to legislate regarding
“AI”. I can’t really be more specific than that because the legislative
concerns are enormous: crime, copyright and employment, just for
starters.
As a deadly virus ravages the world, Dr. Martin Lowery embarks on a mission to reach test site ATU327A, a research hub deep in the Arboreal Forest. The arduous journey, guided by park scout Alma, is set back by a nighttime attack that leaves the two bruised and shoeless. When they run into Zach, a man living off the grid, they gratefully accept his help. Zach’s intentions aren’t exactly what they seem, however, and a path out of the forest and into safety quickly fades as the line between myth and science blurs.
I’m not particularly a fan of the director but I liked it well enough. It’s pretty much exactly what I want from a low budget horror. Reminded me of the arty indies I’d watch on C4 at 11pm, in my bedroom with the volume barely audible, on a school night.
P.S. There’s a bloody big fungus under Yellowstone, you know?
★★★½
Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to the ancient city's lost treasure that featured in her latest story. Alan, determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, sets off to rescue her.
I feel like my wife biffed her homework when she checked if this was suitable for the kids. It's described on commonsensemedia as "cheeky", well it was a little too cheeky for my 11 y/o and she's hardly a shrinking violet.
Overall, though, I had some good laughs.
★★★
In the wake of the devastating war against the RDA and the loss of their eldest son, Jake Sully and Neytiri face a new threat on Pandora: the Ash People, a violent and power-hungry Na'vi tribe led by the ruthless Varang. Jake's family must fight for their survival and the future of Pandora in a conflict that pushes them to their emotional and physical limits.
I'm certain that low expectations paid dividends on this one.
Yes, it does follow pretty much the same structure as the other two installments, but that's an industry standard — tried and tested. No, it doesn't bring much that's new, but it does build on A2 in a pretty satisfying way. And, although it's very light touch, it does hit some seriously dark notes.
On the downside, there's also a number of jarring time leaps, which are merely implied, rather than stated. I'm not necessarily a big fan of "Six months later…" but there is very little narrative emphasis on the passage of time, which must be considerable. There are indications but they're inconsistent. For example, Ronal pregnancy barely progresses, while Spider grows a 2-foot pony tail.
However, I think we should accept that some issues are a limitation of the medium — I'm sure even minor "reshoots" to clean up the edit are practically impossible.
We must also talk about the run time. I was probably a few years above the target demographic when A1 released and I am now far too old to comfortably sit in a theatre for 3+ hours. If you're going to make a movie that really is best on a huge screen, you really need to consider the runtime…
Ultimately, though, it's an enormous feat of science fiction and movie making, for which I am full of respect.
★★★½