Redline (2009)

A hugely entertaining sci-fi racing anime that is a bombastic visual thrill ride. The plot may be simple but it makes up for it with piles of creativity and great pacing. I love the style and design of the universe and characters and it's so full of energy that there's never a dull moment. Those who prefer a bit of complexity and depth to their Anime, look elsewhere,
those who love pure enjoyable spectacles full of great animation, then I highly recommend this film. Cool, slick and full of awesome.
****

HK: The Forbidden Superhero

A film about a superhero named Hentai Kamen (Lit. Masked Pervert) who wears nothing but panties on his head, a mankini and stockings and defeats people with his crotch. This will probably be too ridiculous for some to enjoy. But I found the movie to be a lot of fun with some good comedy. The CGI is dodgy as fuck which is probably the films biggest flaw, but when you look past that  there is a very entertaining film here and remember 'being a bigger pervert doesn't make you a stronger pervert'. Ridiculous fun.
***

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max returns bigger and better than ever. George Miller delivers a great action film filled with outstanding action sequences. It's glorious to see so many practical effects again, especially being executed to almost utter perfection. The cinematography is also fantastic, providing us with many beautiful shots and the actors do a fine job too, with Tom Hardy being a more than adequate replacement for Mel Gibson as Max.
Now I didn't love it as much as some people and I wouldn't consider it a masterpiece, however I do admire it's brilliant execution and while it may not offer much for those who aren't much into action. I would highly recommend those that are action fans to go see this movie, as the action really is phenomenal and needs to be seen, and you don't have to see an of the previous films to see this, as it works absolutely fine as a stand alone film.(much like the other kind of do)
Overall Miller has once again managed to outdo himself with the Mad Max series, the ambition and scope have never been higher, giving us a truly non-stop thrill ride that is truly a joy to watch. In a time where sequels and reboots can be tiresome, Mad Max: Fury Road comes hurtling forward showing how to do it right.
****

Mad Max 1-3 (1979, 1981 & 1985)

In preparation for the newest Mad Max film (review coming soon), I watched the first three in the series for the first time. So here are my thoughts on each one.

Mad Max (1979)

the first Mad Max is a solid and fun low budget action flick. It's low budget may have somewhat marred it's dystopian vison from being fully realised, but it definitely does as good as it can with it's circumstances and though it's a little messy and has a strange obsession with dissolves, it's still a very enjoyable and solid first film.
***

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Mad Max 2 greatly improves on it's predecessor, with it's bigger budget helping the films post-apocalyptic vision really come through with it's punk visual aesthetics and desert land setting. The story is kept simple and some good moments of humour, but of course the film really shines through with it's enthralling and well executed action sequences, making this a really solid and thoroughly enjoyable action film, that does everything it should, to be better than the first film. Good Stuff.
***1/2

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

The third film in the Mad Max series is the one that is known to divide people. Many peoples problems with it stemming from the kids from the second half being reminiscent of the lost boys from Peter Pan completely messing with the tone of the rest of the film. I myself prefer this film to first two films(yes even Road Warrior), this is mainly due to the films greater ambition to be something more. I also really liked the lost kids and and had no issue with them, aside from some of their scenes dragging a little. The action is still really well executed, there are some great moments of humour and again the films dystopian vision is beautifully pulled off. The standout sequence of course thought is the one inside the Thunderdome which I thought was wonderful and absolutely adored. Overall it may be a little rough around the edges but this is another really solid action film, that manages to stand above it's predecessors with it's greater ambition.
***1/2

 

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014)

The latest film from Roy Andersson and final part in his 'living' trilogy which is set out exactly like first two films with each scene/segment being done mainly in one big static wide shot. The film itself is rather wonderful, you have some great comical moments and some purely wonderful moments of people just living. There was one scene in particular involving a large metal drum with horn instruments sticking out, that was completely mesmerising (a scene that certainly has to be seen). It all plays out at it's own steady pace, which may be a little too slow from some peoples tastes, but works perfectly with the films deadpan approach.
Overall this is another great film by Andersson and a great finale to his 'living' trilogy. Just wonderful stuff.
****

The Falling (2015)

The Falling is a British Coming of age drama that stars Maisie Williams who is best known as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. The film itself concerns the identity struggles and sexual awakening of young teenage girls(that's how I saw it anyway). It is constantly intriguing and prompts the viewer to think and question the things that are happening on screen. There is also a scattering of somewhat disturbing moments placed throughout, with one scene in particular that I'm sure will make Game of Thrones fans scream "No Arya Stark, what are you doing?!". It is structured and crafted well and has some good performance from it's main cast and all in all this was a solid movie that I enjoyed considerably.
***1/2

Unfriended (2015)

Unfriended from the get to go is quite an intriguing film, due to it being set entirely on a laptop screen. It is essentially a social media horror that critiques cyber-bullying. It actually utilises it's gimmick quite well, creating quite a fun movie.
The films horror aspects are actually a little weak, but the film really shines through in it's more satirical side, leading to quite a few laughs. The film also reveals little story details throughout the film in interesting ways, that really help keep your attention. The acting isn't exactly stellar, but considering all the characters are seen through webcams, it's hard to expect anything that great.
Overall while this film may not exactly be good for a horror, it's certainly and interesting and fun film in it's own right and worth checking out as something a little different.
***

Far From The Madding Crowd (2015)

The newest film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel directed by Thomas Vinterberg. I myself have never read the novel and am not that familiar with it, nor have I seen the well regarded 1967 film version by John Schlesinger. What I can say though is that this latest film version is a really beautiful period drama, that I really liked alot. One of the films biggest strengths is definitely it's visual side, hats off to Vinterberg and cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen making the film look absolutely gorgeous. 2 hours of beautifully shot Carey Mulligan is definitely a winner in my book. This brings me on to the performances which were all really solid and good and helped make me care for the characters (something that doesn't happen often in these kind of period films). Overall this is one of the most enjoyable period dramas I have seen and is just a purely beautiful film. There's nothing more to say.
****

Monsters: Dark Continent (2015)

Monsters: Dark continent is the sequel to the well received first movie 'Monsters' a film that was pretty solid but not all that great. So with Dark Continent, we get a film that is only set in the same universe and has none of the characters from the first. From what I had seen beforehand, I was expecting something that could be fun, instead I got a film that was dull and depressing. Never have I seen a film try so hard to beat me in the face with it's sadness, turning it into a blood pulp of melancholy. Except it's emotional punches are so weak, they don't even scratch the surface and just you leave bored and irritated.(we get it war is horrible).
The films biggest problem is that it tries to be like the first film by minimising the use of monsters, but suffers from it rather than succeeds. The film feels like an Iraq war movie script, that had the Monsters added in later on. But it is the few moments involving the monsters that provide the only interesting parts of the film, the rest just feels dull and tries way too hard to be a downtrodden potrayal of war.
Overall this is a very disappointing movie, that just fails massively. I would have much rathered two hours of people fighting monsters in ridiculous ways, at least that might have been fun to watch. In the end though this film is everything it shouldn't have been.
*1/2