FILMALUATION - online magazine

Out to Own Today: Synchronic

5/4/2021

Out to own today:

Synchronic

“The victim is good, the world is still f*cked up,” Steve (Anthony Mackie)

SYNCHRONIC is a B-movie, with an A-movie lead. It’s not a disaster. It’s a bit bonkers, but not in an exciting way. The movie strives for originality, which one almost always applauds. However, here the conceit is almost laughably random. I did like that the two leads are paramedics. Ambulance teams are not the focus enough in cinema. More films, with public service personnel thrown into extraordinary circumstances, please.
[To read more, click here.]

Money Heist

1/4/2021

I made it through five episodes of MONEY HEIST before binning. It reminds of what annoyed me about season one of PRISON BREAK, season two of OZARK, and the whole of LOST. Imagine the idea in the hands of a Cary Joji Fukunaga or a Michael Mann...
Also, are those criminals meant to be the elite?

Alice in Borderland [season one]

1/4/2021

ALICE IN BORDERLAND [season one] ★★★★½
A tension-filled horror-action-thriller from Japan. A cross between SAW and BATTLE ROYALE and DEATH NOTE. Ace storytelling and juggling of characters.

WandaVision

1/4/2021

WANDAVISION [miniseries] ★★½☆☆
Ever since HULK, I’ve been waiting for more experimental comic book stuff, but this wears out its welcome almost immediately.
The standout was the theme of grief at the story’s centre.
The sitcom parodies were tedious. Being ironically rubbish is not a great look here. The climax was the usual CGI super-villain with the same powers.
Beyond that, a superhero enslaves and tortures an entire town, and there are no legal consequences for them?!
The only MCU characters more boring than Wanda and Vision are the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye, and they also have their own shows on now or on the way.

The Suicide Squad - trailer

31/3/2021

“So this is the famous Suicide Squad?”

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.

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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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