What I watched this month: May 2023

Aftersun

Started off the month of Bank Holidays with a real gut puncher, I had a great day out and for some reason I felt the overwhelming urge to bring an overbearing sadness to my life. And boy oh boy did this film itch that scratch! There is something about this film that just captures a moment and a feeling so well. The film has a powerful way of making you feel a sad nostalgia alongside Sophie, the unorthodox progression of the plot coupled with the home video clips really develops a unique atmosphere. The second watch of this does nothing to expel the sense of dread I had on my initial wat h despite knowing the outcome in fact knowing what was coming was somewhat worse. Incredible performances from Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio really cement this as the best film of last year.

5/5

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions

The less said about this the better. I remember the first one being slightly entertaining and mindlessly enjoyable. However, there is little to redeem this effort. The second does very little to build on the first, I did not care at all about the characters and the set pieces were stale and boring, bar the acid rain one. I was not expecting a masterpiece, but even still this was a let-down.

2/5

Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift

I am not even ashamed to say, I really enjoy the Fast and Furious films, especially the first three. As a 8-13 old boy, I was obsessed with these films. I loved the cars, the music, the cheesiness. I would come home from school and spend hours on Midnight Club, trying to recreate the custom cars and scenes from the films. Does this make me biased, and is my enjoyment of these films based purely off nostalgia? Potentially, but I do think there is some merit to these films. This film captures a time and particular subculture that the creators clearly felt a lot of passion for. There are some genuinely enjoyable scenes in this film, I get genuinely excited when the four count, Neptunes beat kicks in as they drive into the parking garage. The exploration of the Tokyo nightlife and the outrageous fun that comes with the drift races are all crafted with genuine care and intrigue. This feels a lot like a Dazed and Confused type film, an exploration of a time in history. The only thing holding it back is the slightly weak plot, but let’s be honest, no one is watching these films for the plot. This film is so much fun, and I will defend it with my life!

3/5

Titane

From one style of car movie to a very different but just fast and very furious car film. It covers so much ground and takes so many twists I was hooked right up until the final frames. This film starts as a hyper violent and stylistic visual delight. It is cartoonish, ridiculous, hilarious, and confusing. Without spoiling anything, there is a very extreme shift, and this film becomes something remarkably different. There is a beautiful story in here, dealing with true identity and acceptance, of grief and forgiveness, it is so wonderfully told, and the visuals compliment the story, keeping it interesting and strange. It really reminded me of Eraserhead for obvious reasons, but this film certainly has its own voice. A must watch film.

4.5/5

Between the Lines

This was a very strange watch, and it is most certainly going to make for a strange review. I could not tell you what happened in this film or what the real plot was, despite this I quite liked it? It was fun, funny, visually interesting and the chemistry of the cast made it hard to not be engaged. The film centres around the staff of an underground newspaper and the impending sale to a major media company. In keeping with trends in this months viewing selection, it captures a moment in time and the mood, rather than an individual person’s story. The film encompasses the move from induvial, free spirited 70s towards the more rigid, rapid growth of capitalist America in the 80s. This feels like a spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused, like the kids from that grew up and became jaded, middle-aged has-beens, that still live for the glory days of their youths. It is an interesting character study that is quite hard to pin down or figure out what you learned, either way it is a great time!

3.5/5

London

I watched this documentary initially to see clips of London in 1992, to compare to the current cityscape. What I got in the end was an oddly moving, beautiful and yet depressive tale of despair of early 90s Britain. The unseen narrator and his boyfriend walk through London, covering every inch of the city, uncovering forgotten lives and corners of a city so obsessed with consumption, it is destroying the very things that made it great before. The poetic words of the narrator and the tales of his lover help paint a picture of romanticisation for a time long gone, and the grim reality that faces them in the real world. The fact that this issue is still so prevalent in today’s London makes this a must watch to understand why this city became the hub that so many want to be a part of it.

4/5

Limbo

Limbo is like if Wes Anderson grew up on a Scottish Island. This film takes the recognisable aspects of Anderson’s filmmaking, the colour pallets, the wide aspect, stunning shots, and witty dialogue. However, there is enough here that Anderson’s influence remains just that, an influence. The voice of Ben Sharrock is clearly identifiable and his take on the experience of an asylum seeker brings a fresh perspective that covers adaption, isolation with as much humour at the absurdity, as it does with empathy and brutal honesty. The film finds a perfect way to balance the humour and the travesty without feeling like one was sacrificed for the other. An incredibly unique story and I am excited to see how the Director’s career develops after this.

4/5

Guardians of the Galaxy

One of the lesser-known properties and yet one of the best entries in the universe. I decided to rewatch after the release of the third but did not get round to watching it after my plans were scuppered by my aches and pains post half marathon. Either way, I was reminded what makes these films so loved, when they get them right, they are genuinely brilliant. The ragtag crew of wild and inventive characters works perfectly, the chemistry really goes a long way in this film, I struggle to care about most Marvel characters but almost immediately I found a connection with this cast. The setting is utilised well to build a luscious new world full of marvellous characters and wonderful world building. The story, whilst simple, is different enough in tone to the cookie cutter marvel formulae to be interesting. I think the simplicity works well as it puts the focus on the characters and really allows their quirks to shine. This is a shining example of how to make these films and I hope the positive reception the entire trilogy has received encourages the decision makers at Marvel to take more risks like this one.

3.5/5

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II

I think you can see where this trend is going… This film very much follows the good parts of the first film but amps them up. Bigger budget, bigger set pieces, a bigger scale. Whilst these changes are positive, I think there is a small stagnation here, the charm gets caught up in trying to do too many things at once and splitting up the main cast too often. The film makes up for it with one of the few genuinely emotional and satisfying endings within the cinematic universe. If you liked the first, no doubt you will enjoy this one as well.

3.5/5

Swimming Pool

This was an odd one. I enjoyed it but in ways I did not understand it. The film’s arc revolves around this central dynamic and a big twist. The problem is, the big twist was not very apparent to me and once I realised, felt a tad underwhelming. In my opinion, there was a more interesting dynamic, but maybe I missed the point. The problem is I cannot really be sure because the plot felt quite loose and disjointed. This could have been fantastic, but the execution left me wanting more.

3/5