guyeverton

At face value, we have a plot, of sorts, in that the characters develop and things happen to them... although what does happen is neither surprising nor predictable; only partially earned through the plot trajectory. There are enough surreal moments, deliberately bizarre editing choices and intertitle witticisms to tell me the filmmakers are trying very hard to break the mould. And it's all so shruggily, Frenchly existential. Critics seem to love it but I felt mostly bored watching.

79 _52%

Charlie Wilson's War (2007) - Rated 13 Sep 2026

Murrka, bad-guy Ruskies and a load of teenage boy sex fantasies should all add up to a car crash of a movie. And yet after a bit of reading this all seems fairly faithful to Charles Wilson the man and the mythos surrounding him. Has Hollywood stumbled upon its dream protagonist, the avatar through which America is represented with all its flaws, glamour and moral contradictions rolled together? This in mind I see a grimly ironic 9/11 themed ending was planned but canned - how disappointing.

60 _16%

The Whisper Man (2026) - Rated 13 Sep 2026

I've read some terrible reviews of this movie and I don't think it was all THAT bad. The opening acts were extremely creepy and put it well into the horror genre for me, extra creepy because there was nothing supernatural at hand; however once the boy was mostly off camera the tension seeped away and things became rather whodunnit-formulaic.

86 _78%

Brighton Rock (1947) - Rated 28 Aug 2026

I was surprised to read that the ending had been changed to Greene's annoyance and against his wishes. Yes the book ending is more tragic; but this new ending gives a final twist and is deeply, darkly ironic. Rose is already upset; but now instead of being slapped with cruel truth, she is left in blissful ignorance, condemned never to learn from her naivety. It's a chilling finale to a chilling film, led by Attenborough's staring, menacing Pinky.

66 _24%

The Killer (2023) - Rated 28 Aug 2026

With a Fincher film I expect a twist and an intricate plot; instead the story here is surprisingly and almost unbelievably simple, the chapters, locations and dead individuals flying by with little resonance. It's another film that wastes Tilda Swinton; Fassbender is extremely watchable but I expect more than a mere vendetta from this director and this cast.

60 _16%

The Boy and the Heron (2023) - Rated 16 Aug 2026

I love Miyazaki but this was too much. The art is beautiful as ever and the imagination astounding, but this plot is so saturated in theme and metaphor and magic that I was lost. Each scene seemed to conjure up a new antagonist, a new saviour, a new dimension… and I never understood how they all connected to one another, and why. It was like watching a Nolan film on acid.

71 _32%

Enemy at the Gates (2001) - Rated 16 Aug 2026

Maybe I’m wrong but the millennium era seems addicted to the swoony love story and sensual sex scene. We get one here, and we don’t need it. The duel between the snipers in the Stalker-esque world, and the questions of individual usefulness and truth raised by Danilov’s character are enough to live on; the love story debases it, though Weisz at least isn’t given a damsel in distress role. Historically inaccurate but enjoyable in the most part.

86 _78%

The Two Popes (2019) - Rated 15 Aug 2026

Two crusty old catholics having a chat is one of the worst premises for a movie I can imagine. And yet this was absorbing, engrossing, thoroughly unusual and a joy to watch. Let's park the fantasy for a moment and marvel at the chemistry of Pryce and Hopkins as they develop through the movie. Superb stuff. Does being a fantasy detract? Yes in some ways, but I love the imagination that went into the story.

71 _32%

A Farewell to Arms (1932) - Rated 08 Aug 2026

Enjoyable and humorous at times; with a modern eye I'd have liked to see Catherine's character developed more, and it did feel we were pushed from plot point to plot point with little seguing.

62 _19%

Against the Ice (2022) - Rated 08 Aug 2026

I watched this 5 days ago, knew I had watched a movie but couldn't remember what it was I had watched. Speaks volumes: this isn't a bad movie but it is entirely forgettable. Perhaps I watched Society of the Snow too recently; but the territory feels familiar, and I really didn't ever get a sense of Iversen's motivation, or even the source of the captain's dogged determination.