The Handmaiden

Unfortunately I let a lot of time lapse before writing a review of this film. I wish I'd sat down and written my thoughts as soon as I'd watched it.

Golly. What a ride it is! It's beautifully shot, and it has a very immersive plot and extremely absorbing characters.

I was impressed with how well the Korean actors spoke Japanese – I read that some of them learnt Japanese especially for the film. All of their accents and pronunciation were spot on, which was nice to see.

Apparently this is based on a British book by Sarah Waters. I loved the idea of re-telling it in colonial Korea. Brilliant.

Really enjoyed this. 9/10

Waiting for Guffman

This was OK. 6/10

The Neon Demon

One of the worst films I have ever seen. No joke.

Lesbian necrophilia? No thanks.

Absolute stinker. 0/10

The Drop

Another good film (two days in a row!)

This was James Gandolfini's last film before he died. He was a great actor and it would've been nice to see more of his work. I suppose that's just the way of the world.

Tom Hardy was good in this, but perhaps he needs to stop mumbling so much (like in The Revenant, too).

I saw in the end credits that this was written by Dennis Lehane (Shutter Island, Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), and it struck me that there was something familiar to the feel of the film while I was watching it. I enjoy the way he tells a story.

This film said a lot to me about Good vs Evil, and how life is a struggle between the two. 8/10

Under the Shadow

I really enjoyed this. Not a film I'd heard anything about (my viewing partner picked it out), but then again, it's always good to have things recommended.

The thing I liked about the film was that although it was horror (a genre I'm not normally so interested in) it made use of the idea that the djinn could represent other things.

Taking place in the midst of a war zone, the supernatural element of the film could quite easily stand in for any kind of theme: war, trauma, fear, ourselves.

Nice film. 8/10

Green Room

I'd heard so many good things about this film, but it really didn't live up to the hype. I found it a bit unbelievable, and over the top (just to shock).

The characters spoke too quickly to each other, and didn't seem to be actually talking or interacting with each other. It was more like a performance, just to be impressive.

They also did all the wrong things, which seems to be a trope for these kinds of horror/thriller types of films, but it just ends up annoying me. I would've got out of that Green Room a hell of a lot faster than they did.

One thing I did like about the film was the way it slowly drip fed information to us, so in a sense it was well written, and I did find myself wanting to know what was going on. I give it a 6/10.

My viewing partner hated it, thought it was too violent, and gave it a zero.

Bad Neighbours

This film was so shitty I stopped watching it after 20 minutes. 0/10

Neruda

Went to see this at the cinema this evening. It was a late showing, and I was feeling pretty sleepy, but the film kept my attention all the way through.

It was beautifully shot, and I liked the aesthetic – it was processed to look like a desaturated old film, and this fit in nicely with the background scenery of classic cars, old books and typewriters. I wasn't such a fan of the gratuitous lens flare though...

The film was bizarre and confusing, and I think at times didn't have as strong a hold over itself as it wanted the viewer to believe. I'm fine with all this the narrator woke up and he was just a metaphor thing, but I didn't think it was as well executed as it could've been.

It was interesting to find out more about a period in time, and a political climate that I know nothing about. There were also some bizarrely funny parts that had me and my viewing partner laughing out loud. 6/10

Under the Skin

Couldn't find a decent poster for this film, so I found this alternative one, which I like a lot.

The first part of the film was genuinely terrifying, as was the ending. It freaked me out so much I think I might have nightmares. Seriously. At my age.

It was very unsettling and the music made me feel trapped and claustrophobic.

My criticism of the film would be that I had to get my viewing partner to explain parts to me, and I felt a similarity to the 2001: A Space Odyssey film whereby if you haven't read the book, a lot of what is going on remains a tiny bit too cryptic.

Still, very well shot, and entertaining. 7/10

Manchester by the Sea

I enjoyed this. Possibly not as much as You Can Count on Me, which I just watched. Perhaps I felt this film a bit too slow in pace? It didn't move as quickly, and dwelt too much on some parts which were just slowed down to music (and hence lacked the great dialogue).

I felt it did have similarities to You Can Count on Me in terms of plot – both films were essentially about people from small towns who experience tragedy, then it looks at characters who choose to run away from it, and those who choose to live with it (that is, the tragedy).

It's funny, because I've read other reviews on the net where people say it's a two-hour slit-your-wrists fest. But I really disagree. There were some hilarious bits of dialogue in this. I'm a big fan of generational friendships – it's great to see an estranged uncle and nephew learning to get along together like they used to.

I also loved how these grumpy Massachusetts people speak to each other. There's a certain humour behind their gruffness that just cracks me up. Compared to the positive hippies on the West Coast, they just seem so brutal (a lot like the cold climate they live in). And that's refreshing. It just goes to show how vast and different America is.

Not a bad film. 7/10