HAYSEY'S 2017 Good & Bad Cinema Thread

[Haysey_Draws]

In an effort to make sure i actually get out of the house for the sake of my mental health i'm trying to see a film for every week of the year, and thought i'd start a tread to keep track and post up my thought's on each film (rather then starting a new thread for each film that didn't already have one)

I'll also list all the films I've seen below in 4 easy category's, Must See, Check It Out, Maybe Skip and Avoid. Obviously this is just my opinion so please don't attack me for not liking Lego Batman as much as you.

I'll post my mini reviews/rants here once I've seen them, so feel free to agree/disagree with me on here. Also this is not just everything released this year, just everything i happen to have seen in a cinema this year.

So far i've seen 41/52 films this year...

Must See
Your Name
Logan
Ghost in the Shell (1995) (the anime one)
Shin Godzilla
Atomic Blonde
Blade Runner 2049
Star Wars The Last Jedi
Baby Driver

Check It Out
Lucky Logan
John Wick Chapter 2
Kong Skull Island
War for the Planet of the Apes
Colossal
Wonder Women
Spiderman Homecoming
Napping Princess
Dunkirk
Free Fire
Thor Ragnarok
Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle
Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale
Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2
The Disaster Artist
The Death of Stalin
Fast and Furious 8
LEGO Ninjargo (only if you have kids)
Suburbicon

Maybe Skip
Mindhorn
LEGO Batman
Alien Covenant
Fairy Tale Dragons Cry
Baywatch (2017)
The Hitman's Bodyguard
Kingsmen The Golden Circle
Power Rangers (2017)
The Dark Tower
Ghost in the Shell (2017) (the dumpster fire one)
Justice League

Avoid
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Transformers The Last Knight
Despicable Me 3

[Haysey_Draws]

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets


So i watched 'Valerian and the 2 hours of my life i'll never get back' at the weekend, and it was frustratingly bad.
The world in which the film is based is cool, the creature designs were pretty good, the costumes were great and the CGI wasn't at all bad...it's just the Script and Miscast leads that spoil the whole thing for me!
The 2 main leads, Dean DeHann and Cara Delevingne just don't pull off si-fi/action hero leads. Dean comes across as Bratish and unlikable, Cara is just a meh actor and the 2 have next to no chemistry. This is made all the worse for the clunky script, which ruins what would have been a decent original film idea.

Honestly this isn't worth your time, just go and rent The Fifth Element instead!

[Swykk]

Get Out is a must see.

[thevoid99]

Here's my list of the best films of 2017 that I've seen so far: https://letterboxd.com/thevoid99/list/the-best-of-2017/

[Haysey_Draws]

Get Out is a must see.

I missed it when it was out here in the UK. If it get's a re-release for Halloween i'll be on that like a rocket!

[bobbie solo]

Y'all are f'ing blowing it if you don't see Your Name. It seemed like it was getting lost in itself about halfway through, but man does it pick itself up and the ending is so satisfying.

[Haysey_Draws]

Y'all are f'ing blowing it if you don't see Your Name. It seemed like it was getting lost in itself about halfway through, but man does it pick itself up and the ending is so satisfying.

I went in not knowing anything about it other then 'Gender Bending Slice of Life' but i got completely surprised by the 'twist' in the middle and the movie had me from there!

[Haysey_Draws]

Shin Godzilla (Godzilla Resurgence)

I saw Shin Godzilla in it's limited UK run Yesterday, Full disclaimer my opinions on this films might be a little biased. I've been excited to see this since it came out in Japan last year, i'm a huge Godzilla fan and an even bigger fan of Anno Hideaki's, Shin's director, previous work Neon Genesis Evangelion, so this was always going to be great for me...and it really was awesome!
The film does have a fair bit of talking, maybe to a fault, having to watch a subtitled film with this much dialog was a challenge for me, but it didn't spoil the film. The Godzilla design is freaky as fuck, showing it evolving and bleeding all over the place was cool, but it's final form is something else. And it's big action set in the middle of the film is the best big monster action i've ever seen, it was bloody brilliant! I loved all the little nods to the original Godzilla films, the original music, the nods and music to Evangelion, it was all just so freaking cool. I'll definitely be seeing it again, and is up there with Logan and Your Name as one of the best films i've seen this year!

[Haysey_Draws]

Atomic Blonde

So i went to see Atomic Blonde (not be be confused with UK pop group Atomic Kitten as people in my office have been doing...) and i freaking loved it!
It's just dripping with style, the soundtrack was excellent, the fight scenes were freaking awesome (there's one that looks like it's one long take that feels like it goes on for about 10-15 mins and it's just brilliant!) the acting was solid (Charlize Theron is fast becoming one of my favorite actors right now) and the plot was great. Seriously this film is well worth going to see just for the music alone, and must see!

