50% on Rotten Tomatoes feels like a kind of strange purgatory to me. Despite being designated ‘Rotten’, the number suggests an equal amount of critics all conceding that a film is largely average. However, this is a little simplistic, with 50% suggesting anything from a harmless romp to a controversial, shocking, love it or hate it kind of movie. Therefore, I’m starting a series. Amongst … Continue reading The 50% Club
Sydney White, Curious George, and Dark Shadows. These are all films that I hugely enjoy and that have also received average to poor reviews, apparently making them some of my ‘guilty pleasures’. I honestly can’t say I’ve ever felt particularly guilty watching them. Guilty pleasures of all kinds are defined on the finest wealth of information on the internet (Urban Dictionary) as ‘something that you shouldn’t like, … Continue reading Guilty Pleasures, and Enjoying Them Without Guilt
A movie based on a video game? How could this possibly go wrong! In all seriousness though, after the fairly average (exceptional by video game adaption standards) Tomb Raider, I was willing to not fully dismiss Rampage based on its history as an 80’s arcade game. However, the plot of Tomb Raider was based on a game from 2013 that was lauded for its cinematic qualities and narrative, as opposed to just the gameplay. … Continue reading Rampage Review – Apeshit (Rating: 3/10)
If you have read the title of this review and raised your eyebrows, don’t get me wrong: I found the experience of watching A Quiet Place in an almost silent cinema incredibly frightening and tense. From the bright red and black poster to a trailer that focuses in on the bloodiest and most desperate moments of the film, the marketing definitely wants you to know that … Continue reading A Quiet Place Review – Smart Drama with Horror Elements (Rating: 8/10)
Many would argue that cinema as a medium in 2018 is hardly dependent on location. Streaming sites like Netflix and Now TV allow anyone who can afford the monthly fee to watch a huge catalogue of films from the past 50 or so years, as well as films produced by the sites themselves, like The Fundamentals of Caring and the widely acclaimed Okja. Many people also watch … Continue reading The Rural English Cinema Experience, or, Trying Not to Pirate
Although I am a huge fan of both Moonrise Kingdom and Fantastic Mr Fox, I have recently become tired of the typical ‘Wes Anderson Aesthetic’. With McDonalds TV adverts and brand Instagrams alike utilising the look to come across as more marketable, trustworthy and twee, I have become more cynical about the inherent high quality of the style. However, Isle of Dogs, as well as containing a charming and relevant … Continue reading Isle of Dogs Review – Attention To Detail Pays Off Beautifully (Rating: 9/10)
Having seen the trailer for Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time numerous times at the cinema prior to other films, I found myself feeling more and more apprehensive with each viewing. At first, I felt happiness at seeing an upcoming major picture led by Storm Reid, a young black girl, and made by a black woman, Ava DuVernay (the first directed by a female POC to cost over … Continue reading A Wrinkle In Time Review – Lost Potential With Heart (Rating: 4/10)
It seems as though Love, Simon should have been released years ago, yet here we are. An LGBT friend recently vented to me about how he feels shortchanged by films predominantly about gay characters ‘always ending with someone dying of AIDS’, and he is clearly not alone. Whilst the AIDS crisis is a hugely important topic to cinematically investigate, it has reached the point for many … Continue reading Love, Simon Review – Charming, Desperately Needed Normalcy (Rating: 9/10)
Despite my anxiety, or maybe because of, I love horror. However, my enjoyment of the genre tends towards Freddy Krueger’s camp one-liners and over the top practical effects found in the likes of Hellraiser and the original Evil Dead films, as opposed to the jumpscare fests that horror films and games have recently become. Ghost Stories, adapted from a play by Andy Nyman and Jeremy … Continue reading Ghost Stories Review – Refreshing British Horror (Rating: 8/10)
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