Andy Harvey

What can I say, but I enjoyed it. Sure, it's a hot mess but viewed as a symbolic dream piece it sort of makes sense. Even the stilted acting and portentous pontificating become aspects of the reverie rather than mere bombastic nonsense. Furthermore it is visually spectacular, audaciously ambitious and a singular cinematic experience. Give me this any day over a Marvel retread. Whether it will eventually be seen as an auteur's masterpiece is less sure, not least because there is a nagging sense that it seemed half finished. A flawed masterpiece perhaps, and it's excesses might be reappraised in the same way as Heavens Gate. Go watch it and make up your own mind. You may like it, you may not, but it will be hard to remain indifferent to it.

I was looking forward to this film as I have enjoyed other folk horror movies but I found it to be disappointing. The main problem is that the themes that might tie the movie together are never fully explored or developed, so we never really know who Jack is or what he does or means. We don't really find out much about the childhood trauma of Richard. We don't really know why his wife is attracted to the promise that Jack's return offers. We don't find out much about how Jack was summoned or why he takes the form of a hare (a laughably bad animatronic hare at that). We don't find out why she doesn't really love her son ... and so on. All these things are hinted at but no more. The film is almost saved by good performances and it's own oddness, but it doesn't really land. Also, as a film stated to include strong horror, it was not remotely scary, relying on over egged dramatic music to notch up the tension instead.

A really engaging film that tackles head on the sense of alienation and isolation that those of us that are different often feel when coming of age. In this case, it is trans identity but this is mostly hinted at obliquely so the film should not be pigeonholed too easily as a trans movie. I kept thinking of Donnie Darko with it's themes of depression and fantasy. If I have a criticism it is that it reiterates the idea that trans lives are inescapably sad. I really liked the palette of the cinematography and the way this helped to convey the primary colours of teen life. While the central conceit won't be to everyone's liking, read as metaphor rather than literally, it works to teach us that everyone needs to be seen, respected and allowed to be who they are. Perhaps my favourite film of the summer.

I really enjoyed this film, more than I expected to. It straddles a line between orthodox and revisionist westerns and mostly succeeds in doing so. For a story told at a glacial pace it was surprisingly engaging. The final third would have been improved with sharper editing and dramatic tension to maintain the commitment of the viewer, but otherwise I would recommend going to see this for its lovely cinematography, top class performances and Mortensen's singular authorial vision.

The Beast is a startling film that just about works. It is rather too long and would have benefitted by having 20 minutes trimmed from the run time. It also suffers a little as the premise requires the protagonists not to get too close thus robbing the movie of some emotional heft, but that's the point. Otherwise it is a wonderful meditation on existential solitude and the irreparable barrier that will always separate us from other people. It really works by showing different facets of our connections from the beautiful to the ugly. The ending is heartbreaking not least in its inevitability. A truly unique cinematic experience with wonderful photography and scene setting. Not the easiest of films but we should be grateful there are filmmakers out there who will still take risks for their art.

While this lustful comedy drama has some great moments, superb cinematography and is held together by the three leads, it was also somewhat tedious as it holds the viewer at a distance. Partly this is down to the welcome sexual ambiguities that pervade the film, but is also a product of the highly fragmented narrative that never allows us to settle into the storytelling. Without any spoilers, the ending was simply not earned and fell flat. One of those films that critics seem to like but which audiences are less enamoured with. It is also at least 30 minutes too long and time did drag.

There is a lot to like about this film which acts as a romcom for all those folk who fall between the cracks of society as a result of a combination of heartless capitalism and their own shortcomings. Laugh out loud at times and balancing on a tightrope between hope and desperation, nevertheless at just over 80 minute long it never quite grabs you completely and lacks a bit of dramatic tension. We needed to be able to root for the protagonists a bit more.

The film neatly balances the coming of age story of the young filmmaker with a call to arms for the art of cinema. While it does fairly skip along in Spielberg's signature classic storytelling style, it does also feel a bit baggy around the middle. Given that the thesis of the film is that the art is all in the editing and what you choose to show and what you omit, this film could have done with another 15 minutes left on the floor. But it is still a remarkable film and demonstrates why Spielberg has been such a commercial as well as artistic success over the years. And yes, it has its fair share of his saccharine infected optimism. It wouldn't be Spielberg without it.

Great to see The Batman as Batman almost throughout. Bruce Wayne takes a back seat and all the better for it. The plot is a bit over the place but the film is more about its aesthetics and metaphorical meanings above all else. As for them, it is reminiscent of The Dark Knight without ever reaching those heights. Robert Pattinson gives a welcome nuanced portrayal that sits in contrast to Afflecks monochrome effort. One of the better instalments but not the best.

I expect many things from a Wes Anderson movie but I didn't expect to be bored. Anderson's indulgent aesthetic affectations, here taken to the limit at the expense of narrative, may appeal to some but not to everyone. His humour also fell flat for the sizeable audience I was with. A few chuckles here and there but it is not the comic extravaganza that some critics appear to think it is. I also felt too alienated from the subject matter. For those with a love of old magazines, French culture and nostalgia it would probably work.