The Post review

The Post tells the story of the Washington Post's struggle to publish the Pentagon Papers.

What do you expect from a film directed by Stephen Spielberg, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks? You get exactly that.

It explores suppression of the press, suppression of the truth, and women fighting for a better future in interesting, and topical, ways.

While the cast is great, I did get distracted at times by the amount of actors I recognised. Throughout the film, these actors that I like kept popping up, such to an extent that I can only remember the names of two characters. To emphasise how many actors are in this film, there are at least four actors who have been in Fargo.

In short: It's really good.

The Commuter review

The Commuter is the latest Liam Neeson action-thriller, in which he plays a man on a train who is offered a large amount of money to find another passenger who does not belong.

I could just write "Liam Neeson on a train"  and you would know exactly how much or little you would like this film. Personally, I really enjoyed it.

There is enough good action and suspense in the film for me to find it entertaining. It isn't trying to do anything more than that, and it succeeds in doing so. That said, the opening is actually quite good; where you see the repetitive nature of Neeson's mornings and get some good exposition on his character and his family. Which contrasts greatly with the ending.

I knew where the film was going to go at the end as soon as a certain character was introduced. And there is a shot in the trailer, which I hated every time I saw it, which shows too much. So if you've not seen the trailer but want to: turn it off after Vera Farmiga says "You have until next stop to decide what kind of person are you."

In short: It's Liam Neeson on a train.

The Shape of Water review

The Shape of Water ids the new film by Guillermo del Toro, and follows the relationship between a mute women and a man-fish.

As someone who really likes del Toro's films, I was probably predisposed to liking this film.

Of course, it looks great. The cinematography, lighting, production design and colour scheme all work well together to give off a great look to the film.

Doug Jones' Amphibious Man, also, looks great. The make-up/prosthetics/costume create one of the most memorable monsters of recent years. And underneath all that, Jones is able to convey emotion through his face and body as well as any other actor in the film... And there's a lot of good actors in the film.

I honestly don't think I've ever seen a bad Michael Shannon performance. He may be an intense character in pretty much every film he's in, but he does it so well. Sally Hawkins is able to act greatly despite her lack of lines. Octavia Spencer at times is almost like a surrogate voice for Hawkins' character, and has double the amount of lines of anyone else. Richard Jenkins gives a nuanced performance as Hawkins' neighbour. And Michael Stuhlbarg continues his habit of appearing in every other good film.

In short: Guillermo del Toro once again makes another great film, and a believable romance.

Coco review

Coco is the latest Pixar film, and follows a Mexican boy who must get back to the land of the living after an incident takes him to the land of the dead.

I am really glad I saw this film. I was originally sceptical as the story looked similar to The Book of Life (a Mexican male wants to go against family tradition, which results in him being taken to the land of the dead on Día de los Muertos, and he must get back to his world. And music is heavily involved). I liked The Book of Life, but I didn't love it. It was a fun family film with inventive visuals, but I don't really remember much else - apart from the out of place Ice Cube. Despite the similar premise, Coco really stands out in quality compared to The Book of Life.

The main character, Miguel, comes from a family of cobblers. This family has dedicated their lives to making shoes, and have outlawed music after Miguel's great great grandfather abandoned his wife and daughter. But Miguel's dream is to be a musician. They sell really well his ambition to do what he loves and be an individual.

Although it has some good themes, the story is tried and tested. It's not bad, but there are a few moments that are meant to be twists which I saw coming very easily. That doesn't mean the story isn't effective though, it's quite the opposite actually.

Obviously, a Pixar film is going to look great.

In short: Another impressive original Pixar film.

Darkest Hour review

Darkest Hour looks at Winston Churchill's first month as Prime Minister in 1940.

This is definitely the better of the two Churchill films released in the past year. Firstly, this actually looks and feels like a film. Secondly, this held my interest more. And thirdly, it is a lot less repetitive.

Every one is praising Gary Oldman's performance in this film, and with good reason. He gives an absolutely fantastic performance here, and there were times when I had to remind myself that I was watching Oldman. Plus, the prosthetics and makeup used on him to make him actually look like Churchill were phenomenal. They seemlessley blend with is face and body to look realistic. And possibly the most impressive part is that he can still convey emotion through the prosthetics.

In other positives: Ben Mendelsohn is great as King George VI, the cinematography is some of the best of the year, and the portrayal of Churchill was honest and fair.

However, I don't care about politics, so a fair number of the scenes bored me. And some of the scenes which didn't bore me, came off as fake. For example: the scene on the underground very much seemed as though it was made up, and felt a little put of place. As there were many scenes which didn't interest/invest me, I did get bored.

In short: There's slightly more good than bad, but it's just not for me.

All the Money in the World

All the Money in the World tells the story of the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III, his mother's quest to get him back, and his grandfather's reluctance to pay the ransom.

It's pretty good. The story is interesting, and the acting is exceptional. Obviously Michelle Williams is great, Mark Wahlberg is actually trying here, Charlie Plummer is pretty good. Now, about Christopher Plummer; firstly, it's a really good performance, secondly, it's very impressive how they integrated him into the film once production was finished. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Ridley Scott and his crew that this worked as well as it did.

Ignoring the late addition of Christopher Plummer, the film does work well. There are plenty of really good moments of tension and drama. But, it is a long film. Although I definitely felt the length, I wouldn't say that I was bored at any point. It's really odd, but it remained entertaining, even though I could tell how long it was. It's possible that it was less pacing that was the problem, but more the portrayal of the passage of time.

In short: An impressive feat of film making that could be shorter.