[Haysey_Draws]

Napping Princess

Caught the very limited cinema run of Napping Princess, a sort of anime fairy tale kids movie, and it was delightful.
The animation was solid, apart from some sketchy 3D effects of the transforming bike, and the story and characters were great fun. Also the mecha battles (yes mecha battles...in a kids film) were pretty good. This is easily the best kids film i've seen this year, it always amazes me how Japan can manage to make such original and fun worlds for their younger audiences compared to some of the bland stuff hollywood frequently churn out.
Worth a look.

[Haysey_Draws]

The Hitman's Bodyguard

Went to watch the Hitman's Bodyguard on the way home Friday, and it wasn't awful..but it wasn't great either, the perfect example of an average film.
There are some fun moments, a few decent jokes and a couple of great fight scenes but a very dull plot, twists you see coming before you even sit down, some awful dialog and at it's heart a love story with Ryan Reynolds character that has no chemistry (also not helped by said plot and script).
It's kinda like an alternative date movie (there were nothing but couples in the cinema, and it was pretty full...and they were all lovin' it) or a rainy Sunday Afternoon film, just there to pass a couple of hours and have a couple of laughs before being forgotten.

Maybe skip this.

[Haysey_Draws]

The Dark Tower

Well i did plan on seeing a bunch of films on my long weekend, but due to moving could only fit in one...The Dark Tower.
And it wasn't as bad as thought it would be, but that doesn't excuse it from being a bad film, just not one of the worst i've seen this year. I liked the visuals, the CGI was actually pretty decent and Ibras Elba was fun to watch with the gun reloading stuff. There was a good film here...but it was obvious to me it had been hacked by the studio to make it as simple and short as possible (seriously some of the scene changes are just jarring!) The kid is annoying as fuck, some of the dialog is so awful and what were they doing with the man in blacks dubbing?! Nearly half of his lines are clearly not what he is saying (sorry that really grindded on me)
In the end it's a wasted chance at a good film. I've never read the books so can't comment on how much it was butchered , but this wasn't a very good film. Skip.

[Haysey_Draws]

Lucky Logan

Went to see Lucky Logan over the weekend, and it was a pretty great film! The acting was great, story/plot/script was fun, music was cool and i was fully entertained throughout.
Well worth checking out!

[Haysey_Draws]

Kingsmen The Golden Circle

Been a few weeks since i'd been to the cinema so went to see Kingsmen The Golden Circle...and i have some opioions on this film.

First my spoiler free take on the film...it was disappointing. Average action film at best that was far far too long (it's nearly 2 and half hours) where i found myself bored for long stretches. Granted i haven't seen the first so alot of the film's references were lost on me, but that doesn't give an average film a pass. Maybe worth watching a rainy sunday afternoon on a streaming service with pizza, but don't waste your money on a cinema ticket.

OK now on to spoilers, and fuck me this film had issues! Now some of these issues will just be for me, but they're still issues. The films was tonely all over the place, it didn't know whether it wanted to be a serious action spy film or outlandish comedy (which made the deaths of characters really had to take seriously!) The action scenes, while fun for the most part, tended to go into this jump cut and zoom thing that was just doing my head in!
It also didn't represent women as anything more then sex mad bimbo's and underestimating villains (seriously in one scene the main character, i've already forgotten his name i just didn't care, had to finger a women at Glastonbury as that's the only way to leave a tracker on her? Then after meeting him for one scene she invites him to pee on her...because that's what women do at music festivals. Then said main characters GF wouldn't allow him to finger the women unless he proposed to her...yep, all women are just after marriage) I just couldn't take the scene seriously, and i couldn't tell whether the film wanted us to take it seriously. Then the villain played by
julianne moore, just wasn't menacing...she just came across as a Saturday morning cartoon villain. I could go on but i won't.
We also have the fact neither the Kingsmen (a secret British spy organisation) or the Statesmen (an american spy organisation) didn't know the other existed...HOW?! FREAKING HOW?! Channing Tatum was fun for all of the 5 mins he was in the film, characters were killed off in the stupidest ways and the 'twist' was obvious from fucking space. Seriously once the 'heroes' had saved the world i left, i needed a piss and just didn't give a shit about what happened to these people (i think the film went on for another 10mins) Just fucking disappointing.

Again not all these issues will apply to everyone, if you just wanted a dumb action film to shut down your brain for a few hours you'll probably enjoy it, but i can't recommend this. Wait for it on Netflix if you have too.

