April! INDEX
01. Sunshine (01.04.18)
Hand wave the premise and the film is not that bad. I liked the strange editing but other than that it is very by the numbers. I should say off the films of this type it is one of the more accurate and compelling.
02. Mad Max: Fury Road Black and Chrome (02.04.18)
"You will ride eternal and chrome"
03. First Squad (04.04.18)
A co Japanese and Russian production. I watched the Russian version as it seemed to be a bit more fitting. Interesting story and world building but it was lacking in places. The action had no weight to it and some of the 3d models were a bit out of place. Over all it was just OK.
04. Horus: Prince of the Sun (06.04.18)
The first film by Isao Takahata who sadly died last night (at the age of 82) one of the founders of the great Studio Ghibli and you can see here what aspects he goes one to make his own. The story is a simple traditional tale with all the hall marks of age old story's. It is obvious how unfinished it is but the way they made do in the battles works quite well. Takahata is up there with his collogue Miyazaki. He gave the world of animation so much and in 'Grave of the Firefly's' and 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' two very different films but ones that affected me deeply.
05. Panda! Go, Panda! (07.04.18)
That was charming. Another early work by Isao Takahata and very simple but utterly charming. The animation and art are very 70s but it holds up well. Not much to say about the story, it was a fun and calm ride.
06. History of the World, Part I (08.04.18)
Well it is a Mel Brooks film! It is all over the place but that is its charm. Very of it time in what it chooses to joke about but it is in good humour. Some very nice set pieces, I would have preferred less time in Rome and some more settings. Like Blazing Saddles the end is great.
07. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (09.04.18)
The is only one thing about this film that I don't like, the shifts in focus during a shot take me right out. It distracts from a all around brilliantly shot film. Some of the frames will go down to be classic like the sun rise from the first film. I like this direction the film takes, even the casino planet bit didn't annoy me this time around.
08. Far Cry 5 - Inside Eden's Gate [short] (12.04.18)
A pre game taster for the story in Far Cry 5. As far as these things go it wasn't bad, very by the numbers (but so are Ubisoft's games) not much to say other than I may give the game a go in a few months time when it is a fair bit cheaper.
09. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (13.04.18)
Time to breath in the world, time to explore the characters, time to soak in the changing atmosphere. 3 hours 20 is a long time but for a film this good it is just about right to do it justice. It is still easy to be blown away by what this trilogy achieves.
10. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (14.04.18)
A bit up and down. I love the setting but the animation style felt very cheep. Some nice twists along the way even if some of the catheterization were heavy handed. It is the blank eyes that get me. All in all not bad but could have been great.
11. Imaginaerum (16.04.18)
One of my 'comfort films'. It is better than it has any right to be. The story works on many levels and the direction is fantastic. I love this film to bits. I needed this to help me relax tonight.
12. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (20.04.18)
This was the first time that this film felt like a middle film. It's strange, the world is so vast with so many connecting parts that move about each other in ways that boggle my mind. All of my thoughts about this film come back to logistics, just how did Peter Jackson pull it off. Middle earth lives and breaths and through the glorious sound track it owns its place in history.
13. The Shape of Water (21.04.18)
Well it deserved its Oscar. The are so many ways to read into this film various themes and designs. Such a well thought out film. It looks sounds and in a very stylized way but it pulls it off.
14. The Maker [short] (22.04.18)
I really love this type of short film. The score is the driving force of the piece and the production quality sells the world. Some very interesting camera works and some of the shots were very well considered. Very simple story but it was told well.
15. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (27.04.18)
A long journey that is very much worth every moment. I should re-read the books sometime I think. Will the ever be anything like this trilogy? Epic fantasy had a close place in my life, nothing comes close to depth of lore to immerse myself in. Theses films are escapism at its finest.
16. The Avengers (28.04.18)
Six years ago we learned that not only can six super heroes be in a film together but it can also be a damn good film. Tomorrow I will see if they can pull off what, 20 superheroes? This film holds up and is so much more than a team up film, it is the universe finding its feet. It tells it's story without too much getting in the way, and that is how it earns its action. Which is far better than it is given credit for, the last battle is a war that has many levels and we see it all work together.
17. Avengers: Infinity War [cinema] (29.04.18)
I think I will go and see this again soon. The scope is huge but the time scale small and then the pay-off? It is out of this world. I'm at a loss for what to say. I loved it.
18. Iron Man (30.04.18)
It holds up. As a film and the entire cinimatic universe. It's come such a long way in ten years. It has felt longer than that but here we are down this road that Iron Man put us on. It is really such a bizar thing to think about, this is the film that changed comic book films and the post credits secne changed films as a whole.
Infinity War tops this month but man was the some damn good films. Heck the must be more than 30 Oscars in this collection. Next month looks to be smaller but I have some good plans.
