Films I've seen of late (Oct '18)

#65 Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Having seen this before, a repeat view a year later rendered the experience better than I'd anticipated. It's fairly predictable stuff, but Gru and co. manage to keep the 'Despicable' franchise alive and well (much moreso than the dreadful Minions Movie) with lots of nods to 80s nostalgia.
(7/10)

#66 Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
The Kingsman secret organisation is thrown into disarray when targeted by a clandestine drug overlord. After pretty much everything with the Kingsman name on it is destroyed, the surviving Eggsy and Galahad travel across the Atlantic to seek help from their American cousins, Statesman. An enjoyable yarn, with the familiar Kingsman gall and cockiness in plentiful supply.
(7/10)

#67 Nineteen eighty four (1984)
A captivating vision of an alternate Britain ruled by a totalitarian regime with 'Big Brother' watching every citizen from the insidious 'viewscreen'. Adapted from the revered book by George Orwell, its themes and social commentary are just as relevent today as they were in 1948. The squalor and hopelessness of a society crushed by its own structures and ideology is terrifying and yet all too familiar.
(9/10)

#68 Anon (2018)
No doubt inspired by the likes of 1984, Anon is set in a near-future where every citizen has a device implanted in their eye to record everything they see, accessible anytime by the authorities via the 'Ether'. Thus, crime is almost impossible to commit. And yet, a lone woman attracts a detective's attention when she appears to have no profile or presence in the Ether and is linked to a string of murders (that can't be solved by the usual methods). An interesting and compelling tale, the design and execution is solid – but doesn't quite have the garvitas of similar movies.
(7/10)

#69 Miracle Mile (1988)
Steve De Jarnatt's cold war drama is a quirky twist on the end-of-the-world scenario, with a boy and girl about to embark on a first date just as the Russians decide to nuke LA. When Harry takes a random call at a payphone (remember those?), he learns the terrible truth that the missles are on their way and a frantic chase ensues to find a way out of the city. Things decend into chaos as the rumour spreads and everything goes to hell. Dated in many ways, Miracle Mile still retains its 80s charm and is a refreshing indie flick to watch.
(8/10)

#70 Matilda (1996)
A fairly faithful adaptation of the Roal Dahl classic about a little girl with an advanced intellect and extraordinary powers. Its transference from mid-to-late century England to 90s America is slightly odd but once you get past that it's an inventive and moving film about a talented child up against horrible parents and even more horrible school (in the shape of the ghastly Ms Trunchbull). Great fun.
(8/10)

#71 Coco (2017)
The Mexican Day of the Dead gets the animated film treatment in this colourful and touching story about family and grief. Less action-y than previous Pixar films, but the visuals succeed at maintaining interest during the more mundane moments.
(7/10)

#72 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Having now given this a repeat viewing, I am more convinced that this film is a decent bit of filmmaking and doesn’t warrant any of the fan-hate in my opinion. Even some of the slightly questionable moments cease to be an issue second time round, and what emerges is a complex story about failure and loss in the midst of overwhelming odds. My only criticism is the length: 2.5 hours is a hefty runtime for a family blockbuster and I hope the next instalment aims to keep things trimmer
(8/10)

#73 The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
A bit pointless, given the excellent BBC radio play and TV series, but this blockbuster take on Douglas Adams' sci-fi comedy at least delivers on the visuals that only a hollywood movie can accomplish. It's a manic rush through a fairly complicated storyline, and there's a lot to cram in (and as a result, some quite noticeable omissions). My main gripe is Mos Def, who just seems to mumble his way through his lines – although he does looks good in his part as Ford Prefect.
(7/10)

#74 The Shape of Water (2017)
A love affair between a fish man and mute woman doesn't sound like the greatest of movie pitches, but Guillermo Del Toro's Oscar-winner surprises with a beautfiul and touching story set in Cold War America. Performances from all of the main actors are fantastic and the sets are up to Del Toro's usual standards.