Skip this.

[OSLIN]

Must See
The Big Sick

[Haysey_Draws]

Must See
The Big Sick

This was on my list but, like with Rough Night, it was never on at any cinema even close to me at a time i could get to see it Plenty of showings for the Mummy though...

[OSLIN]

This was on my list but, like with Rough Night, it was never on at any cinema even close to me at a time i could get to see it Plenty of showings for the Mummy though...

Avoid
The Mummy (2017)



The Big Sick can be rented now, worth checking out.

[Haysey_Draws]

Blade Runner 2049

So i went to see some cinematography porn at an IMAX 3D on Saturday, and it did not disappoint!

It's such a beautiful film! The music and set design were just fucking excellent. The acting was freaking great across the board (i was worried we'd get a phoned on Harrison Ford performance, but he actually turned up this!) Sylvia Hoeks was very VERY good. The story was pretty cool and kept me hooked for the whole nearly 3 hour run time (something many other films of the same length have struggled to do this year!)
The whole atmosphere for the film was just A+
This was everything i wanted from the live action Ghost in the Shell and then some, one of my film highlights of the year, and i'm already looking forward to going to see it again.

A must see, especially at cinemas!

[Haysey_Draws]

LEGO Ninjargo

So i went to see the LEGO Ninja Mecha movie at the weekend...and it was alright.

It's definitely aimed at the youngest audiences when compared to the other 2 (where they had references and jokes for the adults, this one is firmly in the 'just for really young kids' section, bar a few ninja movie references, but they're so few and far between they might as well not be in there)
The best part about the film is the mecha's (i want that Shark and Dragon one!) and seeing them fight over a giant LEGO city is great fun...unfortunately they're only in the first 20mins of the film, before they're removed never to be seen again. Instead we see the Ninjargo team go on a quest to find their real powers...and that's this movies biggest problem. The rest of the film is focused firmly on them and not big LEGO set piece's and it struggles as the story and dialog are so dull, i just wanted more of the mecha's. The giant monster Cat is quite fun mind.

It's not an awful movie, but unless your under 9 there's really not much here for you.
Check it out only if you have kids (and be prepared to spend £ on the mecha's for them after!)

[Haysey_Draws]

The Death of Stalin

I went to see The Death of Stalin at the weekend, and enjoyed it more then i thought i would.
It's a pretty good little (dark?) comedy. I must admit i'm not that big on my history, so i don't know how much of it was based on fact (i'm guessing just the main points of the film) but it was pretty good. It managed to get a number of big laughs from me, which is always good for a comedy. Having none of the characters speak with a hint of Russian was a tad jarring (especially when you hear Stalin talk with a south London cockney voice) but i guess that's what they were aiming for.
The acting was pretty good across the board, and the comedic timing was on point.

Whilst i wouldn't agree with the universal critical acclaim, i would say it's a decent fun film worth going to see.

[Haysey_Draws]

Thor Ragnarok

So in-between being stupidly ill and going to Comic-con (i wasn't going to waste the money i spent on a ticket!) i went to see Thor Ragnarok and...it was fun, but not as fun as i was hoping.

The comedy, CGI and action were all top tier. The cameo's from other hero's were great (Doctor Strange was excellent...but i just really like the character) Hela was freaking excellent and it was a fun few hours to watch...however, i came away feeling a little deflated (could have been my illness) Alot of serious stuff feel flat to me. I feel like it didn't live up to the hype in my head after all the trailers. Don't get me wrong, it's a good film, but it's not a great film like Winter Solider, Guardians 1, Avengers and Civil War were. I've enjoyed all the Marvel films this year, Spider-man being the best, but they've all kinda left me feeling a little...meh? Maybe this is a good thing leading into Infinity War, it should keep my hype down, but i'd be hard pressed to go out of my way to watch many of the phase 3 films a second or third time...maybe i'm finally getting superhero fatigue

Worth a watch, it's a fun action popcorn film, but maybe not as good as it could have been.

[Haysey_Draws]

Justice League

I just saw Justice League and...honestly, it was pretty bad. Is it as bad as the critics said...not really, but it isn't anywhere near as good as Wonder Women, or any of the comic films this year.

