Cert: 15 Runtime: 94 mins Director: Claire Denis Cast: Juliette Binoche, Xavier Beauvois, Philippe Katerine,Josiane Balasko, Sandrine Dumas, Nicolas Duvauchelle and Gérard Depardieu
Claire Denis has been a film-maker that I am currently delving into her illustrious body of work. Last year I missed out on seeing her latest during Directors Fortnight at Cannes, it has received mixed reviews but for some reason it 
caught my attention. So what is Let The Sunshine In all about you ask? Isabelle (Juliette Binoche) is a divorced Parisian painter searching for another shot at love, but refusing to settle for the parade of all-too-flawed men who drift in and out of her life. There’s a caddish banker (Xavier Beauvois) who, like many of her lovers, happens to be married; a handsome actor (Nicolas Duvauchelle) who’s working through his own hang-ups; and a sensitive fellow artist (Alex Descas) who’s skittish about commitment. What reads like a standard romantic comedy premise is transformed, in the hands of master filmmaker Denis, into something altogether deeper, more poignant, and perceptive about the profound mysteries of love.
Let the Sun Shine In is a unique experience, as is the choreography of romance and life it is set in. In the world of 
online dating, and easy going rom coms. You won’t find that kind of easy romcom in Claire Denis’ film. Denis uses close up techniques successfully, particularly of Isabelle’s facial reflections, displaying the complexity of her character. The balance between the close-up shots with wide angles speaks a lot about a good cinematographer. There is no doubting Juliette Binoche’s almost God like acting talents, she keeps her legend in the movie by giving a very vibrant intensity to Isabelle. She laughs, she cries, she suffers, she daydreams, she’s angry, she fights – all these moments are exceptionally portrayed by Binoche like a fish swimming in the water. My only complaint is about the end scene where Isabelle meets the fortune teller and when he starts a pretty boring 10-15 minutes ‘analysis’ about her love life and the men she have had affairs with. It’s not going for everyone but it was a very unique and compelling watch.
giant monster movies! Rampage came across as a good one, but is it really? What is it all about you ask? Primatologist Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals. As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.
Brad Peyton’s San Andreas was a lot of cheesy/action packed fun, but Rampage over goes more cheese and less action. There are a lot of heavy stupid dialogue scenes, any avid cinema goer will cipher each situation before the characters solve it. What is surprising is that the BBFC gave it a 12 A rating, for a ‘family’ orientated film there is a lot of swearing, gore and death. Normally you don’t see creatures killing civilians, for me it didn’t bother me but I can imagine it will get some form of backlash. Peyton is a very good action film-maker, his use of CGI is executed very well. The overall design of the creatures was very unique and different. Dwayne Johnson was his usual superstar self, charming and witty. His chemistry with George was very sweet and you do care for them. But Jeffrey Dean Morgan steals the show for me, he was a bad-ass and hilarious. Rampage is a slow build up with morsels of action, but the third act saves it! Rampage really could have been a lot better, if Brad Peyton would of stayed with the San Andreas formula it would have been another guilty pleasure for me.
screen appearance with his wife Emily Blunt *LIKE YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT ANYWAY*. The trailers gave a simple premise of a horror/drama with not much dialogue. That was more than enough for me to want to see it. So what is A Quiet Place about you ask? A family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threaten their survival. If they hear you, they hunt you.A Quiet Place has is the reason you go to the cinema. It was such an immersive experience, full house, jumping bodies, awkward laughs and surround sound. I haven’t had such an experience for some time now, it was a breath of fresh air.
make you laugh, when to cry, and most of all, when to scream. Just like Jordan Peele last year with Get Out, this U.S Office Alumn knows how to create a horror social commentary film. Between tackling parenthood during tough times and tackling life day to day politically, Krasinski has created a very intellectual film.The psychological element is played simply and effectively, the set pieces come one after another, in different locations of the farmland where the characters live, one situation is more unsettling than the other. The appearances of monsters is cleverly played out, they are always just one glance away and for most of the film you cannot see them up close. When the creatures are finally revealed they are eerie and disturbing. As a horror fan I have seen it all, but these vicious buggers have their own wicked personality. They are creepily spectacular and fun to watch.
in, it’s decidedly booming and intense. Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are superb in this film. They are faced with many tough moments and raising a family in this environment only makes it that much harder! They do provide great emotional value and keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe give strong performances too, Simmonds does really show the frustration and anger through out the film, but her heroism just shines. As a quartet it feels like a strong family unit with survival a priority. I found myself caring for the characters (rare in horror) and hoping for a positive outcome.A Quiet Place is simple, yet effective horror movie and the reason you should go to the cinema to watch it. 
episodes so he deserves your attention). So what is Pacific Rim: Uprising about you ask? Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous ‘Kaiju’. Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.
cliched story to be over so I could enjoy the amazing action battles. And the massive action scenes were very enjoyable, entire cities destroyed, bad ass robots fighting giant alien creatures while smashing into skyscrapers. I enjoyed all of that thoroughly and the last half of the film was chock full of visually pleasing action. But nearly everything other than that was either average, sup-par, or cliched. The story, many aspects have been done before and now have become cliches. Son of the greatest fighter also shows much potential but gets kicked out for being a maverick, only to return wen the agency needs a maverick, and will he live up to his fathers ultimate service. I’ve seen this over and over again and felt no interest in the framing story. The acting was a combination of averagely good acting combined with some not so good acting. A fun yet forgettable time at the cinema.
Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson returns with a stop motion film paying homage to Japanese culture and a stellar cast to boot. So what is Isle of Dogs about you ask? When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, 12-year-old Atari (Koyu Rankin) sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.
believable world for the film to be set in. Each one of the characters was deeply developed and fascinating while also working off many of the other characters. This is another politically strong message from Anderson in regards to the marginalisation of minorities, and how propaganda can influence the masses to turn on minorities. He keeps his unique style and it works very well with the futuristic, but still traditional Japanese art. It also incorporates some cartooning along with interesting ideas. Anderson manages to merge his style with the Japanese and it works seamlessly. The animation style is purely rugged and different from any other animation I have seen, the fact Anderson changes around stop motion, drawn animation and still images was genius. It really does enhance the gravitas and uniqueness of Anderson’s creation.
greatest casts assembled. Unfortunately though, Anderson struggles to deal with such a rich and varied cast. Although the main characters of Chief played by Bryan Cranston are dealt with well, none of the characters possess the charm of previous Wes Anderson creations such as Monsieur Gustave, Max Fischer or Steve Zissou. It’s a very quirky film with an all too relatable story. I enjoyed the visuals more than the plot, I’ll admit, but it was still a good movie, with the usual quick dialogues, jokes, strange characters – Tilda Swinton being the weirdest, no surprise there – and altogether it’s a great experience. Behind the stunning visuals, is a story full of heart, a story about a dog, man’s best friend, and his master. It’s a movie that I think adults will take more in then kids because of the heavy subject matter and dark themes.
FiLMiC app, Soderbergh keeps challenging himself and us an audience. So what is Unsane about you ask? Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) relocates from Boston to Pennsylvania to escape from the man who’s been stalking her for the last two years. While consulting with a therapist, Valentini unwittingly signs in for a voluntary 24-hour commitment to the Highland Creek Behavioral Center. Her stay at the facility soon gets extended when doctors and nurses begin to question her sanity. Sawyer now believes that one of the staffers is her stalker — and she’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive and fight her way out.
that probably is in large part due to the fact it was shot on a smartphone. You really feel like you are thrust into the very middle of this nightmare – so kudos to Soderbergh for that. This is genre film-making at its very best – and blast to watch and a reminder that Soderbergh is a master of his trade and can effortlessly move between genres. Steven Soderberghs nicely plays with the audience and permanently asks the question is she rightly there or indeed insane? Its a stalking drama that turns into a mystery thriller until it reaches its point as a horror film. Claire Foy is a tour de force as Valentini, such a convincing performance she kept us guessing through out. Utterly strong, harrowing and mesmeric. As for the supporting cast Juno Temple and Joshua Leonard were on prime form too. They really drove Unsane along with Foy, and elevates the mysteriousness of it. Unsane won’t be for everyone, but Soderbergh and Foy have created a mind-boggling film that leaves you on the edge of your seat.
look interesting but I wasn’t overly amazed by it. Since SXSW it has recived great acclaim and audiences are responding to it. With an Easter holiday release date surely this is going to be magical? What is Read Player One about you ask? In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place. The only time Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where most of humanity spends their days. In the OASIS, you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone-the only limits are your own imagination. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance), who left his immense fortune and total control of the Oasis to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir. When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends-aka the High Five-are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS.
transported into a future that we are living today. We have are head in a phone or tablet rather than spending time with the people that we love or checking out the world. This is probably Spielberg’s biggest message from the film, it’s rather preachy but a necessary one. The wave of nostalgia is colossal through out from The Iron Giant to Freddy Kruger to Akira and even King Kong. This is what makes the film for me along with Mark Rylance playing a Jesus like Steve Jobs (TOP JOB). The visuals are something to be held also, you feel like you are following two different stories because of The OASIS. I wouldn’t recommend 3D as it really can be too much and you feel disorientated during some sequences. The scene to be held in the highest esteem is The Shining sequence, as a long time Stanley Kubrick fan I was transported back to one of my top films of all time.The real issue with Ready Player One are the character arcs and hollow plot line. It starts off strong, and ended the exact same way. The heart of the book (from what I have researched) was how this normal person rose from being one of us, to the savior of the universe.The film is missing that.
the sheer fact that they had an army to fall back on in the real world weakened our connection to them for us as an audience. They were no longer the small guy going after the big corporation, now they were a small army going after what seemed to be just one man who was afraid of guns, and a mercenary woman who was beaten up by an eleven year old kid. The bad guys became a joke. Not to mention so stupid in that they keep there passwords written down for the world to see. The cast of the VR players including Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke were rather disposable and had very little to do in the real world, once they are in OASIS they are more alive (that’s the point of the game I get it, but you wish the real them would have more pop). Ready Player One does have it’s flaws and weaknesses, but Spielberg has woven some magic here. He made a movie that the young me would love! This will be a big hit with audiences, just like Force Awakens nostalgia will make it triumphant. Bags of fun but I wish there was more weight to the bag.