Tag: cinema

Film Reviews – January 2026

~ anfieldgirl ~ Leave a comment

So weekly updates passed me by in January so here we go with a round up of everything we’ve seen in January.

  • Marty Supreme – this was a manic film – the pace and energy were incredible. I loved the Marty character, I know he was awful, arrogant and self serving but the genius of the script and the performance by Timothée Chalamet made it impossible to not feel some empathy for him. I was rooting for him all the way through, despite his flaws and questionable decisions. His unshakeable belief in himself was hard to take issue with. That said, I wanted to scream at him and shake him more than once, but I still found myself on his side. The match play scenes were amazing and very believable. 8/10
  • Song Sung Blue. Loved this. I think it worked even if you weren’t a big Neil Diamond fan. I knew it was a true story going in and that made it so much more emotional for me. I had deliberately not read anything about the people in the film so I was watching their story unfold in real time. All the music is done so well and does not veer into cheesy at any point. We are watching two people in love with the music and each other and watching their journey was both heart-breaking and joyful, as all great love stories are. 8/10
  • Hamnet. I read the book a few years ago and it was very well received in a book club I attend. The film was mostly true to the book although I feel the supernatural elements that were very strong in the book were a little watered down in the film. Having said that it was a very powerful film and retained much of the oppressive atmosphere of the book. The cinematography was beautiful, very muted tones throughout which seemed to heighten the oppression, until the final scenes in the Globe when everything became lighter and more hopeful. Paul Mescal was impressive as William Shakespeare. 8/10
  • H is for Hawk. Clare Foy can do little wrong in my eyes and this was another stellar performance. You could feel the grief and despair that her character goes through in your very bones, the isolation and obsession that take over felt totally justified and reasonable. I loved the bleakness of it all, tempered by the joy of the only connection she could make, with Mabel. Some of the scenes of Mabel, the titular hawk, were astonishing. The grace and beauty as she hunted were breath taking. Foy’s handling of the goshawk is even more impressive when you know she only spent a handful of weeks pre-shoot working with hawks. 9/10

Getting our money’s worth this month – four films already. All very different from each other but all very good. Let’s hope this high standard will continue in February. I’m looking forward to Is This Thing On?, GOAT (don’t judge me!) and EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert.

Review: Summer/Autumn Update

~ anfieldgirl ~ Leave a comment

Our cinema going over the Summer and Autumn dwindled considerably but with good reason. We bought our first house after years of renting and the process was long and stressful leaving little time for films. Hopefully we will return to our nearly weekly habit in the New Year. I’m going to give you a quick round up of the films we saw since June when we went to the excellent F1 film.

  • Jurassic World. I really enjoyed this. I wasn’t a fan of the franchise and this was probably the first time I’d seen a JP film since the earliest film. It has an engaging plot, nothing too brain taxing but the special effects were excellent. The sea creatures circling the boats were particularly thrilling for me. 7/10
  • Superman. Another film seen without much knowledge of prior films for me. This was an average film, made better by the slight flaw in the main character – he didn’t seem to be the “Superman” of legend, he was vulnerable and ultimately needed help to triumph. 6/10.
  • The Fantastic Four. Another average superhero romp for me. The acting felt a little wooden and I didn’t really warm to any of the characters. 6/10.
  • The Bad Boys 2. Just silly and funny. Nice animation. 7/10.
  • Taylor Swift | The Release Party of a Showgirl. Not really a film, more of an experience. I was with friends and we had a lot of fun. Selfies at the cinema, lots of other Swifties around us, an all around feel good night out. The filming of the video for The Fate Of Ophelia was the main theme of the film, interspersed with Taylor Swift talking about all the other tracks on the album. Fascinating to see the video process from the storyline to the choreography to the filming. 9/10.
  • Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. I’m not a huge Springsteen fan, so this was never going to be a must see film for me but I’m glad I saw it. It was a deeply personal side of an artist I know very little about as a man. It would have worked as a biopic of a fictional artist just as well, the Springsteen element wasn’t the most interesting thing – the torment of not being understood as an artist, battling with everyone to deliver the masterpiece you know is inside you – that’s the story of the film and it was moving to watch. 7/10.
  • Nuremberg. Almost the film of the year for me. Definitely in my top three. I’ve subsequently read a couple of reviews criticising the performance of Rami Malek in the film but I enjoyed it, a slightly fragile, uncertain portrayal of a man battling with the monster he’s confronted with but reluctantly finding the human being oddly fascinating. I didn’t know a lot about this period of history so it was sobering and informative as a film. 9/10.
  • Park Avenue. I saw this alone and I think there was only three people in the cinema which is sad because it was a very enjoyable film. Plot wise it was slow and meandering but that was important, it embodied the whole theme of the story for me – Fiona Shaw’s character is slowly dying whilst trying to hide this from the people around her. The sets and costumes were beautiful – Kit’s wardrobe was wonderful. The storyline probably needed another strand to inject a counter point to the film, I think probably the daughter’s dalliance with an old flame was supposed to be that but it kind of got lost in the heaviness of the mother/daughter relationship. 7/10.
  • Wicked: For Good. Alongside everyone else I’d been waiting for the second part of the Wicked story for a year. I did well to avoid reading about the likely plot and similarities or otherwise to the stage show (which I haven’t seen) so the plot twist was a surprise. The film was wonderful – admittedly all the great songs seem to be in the first movie, but For Good was enough! The animation of the animals is beautiful and all the special effects were flawless. The most important thing is the story, you almost don’t notice the other things while you’re watching, just remember them when you reflect on the film later. The relationships and the story are wonderful and perfectly portrayed. I laughed, gasped, shed a little tear and rejoiced alongside everyone else in the cinema. 10/10

