After a busy few months, June is thankfully pretty quiet, with just three films.

First up, Wonder Woman is the first good DC film in the new extended universe. Patty Jenkins packs in some excellent set pieces and decent character moments, against the backdrop of a huge superhero movie. Gal Gadot is fantastic too, wiping away some of the memories of the more campy Wonder Woman of days gone by. Sadly, it’s marred a little by a fairly poor turn in the last act, but that’s not too bad overall. Good on the whole. (See my Wonder Woman Twitter review)

Another Netflix indie crime film? Okay, then, Shimmer Lake is for you. Told in reverse (you see one day, then the previous), the structure helps make what might have been a fairly ordinary robbery a little more interesting, as the reasons for tensions at the start are revealed towards the end. It’s let down by a little too much exposition. Decent enough. (See my Shimmer Lake Twitter review)

Finally, Baby Driver lets Edgar Wright showcase his visual flair in a different way. Following the story of a getaway driver in over his head, what we get is some beautiful visual choreography. The titular character, Baby, and the camera are engaged in movements similar to old Hollywood musicals, whether in a car or not. This gives the film a more understated and playful feel than Wright’s previous work. Fun, and beautifully crafted, if a little weak story-wise in the last act. (See my Baby Driver Twitter review)

The winner for June is Baby Driver for the beautiful visuals.

It’s months like this, with 9 films, that have made me reticent to tackle Film Fight of late. That said, let’s get going!

First up, In The Shadow Of Iris has a few moments that fall a bit flat, but for the most part is a solid thriller with some decent twists. At the heart of it is the mystery of a kidnapped woman, and her husband who seems to be up to something. I don’t want to say too much about it, but it’s a well-made mystery. Worth seeing. (See my In The Shadow Of Iris Twitter review)

Another few months, another Marvel film. Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2 has the humour of the original but goes back to some beats a little too often. It’s fun enough, but a little long. Sadly, the middle of this film is absolutely laden with dull exposition setting up some backstory. It’s fine, but not one of the best Marvel films, nor one of the worst. (See my Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2 Twitter review)

From it’s opening, with a man stating to camera that he will be the killer, Handsome sets itself up as a very different murder mystery. Jeff Garlin does a great job both behind the camera and in front of it, as a detective called in to solve a bizarre murder. It’s funny, and has enough good moments to make it worth seeing. (See my Handsome Twitter review)

The premise of Mindhorn is that a washed-up action star is called in to help catch an obsessed murderer on the Isle of Man. It’s at its best when it leans into absurdity, and its worst when it tries to find earnest moments. Constrained by run time and, presumably, budget but not the worst way to spend 90 minutes. Okay. (See my Mindhorn Twitter review)

Alien: Covenant could’ve been a much better film. Tying elements of Prometheus to the themes of the original Alien film works conceptually for me, but is far too heavy-handed in execution. It works best as light horror, and serves as an okay sequel. The CG on the alien is atrocious and gets notably worse every time it appears. Some good moments, particularly nearer the start, but devolves into generic action. (See my Alien: Covenant Twitter review)

Alcoholism is a serious subject, on which Colossal is a very different take. Mixing Godzilla-style monster action with a story about a woman whose life is falling apart, this is an uncannily smart and unusual film. Both leads (Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis) turn in excellent performances as the plot shifts around them. I’m avoiding most of the details here, because it’s worth seeing this fresh. An absolute must-see. (See my Colossal Twitter review)

Small Crimes is an indie, well, crime film. It’s decent enough but stays in fairly well-trodden territory. The anti-hero, corrupt cops etc. There’s not much you haven’t seen before but at least it’s cohesive. Okay. (See my Small Crimes Twitter review)

Get Me Roger Stone is a look into the titular trickster for various Republican campaigns. He’s a man who is not afraid to fight dirty, so what we see is a bizarre circus show. The documentary itself seems relatively fair and even-handed. Good. (See my Get Me Roger Stone Twitter review)

When War Machine starts with some awful and fairly lengthy narration, I was expecting it to be bad. Thankfully, it settles down quite quickly into a slightly uneven film about Afghanistan. It tries to be deadly serious AND satirical, and that doesn’t quite gel. Brad Pitt is decent enough as the lead, but not much else stands out. (See my War Machine Twitter review)

The winner for May is Colossal; a fantastic and fantastical look at some fairly heavy subjects.

