"Are you a seeker of truths?" "More of a chaser."

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

7.9/10 on IMDb
76% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: It's alright; Watch it in cinemas (maybe)
Watch it if you: Are a huge fan of the Harry Potter universe... like a really huge fan
The film takes place in the roaring 20s of New York City, where Newt Scamander, author of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook, accidentally lets loose some of the beasts he carries in his briefcase. Meanwhile, animosity between muggles (or "No-majs") and wizards are brewing, all the while there being the Dark Wizard Grindelwald to be feared.

Okay, so I didn't really have huge expectations for this film. I was pretty keen for it at first, but once they announced that there would be FIVE in this series, I just dropped all my expectations. And you know what? The film was actually alright. It wasn't the best; far from it. I don't think it lived up to the franchise, and I think that if it wasn't part of the Harry Potter universe, and if there wasn't such a huge fanbase and capitalising on fan nostalgia, I think this film would be pretty forgettable. But it was still a decent watch, and was still enjoyable.

I really liked the idea of exploring wizards in an American setting, and I really wanted them to explore this a bit more. There's a few jarring moments where goblins and house elves talk with New York accents, and there's even the dropping of the term "No-maj" to reinforce how simplistic and slang-like the Americans name things, but apart from that, there wasn't much else to show how wizards acted differently in other countries. I suppose that's not really a fault though, since you can't expect them to be too different just because they are in a different (but still English-speaking) country.

I also liked some of the magical creatures that they showed, but I honestly felt a bit confused by some of them. When we are introduced to them, there just seemed like there was way too much going on, it was a bit overwhelming. Most of the creatures we see weren't even the focus of the film, and the ones that were a focus felt like they weren't explained that well, so I was a bit confused about what they could do, and what made them special (and Eddie Redmayne's socially-awkward way of saying things meant it was even harder to understand what he was saying). The beasts seemed a bit forgettable, which is quite sad because the film is named after them after all, and the trailers made it seem like they would be the main focus on this film.

There was one moment where there was a huge amount of wonder thrown into these beasts, but because we got all this information all at the same time, it just seemed like the information was really diluted. And I get that they will expand on these in future films, but it would have been nice to focus on these creatures a bit more. After all, they seem more like side quests and side stories, and they don't even really help in the end battle. I get that they are animals (rather than, say, X-Men or superheroes with their own special abilities), but it would have been great if we could see the greatness of some of them in battle (but then maybe it would be too much like Pokemon in that way).

So this film, to me at least, felt like it was trying to balance numerous side quests on trying to catch all these Pokemon fantastic beasts, that the main story felt pushed out of the way a bit. And as a result, the villain and the ending didn't seem as satisfying to me. Of course, they will have more sequels, but having five Fantastic Beasts movie in total is no excuse for having a watered down first installment. You can make this film a set up for the next four, but at least make it a decent set up.

A lot of this had to do with pacing of the film. I don't know what it is, like which particular scenes, but sometimes I just felt like they were spending too much time focusing on one thing, or they would end a scene abruptly and cut to another one. The pacing just felt off, and it made the film less enjoyable.

I think a really obvious example of this was the multiple endings this film had. Seriously, this film had a number of endings on par with The Return of the King, but without the epic 9 hour trilogy that preceded it. I kept thinking the current scene would be the last scene, and that I'd have to get ready to leave but then, nope! There's another scene coming on. Is that the end? Oh, nope! They're wrapping up that character again. Oh look, they're wrapping up that character AGAIN! (Not even exaggerating when I say they wrapped someone up like three times in that ending.)

I did say that this filmw as enjoyable, though. So while I sound like I'm hating on it, it wasn't all bad.

I think, despite all of this, the film still was pretty enjoyable, because it just took an established universe we all know about, and explored a different time period, a different country, and completely new characters we have never seen before. And I think that alone was enjoyable, even if it wasn't executed the best.

Another thing is the acting.

The directing may not have been the greatest, but the acting was seriously great.

