Outlaw King (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

Outlaw King (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
It’s not often a single sequence can save a film from being a total bore but Outlaw King’s big battle just about manages to leave you with something memorable to walk away with in the latest Netflix original. That said it’s quite a long slog to get there.  Problem is we’ve seen all this before – Braveheart did it much better and all the TV shows and films that followed too. Also – let’s be honest… the acting here is iffy at best and whilst Pugh and Pine do their best, there’s some pretty stinky acting on display here.  So ultimately this is yet another Netflix original that fails to set world alight.

Best Bit: The final battle

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Avoid

If You Liked this Try: Braveheart, Kingdom Of Heaven, Rob Roy

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Silence (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

The Silence (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The Silence boldly goes exactly where A Quiet Place and Netflix’s own Bird Box goes before it.  Okay so that’s not strictly true but for sure the three films all feature very familiar ideas, beats and execution which leads to some very obvious comparisons.  Sadly for The Silence it’s probably the weakest of the three, in part to the rather pointless voice over the film is lumbered with and whilst it throws in a couple of surprises it’s pretty predictable from start to end.  Now it’s not terrible – in fact at times it’s pretty fun and it’s 90 minute run time is much appreciated.  BUT you can’t help but think this could have been so much more!

Best Bit: Dog. Crash. Car.

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: A Quiet Place, Bird Box, Annihilation

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Triple Frontier (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Triple Frontier (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Triple Frontier is yet another slightly underwhelming star studied Netflix vehicle.  Okay so it’s not at all bad but what should be an exciting adrenaline pulsing heist/on the run action thriller just feels flat by the end of it’s third act.  Yes there’s a few surprises along the way and the film flirts with some dark ideas (sadly without ever committing)  but with a cast this good you just want someone to jump of auto pilot just for a few minutes.  Sadly no-one does. J.C. Chandor has made some very strong films so far so maybe the bar was set higher than it should have been. Ultimately Triple Frontier  passed the time but I won’t remember it in a few months…

Best Bit: The heist

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: The Accountant, Inglourious Basterds, Three Kings

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Velvet Buzzsaw (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Velvet Buzzsaw is a great title in need of an equally great film.  Okay that’s a bit unfair – Velvet Buzzsaw isn’t terrible.  But it is pretty average in the whole, another Netflix original letdown. Filmmaker Dan Gilroy , who made the rather excellent Nightcrawler, tackles a more straight up horror here.  Sadly whilst the central idea is good, the film isn’t that scary.  It’s also not that bloody and whilst the cast seem to be having fun, you just cant help but think that if they had dialled it up to 11 it could have been something quite special.

Best Bit: Truck Stop

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Nightcrawler, Society, Mother!

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Behind The Curve (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Behind The Curve (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Behind The Curve tackles the thorny issue of Flat Earthers – those that believe the Earth really is flat.  Yup this is a real thing. Daniel J. Clark’s documentary never strictly goes out to mock its subject, instead allowing them to pretty much do that themselves. Witness the man who makes actual flat earths.  The fact that this is even a thing is insane, but at least the documentary is engaging and ends on a brutally frank moment that should put a whole heap of doubt on those true believers.  So interesting for sure but deeply concerning.

Best Bit: The experiment

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: The Act of Killing, Man on Wire, The Overnighters

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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22 July (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

22 July (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
22 July tells the harrowing true story of the 2011 Norway terror attacks by lone wolf domestic terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.  Director Paul Greengrass dispenses with flash and tells a very straight story in three parts – the event, the aftermath and the trial. The issues come in that it’s almost too little material for a the length of film it is and maybe would have benighted from going deeper into the story and aftermath and, potentially, a TV format.  The biggest issue is that you never really understand the why – why Breivik did what he did for sure but also why Greengrass made this film.  It feels too soon and doesn’t really add a level of understanding to the events that you would want or need.

Best Bit: The trial

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: United 93, Utøya: July 22, Zodiac

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Podcast: Ross And Phil Talk… Spielberg, Fox, Oscars & Gunn

Podcast: Ross And Phil Talk… Spielberg, Fox, Oscars & Gunn

by RossAndPhil Ross and Phil Talk Movies The Podcasts

On this episode of the podcast we talk movie news! Yup we catch up on the latest happenings in the world of movies – from Spielberg’s campaign against Netflix, to Disney buying Fox, the Academy awards (yes I know we are late) and James Gunn coming back to Guardian’s 3.

Hosted by Award winning filmmaker Ross Boyask and blogger/writer/failed filmmaker Phil Hobden.

Films Discussed: A Quiet Place, Marvel, Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, Greenbook, Bohemian Rhapsody, Suicide Squad, Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse, New Mutants, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Jack Reacher, First Man, Steven Spielberg, Netflix

For more on Ross Boyask search @RossBoyask on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also check out @EvoFilmsUK online.

For more on Phil Hobden check out www.philhobden.co.uk , Twitter (@PhilQuickReview) and Instagram (RossAndPhilTalkMovies)

#RossAndPhil #RossAndPhilTalkMovies #MoviePodcasts #Podcasts

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Bird Box (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

Bird Box (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Bird Box is for sure one of the better Netflix Sci-Fi ‘originals’, benefiting from an A-list cast and some super tense direction. It’s not A Quiet Place but its tense for sure, even if it could have spent more time on the river than in the house.  Bullock is a strong, cold lead and the unseen monster is a powerful presence throughout. If they had stuck with the original book ending the film could have pushed a higher rating for sure.

Best Bit: The rapids

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: A Quiet Place, 28 Days Later, 10 Cloverfield Lane 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Punisher: Season 2 – A Quick Capsule TV Review

The Punisher: Season 2 – A Quick Capsule TV Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The second (and final on Netflix at least) season of The Punisher once again falls into all the trappings of the previous Marvel Netflix shows – too many episodes, too meandering story and far too unfocused, yet with moments of beautiful and over the top violence.  Bernthal is still perfectly cast as Castle (I’d still had preferred Frank Grillo but still…) but the script lets him down and by half way through the 13 episode run your seriously thinking of walking away.  There are moments for sure but with maybe five episodes less this could have been something special.

Best Bit: The final shot… finally we have The Punisher

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Daredevil, The Punisher (Season 1), The Defenders

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Dumplin’ (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

Dumplin’ (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Netflix have always done better with comedies that they have sci-fi films (see Cloverfield, Tau and many, many more).  And once again Dumplin’ proves the point – a sweet, small dramedy about a plus-size teenage signing up for a local pageant.  Danielle Macdonald (of Patti Cake$ fame) plays the titular character with spark and charm but also with an impressive and relatable degree of insecurity but the film also benefits from a winning support cast (including Drag Race alumni Ginger Minge and former Friend Jennifer Aniston). It won’t be for everyone but Dumplin’ is a charming film that’s well worth your time.

Best Bit: The Pageant

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Patti Cake$, Life Of The Party, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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