FILMALUATION - online magazine

ZeroZeroZero [season one]

21/2/2021

ZEROZEROZERO [season one] ★★★★★
Since BREAKING BAD narcotic dramas are 10 a penny. Here though is my new favourite show. A monumental drug cartel thriller. Stunningly put together, from the epic cinematography to Mogwai’s atmospheric score to the ultra violent menace.

What Happened to Mr Cha?

25/1/2021

WHAT HAPPENED TO MR CHA? ★★★★☆
D: Dong-kyu Kim.
S: In-Pyo Cha, Jae-Ryong Song, Jan-Joon Jo, Dal-hwan Cho.

So cringe. An absence of mawkishness prevents any softening of the awkwardness. Fans of comedy centred on a lack of self-awareness will relish. So many ace plot/stylistic choices.

Outside the Wire

25/1/2021

OUTSIDE THE WIRE ★★½☆☆
D: Mikael Håfström (Escape Plan, 1408, Derailed).
S: Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Enzo Cilenti, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, Pilou Asbæk.

Half-baked science-fiction A look at America’s endless wars, and the dehumanising use of drone strikes. Ambitiousness aside, the result is pretty naff. Rubbish direction, editing and choreography. Even Anthony Mackie can’t save.

Sputnik

25/1/2021

SPUTNIK ★★½☆☆
D: Egor Abramenko.
S: Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov, Anton Vasilev.

Russian sci-fi horror. Astronauts return from a space mission with an extraterrestrial stow away. The intriguing start is squandered. Had potential to be a tense, unusual monster flick, but ended up being an overlong mess. Compare and contrast the underrated LIFE from 2017.

Star Trek: Discovery [season three]

25/1/2021

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY [season three] ★★★½☆
Ups the visual effects, but also ups cheesy sentimentality and speechifying. A shame as the storylines were unexpected. The season was rescued by cracking climactic episodes.

Favourite Television Shows 2020

17/1/2021

My favourite shows watched in 2020 (in alphabetical order):

Movie Review 2020

14/1/2021

I saw 371 movies last year. My film review of 2020.

My top 11 worst films of 2020:
11. #ALIVE
10. EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
9. AVA
… http://www.filmaluation.com/worst-films-of-2020.html

My top 26 favourite films of 2020:
26. ARKANSAS
25. THE INVISIBLE MAN
24. BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
… http://www.filmaluation.com/favourite-films-of-2020.html

My awards for best film, actress, actor, horror, comedy, etc.
http://www.filmaluation.com/best-films-of-2020.html

Small Axe

30/12/2020

SMALL AXE ★★★★★
D: Steve McQueen (Widows, 12 Years a Slave, Shame, Hunger).
S: John Boyega, Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes, Sheyi Cole, Kenyah Sandy, Robbie Gee.

The first project I’ve seen which is both television and film. Five stories looking at racial injustice in Britain. Hard to watch in one go, they are so profoundly upsetting. Ferocious odds and injustice are arrayed against the protagonists, yet hope is given and guidance. Is Steve McQueen the UK’s best director working right now?

(UK peeps, all five films are on BBC iPlayer.)
(American peeps, I believe they are on Amazon Prime Video.)

The Call [2020]

30/12/2020

The Call ★★★★☆
D: Chung-Hyun Lee.
S: Park Shin-Hye, Jong-seo Jun, Sung-ryung Kim, El Lee, Park Ho-San.

It is so rare when a movie pulls the rug from under an audience, here in terms of tone and genre. Starts off as a naff time travel flick with a generic title, but evolves into a tense serial killer movie. A cross between FREQUENCY and LOOPER.

Capital in the Twenty-first Century

30/12/2020

CAPITAL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ★★★★★
One of 2020’s best documentaries. An utterly absorbing analysis of capitalism. Fits 300 years of history into 103 minutes without feeling cursory.

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This website is written by Hemanth Kissoon.

Filmaluation is dedicated to arts culture, with a particular focus on film.

I care about intelligence, quality and entertainment.

Going to the cinema today? See the recommendations page of what is currently out. Click here.

The vital ambitions of art and entertainment:
- Perceptiveness
- Illumination
- The unexpected
- Innovation

Brains and soul are key; but adrenaline junkies do not fret, there is also much love for an experience that delivers a sucker-punch to the guts via stunningly delivered thrills.

Noun, “filmaluation”:
The evaluation of a film
Verb, "to filmaluate”:
To evaluate a film

I am well aware how difficult it is to make a film, put on a stage play, create a television show, write a novel, let alone make something of note. (That appreciation doesn’t stop me from having high standards though.)

This online magazine is edited by Hemanth Kissoon.

Filmaluation is owned by Filmaluation Limited (Company number 8549302. Registered in England and Wales)

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