I had no idea that Ezra Miller was going to be in this (was he even in the trailer?), and he was really good. I got some very We Need To Talk About Kevin reminiscent vibes from him, but more creepy and tragic, and he did a great job at this. His body language, his emotional performance; they were great.

Colin Farrell also did a fantastic job; I thought he was such a standout. He hasn't been in many things lately (I don't watch True Detective), so it was great to see him on the big screen again.

And then there's Eddie Redmayne. In real life he is such a loveable goof that I don't even think he was acting in this film. He was probably just being himself (seriously, have you seen his interviews?), and it completely worked as the introverted loves-beasts-more-than-people Newt Scamander (although phrased like that he sounds terrible, but you get what I mean). And I can't fault him for playing himself when we well and truly know that he can portray other types of characters (e.g. Les Miserables, The Theory of Everything, The Danish Girl).

I thought Dan Fogler was great as the No-maj that gets caught up in all of Newt's shenanigans. He was actually pretty funny (loved everytime he let out a laugh), and was quite a loveable character by the end. There is one surprisingly touching scene that revolves around him, so it's great to see a Harry Potter film where we care about a non-wizard.

I also loved loved loved the constant use of apparition throughout the film. It was really cool to see how they could so intuitively apparate in everyday life and in battle.

So in the end, I found this film enjoyable, but forgettable. I was looking forward to a film where the focus would be on these amazing new creatures, but instead we got some random side quests shoved into another plot, and it just didn't seem to work out. I also felt like the CGI was not the best in this film, with some of the background sets and even some of the beasts not looking the greatest at times.

Is this a decent film? Sure, it's alright. It's not terrible, but it's not... FANTASTIC (lol, I had to). Am I worried about there being four more movies? Of course I am. The film was enjoyable, and a decent watch, but it's not worth another 4 movies.

A few side notes:

I can only understand some things after reading up on them in the Harry Potter wikia; how do people pick up on these things? (for example, the article on Leta Lestrange; all that information went over my head in the film)

Can someone tell me what the villain says at the end, and what the heck it even means?

Loved the themes on the salem witch trials

Someone explain this to me: is it not possible to just use accio or reducio spell on these beasts (and one insect)?

I loved the costuming in this; the wizarding council looked like they were straight out of the card game Coup, and Redmayne and Farrell looked so cool in their coats

Click for some notes on SPOILERS:

• After we saw Grindelwald's hair, and then we saw Graves hair, I was thinking, "Oh, is he the same character but with dyed hair? Oh wait, no, it's Colin Farrell. Does everyone just have the same haircut here?"
• *Deep sigh* I am so not keen on Johnny Depp in the sequels. I feel like he ruined that final showdown. #BringBackColinFarrell #MakeColinFarrellGrindelwaldAgain
• Apparently the obscura is what killed Ariadne Dumbledore? I think that's pretty interesting. I don't remember too much of the books and I think it was only touched on in the films, but it looks like an interesting thing to explore in future films.
• How on earth does a No-maj bank accept EGGS as collateral? They haven't seen Game of Thrones, they don't know how cool eggs can be.

I’m going to live to regret this.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

(All the posters for this film are really bad, but I hated this one less than I hated the main poster that they use)

8.0/10 on IMDb
72% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: Signed, sealed and recommended by Chloe
Watch it if you: Are interested just based on the trailer; Want a thrilling story-within-a-story film
Susan seems to have the perfect life: she is the successful manager of a famous art gallery, she is married to a very handsome man, and together they live in a house that looks like an art gallery itself. Yet one day her ex-husband sends her a manuscript of a novel he's written. The novel is brutal, violent, and terrifying, and it's dedicated to her. As she begins to read the novel, she is forced to re-examine her past with the first man she loved.

I wasn't too sure what to expect with this film, since the trailer did a good job at keeping the plot hidden while still intriguing me, and to be honest it's still a really weird film to try and explain or wrap my head around.

It's not that it was confusing or mind-blowing, it's just that it's a film more focused on themes and messages rather than plot.

This is because the film is actually a story within a story. More specifically, it's a novel within a movie. The novel is actually super interesting, but the main story isn't as interesting.

