film review

Tuesday Review – The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020)

films, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I can’t say that I was ever a fan of SpongeBob SquarePants when I was younger. It just passed me by and I wasn’t really aware of its existence until I was too old to care. I briefly lived with a guy at uni who had been given the nickname Sponge and had the animated character tattooed onto his person. Still, I didn’t feel like checking it out. I didn’t watch a whole episode until I first subscribed the Netflix and started watching it ironically as an adult. I appreciated the series but I can’t say that I saw what all of the fuss was about. So, I’m not exactly the kind of person who would be rushing out to watch the latest movie but these are Covid times. Nothing really makes much sense right now so I decided to watch it. At the very least, I figured that it would work with my current reduced attention span.

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TBT Review – The Queen (2006)

films, TBT

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I did something a little different on Tuesday and reviewed (if you can call it that) the most recent season of The Crown instead of a film. As you know, I like to try and tie my Tuesday review and TBT review together, so I had a couple of choices for what to watch today. It was between this or The Iron Lady. I’ve not actually seen the whole of The Iron Lady because I got bored quite quickly. Also, I remained unconvinced that Phyllida Lloyd should be allowed to direct films. I guess that meant that I should probably have watched Meryl Streep take on the role that Gillian Anderson made unnecessarily sexy in The Crown. However, I really couldn’t face it. So, I went back to this 2006 film that I have seen before. It’s not a personal favourite but I, at least, knew that I could deal with it.

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TBT Review – Coco (2017)

films, reviews, TBT

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Okay, confession time. Until last night, I’d never seen Coco. Why? I honestly don’t know. I guess it doesn’t help that I don’t often go to see animated films at the cinema these days. I only went to see Frozen 2 because I owed my friend for dragging her to see the awful Joker when she didn’t want to. Of course, there was nothing to stop me watching it once it came out on Blu Ray. Well, nothing but price. Disney Pixar films are always so expensive. But now I’ve got Disney+ and I might as well use it. It’s not as if I’ve been making the most of it in recent weeks. I bought it because I wanted to watch The Mandalorian and I’ve still not done that. And the second season is already here. What am I doing with my life?

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Tuesday Review – Over the Moon (2020)

films, reviews

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I almost didn’t have anything to review today. For some reason, I never got around to watching a film this weekend. I guess I just spent too long trying to get through that bloody Murder, She Wrote book. I didn’t realise until Monday that I’d forgotten. So, I had the choice to write something else for today or watch something and review it in the same night. I had thought about weighing in on the Johnny Depp/Fantastic Beasts news but I didn’t know if that would go against my ban of the writer who must not be named. In the end, I picked the quickest new release on Netflix that I could find. I didn’t know anything about it but someone I follow on Instagram had watched it recently. What did I have to lose?

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TBT Review – Little Nicky (2000)

films, reviews, TBT

Rating: 2 out of 5.

When watching Hubie Halloween last weekend, it was hard not to compare the character to other Adam Sandler characters. I mean Hubie is basically Little Nicky but without the religious aspect. Does it help that both films are directed by Steven Brill? Probably not but it does raise questions about just how long Sandler can keep going. I mean, he’s barely evolved since the start of his career and that would be fine if this latest film didn’t feel like such a throwback. And I know. Uncut Gems but he didn’t write that. Just look as his other Netflix films. Murder Mystery? The Ridiculous 6. How long can he keep churning out the same tired comedy films?

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Tuesday Review – Hubie Halloween (2020)

films, reviews

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I have to admit to something, I never got round to watching Uncut Gems. Phew, that’s a weight off my chest. At the time that it was really doing the rounds, I was desperately trying to watch all of the Oscar nominated films and, unfortunately, it was totally ignored by the Academy. I always intended to catch up but it never happened. Not because I didn’t think it would be good but because it just seemed so heavy. I mean this year is heavy enough. The reason I bring it up is because Uncut Gems could very well be the reason that Hubie Halloween exists. Before awards season kicked off, Sandler made a vow that he would make the worst film possible if he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar. 10 months on and another Netflix original hits us. So, was it really going to be the worst of his vast and often uninspiring career? There was only one way to find out.

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TBT Review – Borat (2006)

films, reviews, TBT

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The first Borat film came out just before I headed off to university, which meant my entire 3 years were full of bad impressions and catchphrases. I lived on a floor with about 50 people in total and there were a lot of idiot guys who thought the only indication of their sense of humour was being able to regurgitate film quotes. Oh, and let’s not forget one of flatmates who bought the character’s trademark mankini and wore it to every social event possible. I know it sounds like I hated the film but I didn’t. It was just fucking endless. It was everywhere. My undergraduate course was defined by Borat quotes and that Linkin Park and Jay-Z Numb/Encore mash-up. It was an interesting time.

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Tuesday Review – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

films, review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

You’ll no doubt have heard a lot about the second Borat film in the last few days. Mostly because of the outrage about a scene involving Rudy Giuliani and President Donald Trump’s reaction to it. The President has criticised Sacha Baron Cohen and described him as a “creep”. Of course, this will have done nothing but draw even more attention to the film. Not that it would have needed the help. It’s been nearly 15 years since the first film came out and we were all under the impression that Borat was never going to be seen again. After all, how do you make another Borat film when everyone is in on the joke now? Well, they obviously got round that somehow and, with the film being released on Amazon Prime last week, I had to check it out.

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TBT Review – The Man From U.N.C.L.E (2015)

films, reviews, TBT

Rating: 3 out of 5.

One of my favourite moments in The Gentlemen was during the scene in which Hugh Grant’s scummy PI tries to sell his film script. He attends a meeting at Miramax and a huge poster for The Man from U.N.C.L.E can be seen in the background. It just went to show that this may be Guy Ritchie’s attempt to show that he’s still the East-End gangster director but he doesn’t want you to forget that he’s a Hollywood name now too. Although, really what have his blockbuster franchises ever gotten him? Sherlock Holmes has, at least seen a couple of sequels. 2019’s Aladdin remake wasn’t exactly a critical success and the less said about King Arthur: Legend of the Sword the better. I’m not trying to criticise Ritchie for his varied career but it was a really odd flex. The Man from U.N.C.L.E didn’t do that badly but it’s hardly fondly remembered all these years later.

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Tuesday Review – The Gentlemen (2020)

films, reviews

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

It probably wasn’t until Paddington 2 that I really gave a shit about Hugh Grant. When it comes to his acting career, all I ever really associated with him were Richard Curtis movies and I’m not a huge fan of Richard Curtis movies. Don’t get me started on how awful Love Actually actually is. It was Paddington 2 that really showed how much fun he could be. So, when I saw the trailer for Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen I was quite excited to see it. I can’t say that Ritchie has ever been my favourite director even before he started making guff like King Arthur and Aladdin. They just weren’t the films I was interested in watching. I guess his films are fun in their own way. Just as long as you don’t mind gangs in London who have a penchant for violence.

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