#75 Man on the Moon (1999)
The legend of Andy Kaufman is explored in this biography that explores the enigmatic performer's life, cut all too short by lung cancer in 1984. Jim Carrey is mesmerising as Andy, bringing his own 'Carreyness' to the character. Whilst extremely faithful to Andy's legacy, the film seems to focus more on the negative aspects of his behaviour rather than the positive - which is maybe why it didn't do so well at the box office. Even so, an important film.
(7.5/10)

#76 The BFG (2016)
Two great storytellers, Spielberg and Dahl, collide in this strong adaptation of the beloved children's book. Mark Rylance's BFG is spellbinding, and newcomer Melissa Mathison is extremely likeable as the strong-willed but tender Sophie. Given some of the subject matter (ie giants eating children), it manages to steer clear of anything too horrific and give a touching tale of two lonely souls uniting to defeat evil.
(8/10)

A brief review of the new Doctor Who

After what seemed like a really long wait, the thirteenth doctor has finally arrived and unbelievably we’ve already passed episode three - which has built on an already confident start to the series and episode four is just round the corner.

Every time a new Doctor arrives on the scene it takes a bit of getting used to. Jodie was no exception, and perhaps the fact that the Doctor’s gender has flipped makes it moreso, but I’m very much on board with this new iteration of the quintessentially British time traveller.

I’ve already written about how it’s about time we had this change, and I’m enjoying the approach taken so far. Jodie has taken to her new character with gusto and created a believable and likeable persona without much difficulty.

It’s also great to see diversity in the companions. I expect they are there to do a bit of hand holding for the audience as Jodie takes Who on a new path, but they’re also there to make a point about today’s world of division and intolerance. I’m sure the ‘gammons’ will be moaning about political correctness, but I think the point is that Britain – whether they like it or not – is not just white and male. It’s something that shouldn’t have to be explained in the 21st century of course, but sadly people are still stuck in the colonial past.

Episode three's take on Rosa Parks expands on this theme further and pulls no punches, which is important and right. I just hope the show runners don’t labour the issue too much and become too preachy.

They’ve stated their intentions and that’s great. I now want to see the Doctor and her companions just get out there and have some fun - after all, there’s an entire universe waiting.

I did a quiz!

Last week, I was getting ready for an event I'd been planning since February and feeling very nervous about it. The Cathays Ultimate Charity Movie Quiz was borne out of a desire to do some charity fundraising (but without having to run a marathon or some other similar physical torture). I've always liked pub quizzes, but since I'm a bit of a movie geek thought it would be good to combine the two and the idea of running a movie quiz was born.

I wanted to make it more than just a quiz, though, and envisaged it as an event, something akin to a movie premiere. I booked our church hall for the venue, contacted the UK Garrison (volunteers who dress up in movie-accurate Star Wars costumes) to see if some of their guys could attend, enlisted my younger brother to play some music and dragged in my own family to help. I also blagged loads of prizes for a raffle and the winning team.

I must admit, there was a point about two weeks before the date when I was worried no one would turn up. Ticket sales were small and there seemed no sign of anyone else showing interest, but I somehow held my nerve and by the day of the quiz, nearly forty people had booked tickets.

The event was, as far as I can tell, an amazing success - far exceeding my own expectations. We had sixty people in the room and raised £470 for two great charities (Llamau and Edith's Home). The Star Wars costumes added a real wow factor to the event, even though a few people were a bit scared of them!

I came away really proud of what I'd acheived, and fairly stunned too. Not wanting to blow my own trumpet, but I was responsible for pretty much most of the entire event. I did most of the planning and preparation (my mate Marv did a lot of great work on the questions) - it was only on the night when actual bodies were needed to set up and run things that other people contributed (who were all amazing, by the way).

It was good to be reminded that I am capable of making things happen, something which I have a lot of self-doubt in. I am not the most naturally of organised people, and so I've had to develop strategies to cope with my shortcomings to get stuff done. I've run a business, directed short films and started campaigning for Basic Income, to name a few things. Sure, I've made plenty of mistakes but that shouldn't stop me from trying. The main lesson I've learned from this quiz is that good preparation is key - and lots of time to get ready for it helps too.

Will I do another movie quiz again? Yes, hopefully - but not just yet. I need time to recover!