Firstly the hero's, The Flash was actually pretty fun, i liked him alot, and Wonder Women continues to be Wonder Women. Cyborg is OK, nothing amazing, but Aquaman really annoyed me with his Surfer Bro attitude. And Batman...affleck clearly doesn't want to be Batman anymore.
The Villain, who i will from now on be calling Forgettenwolf, is so one dimensional. Worse then any Marvel villain, and his CGI was horrid! I've played PS2 ear games with better cut scenes then he looked! And the CGI as a whole...probably the worst i've seen in a movie. I purposely looked at the credits to see who did the effects and was dumbfounded to see it was the Weta Workshop...the same Weta Workshop that made the groundbreaking and Oscar winning Lord of the Rings effects...HOW?! HOW DID THEY MADE THIS?!
The script was clunky, dialog at times was very bad (the "you smell nice" bit really made me cringe) and it was pretty clear it had been chopped and changed a few times before we got it. It really felt, to me, like a fan fiction movie made for YouTube, not a big budget superhero movie.
But the films biggest fault for me...it was really forgettable. I only saw it an hour ago and i'm shuttling to remember most of it. The cinema i was in (lunch time in Wembley, London) was only a 3rd full, and i saw a number of people flicking through Facebook ALOT, most didn't even stay for the post credits (one dude spent most of the second half flicking through pictures of half naked asian dudes...he left about 10mins before the film ended)
The end credits were the best bits, a race between The Flash and Superman and teasing the Injustice League and a first look at Deathstroke, but tbh i can't see them even getting there without a soft reboot in Operation Flashpoint.
I don't think this film deserves the amount of hate the critics gave it, but it also doesn't deserve any credit or praise either, it's just a fairly dull superhero movie.

Unless you're a big DC fan, maybe skip this

[Haysey_Draws]

Suburbicon

So i went to see Suburbicon at the weekend, and it was...weird.
It's a decently written, directed and acted film, but it is definitely not what it was advertised in posters and trailers. The adverts on busses and billboards had quotes like "side spilttingly funny" and "hilarious" but the film is anything but. There are a few gags to lighten the mood, but almost all of them are in the trailer (again painting this as a comedy with dark elements). The films less comedy and more dark murder thriller with a few gags...and that kinda threw me.
It's not a bad film, in fact it's quite well made, but i think i may have enjoyed myself if i hadn't gone in expecting to laugh.

Worth seeing if your a film buff.

[Haysey_Draws]

The Disaster Artist

I went to see The Disaster Artist over the weekend (which was an adventure in itself as it was only on in select cinemas, so i had to travel across half of London to a cinema i've never been to just to see it) and it was pretty good.
I only have a basic knowledge of the film on which this was based, the 'cult' hit The Room, but it was more then enough for me to get most of the laughs here. It's well acted and probably the funnist film i've seen this year. The last 5 mins where they play the original scenes side by side with this films version was very good.
Definitely worth checking out if your a fan or just interested in The Room.

[Haysey_Draws]

Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle

I spent my weekend fighting snow and watching Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle and...it wasn't that bad, in fact the bits IN Jumanji were pretty fun and entertaining...it's the bits NOT IN Jumanji that let the film down.
If you can get pat the first 20mins you'll have a fun ride, but man are those first 20mins bad. Firstly the human characters (the 4 kids who'll get trapped in Jumanji) are so bland and unlikable, and secondly if you didn't know this was a Sony picture you'll get it rammed in your face with the most unashamed product placement i've ever seen! Seriously EVERY SEEN has a Sony phone, computer, headphones, Walkmen, Games poster, PS one/PS4 with the 'Sony' brand logo front and centre...and it's so off putting! But once the kids get sucked into Jumanji and are replaced by their avatars the real film starts. The Rock, Karen Gillian and Co are great fun and look like they're having a blast here. The action is good and over the top and the comedy actually hits for the most part. It's not without it's issues, but i was able to look past most of them as i was having a fun time. One thing that did kinda annoy me was that this is in fact a sequel, not a reboot, and they don't do anything with it. No call backs, references (that i picked up on) just the boardgame washing up on the beach...bit disappointing

I'd say it's worth seeing before Star Wars opens and eclipses every other film, check it out.

[Haysey_Draws]

Star Wars The Last Jedi

I booked the day off to go and see Star Wars The Last Jedi, and it was time well spent as far as i'm concerned!
Spoiler free review here, i loved it. The intro scene was great but it's does start to drag after for the rest of the first 3rd, lots of characters talking and whatnot. But once that's all out of the way the last half is just excellent! Possibly the best half of all the films for me!
Much like Blade Runner i'm going to see it again just for the second half. A must see.

A great film to end the year on (i doubt there's anything else out now before the new year) so with that my Good Bad cinema thread for 2017 is probably done (might have another look at the order now i've had time to let most of them sink in) . Missed my goal of 52 films but 41 isn't that bad, i now have a target to beat next year!