However, the way that these two are combined through alternating scenes is a really clever way at integrating the two stories together, to show the parallels and contrasts between fiction and reality.

I don't want to elaborate too much on this, but after watching the movie, I'd suggest checking out this spoiler-filled article that explores the ending and major themes of the film.

The performances in this were great, and I was actually quite surprised at the number of familiar faces in here.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams star in the lead roles, and while they were about 90% the reason why I watched this film, I have to say it wasn't their movie; it was the two supporting actors that stole the show.

Yup, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Michael Shannon were the best actors in this film! Particularly Aaron Taylor-Johnson; he completely disappeared in his role, and the only thing I could think of was just how far he had come from his Kick-Ass days.

Apart from that there's not much to say since I don't want to spoil things; there's a lot more to explore after you end up finishing the movie, but if you haven't yet, all you can really talk about is the cast and the general premise.

So in the end, this at first appears to be a random film that's about some random thing that's happening, but at the end you realise how the inner novel story is very intrinsically related to the outer main story, and how these both show us different aspects about humanity.

A few side notes:

Amy Adams should not wear make up, ever; I personally think she looks so much better with natural or no make up

I can't believe Tom Ford, the director of this film, is the same Tom Ford as the fashion designer; that's very impressive

The first five minutes are... difficult to watch.

I like how Isla Fisher is like Amy Adam's likeness, since they often get confused for each other

Help me get one more.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

8.7/10 on IMDb
85% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: Signed, sealed, and recommended by Chloe; Watch it in cinemas
Watch it if you: Like war dramas; Want war scenes akin to Saving Private Ryan; Don't mind very brutal and gruesome violence in the name of war
Directed by Mel Gibosn, Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story about Desmond Doss, a combat medic in World War II who refused to handle a gun, yet managed to become a hero of the war, being the first conscientious objector to win a Medal of Honor.

Ah, Mel Gibson. Terrible human being, but great director (just look at Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, and Apocalypto). And once again, he has made a great film.

It's a long one, at 2 hours and 19 minutes, and I think the first act really should have been cut down, because it felt too slow and irrelevantly dragged out. I understand that it helped to develop Doss' character, and it was necessary, but I think it was just too long for it.

However, the great thing about this film is the final act, once they head straight into the battle. The film actually picks up way before this, when Doss first enlists, but in that last act, my goodness, the film just goes all out, and the impact of everything hits you HARD. The entire last act is a crazy, action-packed and adrenaline-fuelled sequence, that I couldn't help but think of Saving Private Ryan.

Mel Gibson truly did a great job at showing us the gruesome and tragic nature of war, more so than other war films, so that we could understand the protagonists ideals and values against holding a gun, and we are able to respect his decision for it.

Apart from this last act, another great factor of this film is the acting capacity here.

There were seriously great performances all around, both from the main characters and the supporting ones.

I honestly did not realise that the entire cast consisted of Australian actors just feigning American accents. All except Vince Vaugh, an American, and Andrew Garfield, a British native. I really applaud Gibson on this, as well as those supporting casts. My particular favourite of the supporting cast was Luke Bracey; dang he is one handsome fella!

(Luke Bracey is the hunk on the left)
Andrew Garfield as Doss was amazing, and he looks to be a strong contender for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. He is such a goofball, though; he is like the quintessential awkward dork, but it's so pleasant here because he is a goofball of just charm and optimism, even in the face of war and almost certain death.

Also, even though Doss' ideals mainly stem from his religion, I don't think that this was a very religious film. At times it might have seemed a bit over-the-top, but I don't think it really beat you over the head with a Bible; it was more just emphasising how important Christianity was to the protagonist. And to audiences, we see this as being more to do with his spirit, hope and optimism, as opposed to his religiosity.

Hugo Weaving was another great supporting actor. Man, he portrayed such an emotional and traumatised character, some times you even forgot that this is the same guy who played Elrond and Agent Smith! He completely disappeared and was so believable. There is one particular scene where you just know that it will be played when his name is called out as a nominated Best Supporting Actor. And I have to say, most of the times that I teared up were because of Weaving's performance. He truly carried all of the scenes that he was in.