Still quite late, but there are six films for this month.

First up, Free Fire is the latest from one of my favourite British directors, Ben Wheatley. An arms deal gone wrong turns into a chaotic (for good and ill) and long-running gun fight. As we’d expect from Wheatley, the casting and dialogue is fun, and the film itself is well-structured and tense. It can be hard to follow some of the action spatially, but not on the same scale as some of the messier big action films. Worth seeing. (See my Free Fire Twitter review)

Joe Swanberg stays very much in his wheel house for Win It All, which is no bad thing. We get a grounded, naturalistic indie film with some light comedy. Jake Johnson is great as the loveably fuck-up of a lead. Good fun. (See my Win It All Twitter review)

The Handmaiden is a gorgeous piece of cinema by Chan-Wook Park (best known for revenge thriller, Oldboy). The plotting and structure here is exceptional, but I think I’d like to see the non-extended edition. This lengthier cut was overlong, and felt like it could’ve been much better with a little trimming. Worth seeing for the visuals alone. (See my The Handmaiden Twitter review)

Another Netflix indie film, Tramps is decent enough but entirely predictable. A drop-off goes wrong, leaving a young man chasing after what he has lost. It all works well enough, and moves forward at a decent pace. There’s nothing really bad to say about it, but nothing amazing either. Fairly pleasant. (See my Tramps Twitter review)

Another look at modern warfare comes in the form of Sand Castle. Nicholas Hoult leads the cast as a soldier trying to get away from the war, but gets drawn into the plight of the innocent villagers he meets. There’s nothing new here plot-wise, but everything is well done. We see the crushing tensions put on Hoult, in the background of a beautifully shot film. Very solid. (See my Sand Castle Twitter review)

Finally, The Belko Experiment isn’t here to do anything original. It’s essentially Battle Royale set in a remote office building. There is no deep message here. All of that said, what it does to well is enjoyable, messy, funny, over-the-top action. Silly and gory. Stupid but entertaining. Enjoyable. (See my The Belko Experiment Twitter review)

The winner for April is Free Fire, because Ben Wheatley quickly crafts a tense situation, with characters we want to see die or survive, and brings just enough levity to make it enjoyable.

Boosted by Netflix putting out a heap of Original films, there are seven titles in the fight for March. That’s part of why I’m so far behind. Onwards…

First up, Logan is the X-Men film we’ve wanted for quite some time: Wolverine delivering some fairly brutal violence, tempered only by the last vestiges of his conscience. The film isn’t just dumb action, though. It’s a reasonable look at frailty and the effects of age. It just happens to also be a superhero film that thinks it’s also a Western. The last act is a little slow, but on the whole this is a very solid bigger budget movie. Watch. (See my Logan Twitter review)

Burning Sands looks at hazing in college fraternities. Rather than the usual silly comedy, we get to see the more violent extremes and, in this case, through the lens of a Black university pledgee. At times, it finds moments of humour in the pledgee’s camraderie, but more often we see cost these dangerous practices have on young men. Difficult, but engaging. Worth watching. (See my Burning Sands Twitter review)

Next up, Elle is… well, challenging. Isabelle Huppert’s central performance is stunning, and without the film would likely fall apart. The rest of the material is controversial and often hard to watch, dealing pointedly with subjects that are usually dealt with differently. Almost two months on, and I can’t honestly say I enjoyed it as a whole but it certainly made an impression. (See my Elle Twitter review)

Get Out is that rarest of horror films: a masterpiece that doesn’t use “horror” as an excuse. The direction and performances are as tight as anything you’ll see. Nearly every shot, every line, is aimed with purpose; that which seems throw-away, with hindsight, carries weight. There are clear messages that enhance, not hinder, the action. This is a film that is gripping and great throughout. I’m remaining somewhat vague because you deserve to see this film fresh, because there’s an awful lot to see here. An absolute classic. (See my Get Out Twitter review)