So that’s my whistle stop round of up our summer/autumn films. Hopefully the weekly review service will be resumed in January.

Review: F1 26 June 2025

~ anfieldgirl ~ Leave a comment

Two things before I start this review. I don’t like Brad Pitt and I used to be an obsessive motor sport fan, but that was over 10 years ago.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this film – my love of Formula 1 was immense but it’s faded in recent years and I haven’t seen a full race in a long time. I was concerned that simulated/staged racing might annoy me. I was also a little concerned my distaste for pretty boy Pitt would sour my view of the film too.

I was wrong on both counts. This film was incredible. The racing scenes were impeccable. I felt like I was watching a real race, I gasped and covered my eyes several times through the film. The commentary provided of course by Martin Brundle and David Croft was a little bit hammy but it wasn’t distracting. The footage, filmed at real Grand Prix during 2023 and 2024, was seamless. The cameos of drivers and team members were not gratuitous, just enough to keep F1 fans happy to see their favourite drivers, but not too much to detract from the story telling.

The plot wasn’t anything ground breaking – washed up former driver comes back to rescue team, trials and tribulations and a happy ending all round as you’d expect but there was an unexpected human side to this story. Cleverly woven between the racing were the friendships – developing and growing with the plot. All very obvious but still well drawn and believable. The cast draws you into their whirl wind life and also into the bonds that hold the team together.

Pitt was excellent, as much as I was expecting an average performance from him – I was wrong. As Sonny Hayes, he charms everyone, including the audience. I believed in the character. I believed in his belief he could turn the team around if they’d just give him and his maverick ideas a chance. Even the glaringly obvious love interest plot line didn’t feel horrible. Its resolution was also pleasingly handled.

Damson Idris, playing Joshua Pearce, was leaning hard into his Lewis Hamilton vibe. Hamilton produced the film and appeared as a rival to Pearce in the last race of the season. Idris was just the right amount of cocky and confident, but revealing the inevitable good team spirit performance that we all knew was coming.

I really enjoyed this film. It was a great mix of action and emotion – balancing the two very well. The plot was standard, no twists or surprises but it didn’t need them. A good story, well told. With a lot of amazing racing. What more do you need?

One of my favourite films this year. 9/10.

Review: Elio 20 June 2025

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Only a short review as there isn’t an awful lot to say about this film. It’s made by Pixar so obviously it’s beautiful. Pixar graphics are instantly recognisable and there’s something to be said for the consistency of the studio over so many animated films – it gives a level of security, of trust in the product from the get-go, just because you know it’s Pixar.

Elio is a little boy who dreams of being abducted by aliens and his wish comes true. What follows is a gentle story of friendship, making the best of your circumstances and fighting intergalactic bullies. Oh and finding your place in the world when you think no-one loves you. So nothing ground breaking here. But it’s funny in places (am I the only one that got the Death Star reference?) and silly enough to keep the younger children in the theatre entertained.

We were amazed how many kids had been in there as they were so well behaved – they must have been really enjoying it. No tears or endless toilet breaks! That’s not meant as a criticism – I love going to kids films and hearing them laughing, crying, engaging with the story – if I want to see a film in complete silence I’ll stay at home! I was just surprised by how many kids were there when the lights went up.

I enjoyed the film but it wasn’t breaking any boundaries and sometimes that’s ok. If you just want to see some Pixar loveliness this is a great choice.

