2020 @the cinema, in ranked order
The films I went to see at the cinema in this year (uk release dates) (excluding the 17 rereleases after lockdown)
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- DirectorSam MendesStarsDean-Charles ChapmanGeorge MacKayDaniel MaysApril 6th, 1917. As an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.This for me is an example of a great cinema experience. the one shot look is not a mere gimmick!, it is a method of getting the viewer immersed in the story and the humanity in those portrayed. The cinematography is stunning and the score enhances the movie experience with yet another emotional level. Not just brilliant but an awesome piece of film making imo
- DirectorTaika WaititiStarsRoman Griffin DavisThomasin McKenzieScarlett JohanssonA young German boy in the Hitler Youth whose hero and imaginary friend is the country's dictator is shocked to discover that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.2nd viewing and it had even more of an effect on me this time. I really love films that can switch emotions back and forth and this takes you to extreme highs of fun and then gets you in the feels minutes after. A brilliant anti war film that shows the fanaticism at the beginning can lead to hope for a better ideology at the the end but the message is carried with clever humour. My favourite cinema film of the year so far already and it will take something special to beat it. The young Jojo is such a great little actor he has great support but what an achievement for his first film in such an incredible leading role. Sam Rockwell is his usual brilliantness, Scarlett Johansson great too but the other highlight is of course Taika a genius in his writing directing and also insanely brilliant as Hitler. 8.5/10
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsMatthew McConaugheyCharlie HunnamMichelle DockeryAn American expat tries to sell off his highly profitable marijuana empire in London, triggering plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.8.3/10
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.This really is one of those films where the less you know about the better it is, so avoid trailers and reviews with spoilers. It's not easy to say much without spoilers tbh, just expect the unexpected and enjoy the tale of upstairs and downstairs in South Korean style. Possibly one of the most original stories told with so much flair for some time, a great ensemble cast deliver an entertaining look at the upper and lower classes in a very dark and humourous way. A modern classic for sure
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsJohn David WashingtonRobert PattinsonElizabeth DebickiArmed with only the word "Tenet," and fighting for the survival of the entire world, CIA operative, The Protagonist, journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a global mission that unfolds beyond real time.it all makes a lot more sense after a second viewing, but has lost the wow factor quickly. I guess a simple explanation of what it's all about is by saying it's like Back to the Future lll, meets James Bond !?.
Temporal time shifts allow time to become bidirectional which can lead to entropy due to inversion of the fabric of time and space. Simples!?!
It is very much a spy espionage thriller with agents from the CIA and other organisations not unlike the Men in Black, (without the aliens). Kenneth Brannagh is Sator a Russian megalomaniac hell bent on something akin to global domination. He is a man of great power and wealth who takes pleasure in gaslighting his trophy wife, Kat (Elizabeth Debicki).
John David Washington (Denzil's boy) is the Protagonist, the agent tasked with stopping Sator's plan with the help of a special agents including Neil (Robert Pattinson).
There's plenty of action and it's very original in how it plays out.
The score by Ludwig Goransson is pumping in line with the action sequences and science fictiony when necessary but really gets the tension up more when it shifts into boom chaggacha mode. Great performances all round without exception, even a nice little cameo for Michael Caine, (well, Nolan does like him).
The thing that is missing though is any emotional connection between the characters and me the viewer, which is unusual for Nolan movies.
It started as 86/100 on first viewing but drops down to 82/100 on second viewing, but very much worth seeing at the cinema imo - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsPaul Walter HauserSam RockwellBrandon StanleySecurity guard Richard Jewell is an instant hero after foiling a bomb attack at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but his life becomes a nightmare when the FBI leaks to the media that he is a suspect in the case.It gets off to a slow start but then it grabs you like over tightened handcuffs, incredible true story well told, Great performance by Paul Walter Hauser, Kathy Bates and Sam Rockwell .
- DirectorLeigh WhannellStarsElisabeth MossOliver Jackson-CohenHarriet DyerWhen Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
- DirectorArmando IannucciStarsDev PatelHugh LaurieTilda SwintonA modern take on Charles Dickens's classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.An original adaption of a classic. This film is like no other period drama I can think of, for a start there's a great 'colourblind' cast that some might not like but I thought it was a bold concept that actually makes it more interesting and the right people seemed perfect for each role. Thoroughly enjoyed it and was smiling from start to finish.
