All reviews are marked out of 10. Anything above 5 is worth seeing, as taste is always subjective and spoilers have been avoided by concentrating on the craft, rather than simply the plot. See bit.ly/Padreviews for the latest reviews. By Patric Maine BA (Hons) in Film studies.
The Lion King 9/10
Yesterday 10/10
So much better than I expected. Animation has reached a huge new height. The story is great - many of you would have seen it before - as a result some might be disappointed it probably won’t be a classic or loved as much as the original, but it was a worthy remake.
Pure perfection romcom. Add the ingredients of the writer of Love Actually, the rags to riches and director and theme of Slumdog Millionaire and the music of Beatles, and you’ve got the recipe for the perfect British romantic comedy. A great journey full of smile laughter joy fear and crying. All in all it was thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.
Horrible Histories: Rotten Romans 9/10 Thoroughly enjoyable. Good family comedy continues the tradition of making history fun for all the family. Don’t go expecting a high brow history lesson go there for fun, and you’ll enjoy it.
The Current War (2017) 5/10 The highlight was Nicholas Hoult’s acting - widely underrated he has come along way since About a Boy and Skins. Average, concentrates too much on Edison and not enough on Tesla.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 1/10 An insult to Sergio Leone. There were some impressive factors however, but the bad bits overwhelmed the good parts. The recreation of the 1960s was impressive although seeing Pan Am 747’s flying in 1969 was either a goof or all part of the Hollywood ‘fairytale’ playing with history. Overall it a poor movie and plays little homage the the brilliant ‘Once upon a time in the West’ or ‘America’. It’s undeserving of the title.
Annabelle Comes Home 4/10 The ingredients are there, the jumps, the evil, the doll, the spirits. You just feel like you’ve been here before and this film adds nothing to the franchise apart from $$.
The Queen’s Corgi 5/10 It’s just your average low budget second tier animation. It’s not Beauty and the Tramp, but there’s a story in there somewhere. A story of jealousy and love whilst emulating human behaviour of snobbery, bullying and deceit - it’s not unenjoyable but it’s not the best film you’ll see.
30.
Toy Story 4 10/10 The toys are back in town. Great storytelling and an enjoyable family animated classic from start to finish. You’ll love the well known characters, the new owners , the sinister goings on in the antique shop and most of all you’ll love FORKY. What a brilliant ‘trash’ character.
Men In Black: International 2/10 Men in black plus women in black doesn’t quite sound as good, and neither was the film. This will be as memorable as the worst remakes / reboots eg Mad Max -if it’s aim was to simply to make money I’m pretty sure it flopped at that as it was pulled after only one week.
Midsommar 4/10 Fails to live up to expectations. If you’re like me you’ll see the trailer and poster and think this is going to be some sort of homage to The Wicker Man the 1970s cult classic starring William Woodward .Ultimately, the film was a let down and quite sad - although the main protagonist seems to finish the film with renewal and joy, you’re unlikely to feel the same.
Spider-Man: Far from Home 1/10 Some films you stay till the credits have ended, some films you can’t wait for the credits to start so you can leave. This was the latter. The first ten minutes were ok had good humour as soon as they landed in Europe it all went down hill. You’ll be relieved when it finishes - people couldn’t get out of the cinema quick enough.
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