6/10

Review: How To Train Your Dragon 9 June 2025

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Another live action remake hot on the heels of Lilo & Stitch. I really wasn’t sure how this one was going to turn out. I was right to be apprehensive. It’s a good remake – the live action part is well done, the CGI of the dragons is amazing but something about the whole thing is just a little bit too dark. I mean this visually as well as metaphorically. I missed a lot of the dialogue in the opening scenes, it was all very loud and dark. I hadn’t read much about this remake and I don’t know how many of the other films are planned for this reimagining. I hope they inject a little more lightness into any future films.

Hiccup was as I remembered him and of course Toothless is a wonderful recreation, almost indistinguishable from the original, about which I am glad. I love Toothless and I would have hated for them to have lost anything about his character in this version, but it was all there. The flying scenes where they finally bond and just click together were lovely.

I feel like this was a little bit too grown up compared to the original, it felt like it had lost a little of the innocence and lightness but nevertheless I enjoyed it. The dragons were brilliant and the story was well told. It has made me want to go back and watch the animated versions again so I’m ready for any sequels.

7/10

Review: Lilo & Stitch 21 May 2025

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I’ve been trying to write this review for a couple of weeks. I keep coming back to it and deleting what I’ve written. I find it hard to explain how much a movie about a little blue alien means to me. I’ve always loved Stitch. From the very first time I saw the movie all those years ago, to the present day when I’ve seen the latest reincarnation twice now and can’t rule out going to see it again. This latest version is a mostly faithful retelling of the original story and a live action version was always going to have a couple of compromises. It was close enough not to have me wringing my hands at the screen. The ocean scenes are amazing and the CGI all the way through is beautiful.

I have more Stitch merchandise than any other franchised memorabilia I own. I have sweatshirts, bags, jewellery, dolls, Lego. Something about that little blue guy who tries so hard to be good, to find his place, to be loved just touches my heart. Yes, he makes me laugh. Yes, I love the songs from the movies and of course I love Elvis. I love Lilo and her own journey to find love and peace. But above all I love Stitch’s joy at being alive. When I carry my rucksack or wear my jewellery, when I carry my Stitch plushie with me to the cinema or when I look at the various incarnations of him around my house I remember that joy. This new film has all the joy I feel when I see Stitch – that laugh, that face.

All the joy is there.

10/10

Review: Black Bag – 26 March 2025

~ anfieldgirl ~ Leave a comment

Second visit of the week to the cinema and I’m really not sure what I made of this film. It is beautifully shot and large portions of the film look like a kind of 1960’s spy homage heavy with sepia tones and dark shadows.

The title refers to both secrets being kept and also to the secrets in a marriage. This relationship, which is essentially the central theme of the film, relies on both applications of the phrase. George (Michael Fassbender) and Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) are in turn portrayed in a suspicious light and I was left wondering for quite some time who to trust. Or even if they trusted each other.

The complicated friend/colleague relationships are exploited by all concerned and the mingling of personal and business worlds are visually separated by the aforementioned sepia tones of their home lives and the stark modern buildings of their work settings.

There was definitely an element of satire on show, albeit very gentle. If you weren’t paying attention it would have been easy to take the whole thing at face value but there was definitely some gentle ribbing of the whole spy genre going on here, however poker faced the cast played it. It wasn’t heavy enough to be comedy, but it was light enough to not take the whole thing too seriously.

I’m not a fan of Bond or the spy genre generally but this was interesting, more personal relationships than I expected and less gadgets/tech than a Bond film I think but it was enjoyable.

6 out of 10 from me. 7 for Mr G.

Review: Snow White – 24 March 2025

~ anfieldgirl ~ 1 Comment

Snow White is a classic. A fairy tale from our childhood. Disney has obviously already had a turn at the story – we all remember the animation, cutesy woodland animals, terrifying Queen, ultimately triumphant heroine. So fast forward to 2025 and Disney has returned to the beloved tale only this time with a twist. I was not expecting the overtly political message that seemed to be woven through the fabric of the story telling. Maybe good vs evil always plays out like this and the current state of the world is making me read more into the nuanced and subtle message. Maybe not.

On the surface Disney hasn’t tampered with the story at all, beloved princess is orphaned and terrorised by a wicked step mother. She rebels, is banished, finds the dwarves, is tricked by the Wicked Queen, gets kissed by a stranger then takes back her throne. But along the way we have her social enlightenment about how her people are being mistreated, how life is not all apples and baking, how her actions (and inactions) have consequences, how finding your tribe and laying your life down for them is the most noble thing a person can do. And ultimately how good triumphs over evil when the people come together and stand up to injustice. This finely woven sub story is beautiful and very timely.

Strong 7 out of 10 from me.

6 out of 10 from Mr G.

Picture of feet on recliner chairs at cinema

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