Film Fight 2024: January

#FF24 Freelance is an entirely forgettable and slightly ridiculous action film.

Alison Brie is great as always, and John Cena does fine. Clearly on a tight budget for the level of action they wanted, some scenes show that - and a couple look pretty good.

Not bad.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 20, 2024

#FF24 Priscilla is as shocking as it is beautiful.

Cailee Spaeny is perfectly cast as the young lead, through a world far too old for her; marrying a start who is cruel and controlling. The slightly dreamy look lends an otherworldliness to awful moments. Well-paced.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 20, 2024

#FF24 Next Goal Wins is fun but formulaic.

You've seen the beats before: a bad team gains a grumpy coach, and they help each other become better. It's underwritten and obvious, but a perfectly fine film that's reasonably put together. You won't hate it.

Decent.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 20, 2024

#FF24 The Holdovers finds a specific tone, and executes it well.

Giamatti's grumpy, better than thou professor plays perfectly against the troubled but brilliant boy he's asked to look after. Witty dialogue and fun moments, backed by some heartwarming scenes.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 20, 2024

#FF24 Society Of The Snow tells the horrific story of Uruguayan rugby players lost in the Andes.

From the bone-crunching plane crash to the inevitable avalanche, the film doesn't revel in suffering but doesn't back away from it either. Difficult, but powerul.

Very worth seeing

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 20, 2024

#FF24 Poor Things sees Lanthimos embrace the weird in a search for humanity.

The main cast are strong, with Stone putting in a brilliant physical performance. The production deisgn is beautiful, but the wide lenses are intrusive to the point of distraction.

Funny, dark, great.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 20, 2024

#FF24 Role Play is a passable action comedy, with some great actors (Cuoco, Oyelowo).

However, the fun, early ideas (like Nighy's extended sequence) get squandered by a generic, action-focussed last act. Easy going, at least, and doesn't overstay its welcome.

Okay.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 20, 2024

#FF24 Lift is the most generic of modern heist movies.

It has some incredible and utterly wasted talent (Mbatha-Raw, D'Onofrio) trod through a plot that could be AI generated, with a charmless lead. The action is messy, with far too many cuts.

Boring.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 20, 2024

#FF24 The End We Start from is a look at motherhood through the lens of an ecological disaster.

The core performances (Comer in particular) are strong, especially as the situation grows more dire. The cameos feel more distracting than useful, but the story is solid enough.

Good

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 25, 2024

#FF24 The Kitchen is about capitalism displacing those most in need.

The themes are well-worn, but it's reasonably well done, especially within a constrained budget. Kano is good as a reluctant father figure, with the relationship never getting cheesey.

Decent.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 25, 2024