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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
1968 | Classics, Sci-Fi

"""2001: A Space Odyssey. What I love about that is, in a similar way to Spinal Tap, it trusts the audience to have the patience that there’s gonna be something fulfilling in there. Not only the visuals. I think if you watch it now, with 21st century eyes, it can seem to some people like a very slow movie, where nothing happens for a long time. Visually it’s very innovative, but we’re so used to 15 cuts a second now that we’re not used to things being played out with that much pace and that much finesse and style and patience. I think, to watch it now, it’s seeing filmmaking with such confidence, the fact that he can hold those shots for as long as he holds them, and he can trust the audience to come along with him on the ride. It can be slow. It’s always visually breathtaking. But I think, to see it now, it looks like filmmaking from such a different time. If it was made now, it would be an assault on the senses. Everything would be very quick, everything would be breathless, everything would be very frantic, but Kubrick was such a confident filmmaker that he was able to play that whole story out with such pace and such style and trust that the audience was smart enough to be dragged along for the ride and stick with it until the end. That’s what I love about it, the pace of it. The respect for the audience’s intelligence. I like to feel part of those clubs and I think 2001 is the ultimate example of that kind of club where, if you understand why this is brilliant, then you’ll do for me. If you understand why this is brilliant, then you’re my kind of guy. And I like being involved in those miniature elite subcultures. 2001 is the perfect example of that."

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2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
2003 | Action, Drama, Mystery
Paul Walker reprises his role as Brian O'Conner as he's recruited to find out how a drug dealer is getting his ill gotten gains out of the country, using the talent of street racing.
I think that 2 Fast 2 Furious is actually slightly better than the first film (the Fast and the Furious), it has many of the same tropes and ideas of the first film, the street racing, cars and crime and it seems to have a better balance between the main elements. In both films Brian is tasked with infiltrating a criminal organisation with the task of finding out information and, from a narrative prospective 2 Fast seems to make a better job of this.
There is slightly less time given over to actual street racing but this is replaced with car chases which seem to use more police cars than 'The Blues Brothers'.
There is some time given over to character development as we find out more about Brian's past with the introduction of his old friend, Roman Pearce which gives us a bit more information as to his actions at the end of the first film.
Brian's relationship with the polices is surprisingly similar to the first film, even though Brian is now a wanted convict he is still aids and trust him. We also have the agent who doesn't trust Brian, this time in the form of customs Agent Markhan which basically gives us the same police set up the first film.
2 Fast 2 Furious does a good job of not being a clone of it's predecessor whilst still keeping the cars, the speed, the races and chases. There are a couple of scenes at the start that are similar to the first film but these are to help re introduce Brian and set the tone of the film. If you liked the first one then you should give the sequel a watch. (But you probably already know that as this is an old film 😊 )
  
The Book Club
The Book Club
C.J. Cooper | 2019 | Reference
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A really good book that kept me guessing throughout.
The story follows Lucy who has moved to a cottage in the Cotswolds after an affair with her boss. She moved for a fresh start and has found her feet with a group of friends who all seem relatively close. That is until a newcomer, Alice, moves in next door to Lucy and turns her world upside down. Lucy always knows there’s something she doesn’t trust about Alice, but she can’t seem to quite put her finger on it. Alice finds out secrets about everyone in the friendship group and, after suggesting a book club for them all, manages to suggest or manipulate other people into suggesting books similar to each of the secrets they have hidden from each other.

Alice is out for revenge, and it took me until the last few chapters, just before it was revealed, to work out what exactly she wanted revenge for.

I found the book quite confusing at times, one chapter was from Lucy’s point of view and then the next was always focused on other character or multiple character’s but always in the third person. Because of this, sometimes I had to reread paragraphs because I was confused who it was about. But once I got used to this style, I really did enjoy the book.

Each of the character’s secrets were interesting, and it was easy to see that they didn’t trust their friends completely as they mostly dealt with the secrets they were keeping by themselves. It was also interesting to see just how easy the odd comment from an outsider caused a rift in the friendships and it made me wonder were they really that close in the first place?

This book really did live up the the hype for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns that were present throughout. I’m looking forward to reading C.J. Cooper’s next book!
  
The Willoughbys (2020)
The Willoughbys (2020)
2020 | Animation, Comedy, Family
Character development (or not) (3 more)
Good messages
Cute music
Adorable storyline
Random Candy Guy (0 more)
Absolutely Adorable
This film takes hard and upsetting topics, addressing them in a light-er tones that can be understood by children. This film is a heartwarming tale about the trust meaning of family and what it really means to choose your family. At the end (no spoilers!) there is a single moment where I began to worry that it would be one of THOSE movies and trust me you'll know it when you see it. I'll give you a hint and say it involves es both the parents and kids but that's all I'm saying!
The reason I enjoyed this film so much definitely has to do with how they chose to address the topics of social services and what it means to put a child into the system. They also do this in such a way that a child can understand and clearly see that there's something not right with how they go about things. However, despite this, they do not make 'orphan services' as it's called in the film, the bad guy. Rather they add a slightly different tone, hinting that they care and that their coldness is a result of trying to be apart of the working system. They're not the 'problem' in the film but simply another aspect within the film pushing the real problem. The system is broken, a system set up to help and keep children safe (they even mention it in film), is instead breaking up families for no other reason than minimal circumstance and (not sure if people caught this one) NO EVIDENCE.
I fear I'm starting to hint around spoilers so I'll say no more but the film is worth a look. Even if you don't necessarily like kid films the ideas in this film on family and 'the system' is truly something to marvel.
  
Run (2020)
Run (2020)
2020 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
7
7.2 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
For starters, the general premise of Run is a scary one. In a world where everything seems to be getting more tempestuous by the day, it can be difficult to place your trust in other humans, but if there is one person you should be able to trust unconditionally, it's your own mother. It becomes rapidly apparent during the runtime just how much control Diane (Sarah Paulson) has over her daughter Chloe's (Kiera Allen) day-to-day life. When Chloe begins to suspect that things aren't quite what they seem, shit quickly hits the fan. What follows is a thriller that touches upon how damaging and overbearing love can be.
There are some genuinely tense moments sprinkled throughout, and some scenes that are quite uncomfortable to watch (with a few creepy shots thrown in for good measure). It wears it's inspirations on its sleeve - Misery is a clear influence here, both thematically and visually, but it feels like there is homage being paid rather than any ripping off.
The main issue I had was with the pacing. There isn't really much of a build up before Chloe starts to figure out that there's some fuckery afoot - kudos for getting straight to it - but it results in a narrative that takes forever to get to its climax. This is a minor gripe, thanks in no small part to the two lead actresses. I love Sarah Paulson in American Horror Story - even in that shows' low points, she always remains a constant positive - so I'm always happy to see her in other projects. Kiera Allen is the show stealer though, and the two have them share a great dynamic that really bolsters all the other positives.

In short, Aneesh Chaganty has crafted a tight and tense thriller with Run, and after this and Searching, I look forward to whatever he next brings to the table.