Wot I Watched

Interesting topic but uninteresting movie. I love a good movie about journalists, Spotlight, All The Presidents Men, but this doesn't really land for me. I think partly because the actual act of investigation isn't particularly compelling. Spotlight has a good mix of interviewing victims and the hard yards they go through to unravel this conspiracy. This doesn't really have that, and I can't quite put my finger on why I found it so lacking. Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan are great in the film, but I just don't think the rest of the film quite comes together.

I didn't really enjoy this movie, I found it distinctly average. It looks great! They have a good cast, but I don't really enjoy anybody on screen. I like Robert Pattinson as an actor, but I didn't really enjoy his Batman. That's largely because I just don't enjoy this gritty grimly dark Batman incarnation it just feels a bit boring. Colin Farrell as the Penguin was captivating, but that was about it really.

Another rather silly but easy going movie. Something to stick on the background, engaging enough to not be a waste of time but not so amazing that you will feel the need to watch it again.

It's fine. It's one of those "if you've seen this type of movie before" then you've seen this one kind of things. Bryan Cranston and John Leguizamo are both great in it, but it's nothing to elevate the movies rating.

It's okay. Nicholas Cage is understated which is not always that fun, especially in a movie like this. Certainly isn't going to be on my list of classic Christmas movies.

This was a pretty good movie, I'm not sure if it would be called a classic by any means, but I feel like it has had some culturally staying powers over the year. I decided to give this a shot after seeing a Nicholas Hoult and Hugh Grant interview that had some good chemistry, and I have to say the movie was pretty good! I will say it is kind of fun to see Hugh Grant be a bit of an asshole after a string of rom-cons where he plays that befuddled fellow. He still has a bit of that quality in this movie, but he is consistently a very fun actor to play that befuddled man. Nicholas Hoult isn't bad himself, but I do think he became a much better actor as he got older.

I heard some people consider this a bit dated, and I suppose in some respects it is. Hugh Grant playing the boss who's hitting on one of his directs isn't exactly great, but otherwise I think it's quite a fun movie. I tried watching the sequel, but ultimately it just felt hollow compared to this one.

John Le Carre classic in movie form. I loved it, wonderful espionage movie as is to be expected for something based on a Le Carre work.

I'm shocked I have never seen this before. A Quentin Tarantino movie directed by Tony Scott. A match made in heaven for me, it nails everything. The actors are wonderful, the shots beautiful and the writing engaging. Absolutely worth a watch if you haven't seen it already.

I think there are some great people in this season, but overall I don't think it really comes together. It felt like a bit of a plod to get through. Oh well, hopefully they can improve with the next season...

...and boy did they! This might be my favourite season of the show since the first one. If you read my list last year, you know that Jon Hamm is one of my favourite actors around at the moment. Boy, does he kill the role as that piece of shit sheriff. Joe Kerry and Juno Temple are also highlights of the season. Fargo felt like it was kind of getting off its stride with season 3 and 4, but this was a return to form!

Rewatch. Again, another classic movie! Interesting to watch since I'll be going to Tokyo this year.

Horny tennis movie with a great cast and a great soundtrack.

Well... that was fantastic. Weird to see vampire dong in the movie, but I loved it overall. My boy Nicholas Hoult cropping up again and Lily-Rose Depp showing that, damn, she can indeed act. Robert Eggers does it again, that son of a bitch!

Classic anime! This was a rewatch as sometimes when I want something a bit chill and wholesome, I decide to watch this again. One of the earliest anime's I saw, and it still holds up.

I heard a lot about this movie before I saw it, and I know people were hand wringing a little at the time about it being a movie about Trump's America, but I don't see that at all. The marketing and timing had a bit of that to it but the movie itself is largely devoid of it. People point to Nick Offerman's performance, but I think people see what they want to see. Overall I think it's a pretty good movie, a couple of the scenes are a little silly but also some of them are absolute nail biters. I think performances are good all around, but I really enjoy seeing Wagner Moura popping up more.

If you grew up with Newgrounds like I did, then you might love this show. At 10 mins per episode it's incredibly funny, to me at least, and I loved every episode. I remember hearing for a long time about the likes of OneyNG and Pschicpebbles trying to get a show made with Adult Swim and while it seems that show didn't come to be, it's cool to see this come about at least.

Having seen the director's previous work of Your Name, I decided to give this a go as well. The guy knows how to make absolutely stunning looking movies and overall I would say I loved it.

Terrible secret agents, but great chemistry in the show. Look at that, Wagner Moura popping up again in something I'm reviewing. I think this is a mileage may vary sort of show, it's certainly couldn't be mistaken for an espionage show, it's more a relationship story with the trappings of the espionage genre. If you have Prime I would say it's worth a shot, the guest stars are all really rather fantastic.

Took a while for us to get the new season, but it was worth the wait. I know some people are down on the animation, but I think it's fine. The performance and writing are stellar here and more than make up for the non fluidity in my opinion.

Loved it. It's cool to see Hiroyuki Sanada getting around a bit more, I first notice him in The Last Samurai when I was younger, and it's nice to seem him back in a big well received production. There's a lot of good humour in this show and of course the supporting cast are really good. Everyone is giving props to the the Japanese cast and rightfully so! Shout-out Cosmo Jarvis, who kills it as Blackthorne and who has a great Richard Burton-esque voice during the show.

I got to see this at the Theatreship at Canary Wharf during one of their mystery cinema night and I have to say, this was a lot of fun! It's a darkly comedic film. Everyone has this off kilter quality to them, but is overall lovely. A surprisngly touching film and one that I would have probably not have seen if not for the ship.

Controversial for winning Best Oscar and I have to say, considering this was the same year as Fargo, Jerry Maguire, The People vs Larry Flynt and Trainspotting it is a little shocking. I find the movie to be a bit oddly paced and not very engaging as a romance story. Willem Dafoe turns up which is fun, but otherwise I think this is a bit of a miss. Some gorgeous shots though if nothing else!

Readers of my reviews will know I have a deep love for Wes Anderson movies and this one passed me by for some time. As always I loved the style and enjoyed the kind of awkward love story that is going on. I know the beach scene is quite divisive amongst audiences, but I do think it kind of drives home the awkward love that kids/teens get in to. Worth a watch and it's excellent, but I don't think this would make top three for me.

I don't know much about the real David Foster Wallace, and I'm aware that friends and his estate kind of disown this movie as a representation of him, I would say regardless I still really enjoyed the film. If you take it as a movie that's not about a real person I still finding it incredibly engaging and boy, who knew Jason Segel could act! I loved it, but your mileage may vary based on what you know of Foster Wallace.

Goddamn, we are starting strong from the go this year. Slipped in just before the end of January and this is an absolutely phenomenal movie firing on all cylinders, every actor in this is frankly incredible and a special shout-out to that shit eating prosecutor, he nails the role in such a frustrating manner. It's a beautiful looking movie, and I think what shows its good whether she committed murder central to the movie or not was irrelevant to me.