An Embarrassingly Hasty Attempt to Catch Up With All the Films I’ve Failed to Review Over the Past Three Months
Considering the essentially non-existent readership for this blog, there’s little reason to apologise for not posting for three months. However, I still feel the need to say sorry - even if it’s only to myself - and to make up for the drought in content with this incredibly rushed summary of every film I failed to review during that time.
Out of Blue
Oh dear. Director Carol Morley’s ambitious sci-fi noir is a bit of a mess, juggling far too many threads and themes for any of them to reach a satisfying payoff. It doesn’t help that the writing, directing and acting decisions are frequently baffling. Morley is perhaps going for surreal but more often than not the film just feels awkward and unnatural. It’s a shame, there’s a lot of potential, but Out of Blue never really comes together.
Unicorn Store
Brie Larson’s directorial debut is colourful and whimsical but not exactly abundant in substance. Its central message of holding onto your childlike spirit is one that’s been done to death in much better and more authentically charming ways. The intent behind Unicorn Store is sincere but the finished product is just too saccharine.
Vox Lux
What is the point of this film? Brady Corbet’s study of pop-stardom is often an intoxicating watch, with its gorgeous cinematography, unnerving score and powerhouse performances. But as much as it thinks it has to say about the music industry, it fails to land on anything resembling an actual thesis. Most frustratingly, Willem Dafoe’s narration is often used to hastily brush over events that sound much more interesting than anything we actually see. Like the unconventional closing credits - which scroll from the top instead of the bottom - the film looks cool and feels provocative, but why?
Yesterday
The idea of Danny Boyle directing a film written by Richard Curtis is very funny to me and going into Yesterday I was fascinated to see whose voice would be the more dominant. Turns out Yesterday is overwhelmingly a Richard Curtis film. Boyle occasionally attempts to add some of his distinct visual flair - which is sometimes baffling, in the case of some inexplicable dutch angles, and sometimes beautiful, in the case of a wonderfully intimate shot between the two leads, in which Boyle drowns the entire background in the delicate blue glow of a TV screen - but everything else about Yesterday screams Curtis. As a result, all the interesting implications of its world-without-the-Beatles premise are completely ignored in favour of a breezy, inoffensive rom-com that’s just as predictable as you’d expect. Fortunately, it's funny enough to overcome its many weaknesses to provide solid entertainment in the moment. Just don’t think about it too much afterwards.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Sometimes Always Never
Director Carl Hunter’s feature debut occasionally feels like someone trying to find their identity amidst a field of influences (there are some particularly Wes Anderson-esque shots, for example). However, Frank Cottrell Boyce’s screenplay is sublime. Sensitive and hilarious, with a masterful command of theme and motif, Boyce’s writing lends a sturdy emotional foundation to Hunter’s less consistent direction.
Toy Story 4
I thought there was absolutely no reason for this film to happen. I’m still reluctant to admit that it deserves to exist but… it kind of does. Toy Story 4 never reaches the lofty stakes of its predecessor but it expands its themes into some fascinating existential territory and lands some of the funniest jokes in Pixar’s history. It is also visually overwhelming, capturing the toys and their world with a stunning beauty matched only by the poignant conclusion to Woody’s character arc. I still hope there won’t be any more, but I’m glad this epilogue exists.
Avengers: Endgame
Like its predecessor, Avengers: Endgame is impressive for merely existing at all. The sheer ambition of its scope is still admirable, especially when it’s executed so confidently. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are remarkably efficient filmmakers, balancing compelling character moments and huge spectacle with serious skill. Once again, this is no film for people who aren’t fully invested in the MCU but for those who are all in will find Endgame an appropriately epic and emotional conclusion to the Infinity Saga.
3 Faces
Jafar Panahi’s follow-up to the unconventional Taxi Tehran further blurs the line between fact and fiction. The narrative is probably just as constructed as before but Panahi and actress Behnaz Jafari maintain their real-life identities, placing the film in an intriguing verisimilitude. Without any explicit acknowledgement of the filmmaking behind it, 3 Faces breaks the fourth wall less blatantly than Taxi. In its place, however, is a humorous and fascinating exploration of rural Iran, alongside an empowering feminist message. 3 Faces is a gentle, unassuming film but a compelling and rewarding one too.
Eighth Grade
Benjamin
Following Carnage, his ingenious vegan mockumentary for BBC iPlayer, writer/director Simon Amstell makes his cinematic debut with Benjamin. Like Carnage, Amstell's irreverent humour serves to lighten a film of passionate sincerity. A semi-autobiographical exploration of romantic and artistic vulnerability, Amstell captures the terror of bearing your soul in love and creativity with heart-wrenching accuracy. His portrayal of the central romance is particularly intoxicating, making the conflict all the more painful and the conclusion all the more exhilarating. Two films in, Amstell has proven himself to be an invigorating cinematic talent.
Oh dear. Director Carol Morley’s ambitious sci-fi noir is a bit of a mess, juggling far too many threads and themes for any of them to reach a satisfying payoff. It doesn’t help that the writing, directing and acting decisions are frequently baffling. Morley is perhaps going for surreal but more often than not the film just feels awkward and unnatural. It’s a shame, there’s a lot of potential, but Out of Blue never really comes together.
Brie Larson’s directorial debut is colourful and whimsical but not exactly abundant in substance. Its central message of holding onto your childlike spirit is one that’s been done to death in much better and more authentically charming ways. The intent behind Unicorn Store is sincere but the finished product is just too saccharine.
