My review: http://www.filmaluation.com/mollys-game.html
The trailer:
|
For Sorkin’s directorial debut, he has arguably increased his dialogue’s speed. My review: http://www.filmaluation.com/mollys-game.html The trailer: Ryan Coogler is one of the most exciting directors in Hollywood right now. Out to own today: Norman
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI ★★★½☆
D: Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges). S: Frances McDormand, Peter Dinklage, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones, Abbie Cornish, John Hawkes, Clarke Peters, Kerry Condon. Rarely reaches the heightened dramatic excellence of, say, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA. A little disappointing. THE BREADWINNER ★★★½☆ D: Nora Twomey (The Secret of Kells). S: Saara Chaudry, Laara Sadiq, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Noorin Gulamgaus, Kawa Ada. Did not need story within story. Main thread strong enough. An absorbing, political animation. BAD GENIUS ★★★½☆ D: Nattawut Poonpiriya. S: Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Eisaya Hosuwan, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Chanin Santinatornkul. Conservative conclusion derails otherwise exhilarating thriller. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE at a high school. JAILBREAK ★★★☆☆ D: Jimmy Henderson. S: Jean-Paul Ly, Dara Our, Tharoth Sam, Celine Tran, Dara Phang, Sisowath Siriwudd, Savin Phillip. C-movie dialogue. B-movie acting. A-movie fight choreography. VERONICA (Verónica) ★★★☆☆
D: Paco Plaza (Rec, Rec 2, Rec 3: Genesis). S: Sonia Almarcha, Consuelo Trujillo, Chema Adeva, Ana Torrent. Doesn't re-write the horror rule book. Has some effective scares thanks to fearing for the leads. THE CURED ★★★☆☆ D: David Freyne. S: Ellen Page, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Sam Keeley, Stuart Graham, Paula Malcomson. Allegory levels of DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, but looks budget and contains annoying jump scares. The LFF surprise film was LADY BIRD (which I saw at the Toronto Film Festival). THE FORGIVEN ★★★☆☆
D: Roland Joffé (The Mission, The Killing Fields). S: Forest Whitaker, Eric Bana, Jeff Gum, Morné Visser. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission post-apartheid is a fascinating subject. The film starts on analysis. DOWNSIZING ★★★☆☆ D: Alexander Payne (Nebraska, The Descendants, Sideways, About Schmidt, Election, Citizen Ruth). S: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Hong Chau, Udo Kier, Laura Dern, Jason Sudeikis, Neil Patrick Harris, Christoph Waltz. Waltz steals. Some humanistic ideas, but what's up with the comedy Vietnamese character?! YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE ★★★★☆ D: Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin, Morvern Callar). S: Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, Alessandro Nivola, Alex Manette, Judith Roberts, John Dorman. THE LIMEY meets I SAW THE DEVIL. A nightmare unfolds. Time bleeds. Violence not offered as catharsis. THE BRAWLER [Mukkabaaz] ★★★★☆ D: Anurag Kashyap (Raman Raqhav 2.0, Ugly, Gangs of Wasseypur, That Girl in Yellow Boots, Return of Hanuman, Black Friday). S: Vineet Kumar Singh, Zoya Hussain, Ravi Kissan, Jimmy Shergill, Sadhana Singh. Anurag Kashyap continues to hold a mirror up to Indian society in exciting fashion. Action sequences thump. THE BOY DOWNSTAIRS ★★☆☆☆
D: Sophie Brooks. S: Zosia Mamet, Matthew Shear, Deirdre O'Connell, Sarah Ramos, Diana Irvine, Arliss Howard. Conventional rom-com. Passes the time. Another New York-set movie with a lack of diversity. ANCHOR AND HOPE ★★★☆☆ D: Carlos Marques-Marcet. S: Oona Chaplin, Natalia Tena, Trevor White, Charlotte Atkinson, David Verdaguer, Geraldine Chaplin. Family dynamics drama. Character playfulness enlivens. Ending brings a groan. Should have concluded a few minutes earlier. THE FLORIDA PROJECT ★★★★½ D: Sean Baker (Tangerine, Starlet). S: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Valeria Cotto, Bria Vinaite, Macon Blair, Caleb Landry Jones. Heartfelt commentary. Director continues to lovingly catalogue those society ignores. SWEET COUNTRY ★★★★☆ D: Warwick Thornton (Samson & Delilah). S: Hamilton Morris, Sam Neill, Thomas M. Wright, Ewen Leslie, Bryan Brown. Vitriolic Australian Western on abuse of indigenous population. Finely calibrated. Searingly acted. |
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. Need some movie and TV show recommendations? See the drop down to the right of the Home tab. Enjoy. 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) Archives
February 2024
Categories |