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsMark RuffaloAnne HathawayTim RobbinsA corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsRobert PattinsonWillem DafoeValeriia KaramanTwo lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.Having recently watched The Lighthouse (2016) I was expecting Eggers to tell a very different story, although both films are based on the Smalls Island incident Eggers has moved the setting to New England and added extra levels of madness the the lower budget film doesn't have. Along with a great acting double of Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson there's an increased atmosphere thanks to the black and white cinematography, I am not sure if the square picture format helped though. The Welsh film is still good and underrated imo and maybe this new version is great but still a tad overrated. 77/100 imo
- DirectorLadj LyStarsDamien BonnardAlexis ManentiDjebril ZongaA cop from the provinces moves to Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, discovering an underworld where the tensions between the different groups mark the rhythm.Not the usual Victor Hugo Les Mis, but the struggles of the peasants of his 19th century France are not too far removed from the modern day multicultural society that struggles to be noticed in Paris.
This story may have some original ideas but the poverty and separatism is all too common, but that is also the strong point of the film. The tension is relentless as a series of actions heats up a fragile peace between gangs that control the streets often with the police but also against them. The new cop in town is very much a fish out of water on a steep learning curve, teamed up with the cities finest? toughest, more like. The gang leaders might think they control the streets but there's a revolution coming from the new kids on the block, they are fed up with the gangs and the police.
This is not the Paris in the tourism brochures and the cinematography shows it in its true colours or the shades of grey in the slums of the ethically and religiously diverse community.
It's a tough watch at times but edge of your seat stuff from start to finish. - DirectorSam KellyStarsJake RyanJohn TuiChelsie Preston CrayfordInspired by the true stories of New Zealand's street gangs across 30 years, SAVAGE follows Danny at three defining moments in his life as he grows from a boy into the violent enforcer of a gang.This is not what comes to mind when I think of New Zealand, but apparently gang culture was and still is a part of life in some communities there. This is a powerful and violent history centred on a man/boy, Danny, who is rejected by his family, denounced by his father after a shameful but minor theft incident, sent to borstal he toughen ups fast. The story focuses on 3 periods in his life, 1965, 1972 and 1989, when he is a boy at home with his family, then after getting out of borstal and finally when he is the 2nd in command of a violent gang 'The Savages'. Loyalties are tested and descent is shut down hard within the gang and rival gangs get a hard time too no matter who might be a member. Danny has made the gang his family but he yearns for some contact with his mother, his brothers and sisters, but he can't find the strength to go the final few yards.
The cast is made up of unknown actors to me but there are some really good performances amongst them. There's no pulling of punches when the violent encounters are on screen but they are not too graphic, mostly. The soundtrack is interesting with some hard rock as you might expect. It's multicultural but never racist, although there is some tension between the native New Zealanders and the white gang members. The overall journey of a violent man is surprisingly moving at times and makes this film stand out from the usual gang films out of Hollywood. - DirectorShannon MurphyStarsEliza ScanlenMichelle LottersToby WallaceMilla, a seriously ill teenager, falls in love with a drug dealer, Moses, her parents' worst nightmare.I went in blind and came out unable to see. There is a lot going on in this film, dysfunctional families, drugs, inappropriate behaviour, romance and tough love.
A schoolgirl, Milla, bumps into Moses a drug dealer and she is transfixed, her life is already on a downward path but can Moses help her, can she help him?
The cast are all incredible, especially Eliza Scanlen, Milla, is so natural and believable, and Toby Wallace, Moses is also so good. The characters are so real and you can connect with them, they grow on you and you can't help but care about what happens to them.
The film takes you on a journey, a roller-coaster ride of emotions, laughter, anger, annoyance and heartbreak. - DirectorMaciej KawulskiStarsMarcin KowalczykTomasz WlosokNatalia SzroederA polish gangster discovers the senselessness of his life.it's like a true story of a 30 year biography of a gangster, from a 1977 child to a powerful kingpin of Poland's mafia/ criminal underworld, it's also quite funny too, not a million miles away from a Guy Ritchie film. Great performances from the leads.
- DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsMichael B. JordanJamie FoxxBrie LarsonWorld-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner.I didn't realise this was based on true events before going in and surprised that it's not been marketed as such? Jamie Fox was at his best since Ray(2004) and Brie Larson was pretty good too. It is a film that seemed to be too understated considering the significance of the highlighted case and the others that followed, after all this isn't based in the 1960s and shows the struggle with racism is still very much an issue in the U.S. Sadly, this film doesn't seem to have attracted a big audience.
- DirectorAutumn de WildeStarsAnya Taylor-JoyJohnny FlynnMia GothIn 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.
- DirectorSally PotterStarsJavier BardemElle FanningBranka KaticA day in the life of Leo and his daughter, Molly, as he floats through alternate lives he could have lived, leading Molly to wrestle with her own path as she considers her future.This is a very moving film, maybe because my father has dementia played a part in that!?. Because it is a bit confusing it might not be for everyone?. Javier Bardem is brilliant as Leo a man suffering from a mental illness (not specifically alzhiemers), his life is now confused by reality, dreams, memories and hallucinations. Elle Fanning is also brilliant as the doting daughter, Molly, she takes care of her father Leo, with help from a carer. Molly has a life of her own but Leo complicates her path forward. Leo is a Mexican now living in a downtown part of Brooklyn, mostly in a trance like state, the images we see show a parallel existence of what happened in the past and what might have been, hence the title, Roads not Taken, his life seems to be full of regrets or just wrong choices?. One thing that strikes you is the lack of empathy shown to Leo when he struggles with appointments at the dentist, opticians and a visit to the supermarket and hospital, but there is more empathy from an immigrant who finds him wondering the New York streets at night. It's a sobering tale and probably won't get a great audience which is a shame because mental health issues are more of a pandemic around the world than at any other time and likely to be increasing. I hope this movie gets some recognition during the next awards season not just for the great performances but for the awareness it shows that is so needed.
- DirectorWilliam EubankStarsKristen StewartVincent CasselMamoudou AthieA crew of oceanic researchers working for a deep sea drilling company try to get to safety after a mysterious earthquake devastates their deepwater research and drilling facility located at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsCharlize TheronNicole KidmanMargot RobbieA group of women take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.
- DirectorCraig ZobelStarsBetty GilpinHilary SwankIke BarinholtzTwelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are, or how they got there. They don't know they've been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt.
- DirectorAlice WinocourStarsEva GreenZélie BoulantMatt DillonAn astronaut prepares for a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station.Eva Green is a sure thing when it comes to a great performance and she doesn't disappoint here, she plays a Sarah devoted mother and determined French astronaut. Balancing life as a separated mother with the intensive training in Russia's space city is quite a challenge. This isn't a 'Space' movie, so might disappoint some people with that expectation, however the training at Space City is really interesting and very accurately done. The focus and perspective is very much on women in a mans world and demonstrats that it is still a struggle to overcome the prejudices. Sarah is in turmoil because she is training for a mission to Mars, via the International Space Station and will be separated from her daughter Stella for a long period, this is made more complicated because she is separated from Stella's father, however there is still a bond there and he steps up to take more care of his daughter. Stella is well played by the unknown to me actress and I would expect her to do well in the future. The rest of the supporting cast is made up of supporting characters and some less so towards Sarah's ambition. The emotions of the mother daughter bond make this a more thought provoking film about space exploration and I hope it does better at the box office than it might in this challenging time in the world.
- DirectorPeter SegalStarsDave BautistaChloe ColemanParisa Fitz-HenleyA hardened CIA operative finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family.
- DirectorPhilippa LowthorpeStarsKeira KnightleyGugu Mbatha-RawJessie BuckleyA group of women hatch a plan to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London.
- DirectorDave McleanStarsConor BerryTara LeeSean ConnorHis football career over, Davie starts promoting gigs in Dundee with two friends, leading to a hugely ambitious Iron Maiden show. Out of his depth and in debt with gangster Fergie, Davie needs to pull off the biggest scheme of his life.
- DirectorPeter CattaneoStarsKristin Scott ThomasSharon HorganEmma LowndesWith their partners away serving in Afghanistan, a group of women on the home front form a choir and quickly find themselves at the center of a media sensation and global movement.