01/06/24: Masterminds ★★★☆☆
Undoubtedly, Masterminds is not a very good film but the cast’s commitment and enthusiasm makes this a three star film rather than a one.
02/06/24: The Maker ★★★★☆
Watched for the cute rabbit and stayed for the skillful animation.
03/06/24: About Time ★★★★★
Rewatching About Time was a long anticipated reward for completing this year’s exams, and what a brilliant reward it was! About Time is beautiful in so many ways but the absolute highlight for me is its portrayal of love.
04/06/24: The Babadook ★★★☆☆
Nowhere near scary enough. At times, I’ll admit, I found myself slightly frightened. Mostly though, I just found the little boy irritating.
05/06/24: Ella Enchanted ★★★★☆
The most fun fairytale film ever made. I remember being obsessed with Ella Enchanted when I was younger and this rewatch has made me realise I still am.
06/06/24: The DUFF ★★★☆☆
Sometimes you just need to watch a teenage romance film with a distorted message about self-love.
07/06/24: Focus ★★★☆☆
Heist and crime films somehow continue to appeal to me despite most of them being rubbish, so much so that I decided to rewatch Focus even though I hardly enjoyed it the first time round. This second watch revealed some insight into the appeal of these films: big-name casts, fast paced scenes and grand reveals.
08/06/24: Room 8 ★★★☆☆
Room 8 is founded on an interesting concept – a room that exists within itself. Sadly, it goes downhill from there. It is hard to say what exactly went wrong and how it could’ve been better – it just needed an extra something.
09/06/24: Fantastic Mr. Fox ★★★★☆
A much better heist film than Focus. Unlike other heist films this is paired with a perfect score, adorable puppets and passionate commitment from everyone involved.
10/06/24: Glass Onion ★★★★☆
While Glass Onion and Knives Out exist in the same world and we have some continuity through Benoit Blanc and their dramatic plot twists, the two feel like completely different films. Glass Onion focuses more on comedy and feels more lighthearted (despite the murders).
11/06/24: Hit Man ★★★★☆
Hit Man is possibly the best film that Netflix has put out in years and I won’t let anyone tell me otherwise.
12/06/24: Gone Girl ★★★★☆
Gone Girl’s Nick Dunne is one of the least likeable men in film history and yet his character is nowhere near as insufferable as he was in the book.
13/06/24: The Dreamers ★★★☆☆
Almost unbearably pretentious. The Dreamers attempts to be subversive but misses the mark. Instead it is scene after scene of repulsive imagery and snobby characters. Occasionally though, alongside the mess, it accomplishes something beautiful.
14/06/24: Tango ★★★★★
My favourite short of the year so far. Tango documents the movements of thirty six looping characters within one room. At first it begins with just one boy but as the eight minute film progresses the room becomes increasingly chaotic as more and more characters enter.
15/06/24: Wild Tales ★★★★☆
Wild Tales is an observation on the impact of distress and the flimsy nature of morals. The film is divided up into six stories each brimming with dark humour and disaster.
16/06/24: Imagine ★★★☆☆
After enjoying Tango I looked into the work of its director, Zbigniew Rybczyński, and found Imagine. Like Tango, Imagine focuses on people within rooms, but instead of showing many characters in one room it shows a few characters in many rooms.
17/06/24: Cam ★★★☆☆
When Cam was good it was really good. It perfectly captured the loss of autonomy many girls feel using an original and horrifying concept. Sadly the film was let down by its ending and its inability to commit to its message.
18/06/24: Zupa ★★★☆☆
Another by Rybczyński. Definitely not as good as Tango but still an interesting watch.
19/06/24: Raging Grace ★★★☆☆
A very slow horror. Raging Grace was masterful at building tension, however it largely failed to resolve this tension and was rather underwhelming.
20/06/24: Holiday ★★★☆☆
Holiday contains the most graphic rape scene I have ever seen in a film. I am still collecting my thoughts on the decision to shoot this scene – I am generally very against the unnecessary inclusion of violence against women in film, but I do understand the arguments for its presence in Holiday. Aside from this scene, Holiday is a ruthless examination of the patriarchy in which no one comes out unscathed and I would argue it’s worth watching at least once.
21/06/24: Pitch Perfect ★★★★☆
The start of a near perfect trilogy! Why is it so fun to watch competitive college acapella?
22/06/24: Pitch Perfect 2 ★★★☆☆
Watching Emily sing flashlight during the riff off is possibly the most nauseating film scene I have ever endured. Overall though, Pitch Perfect 2, is almost as amazing as the first.
23/06/24: Pitch Perfect 3 ★★★☆☆
It is so outrageous – and hilarious – that they made Pitch Perfect 3 a crime film. Lots of people think this film shows a serious decline in quality from the first but I think it is a fitting end to a stupid, yet good, trilogy.
24/06/24: Rooty Toot Toot ★★★★☆
I love a ‘who-dunnit’. The animation, music and story in Rooty Toot Toot was some of the best I have seen.
25/06/24: Fright Night ★★★☆☆
Disclaimer: I have not seen the original. I really enjoyed this remake of Fright Night, the cast was amazing and the plot was engaging. As a horror film it was not really that scary but comedically it lived up to expectations.
26/06/24: The Breaker Uppers ★★★★☆
Such a good tale about friendship, love and growing older. Also, it was so so funny.
27/06/24: The World’s End ★★★★☆
I am a longtime fan of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz but somehow had never seen The World’s End. It is not my favourite of the Cornetto trilogy, but it is a close race.
28/06/24: Wolf Daddy ★★★☆☆
A very sweet and wholesome short film about familial love.
29/06/24: She and Her Cat ★★★☆☆
As a stand alone short, She and Her Cat does not stand out. However, as a visual addition to the book, the short was charming.
30/06/24: The Happening ★★★☆☆
The premise is a bit stupid but in every other way this film exceeded expectations. Although, the rating had set my expectations very low.