Beast Beast (2020)
Written & directed by Danny Madden this film stars Shirley Chen, Will Madden and Jose Angeles. We follow the interconnected story of three young people all seeking fame in their own way.
I enjoyed the first two thirds of this film but the final third seems forced and heavy handed. The twist just does not make sense to me, I am not sure what we are supposed to get from it. In the end this film was a disappointment despite the early promise it showed.
2/5
Minari (2020)
Written & directedby Lee Isaac Chung this film stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung and Will Patton. In 1980s America a Korean immigrant moves his family to a rural area with the desire to start a farm.
This is a classic tale of immigration and aspiration centred around childhood, it may be the father's vision that drives the action but we see the story from the point of view of the youngest son. I really enjoyed this film, it is well crafted despite being a bit simple and familiar. Good performances even from the child actors.
4/5
Powers of Ten (1977)
Directed by Charles and Ray Eames this is an educational short film. From a picture of a man lying down at a picnic we zoom out to the edge of the universe then back to the centre of an atom.
If you ever wanted a reminder of your cosmic insignificance this is the film for you. Visually impressive this is a powerful educational film. We could probably achieve something better now with modern special effects but for the time this is well made.
4/5
Bombshell (2019)
Directed by Ray Roach this film based on real events stars Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and John Lithgow. A look into the exposure of Roger Ailes for harassing various women at Fox News.
I think this is one of the better looks at work place harassment even if it asks some uncomfortable questions. The performances of the cast are all really excellent as you would expect from so many big names. There is only so much you can cover in a 2 hour film so I can forgive the film for not going deeper in some places.
4/5
Let Him Go (2020)
Directed by Thomas Bezucha this film based on the novel of the same name stars Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Lesley Manville. In the 1960s a retired sheriff and his wife set off to track down the wife of their dead son and her new husband.
Well made but not very original there is not a huge amount that stands out about this Western themed film. The plot is as you would expect with the male lead having to die to prove his worth. Diane Lane and Kevin Coster are the highlights of an otherwise pedestrian genre piece.
3/5
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
Directed by Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz this film stars Shia LaBeouf, Zack Gottsagen and Dakota Johnson. A 22 year old man with Down syndrome escapes a retirement home with dreams of becoming a professional wrestler.
Essentially this is a modern rework of Huckleberry Finn and works fairly well for what it is. The ending is a little over egging the pudding in my opinion, I would have preferred something more depressingly realistic but otherwise there is not much to complain about here. I would definitely say the cast is the highlight of the film.
3/5
Materna (2020)
Directed by David Gutnik this film stars Kate Lyn Sheil, Jade Eshete, Lindsay Burdge and Assol Abdullina. We see four women and their relationship with their mothers/motherhood.
I found this to be an enjoyable anthology of female centric stories. The least interesting part is the incident that connects all four of the main characters together but otherwise there is a lot of enjoy here. Well worth seeking out.
4/5
