November 2019

#9: Midway

This was one of my most uninterested movies of this month. It just seems like they are trying to recapture Pearl Harbour's prestige but with today's visual effects.

This was mediocre.

The first major death was unemotional as the friendship wasn't exactly established.

The action set pieces were ok but lacked the meaning behind of them.

It may have been based on a true story. But I was hoping one of the pilot's would've sacrificed themselves to help their team(ie having the plane nose dive into one of the Japan ships)

I honestly felt more sympathy toward "The Villains" of this story, Japan, than I did America. 

There was one part that was meant to be serious but it made me laugh. One of the Japanese villagers shook hands with an American pilot who just bombed a part of their country.

It would've been a damn sight better if the villager emotionally hugged the pilot saying 'Thank you!' while sobbing.

All in all, this was long and will be quite forgettable.

3/10

#8: The Good Liar

I knew about the bad reviews going into this. Hoping it turns out to be okay.

This was pretty decent. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The twist that Betty and Roy knew each other 60 years prior to their first date because they were both originally German was quite surprising.

The parts that did bore were mainly just the money investment scenes(which was pretty much the whole film's premise).

Overall, this was enjoyable even though I expected not to like it.

7.5/10

#7: Le Mans '66

I wasn't too hyped for this film. It looks good, but the 153 minute length did put me off a little.

This was quite great. Very enjoyable, to an extent.

The driving scenes were wonderful, very intense and rough.

The relationship between Shelby and Miles reminded me alot of Cliff Booth and Rick Dalton from Once Upon A Time In Hollwood. Probablt because they are both based in the 1960s.

Some beautiful cinematography as well. 

For example, when Ken and his wife were in the airport hangar and the airplane light is in between them or the medium shot during Le Man at night where Ken's eyes are the only thing visible inside the car, everything else is in darkness.

I enjoyed this quite a bit and the 2 hour and 30 minutes did not drag at all.

6.5/10

#6: Doctor Sleep

I didn't want to see this, tbh. Not very appetising, besides Ewan McGregor's full beard for the first part of this film.

This was ok. Not as scary as the trailers make it out to be.

It did feel quite long. Could've been shortened by 20-30 minutes.

There was a moment during the film where Danny was freaked out about seeing a rotting baby. It reminded alot of Shrek's nightmare during Shrek 3, where he sees one of the babies saying "DADA!" In a deep voice.

The 1980s WB logo that opened the film was a  great choice compared to the current logo intro.

It was cool how they replicated the 1980 film's intro when they went to the hotel for the finale.

Overall, it was a decent film that went on longer that it should've.

6/10

#5: 21 Bridges

I wanted to see this as it was set in New York City.

I've been looking forward to this since April. It was delayed from August to November. It would've been one of my 10 movies during August.

This was really great. Excellent New York cinematography, good action scenes.

The reveal of the other cops being the ones who set up the drunk dealers seemed a little lazy and illogical.

Chadwick Boseman was superb in this, playing a merciful cop who wants to know that he isn't shooting the wrong people.

Overall, great film with a sub-par twist reveal.

6.5/10

#4: Knives Out

I loved what Rian Johnson previously directed(Last Jedi).

Rian Johnson was harshly ridiculed for his work on Episode 8, which I think wasn't warranted. He had to take over directing duties from J.J Abrams, who brought back the Star Wars film franchise two years prior. That's quite daunting.

Rian done some brave things, like introducing force projection and using lightspeed as a way of space combat. I applaud him for doing things his way and not just playing it safe regardless of backlash. Even after a recent re-watch, I still enjoyed TLJ.

I hope he does end up doing his rumoured Star Wars trilogy.

So, I was stoked for this.

This was great. The twist was smart, did not see it coming. I originally thought the whole family killed the father, similar to Murder On The Orient Express.

I was wrong. Instead, the film went from a suspected suicide to Marta allegedly killing him to Hugh swapping the drug vials making Marta think she killed him

The soundtrack, which was utilised rarely, was amazing. Very big blockbuster-esque.

This was very good and exceeded all my expectations.

8.5/10

#3: Charlie's Angels

I mainly wanted to see this because of Kristen Stewart and the Ronda Rousey and Hailee Steinfeld post-credits scenes.

I heard about the all the reviews prior to the screening. 

I honestly think it would've been praised alot more if it tried to not bank on the early 2000s nostalgia by calling itself "Charlie's Angels". 

I initially thought that there didn't have to be another Charlie's Angels film when the reboot was reveal late last year. Until I found out Kristen was gonna be one of the Angels.

This was alright, I definitely see why people don't like it with the occasional cheesy dialogue.

The close-up shots during the all fight scenes were un-needed as it obstructed what stunt/spot was happening. It was impossible to see the fight choreography clearly.

Kristen was amazing in this. Definitely the better Angel.

The Ronda and Hailee post-credits scenes although immensely short were really amazing.

Overall, I enjoyed this for Ronda, Hailee and Kristen. Everything else didn't intrigue me too much.

7.6/10

#2: Last Christmas

I only found out about this film late September/Early October. I only wanted to see this because it starred Emilia Clarke.

This was great, reminded me alot of The Sun Is Also A Star.

I'm not one for Christmasy streets, but wow. Some of them during the earlier parts in the movie looked beautiful.

The twist that Tom Webster died and was the doner when Kate had the heart problems was surprising and a really clever swerve for the typical romantic comedy. 

Emilia Clarke was absolutely wonderful during this film.

Overall, It was a enjoyable Christmas film with a lot of heart and excellent set design.

8.5/10

#1: Countdown

I had no intention to see this. Not too keen on horror films(regardless if I saw 10+ in the cinema just this year).

This was really good. Alot better than I expected.

Elizabeth Lail's performance waa great.

The premise of the victims getting selected because they done something earlier in their life was good and reminded me a lot of Escape Room(which I saw back in February).

The majority of the jump scares were in the trailer, which I watched quite a few times due to it being featured in prior screenings.

The Devil's appearance looked like a Dementor mixed with some sort of Doctor Who alien. I consider that a good thing, imo.

Overall, this was great and I'm fine with a potential sequel.

7.5/10