Lastly, I have to give a mention to Vince Vaughn. Even though he was in The Lost World, it's easy to forget that he's actually a good actor when he's not playing a stupid character. Honestly, he was great in this and while he took on a serious role in a serious movie, he managed to pull it off while still being the funniest character in the film! Please do more films like this, Vaughn, please.

So all in all, I am very happy that I saw this film. The first third is really slow and dragged on quite a bit, but trust me it'll be worth it when the shock of the second half hits you. If you like the Omaha Beach scene in Saving Private Ryan, you will love the last act of this film. It's great to watch on the big screen because of the immersive experience of seeing and hearing the chaos of everything.

The Day of the Drunkards

Here is my second response to a writing prompt (my first one is here)! This time the prompt was:

"You wake up, still drunk, the morning after your first big college party. A zombie apocalypse happened overnight, but none of the zombies seem to be giving you any notice. You soon realize that the alcohol in your system doesn't make them sense you are human..."

Hope you enjoy!

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“Quick!” I gestured to the girl, pointing at the ever-growing pool amassing on the floor. She stood motionless, instead glancing at the dead man next to the shattered wine bottle. I hopped over to him and rolled his body out of the way. There was no time to deal with him.

“Quickly, come on, it’s alright,” I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her closer to the floor.

“Mummy says I shouldn’t drink that stuff,” she said innocently.

“Mummy’s not here, so you have to listen to me, okay? It wasn’t okay to drink that stuff before, but it’s good for you now, understand?”

She stared back at me blankly. There was no way I could get through to her with words, and we were just wasting time at this stage.

“Look, it’s perfectly safe, I’ll show you,” I bent down and started sipping at the red ambrosia. I didn’t need to look up at her; I could hear her bending down and following suit.

“Good girl,” I whispered, wiping the liquid off my lower face. She needed it more than I did. I calculated that I still had some left in my system, for the time being. She, on the other hand, well… she hadn’t had anything at all. I wondered how she survived for so long.

It was quite early on that I figured out it was the alcohol keeping me alive. On Day One I had woken up later than usual, not even hung over but still drunk. The night before was my first ‘letting loose’ event, and being a petite girl with absolutely no tolerance for alcohol, it managed to stay in my system for a while. In any other situation I would have been terribly ashamed of myself, but this time it was the key to my survival.

When I left my dorm room, I noticed it was unusually quiet, but I thought everyone else was just hung over. It was only after a bit more wandering around that I realised a lot of people were just dead. I first came across the zombies stumbling their way slowly through the hallways, gurgling incoherently guttural sounds, and wearing clothes that looked a little worse for wear. To be frank, I just assumed they were all hung over from the night before.

It was only when they started attacking the Non-Drunks that I realised something was terribly wrong. Day One was a big blur for me; it felt so long ago. All I can remember was the terrible looting that followed. When people started raiding the liquor stores before the grocery stores, I realised it had something to do with the alcohol.

During the raids of Day One, I managed to grab a couple bottles of vodka. My small stature allowed me to go quite a bit undetected amongst the chaos. And the high alcohol percentage of the vodka meant that it would last me for quite some time. I knew I was going to run out soon, though, and I couldn’t get my hands on anything else, so I went and grabbed a trolley-full of liquids, be it water, cordial, juice, milk… you name it. After all, you could die faster from dehydration than starvation.

At night, I made my way to a friend’s house nearby to the college. They were filthy rich, and I knew they had a wine cellar. When I reached their house, I found it abandoned save the young son dead in the cellar.

The house was littered with empty wine bottles, but luckily there was still a few days’ worth left in the cellar. My guess is that as they began to run low, they attempted to obtain more, but were attacked by the zombies. And since the zombies didn’t go for the alcohol, that left a decent amount to me.

The girl finished sipping the wine, and sat up.

“What do we do now, miss?”

