Halloween (2018) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

Halloween (2018) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Halloween 2018 is a film of three halves.  The first part sets up the premise nicely – that Michael went to jail after the original and that the sequels (and the family link to Strode) didn’t exist.  Not a bad thing.  It’s a creepy and effective set up.  It’s the middle part where the film looses it’s way a bit, falling into the trappings of the film’s it’s trying to ignore.  Thankfully it pulls it back with an uber creepy last section which ties together the strings nicely and ends up leaving the film with a neat ending… should it wish to walk away.  Overall it’s well worth seeing and one of the better Halloween movies.

Best Bit: The house

Cinema, Stream, Avoid: Cinema

If You Liked this Try: Halloween, Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Mandy (2018) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

Mandy (2018) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
If you had to describe Mandy in one word it would be… mental.  Nic Cage going full Nic Cage.  Demented bikers,  Manson family nutters, Hand forging weapons, bundles of Gore. It’s an LSD trip of a movie. It’s also, quite possibly, one of the best film of 2018.  Okay so it makes little sense and at tow hours long is almost too much to watch in one go but films like this just don’t get made anymore… it’s a grindhouse horror that felt like it was made in the 70’s and would have been on the video nasty list.

Best Bit: Cage screaming on a toilet.  Insane.

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Mother!, Hereditary, The Devils Rejects 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Babysitter (2018) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

The Babysitter (2018) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The latest Netflix original horror film delivers two surprises… the first that it’s actually really quite excellent and the second that it comes from the directorial “talent” that is McG.  Yes Charlies Angels McG.  I know right.  That aside, The Babysitter is funny, smart and gory.  Okay so it lacks almost any actual scares but with a quick run time, great script and spirited performances this is another must see from Netflix.

Best Bit: Toy Car, Stairs, glass

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Happy Death Day, Tucker And Dale Vs Evil, The Final Girls

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Hate U Give (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

The Hate U Give (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The Hate U Give tells a fascinating story of a police shooting and its effects on the wider community, with strong performances at its core and a message that sticks with you after the credits roll.  It’s a shame then that the film feels so sluggish at time.  At over two hours, this is obvious Oscar bate and would have benefited from a shorter runtime with a few less obvious narrative choices.  Not a film you can enjoy for sure but certainly one with a strong message to tell that can be admired from a far.

Best Bit: Strong performances

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Monsters And Men, If Beale Street Could Talk, Blindspotting 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Mowgli (2019)- A Quick Capsule Review

Mowgli (2019)- A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Mowgli is the second version of The Jungle Book story to come out in just under a year.  Directed by Andy Serkis, it’s a straight to Netflix release and, as you would expect from the king of Motion capture, the film has a LOT of CGI.  It’s a shame they didn’t finish most of it. Look Mowgli isn’t bad and it’s more adult take on the source material is a refreshing take.  But it also has issues… not least where the budget seems to outstrip the vision.  Which is quite often.  It’s solid for sure but we’ve seen it all before and the story is very well told in two much better films.  So one for a Sunday afternoon when it’s wet…

Best Bit: The chase

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: The Jungle Book (2018), The Lion King (2019), The Legend of Tarzan

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
I was pretty late to the Mamma Mia! party – I only saw the first film last year.  It was great fun, the cast delivered amazing chemistry and Streep owned it.  So take all those things away (at least for the first hour) and you end up with Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again… a lifeless sequel that only starts to be good again when the film remembers that it should be more fun than maudlin.  Look Lily James does an amazing job as a young Streep but Seyfried is so whiny and the story so redundant (we kinda know how she ended up with three dads already) that you just don’t really care.  So overall a disappointing sequel.

Best Bit: The boats arrive (and the fun!)

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Mamma Mia!, Grease, Hairspray 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Tucked (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Tucked (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Tucked is a raw, emotionally charged yet highly charming and engaging story of friendship and love. It’s also bloody short, at just under 82 minutes long. Such a refreshing thing in this day and age of 2 hour plus films as standard. Derren Nesbitt & Rizzle Kicks singer Jordan Stephens are simply superb as the two lead characters thrust together into friendship.  It’s their chemistry that sells this low key independent British drama and neither put a foot wrong.  Director Jamie Patterson keeps the story moving and never lets it get maudlin and the writing is on point. A possible Top 10 of the year so far…

Best Bit: Derren Nesbitt &  Jordan Stephens Chemistry

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Ru Paul’s Drag Race, I Am Devine, Hurricane Bianca 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Monsters And Men (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

Monsters And Men (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Monsters And Men is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green that is well-acted and visually stylish but falls short of it’s expectations for itself with a narrative that doesn’t quite gel and a story of corruption and street life that we’ve seen before.  It’s a shame as all the elements here work on their own – the script is realistic, the acting solid and the direction slick but sadly it doesn’t come together as well as you want it.  That said it’s far from bad and the idea smart enough to just about hold your attention.

Best Bit: The shooting

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Boyz In The Hood, Kidulthood, City of God

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Solo: A Star Wars Story – A Rewatched Quick Capsule Review

Solo: A Star Wars Story – A Rewatched Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
I liked Solo.  It has issues for sure but overall it’s a thumbs up.  But it’s production issues (fired directors, massive reshoots, more reshoots) do shine through the film, especially the first and last act.  The pacing and tone suffer the most with the original directors comic stylings not sitting at ease with Howard’s more pedestrian direction.  BUT these issues can almost be forgotten when you have performances as spirited and fun as Glover and Ehrenreich who do excellently with such iconic roles, leaving you wanting much more from them.  Harrelson makes a good addition to the Star Wars universe but sadly Emilia Clarke once again fails to shine away from Game Of Thrones.  So not quite a disaster, Solo is a worthy if lesser entry to the Star Wars cannon.

Best Bit: Meet Lando

Worth a Watch:  Just

If You Liked this Try: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Rebels

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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White Boy Rick (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

White Boy Rick (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
White Boy Rick is based on a true story of a drug dealing gun totting 15 year old, dragged deep into a world of crime by the FBI.  It’s solid stuff – with Matthew McConaughey delivering yet another strong performance.  But for all it’s grit and dirt it’s the very workman like delivery that lets the film down.  In more solid hands this could have been a really interesting film but as it is it’s more diverting than essential.

Best Bit: Getting close with the girl

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Black Mass, American Gangster, New Jack City

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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