A little quieter than recent months, but still 7 new films.
7500
#FF20 7500 says Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a co-pilot fighting off a hijacking attempt.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 9, 2020
A solid one location film, with great sound design, tense moments, and some neat plotting. The last 20-30 minutes drag a little, but it holds up overall.
Worth seeing.
The Vast of Night
#FF20 The Vast of Night never quite reaches where it should.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 9, 2020
The performances are fine with some very neat shots (and one that is a bit too clever), but the script mistakes running frantically between places with action. Much of the story is flat and expositional.
Meh.
Project Power
#FF20 Project Power is a bit of a mess.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 16, 2020
Despite a solid cast, it's a bit of a mess. The script feels underwritten, bumbling from set piece to set piece in a clunky way.
The action itself is bad: a mess of edits that makes it difficult to enjoy any of it.
Really not good.
Days of the Bagnold Summer
#FF20 Days of the Bagnold Summer is a charming story about a single mum and her metalhead son.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 22, 2020
It perfectly plays teenage grump and awkwardness against a librarian in cardigan. The neat cinematography provides lots of beautiful shots and framing.
Funny, sweet, and worth seeing.
An American Pickle
#FF20 An American Pickle is a fish out of water buddy comedy, about a man preserved in brine for 100 years.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 22, 2020
It has moments of humour, but is ultimately a bit one note. Neither of Seth Rogan's characters are particularly 2-dimensional.
Meh.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
#FF20 Never Rarely Sometimes Always is an important look at how difficult it can be to get an abortion in the US.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 31, 2020
Shot in a grounded style, the quietness amplifies the reality being shown. The performances are equally subtle.
Sometimes difficult viewing, but worth seeing.
Tenet
#FF29 Tenet is a Nolan film, through and through.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 31, 2020
Spectacular action and a complicated narrative, with a great performance by Washington. Also suffers from being excessively expositional, and having terrible sound design, as with most of his films.
Worth seeing at least once.
The August Winner
The winner for August is Never Rarely Sometimes Always, a difficult but important watch, that’s well put together.