“Well firstly, that was my last bottle so we will need more of that; it’ll help us. If you’re tired you can sleep first but I may need to wake you up to help me later.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to set up some bait.”

I walked off, grabbing all the empty wine bottles that were sporadically placed in the house. I started filling them up with other liquids; the vodka bottles with water, the white wine with diluted apple juice, and the red wine with red cordial. I stared at the red wine bottles. They were the bottles I had the most of, and the red cordial was a poor imitator. I figured I may have to put some blood in them.

I went back down to the cellar to grab the dead man. The girl was asleep already; I guess the alcohol helped in that. I figured she drank enough to keep her safe while she slept, so I had no issues with leaving her alone in the house.

I struggled to drag the man up the stairs. It would have been easier to carry everything out in the cellar, but I didn’t want the girl to wake up to a messy pool of blood. The stain of the red wine on the floor looked bad enough as is.

By the time I managed to drag him up the stairs, I was exhausted. But every second counted, so I quickly got to work.

I had strangled him, so he wasn’t already bleeding. I’d have to make a cut somewhere.

I went back down to the cellar to grab a piece of broken glass from the bottle he had smashed into my head shortly before he breathed out all the air in his lungs. There were plenty of empty bottles around, but he just had to choose my last full bottle. Once he died I couldn’t even think about the gravity of my first murder; I had to get the girl to drink.

I sat back down, cradling his head in my lap. I placed one of the red wines at an angle, close to his neck, and made a cut. The blood oozed out, and in the bottle it was already starting to look more like red wine.

There was plenty of blood in this man to distribute amongst the red cordial, and by the time I was done I was quite happy with my efforts.

The sealing of the bottles were much more difficult to pass off as the real thing, but I figured they would look okay from a distance.

I filled the trolley up with the bottles, and strategically placed a small towel on top so as to have some of the bottles peeking through.

More effort was exhausted as I dragged both the man I had just drained of blood, and the young boy who was already dead when I arrived. I lugged them to a nearby alley that I could see from the living room, and I knew that it could be easily accessed through the main bedroom’s window.

I then went and woke up the girl and explained to her my plan. Once she was stationed at the living room window, I quickly but quietly wheeled the trolley next to the men. I tried to make it look as natural as possible, as if they were trying to hide and sleep in a safe place, but I made the trolley stick out a bit so that it could be seen.

I went back to the house, and checked in on the girl.

“What do we do now?” She asked. I handed her the binoculars, and grabbed the shotgun from off the table. I started heading to the main bedroom next door.

“Now, we wait.”

Now that's a proper introduction.

Arrival (2016)

8.5/10 on IMDb
93% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: A must-see; Watch it in cinemas; I'm buying the DVD
Watch it if you: Are a sci-fi fan; Are a fan of Amy Adams; Are a fan of Denis Villeneuve's other works; Aren't expecting an action-packed alien invasion, but a more serious drama

Aliens have arrived on the planet, with spaceships hovering above 12 different locations across the globe. As people the world over anticipate the worst, world leaders try to figure out what these aliens want, why they are here, and whether they are friendly or hostile. But to do this, they need to understand how to communicate with the aliens, and so they hire a linguistics professor to decipher what they are saying.

It's really hard for me to review this film because I don't really want to talk too much about it, and besides I'm also still in the middle of processing it all.

What I can say about this film, though, is that it is a fantastic sci-fi drama. It has emotion, heart, politics, and a very intriguing and unique plot (based on the short story Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang).

Without giving away too much, I thought the most interesting thing was that while this film has global stakes, with talks of extraterrestrial beings threatening global existence, its main focus is on humanity, and more specifically, individuals. And I think that was so interesting, because I really was not expecting it to focus so much on the human condition.

Most of this can be credited to Amy Adams' amazing performance; she is absolutely breathtakingly and viscerally real in this film, it is so easy to forget that this is Amy Adams. You believe everything she says and does, and she completely transforms and gets lost in her character.

