Blunt Reviews Presents: Babel (2007)

I can’t place this film, and it annoys me. What I like is that each of the narratives genuinely mean something and make an important statement in unique ways; what’s annoying is the overly pretentious attempt to link the narratives together across the globe, suggesting that in life’s rich tapestry everything is somehow connected in tiny ways. That pisses me off and doesn’t actually hold together as well as it needs to. I admire Alejandro González Iñárritu as a filmmaker, and whilst I believe this is his worst film, his directing is still impressive, if not somewhat wasted here.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Quantum of Solace (2008)

It’s time to say goodbye to Martin Campbell and welcome in Marc Forster as director, ready to nearly butcher the James Bond franchise for good. Removing all substance and character, this film focuses entirely upon action and forgets that a plot is needed. Interestingly the second unit director, Dan Bradley, who has worked on projects such as Superman Returns, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Bourne Ultimatum appears to be in charge as we see the action becoming the focus. This is ultimately a loud and boring action film that made Die Another Day look like fucking Citizen Kane.

Blunt Reviews Presents: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Gavin Hood directs one of the worst superhero films to have ever been made. When this film was released I was thirteen years old, and even then it managed to bore me senseless. It isn’t gritty or mature enough to handle the back story of a character as complex as Wolverine so what we have instead is a boring action film with tangents all over the place and visuals that make you question whether the film is actually finished. It is utterly without merit and is essentially the public execution of Marvel’s most popular character.

Blunt Reviews Presents: The Inbetweeners 2 (2014)

When a television series runs out of steam it sends the characters abroad. So what does that tell us about The Inbetweeners, considering they’ve done this twice. We all enjoyed the series a couple of years ago, but this much unwanted sequel was unbearable. The writers are merely reworking things they’ve already done so the gags are more disgusting and less funny. There’s no advancements in plot, and overall the whole thing feels too rushed, hence the narrative is distorted in terms of pace. Boring and uninspired. In the 1930s this rabid dog would have been shot already.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Thor (2011)

I admire Kenneth Branagh as a director and my inner geek openly welcomes new comic book films, but this didn’t really amount to anything. It fell into a category I have come to call “obligatory films” meaning that certain solo films are needed in order to introduce newer characters in The Avengers. They need a project that isn’t of any significance just to introduce a character before moving on to better things, hence the first Thor and Captain America films are average but their sequels after The Avengers are substantially better. Not completely without merit, but ultimately a guilty pleasure.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Taken 3 (2015)

It is a shame to see such a fantastic original film followed by two god awful sequels. I really like Taken, I think it was a gritty action flick that quite rightfully achieved popular status within mainstream culture, but the sequels are unforgivable. If you paid to watch Taken 2 then I am afraid it is your fault that I am now faced with a third installment that is badly written, unintelligent nonsense that removes all that was brilliant about the original film. I can’t even say I’m angry that this film was made; I’m just disappointed.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

This is a film that plays on everybody’s inner child; the hunger we’ve all felt at some point in our lives to run away and have an adventure, so I’m automatically drawn in. I’ve always found the film hard to place, because I enjoy it but only to a certain extent. It doesn’t present us with an awful lot but I’m happy with what it does present. Spike Jonze is a fantastic filmmaker and it looks as though the entire cast and crew all had a great time making it, so I can’t say I have a problem with it.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

I was worried this would still be the Iron Man show, like it’s predecessor, but I was pleased to find it was nicely balanced between characters both old and new. It obviously has frequent action sequences, which are smoothly directed and not too headache inducing. I really liked the social commentary; the discussion of technological advancements and our views towards defense programs, I just felt it needed more of this. Joss Whedon is still pleasing audiences with witty dialogue and a comic book visual style. The highlight for me is that FINALLY Paul Bettany makes an appearance in the flesh.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Nymphomaniac Vol I & II (2014)

This troublesome project is definitive evidence of just how dull Lars Von Trier can be as a screenplay writer. I have no problem with filmmakers exploring sexuality, it is a genuinely fascinating subject, but there is a fine line between art and absurdity. This is absurdity. Von Trier’s directing style is excessive, particularly in regards to the explicit and quite frankly ridiculous sex scenes. More annoyingly it lacks any form of depth and the tone never settles, so the narrative buzzes around like a bluebottle for four hours, before leading to an ending I predicted in the opening ten minutes.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Looper (2012)

I’m a geek, so I admit I am somewhat predisposed to love science fiction films, especially ones that feature time travel. And yet Looper left me with with a feeling far from satisfaction. It was so awful I suddenly felt inclined to send the idiotic writers a series of letters consisting of completely incomprehensible gibberish and await a response. So when they eventually reply with an inquiry regarding the purpose and meaning of the letters, I would retort: “I’m sorry, is it annoying when someone wastes your time with incoherent writing that lacks structure, consistency and purpose?”