riordanpett

Just got back from the cinema. Save for a few nice cinematographic shots and a few cleverly hidden ghosts throughout the film (if the viewer was paying attention), this film was NOT The Grudge. A few jumps, but nothing in comparison to any of the other films. Kayako was in the film ONCE - in the first two minutes of the film. Toshio was nowhere to be found. The rest of the film consisted of her rip-offs, in America. it just didn't feel like a film from the franchise, the only part that felt familiar in the slightest was Kayako's croak sound. You can't stick Kayako's hair on the promotional posters, call it "The Grudge" and pass this off as a film from the franchise. A harsh rating of '1' for the okay cinematographic shots and Jacki Weaver.

Best film I’ve seen in a while and my favourite from 2019 so far. Way more realistic, captivating, gut-wrenching and well paced than say, The Irishman, for example. That film was a nice piece of rich storytelling, slightly over-indulgent in its duration, but Marriage Story just resonated with me more. To be honest, I don’t think 2019 has been a great year for film. Preferred last year’s releases (Roma, The Favourite, A Star Is Born, Green Book, etc) I’m hoping on this Marriage Story winning big at the Oscars. It’s superbly acted, that conflict scene at around 1:30hr in to the film was top class. Excellent writing, directing, and yes, the ending was a beautiful end to the journey witnessed onscreen. I don’t get how anyone couldn’t like it, but then again, I found the ending to The Sopranos and Breaking Bad great. Both are polarising endings.

Such an amazing masterpiece from the 80s! A comedic romance film Cher's acting is pretty spectacular.

Best horror film in a way. Much better than most horrors on the market and this is aimed at people on here likening it to Friday the 13th or other cheap -B-horrors. Babadook was almost like a psychological thriller, the symbolism in the film was refreshing. The acting was good. It’s clear to me, by reading the comments, not many people quite understood this film and are focusing on other **** to rate it. Think a little deeper and maybe you’ll get it. The Babadook itself was literally a physicalised form of the mother’s grief; and if you low raters decided to open your minds you’d see it’s implied throughout the entire film. Cleverly implemented things like this make this better than most of the horrors you’re comparing it to.

Amazing film, and totally underrated in my opinion, considering I enjoyed it far more than some of the more critically acclaimed films of the year. Glenn Close is spectacular in the film; and upon second watch, the nuances of her performances shine through even more. Every look, each glance - especially in the final 30 minutes. In that 30 minutes you feel the tension and repressed anger in her performance fully. Make no mistake, Close is definitely the highlight of the film. Beautiful acting from a talented ensemble and a superbly adapted screenplay.

A Star Is Born made me cry at the end, this made me smile hugely. This is a real crowd-pleaser I'm sure. I wouldn't give it Best Picture myself. Oscar bait in every sense though, and sometimes it felt like that was the calculated purpose behind the story. Preferred it to BlackkKlansman too. But neverthless, a great film.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

This film is the best film I’ve seen in years. Ignore all the NEGATIVE reviews that are rated ‘3’ or under. Most of them are written by Gaga haters and Madonna fans. The reviews are biased and have been harshly posted to bring down the score. Anything under ‘7’ is also not credible, as this film is the real deal. From someone who watches a lot of quality cinema. It’s touching, moving, emotional, well-directed (especially for a directorial debut), has decent cinematography (the red and green colours used and the camera work), a great supporting cast, and great writing. Bradley and Gaga are at least on lock for at least a ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Actress’ nomination; which is huge for Gaga, being a debut role. She’ll be the first mainstream singer-come-actress to succeed in a film career, since Cher over 30 years ago. It doesn’t happen often. Madonna couldn’t do it, nor could Rihanna , Mariah or Beyonce, and the others. Gaga is indeed a revelation in this film. She performs beautifully, with a nuanced vulnerability that I preferred to her peers’ acting in 2018, that will allow her to go head-to-head with Glenn Close and Olivia Coleman at the Oscars in 2019. May the best woman win. From all the male contenders I’ve seen this year, Bradley deserves that Best Actor win, in my opinion, but it appears to be going to Ethan Hawke instead. We shall see! This version is less focused in the female and more on the male character. I’d say a 60:40 ratio. Don’t go in to the film with high expectations. Don’t pay any attention to the minority of film critics or the general public discrediting the film for being a ‘remake’. Many of you may not have even seen the other versions, so why does it matter? I’ve seen the 1954/1976 versions and all three are different from the other, in their own ways. Barbra’s was dreary and lacked chemistry, Judy’s was actually pretty captivating. This new version is a fresh take on a timeless love story, but is also different from the others. The addiction is depicted more far more realistically here and the famous finale is 10x more emotional than previous versions. The final shot of the film and how it blacks out to the film credits was just breath-taking. The soundtrack is amazing. The standouts for me are: ‘Is That Alright?’ (screams wedding song and deserved better exposure than being played in the film credits) and ‘Look What I Found’. This film will sweep up the Golden Globes and I have high hopes for the Oscars next year.