2017 Film Log [July]

Over half way through the year. INDEX

01. Firebase [Short] (02.07.17)
The second short from Oats Studio and this one again has a fantastic premise. The production values are insane. I liked the story they maybe gave too much away but it was very creepy.

02. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (03.07.17)
A masterwork in film making. The only downsides are some issues with the story being obvious and some of the character choices being too stereotypical. But in is class this is at the top by a long margin. The voices of the apes and very well done and used just enough. Stunning.

03 Sandman 24 hour Diner [Short] (05.07.16)
A brilliant performance of the story from the comic. Dark and sadistic with the hint of crazy that makes it works so well and not seem exploitative. I love the Sandman comics and this a amazing realization, form the set to the acting.

04. Eyes Wide Shut (07.07.17)
I had seen the images and sets plenty of times before but it didn't spoil or dampen the impact of this film. It is wonderful, and creepy but very well made. I like how the small story's run throughout and there are lots to infer into them. The music is fantastic and the waltz's fits it nicely. Kubrick was truly one of the greats.

05. John Wick Chapter 2 (08.07.17)
I'm not sure... It has some issues but its still a very good film. The problems are I think they could have done it better. The start is by far the weakest part but it works. I love the world they have crafted for the story to work.

06. Spider-Man: Homecoming [Cinema] (09.07.17)
Spider-man can be great for the Avengers but he works best as a local small scale hero. The film is great and the entire cast works well. One of the best villains in recent years both in trms of story and action. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

07. The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug (10.07.17)
As before it's the extended version, this one added some interesting stuff and it flows better. Much stronger than I remembered but the sub plot is still the best part. Less cool moments but it's more of a solid film. Still the dodgy sense of scale with the travelling but its not too distracting.

08. Zygote [Short] (12.07.17)
Another great film by Oats. This felt  like an episode of Doctor Who turned up to 11. Super well realised creature and aside from a mini info dump at the start the writing was solid. Such a small but lived in environment. It's some top class stuff.

09. Run Lola Run (17.07.17)
A very stylish film. I like how unlike other films of its type it focusses on the information that can me learned or missed depending on minor changes in timing or mood. The direction is stellar and the plotting is very well realised. The is so much I could say from the acting to the look to the music and so on. A great film.

10. Elephants Dream [Short] (19.07.17)
A cutting edge piece of art. Well it was when it came out in 2006. I remember watching it back then and being amazed by the quality of the renders and models. It stands up but mainly due to the art work; graphics have come a long way in 13 years. A nice little film that very much feels like a small chunk of a longer film I would love to watch some day.

11. Fight Club (21.07.17)
You can never be un-spoiled about a film. The are some poorly kept secrets and I knew about the twist years ago. It doesn't matter since it is an awesome film.

12. Mission Impossible III (24.07.17)
One of the more interesting bad guys they have had even if the Rabbits Foot is a shameless Mcguffin. The direction wasn't bad apart from the obnoxious shaky cam nonsense. A solid action film overall.

13. The Light of a Firefly Forest (28.07.17)
A very soft and well told tale of a child and her time spent with a genital but cursed sprit. The story was very good and the animation really put me into the place. A sad story but one where it is the memory's that matter.

14. Banjo the Woodpile Cat (29.07.17)
A early film by Don Bluth and it has all the quality's he brought to his best works. Even though I had never seen this before it sent me back to some very old times when I watch 'An American Tail' and 'All Dogs go to Heaven' as a kid. I will have to dig them back out sometime.

15. The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Army's (30.07.17)
The shortest of the extended versions, and yet it still felt too long. The main issue again is in the tone, it is a major problem in the action before it settles into a more serious fair. I love the fight at the bigging, high fantasy has always been my favourite and it captures the essence of all of the overpowers characters well. It is a ok trilogy but I would be better with a directors cut in a few years.

Now this was a great month of films. Best? Run Lola Run at a push. Not a bad one in this list.