#FF22 Thor: Love And Thunder is about as paint by numbers as Marvel gets.

It takes no chances, does nothing fresh. The plot and character development are woefully undercooked too: Bale is solid as Gorr, but it doesn't give him much time to build up. Some fun moments.

Meh.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 24, 2022

#FF22 Where The Crawdads Sing is comically bad.

The dialogue and performances are close to parody territory with only Strathairn any good. The plot is as silly as it is predictable. I'm not bothered about not seeing what actually happened, because I'd long stopped caring.

Avoid

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 24, 2022

#FF22 The Gray Man doesn't do much with its strong cast.

The plot is straight from the action-film-script generator, with action that matches, and little in the way of originality or flair anywhere. Setup, location, set-piece, over and over, with little connection.

Skip.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) August 7, 2022

#FF22 Men is not a subtle film in the slightest.

It is, however, an effective small horror, with exceptionally strong performances by the two leads, and several visceral and creepy moments that will live in my memory.

A little slow towards the end, but decent.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 12, 2022

#FF22 Spiderhead takes a broad look at abuses in pharmaceuticals, focussing on issues of control like a lightweight Milgram experiment.

The cast are fine, seemingly having fun, and the runtime passes quickly, but the film doesn't have much to say in the end.

Okay.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 3, 2022

#FF22 Pleasure focusses on issues of consent and power in the adult entertainment industry.

Bella's journey is not an easy watch, each step taking her further into that world. Thyberg's direction/writing is even-handed: neither celebrating or condeming it.

Good, not easy.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 3, 2022

#FF22 Top Gun: Maverick is very much an 80s film in modern clothing.

The plot is silly and the machismo is over the top, with too many nods to the original. But it's still a lot of fun. The action sequences are predictable, but spectacular, and it all comes together.

Fun.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 3, 2022

#FF22 Hustle follows a basketball scout, looking for his next break.

This is a serious Sandler film, without being dour. It pulls together several underdog and sport movie plots into something new enough. There are laughs, difficulties, and triumphs that keep it moving.

Solid.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 3, 2022

#FF22 All The Old Knives is a very solid, mid-budget, spy thriller.

It, rightly, focusses on espionage and intrigue, rather than action. The cast (Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton) do a great job of pulling you into the drama, as the narrative threads shift around.

Worth seeing.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 7, 2022

#FF22 The Contractor fails to do much interesting with its premise.

The slow and uneven pace don't help with the vague stakes, and predictable plot turns. The action lacks energy; with most sequences feeling very staged. The cast can't do much.

It's not bad, it's very average.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 8, 2022

#FF22 Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is fine, if you enjoy Marvel films.

Raimi does a great job of injecting an 80s horror vibe, with a surprising amount of violence for the rating. It's a relative tame take on the multiverse, and not one well-explored

Fine.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 15, 2022

#FF22 Operation Mincemeat is a historical drama focussing on espionage in WW2.

While it tells the story well enough, it doesn't go into any depth. All of the sharp edges have been sanded down, and a by-numbers romantic subplot bolted on. The cast are fine.

Decent if lightweight

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 15, 2022

#FF22 Everything Everywhere All At Once is the kind of weird, fun sci-fi we need more of.

The cast helps the emotional weight of the story shine through, where it might have been lost to the wacky concepts. The directors are showing off with great nods to world cinema

Excellent

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 15, 2022

#FF22 Jackass 4.5 does largely what you expect. As with the other .5 increments, it's a mix of making-of documentary and unused footage from the main film.

It's fun to see the chaotic thinking behind the scenes, but isn't going to be for everyone.

Fine.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 12, 2022

#FF22 Emergency plays with its tone well.

It has the setup of a college comedy, with an elaborate drinking quest but quickly it becomes something far more serious, flipping between moods.

Solid performances throughout but the fear/raw emotion in the last act is stunning.

Watch

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 12, 2022

#FF22 Titane is a strange film that deserves it's Cronenbergian nods.

A mish-mash of violence and movement makes up a movie concerned with bodies and what they should and should not do; about love, and need. Beyond flat description.

Strange.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 2, 2022

#FF22 Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood brings together a few Linklater tropes pleasantly.

It's an easy going look at a moment in time, with rotoscoped animation making it seem further away. The narration didn't work for me, but the plot progresses nicely enough.

Decent.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 17, 2022

#FF22 The Northman is not a subtle film.

At times mythic and supernatural, at others full of brutality grounded by those excellent one-shots. It's silly, weird, and gripping. Skarsgård is excellent as the ball of rage at the heart of the film.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 17, 2022

#FF22 The Bubble tries to have fun with its premise, but isn't fully cooked.

There are some decent, knowing jokes, but far too few for the runtime. There's not much of a plot, more of a bunch of sequences they wanted in place.

Underwritten, too long, and not much fun. Skip.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 30, 2022

#FF22 Mass is an incredible film about loss and anger, and forgiveness.

The style subtly shifts as the mood changes but four powerhouse performances are at the centre of the film, with a single location letting the film focus on the actors.

Film of the year contender.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) May 1, 2022

#FF22 Wrath Of Man transplants Guy Ritchie's Cockney Gangster schtick to US security trucks, to disastrous effect.

The dialogue is painful: bizarre phrasing and weird delivery. The plot itself is... fine, but it feels very slow and the action sequences mostly fall flat.

Avoid.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 5, 2022

#FF22 Kimi is a perfect evening watch.

It's part techno-thriller, part Hitcockian-noir. Well-paced, with a paranoid undertone. Zoe Kravitz is excellent as the lead, and Soderbergh does his usual magic behind the camera.

Easy, fun, great.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 18, 2022

#FF22 The Batman is a solid entry in the canon.

Set during Year 2, Pattinson plays a scrappier, but accomplished, Batman well. The supporting cast are all good, too.

It is, however, far too dark, and about an hour too long. Lots of extraneous stuff packed in.

Worth seeing.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 18, 2022

#FF22 The Adam Project is mindless, big budget action with a bit of sci-fi.

Ryan Reynolds plays the same character he always does, so if you like that generally, you’ll like this.

Silly plot, fun action, easy going.

Totally fine.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 19, 2022

#FF22 After Yang is a slow but delicate film about loss, memory, and family.

Set in a not far-off future, we see a distant father reconnect with this family through the death of a family android.

Quiet, subtle, beautiful.

Worth seeing.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 2, 2022

#FF22 Windfall is low budget, Netflix fodder, as a man inadvertently kidnaps a billionaire and his wife.

The cast is solid enough, but the plot is stretched a little too thin, especially over the first half. Small, simple, short. Easy enough.

Fine.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 2, 2022

#FF22 Death On The Nile is teatime drama as blockbuster.

A huge cast of terrible accents, going through the old story again. It's perfectly fine at what it is, but you've seen this exact thing many times. The wide shots look terribly fake, but otherwise a pretty film.

Meh.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 2, 2022