Films Watched: 9
How Many Were First-Time Watches: 6
Best Films: All That Jazz (1979), The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023), The Creator (2023)
New Releases: A Haunting in Venice, Dumb Money, The Creator
FULL LIST AND REVIEWS
Last Night in Soho (2021) It’s not Edgar Wright’s finest outing, but this pulpy 60’s thriller still remains a lot of fun. Neon visuals, a toe/tapping soundtrack and a twisty (though predictable) narrative make for entertaining viewing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All That Jazz (1979) An explosive, kinetic and wholly remarkable tragi-comedy musical. Bob Fosse’s semi-autobiographical tale is tightly directed, stunningly well designed and excellently performed, with Roy Schneider giving a fantastic central performance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hot Fuzz (2007) It’s just bloody brilliant isn’t it. Thirteen-Year-Old Dan will never be able to judge this film objectively, he’s always just got too big a smile on his face during that whole final act ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) Packed with jokes, heart and a fabulous soundtrack, this Australian cult-classic remains just as impactful nearly 30 years later. The leading cast perform excellently in a thoroughly entertaining road-trip comedy drama ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Haunting in Venice (2023) The first one dragged, the second one was bad, but third time’s a charm in this latest Poirot offering that is (comparatively) the best yet. It still suffers from the same stuffy nonsense as the others, but the added gothic horror elements make an entertaining outing for Christie’s Belgian detective ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dumb Money (2023) An interesting recent story gets adapted in a so-so biopic. Attempting a “Big Short” approach, this well performed and sometimes funny financial drama is also a little too rushed for the over-saturation of characters or plot to be fully understood ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Martian (2015) Truly one of Ridley Scott’s most successful and entertaining films, Matt Damon’s staring role delivers charisma in spades. With a stacked ensemble cast, a compelling story, and a surprisingly fun tone (aided by the genius inclusion of Disco music), it’s a modern sci-fi masterpiece ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) A fantastically tight short film by Wes Anderson, who finally returns to his former glory after a few weaker entries in his filmography. The restrained 40 minutes means the fast paced story flies by, and as always the cast and visuals are both on top form ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Creator (2023) While it narratively lacks much subtlety or subtext, the visuals of this original sci-fi film are where this film absolutely thrives. With VFX that are as grounded and real as they are expansive and epic, Gareth Edwards once again triumphs as a uniquely original voice in modern sci-fi cinema ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daniel Robinson: From Reel to Real 