#FF22 The Eyes Of Tammy Faye is a great insight into televangelism.

Chastaine's performance is transformative; slightly odd and utterly engaging. Garfield is solid too.

The pacing is a little off, suddenly jumping forward years, but it's a riveting watch.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 15, 2022

#FF22 Uncharted is as by the numbers as action films get. The jokes, the plot, the double-crosses, the set pieces, the banter: done okay but you've seen everything in this film before.

The leads are miscast and struggle to gel.

Fine, if you go in with expectations suitably set.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 15, 2022

#FF22 Coda is an exceptional film: balancing many plot threads, characters, and struggles, and bringing the together at the right moment.

It looks gorgeous, with some incredibly powerful moments setup through visual and sound design. Strong performances from all.

A must-see.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 20, 2022

#FF22 Petite Maman presents the slightly fantastical (a young girl meets her mother at an earlier point in her life) through a realist lens.

While there are cute moments, the flat affect and knowing dialogue break the illusion.

Doesn't say much but says what it does well.

Fine

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 20, 2022

#FF22 Belfast reminds me of A Christmas Story: capturing family moments from a different time, but with the shadow of The Troubles looming.

It's a little sappy, but not cloyingly so. It looks incredible, and the young actor who the movie focuses on does a great job.

Good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 20, 2022

#FF22 Lamb is a delightful, unsettling horror about motherhood and family.

The Icelandic terrain is a stark backdrop to the uneasy new family member. Noomi Rapace is excellent throughout. While the pace dips a little, the film has enough going on to stay interesting.

Good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 27, 2022

#FF22 The Tragedy Of Macbeth is an impeccably gorgeous take on the classic: every shot beautifully lit and framed.

The witches are stunningly portrayed, amongst a strong cast with only a few flat line readings.

A little cold, at times, but a fantastic ending.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 27, 2022

#FF22 The Protege is a fairly forgettable action film, with two very solid leads.

Maggie Q and Michael Keaton both work well in their roles, but the story is underwritten and the wider character motivations basically unknown.

A few action sequences work well, but meh overall.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 6, 2022

#FF22 The Lost Daughter is a fascinating tapestry of moments and memory, emotions bubbling up and those held in, barely.

Colman puts in a layered performance, always seeming moments away from a snapping point (Buckley does well here too). Well explored.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 6, 2022

#FF22 Licorice Pizza is a bit of a shaggy dog story, capturing moments disparately of a love story with a big question mark.

Funny in moments, and fun to watch, it's more about the mood than the story, and that's fine. A great film to sit and watch, and soak in.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 6, 2022

#FF22 Swan Song is a Black Mirror-esque story about what it is that makes us who we were.

Avoiding the plot itself, Mahershala Ali is excellent as always, bringing depth to a difficult role. The back third needs a little trimming but it's all beautifully shot and engaging.

Good

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 6, 2022

#FF22 Mother/Android is a disappointingly flat take on a robot uprising story.

The two leads are good individually but lack chemistry (and natural-sound dialogue) to help sell it. There are some tense set pieces (in the house), but it's all a bit predictable and derivative.

Meh

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 8, 2022

#FF22 The Tender Bar is what happens when the subtext becomes the text, narrated loudly and bluntly stated.

There's no reason to care about the lead, a relatively quiet and charmless boy; his lack of goals; or to want his cliche-mandated conclusion.

Obvious, and dull.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 23, 2022

#FF22 Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time seems like it'll delve into a delusional cliche, but instead doesn't really do anything.

A tentative love story, creeps forward slowly, and lands... somewhere.

Fine, if unexciting.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 23, 2022

#FF22 The Starling is a clunky movie, full of heavy-handed symbolism.

A solid cast is entirely wasted on scene after scene of disconnected drama, with only the CGI titular character coming away as having done its job.

Skip.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 23, 2022

#FF22 Nightmare Alley left me feeling... indifferent.

It held my interest for the run time, but so much seemed obvious: from the tealy-orange grading, through other visual choices. The twist and the ending were entirely predictable, but seemed held up as big surprises.

Meh.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 23, 2022

#FF22 A Journal For Jordan is the slow but surprisingly sweet tale of unexpected and ultimately doomed love.

The end is very cheesey, but the rest works remarkably well. The two leads give solid performances, and have clear chemistry.

Watchable.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 15, 2022

#FF22 Friends And Strangers fails to engage much.

Intentionally meandering and largely plotless, it has moments of conversation that are interesting and then discarded. A scene at a rich family's home approaches unsettling horror... and stops.

Unsatisfying and languid.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) February 15, 2022

#FF21 Surge isn't what I expected and you should go in largely blind.

Ben Wishaw is great, both frightening and vulnerable as the situation continues. That's enhanced by the discordant audio, and tight camera angles that make the film claustrophobic.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

#FF21 The Power of The Dog is an excellent, compelling film.

