Does Toy Story 4 need to exist? No. But it does and it's actually pretty good. In fact, the necessity of existence is an idea toyed with by the film itself, primarily through the introduction of Forky - a collection of rubbish anthropomorphised into a toy by Bonnie (the new child protagonist now that Andy's … Continue reading Toy Story 4 (Review)
NastyPALs Episode 11: Don’t Go in the Woods… Alone!
Stephen and Adam take the deepest academic dive anybody has probably ever taken into the piece of trash that is 'Don't Go in the Woods... Alone!' Don't watch it and avoid those woods - unless you bring a friend, I guess. https://soundcloud.com/user-782108692/11-dont-go-in-the-woods-alone
Yesterday (Review)
Somewhat appropriately, Yesterday feels stuck in the past. Obviously, a film based around the music of the Beatles is going to be rooted in history, but it should never feel outdated. After all, the music is timeless. To a certain extent, Yesterday is a celebration of this music – and that works, somewhat – however, this is … Continue reading Yesterday (Review)
Diego Maradona (Review)
With the releases of Senna and Amy, filmmaker Asif Kapadia has established himself as one of the greats of documentary filmmaking. This pseudo-iconic status is only further established with his third documentary feature, Diego Maradona. These three films are united by quality, style and have become a spiritual trilogy due to the focus on contextualising … Continue reading Diego Maradona (Review)
Brightburn (Review)
'What if Superman grew up evil?' is an interesting starting point for a film. It's an idea you could take places and one that could culminate in interesting commentary. It is not, however, inherently interesting. Brightburn is of the opinion that it is, an assumption that is the starting point of the film's numerous failings. … Continue reading Brightburn (Review)
Climax (Review)
You should probably be suspicious of people who tell you they like Gaspar Noé's Climax. However, few will be able to deny it is at least a very impressive piece of work - as it combines extremely long single shots with extensive improvisation and avant-garde camera work, while still managing to remain internally coherent (I … Continue reading Climax (Review)
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (Review)
Towards the beginning of Dark Phoenix, the film plays with the idea that the villain is the patriarchy. This thematic push isn't well handled but, at this point, I at least gave the film some credit for trying something. Unfortunately, Dark Phoenix drops this (sadly) contemporary take on society and decides the the real evil … Continue reading X-Men: Dark Phoenix (Review)
Thunder Road (Review)
In 2016, Jim Cummings wrote, directed and starred in the award winning short, Thunder Road. The twelve minute film was made up of single take in which police officer Jim Arnaud breaks down giving a speech at his mother's funeral. It's a masterclass in tragi-comedy and the same is true of its feature length adaptation … Continue reading Thunder Road (Review)
MA (Review)
Let's start with some positivity: Octavia Spencer sure seems like she's having a great time - Allison Janney (though in the film very briefly) looks like she's having fun also. In fact, the few scenes where they interact - which are composed of Janney, as a vet, shouting at Spencer, as her assitant - are … Continue reading MA (Review)
NastyPALs Episode 10: The Last House on the Left
A supposed classic. A famously controversial movie banned for years and censored in the UK until the early 21st century. So, does it hold up? Is it still shocking? Join us, with a special guest, as we dissect Wes Craven's debut feature and explore its impact and legacy. https://soundcloud.com/user-782108692/10-the-last-house-on-the-left
Assorted Opinions 