2018 Film Challenge

[HoundOfTheBasketballs]

Because reading 50 books and running a marathon isn't enough for me, and I love a good list, I've decided to challenge myself to watch 25 new films this year.
I'm going to use this thread to record what I've watched and whether I liked it. Please feel free to join me and share.
I want to watch at least half these films at the cinema. The rest I will either watch on dvd or on Netflix/Amazon.
I'm off to watch The Darkest Hour this evening to kick things off. Reviews look good so expectations are high! I'll be back later to record my inane ramblings thoughts.

Forget, I have just watched...

10. Bucket List - Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson - two men with terminal illnesses - sad and funny (Amazon Prime)

22. I Tonya

Enjoyed it very much. Felt sorry for Tonya.

Dark Tower is so far removed from the books, I hated it and it made me angry! The same with The Snowman, big changes from the book.
3 Billboards is excellent, as is Black Panther.

*5/25 - I, Daniel Blake
*
This is very, very good. The story of two people in Newcastle who form a friendship over their shared struggle through the horror of the British benefits system. Everyone who has been fortunate enough never to have seen the inside of a Jobcentre should watch this. It shines a light into the dark, unpleasant places the Tories have taken the DWP.
I found parts of this almost unbearable to watch. The scene in the food bank is particularly harrowing.

I'm going to the cinema on Monday night, can't decide between The Shape of Water and I, Tonya.

23. Red Sparrow

It was a good story (lots of violence and torture) but the two leads never really showed any depth in terms of their relationship. Their sex scene was just plain weird!

My Old Lady on Netflix UK, with Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott Thomas.

A story about a guy who inherits a beautiful apartment in Paris but it has sitting tenant, Maggie Smith. Funny but also quite painful about the "sins of the father" and the effect it has on the children.

Nicely played, a pleasant film for an evening when you don't want anything too dark or demanding.

*6/25 - Ladybird
*
This ended up being the only thing I could see at the cinema last night because I got there quite late.
I really enjoyed it. The relationship between the main character and her mother reminds me of my relationship with my mum when I was a teenager. I found it both very funny and quite thought provoking.

Saw trailers for Peter Rabbit and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Not sure about the former, quite keen on the latter.

Hound the book of the Guerney story is amazing. I'm worried that they'll "cutesy-up" the story, when conditions were absolutely awful. I must dig it out to read again.

There's a look the mother gives the daughter in the film which was shown as part of the Oscar highlights. I laughed at it and my daughter asked why as the preceding line wasn't meant to be funny. She's seen the film, I haven't yet. I told her that any and all parents would recognise that particular look as we've all looked at our kids like that - at least once, if not many times! The mum in the film got that look 100% right!

23/25 Game Night

In two minds about this one. Enjoyable. Very far fetched. Some good jokes but alot of corny unfunny ones too and the same joke made over and over. A bit convoluted too.

2nd para in my last comment referred to Ladybird (not the Guernsey story) ☺️ Oops.

11. Ladybird.

I was really excited to see this and it took my local odeon ages from the release date to actually screen it. Just back and sad to say I found it incredible dull. I felt like there was no story to be told, it just bumbled from one under developed plot line to the next with no real character development so I didn't care about any of the achievements or disappointments. I just didn't get it.

The kids are away tomorrow so might sneak off to see Gringo.

24. Walk Like a Panther

Left after half an hour - it was embarrassingly awful. Such a shame because I loved the Big Daddy nostalgia.

12. Gringo.

I actually quite enjoyed Gringo. It isn't the greatest of films and wont win any awards but it was enjoyable way to spend a child free rainy saturday. It's a dark humoured farce; the eternal good guy finds himself mixed up with a Mexican drug cartel with twists at every possible point.

Next on my list for this week is either Sparrow or Game Night. Hoping I can hold the kids of demanding to see Peter Rabbit until it makes it's way to the kids club.

Does anyone know for sure what the Odeon's 'scream unseen' is for March? Not a massive horror fan but reckon I could deal with Unsane or Ghost Stories if it is likely to be either of those.

Cherry - you were brave for even attempting it! Hope you got your money back or have a cinema pass.

11. Ladybird. Quite a few moments in this when I thought of my DD and I. It was funnier than I thought it was going to be, moving in places.

Rum - luckily I have a cinema pass

12. Inception - glad I didn't see this at the cinema as I needed to rewind it a few times to understand what was happening.

25. Ladybird

Loved it! Reminded me so much of me and my mum. Lots of teary as well as uplifting moments.

26. Gringo

Really enjoyed it. Charlize Theron was great as was David Oyelowo. I also really liked Sharlto Copley. It was funny and had lots of storylines knitted together to make it interesting.

11. Game Night - enjoyed it more than I thought I would - dark comedy, what starts out as murder mystery night turns into something more. The dog was very cute.

Actually Game Night is no 13 for me!

Saw Ladybird and liked it a lot.a very good coming of age story as it's a mum and daughter story. I liked how the dad was quite a central figure, they are often absent or relegated to a comedy/bumbling role. The supporting actors and their characters were very good too.

Finally saw Get Out this week. Don't know if it lived up to the hype but it was definitely worth an Oscar nomination - although rightly didn't win best picture. Great story and performances.

Can I join? Been to the cinema quite a bit this year!

Black panther, did enjoy it but best not to think too deeply about it
Three Billboards, also good
The Greatest Showman, enjoyed this again but pretty lightweight a bit like LaLaLand
Annihilation (on Netflix) very nice to look at and interesting
Ladybird, did remind of my daughter but agree with PP no real story just gentle coming of age stuff
Darkest Hour, very interesting, came away thinking Churchill and GB got very very lucky

And about to watch Paddington 2!

I'd forgotten i saw Black Panther last Sat. Thought it was overlong, a bit lacking in some snappy dialogue. I found the whole macho combat thing to decide who would be the king a bit tiresome, not sure it passes the Bechtel test at all. BUT a great milestone in terms of filmmaking and casting obviously.

Welcome to the thread epic.

7. Icarus

Tonight I watched this documentary film on Netflix about the scandal of state sponsored doping in Russia. I found it fascinating. If the whistle-blower in the film is to be believed, this has been going on since the 1960s. It also gives pause for thought about the reach and involvement of the Russian government generally given the current news stories.