Strong performances from all of the leads mix with beautiful visuals.

The script is the real winner, though: lots of little turns that were signposted, in retrospect. Will reward a repeat viewing.

Excellent.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

#FF21 Infinite was worth than I expected, and my bar was set very low.

Poorly shot action, bad acting and dialogue, and a silly plot that doesn't hold up its own premise particularly well; a "clever" concept that never delivers on anything it sets up.

Avoid.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

#FF21 In The Earth takes Ben Wheatley back to quiet, creeping, horror.

The small cast, remote location, and weird moments give the whole thing an otherworldly feel.

There are a few moments that are a little cliched, but an enjoyable and uncomfortable watch overall.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

#FF21 The Card Counter left me colder than it intends.

Despite a solid cast, the performances don't work: a flat affect as disjointed dialogue is delivered without care, to a disconnected soundtrack. The threads of the story don't cohere, and nothing satisfies.

Bad and boring.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

#FF21 Spider-Man: No Way Home is a good Marvel film in its own right and a nice cap on an ongoing story.

While it can be self-indulgent, the nods and winks to the past generally work well. The plot is a little overstuffed and the editing a bit loose, but it works.

Enjoyable!

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 20, 2021

#FF21 The Matrix Resurrections is so much worse than the sequels.

Barely a plot, slapped together with bad dialogue, uninteresting action, poor acting (Moss excluded), uninspired visuals, a wonky conceit, and pointless callbacks and characters, strung out for too long.

Terrible

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

#FF21 Don't Look Up is a fine, but broad, piece of satire.

It lacks any sort of subtlety but is an infuriatingly accurate take on how the world handles crisis. A strong cast, and snappy pacing, make this a pleasant viewing experience.

Watch.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

#FF21 Azor is a study in disaffected politeness covering up societal evils.

Following a Swiss banker during the Argentinean regime change, as he goes on social visits to politely discuss a number of concerning issues without discussing them. Beautifully shot and told.

Good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

#FF21 Seven Stages of Achieving Eternal Bliss has a good premise: a weird cult wanting to kill themselves in a couple's bath tub.

Heavy handed progression, and uneven performances, detract from what could've been a solid comedy.

Pretty forgettable.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

#FF21 Being The Ricardos is a fascinating look at Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

It's clearly a Sorkin film: the "one vital week" structure, studded with flashbacks, a great cast delivering snappy dialogue, and solid visuals. A fun drama. A serious comedy.

Very good.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

#FF21 Encounter is a disturbing, skin-crawling look at losing your sense of self.

Riz Ahmed is excellent, but it's the shot choices and editing that bring out the creeping tension of the unseen threat. You'll see where it's going quickly, but that scarcely matters.

Great.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

#FF21 Marvel's Eternals is less than the sum of its parts.

A fantastic cast are given some muddled action and more exposition than in any previous Marvel film. Chloe Zhao's beautiful shots don't make up for how tedious and slow-paced this film is.

Should be better.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 15, 2021

#FF21 Red Notice is the hollow, big-budget drivel we should be passed by now.

In a world with great action, this turns up with a bunch of set pieces that look badly faked. The three leads are fine, but aren't exactly stretching themselves here.

Silly nonsense.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 15, 2021

#FF21 Passing doesn't quite live up to its obvious potential.

It looks gorgeous throughout, presented in crisp black and white. The early film takes its time to linger in some of the interesting questions it wants to set up, but they're not paid off.

Ultimately, slow & listless

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

#FF21 Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a bit of a letdown.

Moving the focus to younger people in the countryside works well, but it takes too long to start: a full hour before a single ghost is busted.

The cast are solid but are let down by a script that is caught in nostalgia.

Meh

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

#FF21 The Harder They Fall is a fantastic, modern Western.

The cast is stacked with great actors, the plot has enough going on to keep our interest, and the thing looks incredible: beautifully composed shots on the action, and ridicuously over the top moments.

Excellent fun.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

#FF21 Venom: Let There Be Carnage is terrible.

The goofy, odd-couple take on Venom doesn't work for me; and him sulking and going to a rave is painful to watch.

The action sequences are muddled, the plot is nonsensical, and the performances are bad.

Absolutely avoid this one.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

#FF21 The Trouble With Being Born is a difficult watch.

The cold, formal style puts the attention on what's happening; and what's happening is uncomfortable, intentionally confused, and a little slow.

It raises some interesting and provocative thoughts, but it's uneasy.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

#FF21 King Richard is an entertaining biopic, about the Williams' sisters through the eyes of their father.

It suffers from the same problems that often occurs when a subject's involved in the filmmaking: it follows a mostly positive formula with only crumbs of criticism.

Fine.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021