What is the point of this film? Brady Corbet’s study of pop-stardom is often an intoxicating watch, with its gorgeous cinematography, unnerving score and powerhouse performances. But as much as it thinks it has to say about the music industry, it fails to land on anything resembling an actual thesis. Most frustratingly, Willem Dafoe’s narration is often used to hastily brush over events that sound much more interesting than anything we actually see. Like the unconventional closing credits - which scroll from the top instead of the bottom - the film looks cool and feels provocative, but why?
Yesterday
The idea of Danny Boyle directing a film written by Richard Curtis is very funny to me and going into Yesterday I was fascinated to see whose voice would be the more dominant. Turns out Yesterday is overwhelmingly a Richard Curtis film. Boyle occasionally attempts to add some of his distinct visual flair - which is sometimes baffling, in the case of some inexplicable dutch angles, and sometimes beautiful, in the case of a wonderfully intimate shot between the two leads, in which Boyle drowns the entire background in the delicate blue glow of a TV screen - but everything else about Yesterday screams Curtis. As a result, all the interesting implications of its world-without-the-Beatles premise are completely ignored in favour of a breezy, inoffensive rom-com that’s just as predictable as you’d expect. Fortunately, it's funny enough to overcome its many weaknesses to provide solid entertainment in the moment. Just don’t think about it too much afterwards.
Shazam!
About on par with 2017’s Wonder Woman, Shazam! is one of those rare DC films that’s actually coherent. Even better, it’s also quite good fun. Its core themes of family are - ahem - familiar but they’re handled with sweet sincerity. More importantly, it’s genuinely funny and its superhero trope-spoofing is honestly a better subversion of the genre than M. Night Shyamalan’s heavy-handed Glass.
About on par with 2017’s Wonder Woman, Shazam! is one of those rare DC films that’s actually coherent. Even better, it’s also quite good fun. Its core themes of family are - ahem - familiar but they’re handled with sweet sincerity. More importantly, it’s genuinely funny and its superhero trope-spoofing is honestly a better subversion of the genre than M. Night Shyamalan’s heavy-handed Glass.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is an intriguing exploration of the central conflict of its lead superhero, both through its narrative and its use of genre. Like its predecessor, but to a greater extent, Far From Home is torn between being a superhero film and a coming-of-age film, in the same way that its protagonist is torn between being Spider-Man and Peter Parker. The film’s antagonist brings even more meta-commentary to the proceedings, although I can’t help but wish he’d been saved for an Into the Spider-Verse sequel, which wouldn’t be afraid to further crank up the trippiness. That said, this is a worthy follow-up to Homecoming and a solid come-down after the scale of Endgame.
Director Carl Hunter’s feature debut occasionally feels like someone trying to find their identity amidst a field of influences (there are some particularly Wes Anderson-esque shots, for example). However, Frank Cottrell Boyce’s screenplay is sublime. Sensitive and hilarious, with a masterful command of theme and motif, Boyce’s writing lends a sturdy emotional foundation to Hunter’s less consistent direction.
I thought there was absolutely no reason for this film to happen. I’m still reluctant to admit that it deserves to exist but… it kind of does. Toy Story 4 never reaches the lofty stakes of its predecessor but it expands its themes into some fascinating existential territory and lands some of the funniest jokes in Pixar’s history. It is also visually overwhelming, capturing the toys and their world with a stunning beauty matched only by the poignant conclusion to Woody’s character arc. I still hope there won’t be any more, but I’m glad this epilogue exists.
Like its predecessor, Avengers: Endgame is impressive for merely existing at all. The sheer ambition of its scope is still admirable, especially when it’s executed so confidently. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are remarkably efficient filmmakers, balancing compelling character moments and huge spectacle with serious skill. Once again, this is no film for people who aren’t fully invested in the MCU but for those who are all in will find Endgame an appropriately epic and emotional conclusion to the Infinity Saga.
Jafar Panahi’s follow-up to the unconventional Taxi Tehran further blurs the line between fact and fiction. The narrative is probably just as constructed as before but Panahi and actress Behnaz Jafari maintain their real-life identities, placing the film in an intriguing verisimilitude. Without any explicit acknowledgement of the filmmaking behind it, 3 Faces breaks the fourth wall less blatantly than Taxi. In its place, however, is a humorous and fascinating exploration of rural Iran, alongside an empowering feminist message. 3 Faces is a gentle, unassuming film but a compelling and rewarding one too.
Eighth Grade
Comedian Bo Burnham's directorial debut is a keenly observed coming-of-age film, charting a young teenager's agonising attempts to fit into the vicious social order around her. Coming from Burnham you'd expect it to be funny and whilst it certainly is, Eighth Grade is more often a tender and painful film that will resonate deeply with those who've ever felt outcast.
Following Carnage, his ingenious vegan mockumentary for BBC iPlayer, writer/director Simon Amstell makes his cinematic debut with Benjamin. Like Carnage, Amstell's irreverent humour serves to lighten a film of passionate sincerity. A semi-autobiographical exploration of romantic and artistic vulnerability, Amstell captures the terror of bearing your soul in love and creativity with heart-wrenching accuracy. His portrayal of the central romance is particularly intoxicating, making the conflict all the more painful and the conclusion all the more exhilarating. Two films in, Amstell has proven himself to be an invigorating cinematic talent.
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