Blunt Reviews Presents: Filth (2013)

James McAvoy stars in this big screen adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s comedy centred around a corrupt policeman battling his inner demons, whilst using them to his advantage. It’s a weird and outrageous comedy that has literally everything in it to make you laugh and gasp at the same time. It doesn’t carry as much weight as other Welsh adaptations such as Trainspotting but it still worth watching. What really carries this film forward is McAvoy’s leading performance, without which the film would be considerably worse. Some comedy is described as stoner comedy, this is more like acid head comedy.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Prometheus (2012)

I think what was most disappointing about this film was that it tried so hard to do what other Ridley Scott films have done better. The creepy horror was mastered by Alien and then Blade Runner pretty much covered the themes of trying to find your maker and what it means to be human. So all that’s left for this film I suppose is a little bit of backstory to Alien for anyone who was curious. I don’t think it’s as bad as people said it was because there is something there, we just needed more than it gave us.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Watchmen (2009)

I don’t often use the word “hate” when talking about films, because I feel that it is too much. In the case of Watchmen I don’t think it’s a strong enough word. It is quite simply a fucking disaster. The source material is perfect; a graphic novel that is so rich in substance, yet director Zack Snyder decides to focus on the visuals, violence and vigilante costumes that he somehow manages to sexualise. Snyder seems to know very little about the source material, I imagine the pages of his copy are mysteriously stuck together having been fucked too many times.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Shutter Island (2010)

I admire Scorsese as a filmmaker and I think it was bold of him to make a chiller such as this, but it’s all over the place. The plot is too thin and lacks complexity, which results in the plot twists being visible from quite some distance, not to mention the god awful score diffusing the tension as opposed to creating it by just being loud nonsense. There’s nothing notable about the film that stands out. From the leading performances down to the directing and screenplay it’s all a bit mediocre and proves itself to be remarkably unremarkable.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Django Unchained (2013)

I know the film is excessive and self indulgent, but I love it. Tarantino is an interesting yet ill disciplined director, but he makes up for this with his fantastic screenplay writing. It’s not for the faint hearted as we see violence pushed to new extremes in this slavery era spaghetti western, but the visual style that Tarantino adopts is to be expected. The cast is superb, with Christoph Waltz quite rightfully winning an Oscar, but the understated hero of the film is Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s loud, excessive, outrageous comedy and violence from start to finish, but it’s bloody brilliant.

Blunt Reviews Presents: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The third installment to director and writer Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, which is a strong addition to the already near perfect film series. Nolan is a genius of cinema and so it’s still admirable to see someone making intelligent and artistic blockbusters for mass audiences. The scale is larger than before, with a more brutal villain than we have previously seen, but the cast still performs excellently under Nolan’s ever impressive directing. What I love about this film is there is a lot of focus on character and screenplay, with technical mastery thrown in for good measure. Pure genius.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Now You See Me (2013)

A prime example of a film that is not only rubbish, but stupid rubbish. Loud, fast paced, unintelligent nonsense with an uninteresting screenplay and infuriating plotholes. I cannot possibly fathom why the cast agreed to take part in this film as they are all immensely talented and can do so much better. I like films about illusionists and I wanted this to be good, but with the director of Clash of the Titans at the helm I should have prepared for disappointment. If you want a clever film about magic watch The Prestige and avoid this film like the plague.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

A problematic piece, but still one that’s very impressive. In terms of writing and acting this is one of the best films of our time, but the directing was troublesome. Abdellatif Kechiche’s directing style was incredibly pornographic and so many of the explicit sex scenes feel unnecessary. Sex isn’t needed to show the young couple are in love, the screenplay builds the picture perfectly. It’s a narrative based on an intense love that feels utterly realistic. From its creation right through to its inevitable destruction the romance makes for an intense emotional experience and an incredibly gripping piece of cinema.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

It will come as a shock to many but I really liked this film. I read the book and found it to be painfully boring and self indulgent, but the film is superb. David O. Russell deserves credit for adapting an awful book into a fantastic screenplay that is both funny and uplifting, with poignance in the right places. The cast is outstanding, with the show stolen by Jennifer Lawrence in her best role to date, but with O. Russell as director this is what we should expect. It’s a guilty pleasure, but an uplifting one.

Blunt Reviews Presents: The Notebook (2004)

Boyfriends all over the world will be all too familiar with this film as it has plagued their evenings for over ten years. Many will seek to actively dislike this film, but personally I think I would dislike it more if it actually mattered. I have seen it multiple times, and honestly it is just so unimportant that I don’t feel the need to rant about it. It isn’t totally without merit, but ultimately it is badly written rubbish that has achieved popular status for whatever reason. For the rest of us, it is nothing short of insignificant.