Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – A Skywalker Saga Quick Capsule Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – A Skywalker Saga Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Collections Quick Review Star Wars

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
So the Last Jedi is good.  On balance it could well be the best true Star Wars film since Jedi and It’s fair to say when it delivers it knocks it out the park – The opening, Rey/Ren, The finale.  Even better watching it back on home video, the misses that bothered me first time around (The long middle section, Star Wars Casinos, the punking out of not one but two characters set up for great things but cast aside) actually made a lot more sense.  It’s still far to say that a better script could have made this up there with Empire, but even though The Last Jedi flirts with greatness it still doesn’t QUITE land it.  This all said it was a really entertaining film, with lots of surprises along the way and twists and turns you don’t quite expect that lived up to expectations and hype.  Hamill is great, Fisher gives one of her best performances and the support cast are mostly exceptional.  Where to next is anyones guess but the final film in this trilogy will have a hell of a job beating this. Recommended.

Best Bit: Finally! Lightsaber action!

If You Liked this Try: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back , Rogue One : A Star Wars Story

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – A Skywalker Saga Quick Capsule Review

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – A Skywalker Saga Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Collections Quick Review Star Wars

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The danger is always that when you hype up a film to such a degree that it can only ever disappoint.  And episode 7 its probably the most hyped film ever.  To live up to this hype It would have to be special.  It would have to deliver.  And you know what – for the most part it does.  The Force Awakens is the Star Wars films I wanted.  Great new characters, throw backs to the great characters of old, a simple story, intrigue, a great bad guy and a plot that doesn’t feed you every little detail.  It’s not perfect – far from it – BUT in spirit and execution this film delivers.  It feels like a Star Wars film. It looks like a Star Wars film.  It IS a Star Wars Films.

Best Bit: BB8!

If You Liked this Try: Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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2 Lava 2 Lantula (2017) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

2 Lava 2 Lantula (2017) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
It’s not winning any Academy Awards but 2 Lava 2 Lantula is fun, silly and hilarious with a surprisingly knowing script that manages to comically reference a host of 80’s and 90’s films and TV shows with style and charm.  Guttenberg is terrible, the cast seem lost half the time and the effects are shoddy.  BUT it’s more fun than the last 3 Transformers movies combined and if you are in that kind of mood few films will hit the spot better.  Enjoy with curry and beer.  

Best Bit: Police Academy reunion!

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Lavalantula, Sharknado, Sharnkdao The Fourth Awakens

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Greatest Showman (2017) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

The Greatest Showman (2017) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
I’m always undecided with Hugh Jackman.  For every Logan, there’s been a Wolverine or Les Mis.  This in mind (and many other factors) it’s fair to say that The Greatest Showman wasn’t top of my list but dragged on a Sunday afternoon I thought I’d give it a chance.  I hated it.  For the first ten minutes at least.  Then something happened.  It’s positive message, uplifting songs, striking photography and committed performance by Jackman (and an roundly excellent cast) bowled me over.  Much like he did for the crowds that came to his shows, the film got me. It has issues (the start is pretty dire and teh CGI lacking) but damn I was surprised just how much I enjoyed it.

Best Bit: This Is Me

Cinema, Stream, Avoid: Cinema

If You Liked this Try: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Little Shop of Horrors, LA LA Land

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Nativity (2009) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

Nativity (2009) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Ugh.  I like a fun Christmas movie as much as the next person sadly, for me at least, Nativity isn’t that film.  The thing is for every ‘okay’ moment there’s another ten that are badly acted, badly scripted or delivered will all the subtly of a brick to the head.  And the less aid about Mr Poppy the better.  There are a 100 better Christmas films.  Watch anyone of them instead.

Best Bit: Martin Freeman is good

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Avoid

If You Liked this Try: Nativity 2 Danger in the Manger, Love Actually, Elf

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Yup it’s back and this time it’s travelling across the Globe. It’s as insane as you’d imagine and oddly the rather bad Katie Price cameo isn’t the worst acting in it (Tara Reid who once shone in American Pie is beyond phoning it in these days).  Yup each country has it’s own unique set of cameos as the film goes from one set piece to the next, in one country to the next, with zero logic or story effort.  But who cares when it’s this fun. And it IS fun, probably the fact the most fun since the second Sharkndao film all those years ago.  It wont convert new fans for sure but as a piece of forgettable fun the Sharknado films always deliver.

Best Bit: Sidney Opera house

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Sharknado, Lavalantula, Sharknado 2: The Second One

Sharknado Rating ★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Author: Phil Hobden

Raw (2017) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

Raw (2017) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Raw is a visceral, bloody, hardcore look at family, desire and, er, cannibalism.  Arriving on a sea of hype – people walking out of screenings, vomiting, fainting and everything in between it’s a film that has a lot of live up to.   And for once it does.   One of the most intimate looks on film at the taboo of eating  human flesh, it’s a film that lives and dies on it’s central performance by Garance Marillier .  Which is lucky because she delivers.   In spades.  I can’t say enough good things about Raw.  It’s a hard watch but one WELL worth it.  Believe the hype.

Best Bit: Waking up…

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Buy

If You Liked this Try: Cannibal Holocaust, Ravenous, Alive

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Justice League (2017) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

Justice League (2017) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Justice League isn’t the worst film ever as some critics will have you believe.  BUT it’s also a long way from being good.  DC’s Sniderverse continues it’s desire to make some of the best superhero of all time as dull as possible with the introductions of the latest batch – Aquaman (Underdeveloped), Cyborg (Terrible design & CGI) and The Flash (Not a patch on the TV version) along side an increasingly bored Batfleck, Sulky Superman and the actually still good Wonder Woman.  They team up, they fight CGI things and little else happens.  Nothing has weight, people com back from the dead (and we don’t really get to see the wider implications of this, despite it being a major story point) and SuperJoss crash lands Snider’s film with the help of a script polish (you know its him as the moments stand out like a sore thumb) and CGI moustache removal (it’s as bad as it sounds).  For me it’s the weakest of the DCEU (but the margins between this, Man Of Steel and Suicide Squad are VERY slim) and pretty much kills any further spin off’s dead.

Best Bit: Wonder Woman. Again.

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Wonder Woman, Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Dark Knight 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Cult of Chucky (2017) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

Cult of Chucky (2017) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Cult of Chucky is a fun 7th entry into the never ending Child’s Play/ Chucky series, working as a direct sequel to 2013’s Curse Of Chucky but revisiting characters from the original Childs Play all those years ago.   Set most in an asylum and focusing on Fiona Dourif’s Nica it’s pretty much more of the same with Chucky offing people one by one.  Tilly is fun, both Dourif’s are great and the gore, whilst not plentiful, does eventually come. Wont make new fans for sure BUT it’s one of the better entry’s.

Best Bit: Dourif once again

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Bride Of Chucky, Child’s Play, Child’s Play 3

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Killer Klowns From Outta Space (1988) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

Killer Klowns From Outta Space (1988) – A ’31 Films Of Halloween’ Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Killer Klowns may sound like a cheap 80’s low budget horror film (which to be fair it is) BUT it offers far more invention and creativity than you would expect from a film made for peanuts and directed by a trio of brothers who have done little of note since.   The basic premise of Alien clowns killing people in a small town is silly enough but the charm in which is does it and the creative use of clown tropes makes this far more enable that it has any right to have and oddly stands up well over 30 years later.  One to stream for sure (now on Netflix UK).

Best Bit: Shadow Puppets

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Ticks, The Blob, Critters

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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