Haven't written anything in a while, as a few movies I wasn't sure how I felt about them, and thought I'd let them sit before writing about them. In the end I just got lazy and forgot to write about them, so I hope i remember stuff about the earlier ones.
American Splendour - Very odd little biopic about Harvey Pekar, the main character and writer (but not illustrator) of the American Splendour comics. The film chronicles his adult life from the birth of the comic to his retirement, interspersed with narration from Pekar himself, and small snippets with the real people or archive footage. Very good performances, but very odd and bleak. A bit slow, oddly charming, but slightly annoying. Despite leaving it for so long, I still have no idea how I feel about it. I give it a good rating, but only because I felt it was a good film, not sure if I enjoyed it. 7/10
Stand By Me - Had not seen this before, but had no idea why I waited, I wish I saw this when I was younger. Something about Northwestern US just clicks with me, I love the scenery. The performances and writing were spot on, a very young all star cast, a very very real portrayal of what it's like to be a kid, very well shot, just an all round perfect movie. The changing of stereotypes with the characters worked nicely, and it flowed very well. The ending was a nice touch as well. All round, I can't flaw this movie in anyway, and a list of everything good about it would get annoying. If you haven't seen it before, see it. 10/10
Enter The Void - Started this a while ago when I first got it, put it on my laptop to give a quick check of quality, and found myself blankly immersed in it for a good 2 hours or so. Despite long stretches of trips or blanks, it never got old. It was amazingly made and surprisingly engrossing. A tragic back story and some very real feeling character, however very graphic at points. I particularly liked the way it was made as well, with the POV. When i finally watched the final hour, I found myself getting a tad tired or annoyed, and one dream sequence didn't work well, keeping the POV of a character in the dream without any transition. Overall though, a truly special and unique piece of work that I'd definitely watch again for the visual. If you have a spare 3 hours and a long attention span with a blank mind, I recommend. 10/10
Ichi The Killer - Always heard about this because of all it's shocking content. With no access to the film, I read the original manga last year. And I ****ing loved it. Absolutely depraved, I had no idea how the movie could live up to it. This year, I watched the movie. And it did a surprisingly good job! Kept nearly all the key sequences, didn't back off, a very very good adaption. Some changes were made involving the twins, as there was no way the excessively brutal and disgusting antics of them could be completely put in the movie, but I felt that actually worked better. The movie for the most part is well made, fun to watch, and a good score. The tongue cutting made me cringe so bad, but otherwise i felt I must have become rather desensitized. However, the movie seriously lost it at the end. The fight between Jiji and the bodyguard was stupid, ruining a great moment of the book by rushing it with silly effects. And the ending itself, the funniest part of the manga, and also uplifting, made no sense whatsoever in the movie. Other than that, a truly great watch. 9/10
The Exorcist - I've put this off for years. Why? Not because I was scared, but because I knew it would never live up to the scariest movie ever. Was it disturbing? Yes. Did it live up to the hype? Not a chance. Was it a very good movie though? Absolutely. Smart, chilling, well thought out and just all round satisfying to watch. At first I didn't understand the obsession (I know it has some fanatical fans on here), but in the end I quite enjoyed it and would certainly rewatch it. Easy 10/10, not many horror classics left to watch now (I think Carrie and The Fly remake and I've done all the major 70/80's. If anyone has any definitive lists of must watch absolute classics from those periods, major not obscure, that would be great. Also what's the opinion on the sequels for this?)
John Wick - Went into this with a friend knowing absolutely nothing except Keanu Reeves. What did I get? 0 plot, 0 back story, everything we're assumed to have known, and just a all round stupid but absolutely fantastic watch. Amazing action, no shaky cam, just mega cool and absolutely brainless. Give it a watch with some beers and mates. 8/10
The Blob - Twilight Time blu ray arrived, and watched it last night, and to be honest i was hoping to enjoy it more. The effects of the victims were very cool, and for the most part the blob. Some blob scenes were very confusing as the perspective was completely off though. Otherwise, the characters felt a bit flat, it was very slow at times, and the military angle felt really odd. Also mega mega stupid and cheesy at points but i guess that comes from the source material. Was it fun? I guess. Were the effects good? Yep, worth a watch. Worth $40? Not a chance. 6.5/10
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