Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner

Great documentary about one of my favourite films of all time. 8/10

Departures (Re-watch)

Hadn't seen this in a while. Testament to how quiet and moving it is, my viewing companion burst into tears at the ending.

A good film that just explores ordinary people leading ordinary lives. 8/10

Planet Earth II

Classic. 8/10

The Jinx

Well. This was fucked up.

My friend put on the first episode when we were drunk round his once, and I'd told him to turn it off. I think because I found the opening so disgusting, and I didn't like the way the credits rolled and made it look like an episode of The Wire.

But I sat down yesterday and thought I'd give it another go sober.

And how glad I am that I did. It reminded me a lot of a true crime book I read by Richard Lloyd Parry about the Lucy Blackman murder in Tokyo called People Who Eat Darkness. If you haven't read that, you definitely should.

This was fantastic. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it. 9/10

Ghost in the Shell

So I went to the cinema to watch this, and I'm really glad I did.

I'd tried to watch it on VHS many years ago, and I'd given up. It was good to finally see it on the big screen, as it's definitely one of those cult classics worth knowing about.

And that's maybe the problem with this film: I'd heard so much about it; how it had influenced The Matrix; how it was incredible; how it was going to be made into a live action film with Scarlett Johansson; and all the rest.

But to be honest, this film has really dated. Such a great idea nestling behind it all – tech-fused with humanity, tech developing human characteristics etc. etc.

But this film is sooooooo slow. It takes ages to get going, and when it finally does, it's over. It's just a sad fact that Japanese animation has come on a long way since.

There was a sneak preview of the live action film before this screening, and I have to say – that did look pretty cool. I may have to check it out, perhaps it can develop on from concepts established in the original. But this anime film, I neither love nor hate. 5/10

Vice Principals

I've said before I didn't plan on reviewing series on here so much, and I still don't, because I don't watch many. But I've decided to make a note of any I do, because then it will explain gaps in my film watching.

From the team who brought us Eastbound & Down and The Foot Fist Way, this is a new HBO comedy series from Danny McBride and Jody Hill.

This first series was brilliant. So dark, devious and horrible, but great fun. They're so good at making terrible characters who you just can't help but follow (and not necessarily root for, but feel something toward them). I'm really looking forward to watching the second series when it comes out. 8/10

Deprogrammed

Yeah. I'm glad I decided to rate documentaries out of ten, because this was not a good one. The subject matter was so interesting, but the filmmaker didn't delve deeply enough into it.

I came away from it wondering what exactly the film was trying to say. I'd say this was perhaps due to the filmmakers decision to sandwich the documentary with footage and an interview of her brother (who was deprogrammed, and wasn't a fan). I think it felt almost like she had an agenda to say that deprogramming was bad. But from what I could see, it had helped quite a few people.

What should we do? Stand by and let cults take our loved ones? Perhaps the feeling I get from this is that we should never allow the bonds that hold us together as family, and as friends, become so weak that a person feels like they need to seek love and belonging elsewhere. 4/10

Capturing the Friedmans

I still feel hesitant giving this kind of film a score out of ten. It just seems insensitive to the subject matter. But then again, at some point I'm going to have to start distinguishing between good documentaries and bad ones.

This was most certainly a good one, albeit disturbing.

I just can't imagine what it must've been like being a part of this family, and I heavily sympathised with the mother. The sons were so abusive towards her, and I really hope she's found happiness in her new life. I also wondered about the absence of the eldest son, Seth. What happened to him? Perhaps he was a good guy and just got on with his life. I felt less and less sympathy for the father and the two sons involved in the film as it progressed. In my gut, I feel they were all guilty of something. Maybe this wasn't what the film was setting out to do. I'm not sure.

The tagline says: "Who do you believe?", and after watching the film, I'd say: nobody. 8/10

Pacific Rim

God this film sucks!

Anyone who thinks this film is good needs to reassess their life. This was my third attempt at watching it, and I only managed to get through it in three sittings. I'm still trying to watch it now – Idris Elba is giving a motivational speech. Almost finished, thank the Lord.

Where to begin with how bad it is... The concept is dumb, the dialogue is terrible, the plot is cack, the characters are flat. So much so that I was actually rooting for the Kaiju to win. Seriously – these poor monsters are just trying to get on with things and the humans keep fucking with them.

I don't understand where they got the technology for doing "the drift", and I don't understand how the two people control the machine from within. No one seems to mind that these Jaegers cause as much damage to the cities as the Kaiju do. None of it makes any sense, but we the audience are supposed to just lap it all up.

Everything that happens feels so predictable and so obvious that it makes watching the film a chore. The only good thing about this film was Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I'm shocked that this was made by the same guy as Pan's Labyrinth.

Pile of shit. 1/10

From Dusk Till Dawn (Re-watch)

Watched this a bit drunk last night. Apparently I was spouting lots of theories about how revolutionary it was in subverting and fusing genres.

I don't remember so much about it this morning. It's a silly film. I remember when I first saw it, I didn't like the vampire section and wished it had just run as a gangster flick from start to finish.

Now I'm not so sure. The vampire section is pretty funny. 7/10