The same cannot be said for Jeremy Renner though. I was a bit disappointed with his characterisation. It's not like he was a bad actor, it's just that he didn't have much to do here. I feel like he could have been replaced by an unknown actor and it wouldn't have made that much of a difference.

However, this film is definitely not what I was expecting, and I loved it.

The cinematography was great; every scene looked beautiful.

The script and the writing were fantastic; apparently the film did a really good job at adapting the story it was based on.

The score was pretty intense. In some moments I felt like it did not fit the scene, but for the most part it really made you feel as if you were living the experience of these characters.

The directing was great too. I loved Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015), so I was really excited to see another film by Denis Villeneuve, and he did not disappoint. Some may say it was a bit slow-paced, but I didn't realise that until after the film when I was thinking about it, since it adds to the suspense and intensity of the film, and makes it feel like the events are playing out quite realistically and naturally.

So all in all, this is a great film that I would definitely recommend people to watch. It's not a crazy Independence Day type of alien invasion film; it's more of a drama, and it works very well. It's also a fantastic piece of sci-fi, and while it may be confusing, it opens up a lot of discussion on humanity.

"Only assholes drink Mr. Pibb." "...Then drink up."

Oscar season is here, which means watching heaps of movies when I should really be studying!

And what better way to kick off the season than Hell or High Water? Seriously, the TL;DR version of this blog is that it's a really good movie and I'm so happy there's FINALLY a good movie this year again!

Some other movies that look really interesting for this month (click for trailers):

[Out Now] The Accountant: currently at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes but some YouTube reviewers that I follow really liked it so I will have to check this one out

[Out Now] Hacksaw Ridge: getting good reviews and looks like an interesting story

[Out Now] The Light Between Oceans: looks like a heartbreaking film, starring Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender, and by the director of Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, both films that I loved

[November 10] Arrival: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, the director of Sicario and Prisoners, alien invasions... of course I'm going to watch this film.

[November 10] Nocturnal Animals: Amy Adams again, and I've seen the creepy and unsettling trailer twice already in cinemas... and looking forward to seeing creepo Jake Gyllenhaal again since he was great in Nightcrawler (2014)

[November 17] Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: the hype is sort of settling down, since I'm a bit annoyed they're making five of these... but who am I kidding we all know I will still go and watch this anyway

[November 24] The Founder: Michael Keaton as the scumbag founder of Maccas?! Yes, please!

So it's starting to look promising!

But back to the beginning of Oscar season...

Hell or Highwater (2016)

8.2/10 on IMDb
98% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: Signed, sealed, and recommended by Chloe
Watch it if you: Are keen for a really good modern Western film, or just keen for a really good movie in general!

Over the course of one week, two brothers rob a series of Texan banks operating under the company about to foreclose on their family home. It's a difficult task as they need to outsmart a soon-to-be-retired Texas Ranger, but come hell or high water they plan to make this heist a success.

What I loved about this film was that it felt very real. And that's largely due to the great performances by the cast, but it was also a fantastic job coming from the director and the writers of the film.

Chris Pine was one of the main reasons I wanted to watch this film, and he did a great job, completely disappearing into his role. Many times throughout this movie, I even forgot it was him acting!

Ben Foster was also really good (boy has he come a long way since X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)), and Jeff Bridges is, needless to say, superb here.

But not only were the main cast great, every single supporting character and extra that appeared for just one scene was perfect. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were just normal people living in a Western town and asked to join the film randomly. Everything just came together so well to create that sense of realism for us.

Another thing that I loved was the relationships between the cast. For example, there is one really emotional and very real scene between Chris Pine and Ben Foster that just shows a great moment of brotherly love. They could have easily edited it out, but I found myself grinning from ear to ear as I was watching it. And even the relationship between Jeff Bridges and his buddy cop partner Gil Birmingham were great at showing a relationship that looks like it's just filled with insults, but in reality is a very tender and close relationship and you can see that they both care for each other deep down.

So yeh, basically all the performances were great; everything was really subtle and real. Nobody overacted or oversold themselves.

One downside is that subtitles would have helped a little... especially with Jeff Bridges. Although it's not a big deal because you can get the gist of what they are saying anyway.

