MovieFest

• Love, Simon • Spoiler-Free • 8.7/10 • Well, what a surprise.... Don't get me wrong, the story of 'Love, Simon' has pretty much all been done before, just not executed as well. Bar the classic stereotypes and some cheesy moments, this film had me laughing out loud and crying even louder! Tbh when you watch a film like this, you normally expect it to try to be, too clever, too cute and too precious, but boy I have never been so far off the mark. The intelligence, depth, and charm were all legitimate and sincere here and it truly made the film into something rather special. It's funny, sweet, caring, true, real, and should pretty much be labelled a "True Story" for all its worth. The acting on all accounts was second-to-none but Josh Duhamel had the biggest tear-jerking scene going! I was sobbing like a real man! And Nick Robinson was believable and nothing short of phenomenal! Kudos! If you can get past the cheese-factor, you will definetly Love, ...

• Tomb Raider, 2018 • 7.9/10 • Alicia Vikander gives Lara depth and personality much like Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones. She's vulnerable, but she's also stubborn and focused to survive on her own and has never lost hope that she'll once again see her father. The story is built on the reboot of the video game series, but takes another way after the arrival at the destination where most of the action takes place. When the story follows the video game it has weaknesses (as so many games adaptations do), but when it stands on its own, it shows glimpses of coming adventures for Lara Croft that makes you want more -- much because of Vikanders grounded performance. The script is by no means perfect, the CGI was a bit spotty in places, and yes there are a few cliches and overused story devices here and there, but overall it is an enjoyable film and our first successful game adaptation! Yesss! P.S - Dominc West was the perfect choice for Mr. Croft!

• Unsane, 2018 • Spoiler-Free • 8.2/10 'Unsane's story was perfectly edited in a way that it doesn't reveal to much until it gets to the climax. The fact that it was shot on an iPhone makes it look and feel more personal, engaging and deeply unnerving. The iPhone quality almost automatically relates to our daily lives, which in a way makes you feel like your spying on someone you shouldn't be. It's such a well done thriller, it never gets slow or boring because the screenplay is near-perfect and the acting is tremendous (the realism is unreal). Juno Temple and the creepy-ass Joshua Leonard looked so comfortable in there roles it was horrifying. And last but not least, Clare flipping Foy gives 100% with an absolutely riveting performance. Plus im adding another 10% for her tremendous skill, being able to do this kind of role with an iPhone strapped right in front of her face for the whole flick, wow, I felt claustrophobic, let alone how she felt. Yeah th...

• Gringo, 2018 • 7.9/10 • Gringo is a twisty action-comedy from brothers Joel and Nash Edgerton. It starts off as a high-energy, colourfully funny thrill-ride, but as soon as we hit the 70 minute benchmark that all starts to falter -- The jokes fail to land and the action gets tiring. Don't get me wrong, it's definetly not a bad movie. The storyline is quite complex but easy to follow (plus for me), It's full of clever twists, the action is solid and it is genuinly funny, for the most part. The two standout stars are Theron and Oyelowo. It was great seeing Theron out of her comfort zone, playing a snide, OTT, foul-mouthed biatch with all the jokes (she really hit the nail right on the head), and as for Oyelowo, he was absoluetly hilarious and had me almost crying with laughter a couple of times, I think he's found his calling. The biggest problem for me (surprisingly) was Sharlto Copley. Nash struggled to get the best out of him, completely underutilizing wha...

• Thoroughbreds, 2017/18 • 9/10 • 'Thoroughbreds' is an unsettling slow-burn debut masterpiece from writer-director, Cory Finley. Anya Taylor-Joy (Split) and Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel) are two young actresses ready to take hollywood by storm. There performances are note-perfect, and there chemistry is pure fire in this icy psychological thriller. Childhood besties, Lily (Anya) and Amanda (Olivia) have problems (to say the least), Amanda is a sociopath who over the years has taught herself to mimic human emotions because she is completely void of them all, she literally feels nothing! Lily on the other hand is probably the exact opposite, she's way to oversensitive and bloody competitive, she feels everything. When there on there own, everything's cushty. Put them together and they become fucking homicidal! As soon as the late Anton Yelchin appeared on-screen it brought an Instant fire which kicked the flick straight into 5th gear. Everything he did was amazin...