benmckenna12

Demolition is grief at high-speed, a bumpy road of a fantastic character study held together by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Gyllenhaal plays Davis Mitchell, a man struck by the sudden loss of his wife. Following his passage of grief we learn a lot about him and his emotions towards his wife. Gyllenhaal does a phenomenal job, I consider myself a fan of everything he's done but here he brings alive a character that's hard to sum up on paper, a man lost in a state of being so foreign to him.

Other than Gyllenhaal's performance the film follows a lot of predictable points, a few walking cliché characters and a hell of a lot of letter writing. Nothing unbearable, just a little bit too on the nose. Although the editing is very commendable and felt different to the usual expectation, although it does make the film seem slightly too fragmented at points in which more clarity would have helped.

While parts of Demolition may be somewhat average it's still worth the watch for Jake Gyllenhaal and another one of his wonderful acts alone.

Children of Men presents a concept heavy yet very believable dystopian future, women are no longer fertile and the world is falling apart.

The film's atmosphere is established straight away, beautiful cinematography and camera-work strings together some of the best sequences I've seen, a few long shots are astounding and very memorable.

My only minor issue with Children of Men is a few instances of hammy dialogue, while it doesn't subtract much from the film it can be distracting to hear a couple of bad line deliveries.

Other than that I have no real other quarrels, the plot is paced brilliantly and everything works like a well oiled machine, perhaps more could have been explored but it may have bogged down the film in exposition. Overall, Children of Men is well up there as one of the best, if not the best, dystopian films of all time.

Capote is a performance powerhouse, yet it falls flat and average in other areas. Hoffman embodies the character of Truman Capote to the absolute fullest, it's really enjoyable to watch him act.

The plot is okay, I found that the plot kinda dawdles for a long time without really achieving all too much, but it's not bad. Everything else keeps the film together, nothing is bad but only boring which is a real shame.

I wanted to find something great in this, but it just never gripped me. It never reached a level which I was hoping it would. Hoffman and Keener were great together but there was no where near enough of them on screen together.

Sadly a great performance doesn't make a great film, Capote is slow and tedious and feels like a long novel itself, dragging from point to point.

I watched Brooklyn with one of the biggest grins I've ever experienced. What a beautiful and heart warming tale of immigration and love, and the struggles that accompany them.

Rich cinematography brings alive the era and the characters, great dialogue bounces perfectly (and the dinner scenes gave me some of the best laughs I've had in a while.) Ronan's performance is fantastic and heart wrenching, her eyes alone can tell so much.

I would personally say that nearly everything here is on point, it's everything I expected to get from it and more. I loved the vibrant outfits, the lovely score, and the use of letters.

I loved this. It is definitely going up there with the rest of my beloved favourites. I recommend this very heavily to anyone looking to smile, to shed a few tears, and to just have an enjoyable experience.

Black Swan attacks on all the senses in a vicious and visceral manner. A great performance from Portman as well as the minimal, but strong, use of costume and make up make this the haunting dance that it is.

Similar to one of Aronofsky's previous films, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan is a difficult one to stomach. Littered throughout is unforgettable imagery, dark themes all woven together with a loud and menacing score.

Black Swan is a great film, not one I think I'd watch again but it does what it seeks out to do. A few minor things are irksome like a couple jump scares that while successful seemed forced at one point.

I'd recommend it without saying anything of the plot but, well, don't expect to just watch it for the dancing because there's far more here than that.

Black Dynamite is the most fun I've had with a film in a very long time! A spoof made up of genius comedic writing and acting.

Whilst some context is needed going into the film, once you understand the layers and the intentions you can find so many laughs in a short run-time.

The film within a film adds even more comedy, a few technical errors on top of the already hilarious camera work. As well as the on the nose soundtrack.

A very interesting style of comedy and film making, I recommend this one to anyone who wants a good laugh. I could definitely dig it.

Amour is definitely not a film for everyone, it's tough to watch and at times conventionally boring. Although this doesn't mean that it's a bad film, that's very much not the case.

Following the life of an Elderly French couple, Amour follows the slow decline of Anne's (Emmanuelle Riva) health as she is looked after by her husband Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) whose dedication is tested.

Amour is a beautifully shot film, it is one of technical excellence. Although we rarely leave the apartment the camera finds a way to keep it fresh. At points the simple confines become confusing adding to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the characters.

The two main performances are incredibly praise-worthy here, most notably Riva, her acting makes her character believable, her struggle becomes all too real and haunting. Trintignant shines too, the few tales he tells throughout the film are encapsulating, you can really imagine yourself in Georges shoes.

Amour is perhaps a little high-brow for a general audience but for those who seek it out it's a must-watch. It's not exactly an 'enjoyable' watch but it's one to think about, to then consider the meaning and ponder the beauty of life.

Captain Phillips is intense, real nail biting, edge of your seat intense. Plus it's Tom Hanks and who doesn't enjoy a bit of Tom Hanks.

I personally enjoyed the small character development throughout, the intuition from Phillips was great and the dynamic between the Somali pirates was well developed and real.

One of the few flaws was some hammed in exposition at the start to make you care for the characters immediately, also while I'm a fan of shaky cam some of it felt too much during a couple of actions scenes.

Although a few minor faults doesn't stop the film from being a fun and an exhilarating thriller. Most definitely worth watching for the first half alone.