Deidra And Laney Rob A Train is one of Netflix’s Sundance picks, so hopes are high. We pretty much get what we see on the tin: two sisters decide, for their family’s survival, that they need to start robbing trains. Cue light-hearted mishaps and drama, as things don’t quite go their way. It’s a little incoherent and doesn’t carry much substance, but the film is a reasonable enough way to pass a few hours. Watchable. (See my Deidra And Laney Rob A Train Twitter review)

Madalyn Murray O’Hair is the title character in The Most Hated Woman In America, based on the real life of an atheist fighting for separation of church and state in the US. The film covers a large period of her life, but centres on her kidnapping. Melissa Leo is fantastic as the lead, and the film is fairly tense at times, but pacing is a real issue. Some moments are rushed, others far too long. Watchable. (See my The Most Hated Woman In America Twitter review)

Finally The Discovery poses an interesting question: a scientist discovers definitive proof of an afterlife (the form of which is unknown). What happens next? The film is well-paced and thoughtful, exploring its ideas reasonably. The leads (Robert Redford, Jason Segel, Rooney Mara) are turn in solid performances. The end becomes laden in exposition, but that’s a minor bump on the road. Definitely see this film. (See my The Discovery Twitter review)

The winner for March is Get Out, by getting everything right at almost every level. A serious contender for film of the year.

February was, as always, a busy month, with the remainder of the Oscar hopefuls getting a release in the UK. That means there are 8 films in this month’s fight.

First up, The Lego Batman Movie tries to take one of the funnier side characters from The Lego Movie and see if he works on his own. While a few jokes get run into the ground, it mostly works. It’s pretty much what you’d expect: enjoyable, silly, fun, with a take on Batman that revels in all of the character’s ridiculous history. Worth seeing, with some decent jokes for older viewers. (See my The Lego Batman Movie Twitter review)

Fences sees Denzel Washington direct himself and Viola Davis in an adaptation of a play about the struggles of an African-American family. The lead performances are excellent, rightly gaining Oscar nominations (and a win for Davis) for their well-delivered, wordy, weightiness. While the film feels very much like the stage adaptation that it is, that never detracts: the tension rises to keep the audience captivated throughout. Intense, and gripping. (See my Fences Twitter review)

After the over-the-top silly action of the original, John Wick: Chapter 2 is exactly what we wanted: a story crafted around fantastic action set-pieces, in the weird assassin ridden world to which we’ve been introduced. The opening set-up is overlong, but you’ll quickly forget that as we see sequences like the silent subway gun battle. Dumb, but fun. (See my John Wick: Chapter 2 Twitter review)

Though I saw it before the ceremony, Moonlight, we now know, won the Best Film Oscar this year, so there’s some pressure on the movie. It starts strongly, following a young, poor, African-American boy struggle with a drug-addict mother, and finding a surrogate father. As the film jumps to various point in the lead’s life, we see him struggle to accept himself in circumstances we don’t often see on film. It’s a good character study, with powerful moments throughout, but is perhaps a little muted and slow in places. Worth seeing. (See my Moonlight Twitter review)

The Founder is the fairly straight-forward telling of how, thanks to one man’s vision and greed, McDonalds went from a single restaurant to the behemoth it is today. Michael Keaton puts in a fantastic lead performance, with a solid cast around him. The story is well-told, but not spectacular. Decent. (See my The Founder Twitter review)

Netflix are seriously upping their Original movies game with several coming out every month that are of note: I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore is no different. It’s a strange indie film: a mix of oddball characters dealing with some serious events (and some not-so-serious), filled with dark humour and bloody violence. Well-paced, well-shot, and a lot of fun. Definitely worth seeing. (See my I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore Twitter review)

Imperial Dreams is the heart-breaking story of a young father struggling to escape his upbringing and poverty, while making sure his young son is okay. At times devastating, the film (and John Boyega’s performance) does a fantastic job of making you feel the awful pressure on the lead. Great. (See my Imperial Dreams Twitter review)

Finally, A Cure For Wellness is horror schlock. It’s overlong, and ridden with as many cliches as they could cram in. That said, it works reasonably well: by always going over-the-top, we can’t do anything but go along with the characters as they do increasingly bizarre things in almost surreal circumstances. Okay. (See my A Cure For Wellness Twitter review)

The winner for February is Fences, as nothing else comes close to the dramatic tension in the scenes of family struggle in this movie.