So if I haven't sold you on the cast and the acting, then I guess I've done a bad job at writing up this review, but the film had many other upsides to it too.

The writing as I mentioned was great, and got really intense in some moments. No surprises there, though, since it was written by the guy who wrote Sicario (2015), one of the best films of last year.

I was mostly surprised at how funny it was though! I was expecting a really intense and serious drama, but the comedic relief was so perfect in this, once again making it seem realistic, since we all know that real people still have humour in the face of seriousness.

The director also just did a fantastic job overall. I don't recognise any of his other films though, so he seems to be someone to watch out for. The cinematography, editing, pacing, and just everything was done really well.

(One of the funniest scenes of the film)
It's unfortunate that this film didn't have much marketing, since many haven't heard about it at all (and I only heard about it through the YouTubers that I follow), but it is an indication that maybe it's the smaller films we should be keeping an eye out on, as I think this will be potentially the best movie of the year.

I also really liked the reason that the brothers decided to do the bank robberies. At first it sort of seems quite simple, but you later realise that it's more than that, and it gets quite emotional.

So Hell or High Water is a great Western, but it's set in the modern age. We don't see a bunch of cowboys, or a bunch of crazy shootouts because it's the 21st century, but there are still a few of those around, and they're done really well. Overall it's a very entertaining, emotional, and even surprisingly funny film that I'd definitely recommend.

Dormammu, I've come to bargain!

Doctor Strange (2016)

8.0/10 on IMDb
91% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: Signed, sealed, and recommended by Chloe; Watch it in cinemas
Watch if you: are a fan of Inception/Matrix; are a fan of arrogant Benedict Cumberbatch; don't mind the whitewashing
Doctor Stephen Strange is one of the world's best neurosurgeons, but when he gets involved in an accident that ends his career, he turns to the mystical world in an attempt to get his former life back.

If you haven't already seen the trailer, then be warned. This film is like Inception on acid. No, it's more than that. It's like Inception, plus Matrix, plus X-Men, plus Ant-Man, on acid.

The special effects in this film is really what makes this an incredible experience, and sets it well apart from other Marvel films. The mystic quality of this film allows them to just go crazy with the effects and illogical physics, and while there is A LOT going on in some scenes, it really works, and it looks incredible.

But bringing it back on a smaller scale, the movie was great in its performances. The whole cast is really great, particularly Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, and hey, even Tilda Swinton was good.

And yes, while there was a lot of whitewashing blacklash about this, if you put that all aside, Tilda Swinton is a great actor, and that showed through here. Every time she talked I felt like she was tucking me in for the best sleep of my life. I felt like everything was going to be okay. Every time I saw her face gently smiling at me someone, I felt like all my worries just disappeared. She was great at portraying this ancient mystical being that's so in tune with her spirit.

Was it weird that everyone was wearing ancient Asian outfits despite only one major character being Asian? Yeah, a little. But you get past that because of the actors doing a good job.

The humour was also sometimes a hit or miss for me. Sometimes it got really funny, but other times it just seemed too forced. For example, Benedict Wong was so funny in The Martian, just by his facial expressions and physical humour, but in this film I just really did not think he did a great job here (and yes, I know that his character rarely laughed, but I just felt like those jokes were not funny enough to be a running gag in the film).

Overall, I enjoyed this film, but I don't think it's a top Marvel film or one of those ones you would keep going back to, to rewatch. I think it's fun, has a great cast, an intriguing premise, and a good break from the other Marvel movies, as it's more magical, mystical, and surreal. But it's nothing spectacular; the script isn't the best, and nothing really stands out for me. However since it's an origin story, hopefully the next appearance of Doctor Strange will be better.

A few side notes:

Apparently it's good in 3D. I don't like 3D, and always try to avoid it, but let me know if you think it's good with the goggles.

Some of the scenes here were filmd by a handheld cam, and while it wasn't anywhere near shakycam level, it still felt a bit awkward at times

How funny is it that Benedict Wong stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, as Wong