Monthly Film Roundup: September 2022

Films Watched: 12

How Many Were First-Time Watches: 8

Best Films: The Seven Year Itch (1955), Moonage Daydream (2022), See How They Run (2022)

New Releases: Three-Thousand Year of Longing, See How They Run, Don’t Worry Darling, Moonage Daydream

---

FULL LIST AND REVIEWS

---

The Rock (1996)
Switch on this film, switch off your brain. A loose premise holds together bombastic entertainment that is largely successful due to the exciting action and odd chemistry between Nic Cage and Sean Connery
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
Despite some pretty visuals and ambitious ideas, this fantasy is a very weird and underwhelming affair. With little narrative flair, and a starring pair that lack any real chemistry, ‘Mad Max’ director George Miller has missed the mark on this one
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Casino Royale (2006)
Giving the Bond franchise a much-needed reboot, Daniel Craig’s first outing is an absolutely fantastic action flick. Martin Campbell’s exquisite direction means the poker games are as breathless as the car chases
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

See How They Run (2022)
A wonderful British comedy murder mystery that both lampoons and affectionately follows all the hallmarks of a great crime thriller. The shining star, as always, is Saoirse Ronan who is hilariously charming as the hapless sidekick to Sam Rockwell’s detective
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)
A fun and acutely observed Beatles parody from Monty Python’s Eric Idle. Though it could’ve been much funnier, the perfectly recreated songs by Neil Innes make for entertaining listening 
⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Way Way Back (2013)
It isn’t gonna change the world, but this super sweet coming-of-age story will certainly help you forget about it for 90 minutes. A fabulously assembled cast and a charming narrative make for great viewing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Other Guys (2010)
It’s completely throwaway, but without a hint of irony, I think this might be one of the entertaining films ever made. Every time I rewatch it I just love it. The cast are fantastic, the action is killer and the script is tight and hilarious 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Billy Wilder directs this comedy with imaginative flair, though it doesn’t quite have enough narrative to sustain itself. Tom Ewell is fabulous as a married man going though a midlife crisis, and Marilyn Monroe delivers one of her most iconic performances
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Blockbuster entertainment this intelligent and emotionally complex is in rare supply, so when it comes around it’s that much more fulfilling. Though it’s about 20 minutes too long, this satisfying conclusion to the trilogy is packed with fantastic effects and rich ideas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Avatar (2009)
James Cameron’s sci-if world is richly imagined but narratively bereft. Yes it’s visually stunning and technically impressive, but the computers also add an artifice that it is impossible to emotionally escape from.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
What’s the difference between ‘slow burn’ and ‘drawn-out’? Watch Don’t Worry Darling and you’ll find out. Florence Pugh and Chris Pine are the best parts of this stylish, over-extended and ultimately unsatisfactory Black Mirror episode
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Moonage Daydream (2022)
David Bowie is reborn in an explosive montage documentary. Experimental, conceptual and jaw droppingly beautiful, Brett Morgen’s film isn’t about Bowie. This film IS Bowie.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️