Films I've Watched In January 2016
Ordered as per my memory!
- V for Vendetta
- Cartel Land
- Howl
- Silence of The Lambs
- Sicario
- Star Wars 7
- Legend
- Mad Max: Fury Road
Silence of the Lambs easily comes out top and I’ll be the millionth person to say that the acting and story is captivating. If you’ve not seen it, put it high on your list of things to watch.
Mad Max is the most over rated. Despite the various internet list raving about it the non-stop action and lack of real character development just didn’t click with me. The fact that they ended up turning around on the road just to go back again felt like a bit of a cop out.
Legend was another underwhelming occurrence. I felt like it was trying to appeal to the separate male and female audiences in tandem and not really connecting with either. Whilst the technical effect of having Tom Hardy play both roles was interesting, it wasn’t enough to salvage the story. In the end it was the worst of both a love story and a gangster film.
Similarly, Sicario started off as a cop/military film before throwing that all out the window to become a revenge film. The first half is intense and lets you develop a real distrust of the authority figures, but this eventually fizzles out as the film moves onto the revenge part before ending with either questions for the audience to think about themselves but they actually feel like plot holes. Still, it peaked my interest in the Mexican Cartel story, hence I gave Cartel Land a watch. It’s an alright documentary, but less about the Cartels and more about the resistance against them.
My only trip to the cinema in January was to beat the crowds and finally see the behemoth that is the new Star Wars. It does everything right but it doesn’t push any boundaries. The more I think of it, the more I realise that it is basically a HD remake of A New Hope. But still, I look forward to number 8 and see whether that is a bit more adventurous.
Finally, Howl, your classic lower budget horror film. It ticks the boxes and provides enough core and creature shots to leave you feeling satisfied. Watch it as an appetiser to Dog Soldiers.