Films I Watched: August 2015 Edition (Pt.1)

August has been pretty productive film-wise so far (or unproductive, depending on which way you view it). I've watched a multitude of different genres, ranging from German-expressionist horror, to a classic superhero film, with some being much, much better than others. Having written a large number of "Films I Watched" posts, I've decided to change the format in which I write my mini reviews, and from here on, I'll be grouping the films into three categories, "the great", "the alright" and the "the awful". 

The Great ~ I actually watched a number of really great films so far this month. The first in my list is In Bruges, the 2008 dark-comedy crime film, written and directed by Martin McDonagh. This film is brilliantly written, and somehow manages to depict heavy topics such as murder and morality in a lighthearted way. Some of the scenes are absolutely hilarious and Colin Farrell works brilliantly as a newbie hitman from Dublin. As well as that, I really liked the score and the shots of Bruges make the city look absolutely gorgeous. (☆☆☆☆)

 The second great film I watched was one that has been on my list a very long time. Trainspotting, directed by Danny Boyle, is another dark-comedy. However, rather than following the tale of two hitmen hiding out in Belgium, Trainspotting follows a young heroin addict named Renton as he attempts to get his life together while continuing to hang around his similarly drug addicted friends. It was filmed in Scotland in 1996 and the absolutely brilliant soundtracks screams of the era. The opening sequence is one of the best I've ever seen and once again the writing is superb. The dialogue and narration flows really naturally. The cinematography is also really great, with some excellent shots being thrown in. (☆☆☆☆☆) 

My third and last great film for this post is Wet Hot American Summer. Having flown through the new series that Netflix just recently released, I immediately watched the orignal 2001 cult film and absolutely loved it. The entire plot and characters are absolutely ridiculous but that's the point. The film completely caricatures teen sex comedies, boiling right down to casting thirty-something year old actors as sixteen year olds. It has a huge cast, filled with big-name actors such as Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Bradley Cooper. Wet Hot American Summer is so worth the hype, and depending on your kind of humour, you'll be laughing from start to finish. (☆☆☆☆)

The Alright - "Alright" isn't the worst category, it just means that the films in it didn't particularly stun or amaze me. If I were to use an ancient Irish saying I would say "era, they were grand like!" which isn't the worst way to describe something, but it isn't the best either. 

The first in my list is Tim Burton's Batman. Released in 1989, it is wonderfully cheesy, which is exactly how an eighties superhero film should be. The production design and costumes are absolutely amazing, and I particularly loved the Joker's design. My main issue with this film is its incredibly weak story, there's next to no character development and I really didn't like the changes they made compared to the comics. I also found the romantic subplot to be highly ridiculous, unbelievable and completely out of place. (☆☆☆)

This month I also managed to watch My Neighbour Totoro, which has been on my list for a very, very long time. Even though it was really charming and had a really sweet story and characters, it didn't really stand out to me, particularly compared to the other Ghibli films I've seen which are Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. It was a cute film but nothing more really. (☆☆☆)

Due to a slight love for Bill Hadar, I also watched The Skeleton Twins. A strange, dark-comedy drama about two twins, it also starred Kristen Wiig and I felt that both her and Hadar worked brilliantly together as siblings. I don't really have any complaints per say, the film was well written and had some beautiful cinematography and camerawork. It just didn't shine either. It was a nice way to spend my afternoon but it didn't leave me with any lasting feelings. (☆☆☆)

My last "alright" film is another Kristen Wiig film, Welcome to Me. I'm still slightly unsure of what to think for this film. It follows a woman with borderline personality disorder as she wins the lottery and starts her own talk show. While I liked how the story brought attention to borderline personality disorder, it still felt a bit odd. Certain parts of Wiig's character's disorder were used for comedic effect which I don't really think is a great idea. Other than that was enjoyable, albeit it slightly dragged in parts. (☆☆)

Special Mention ~ Nosferatu

After telling myself that I would watch the silent horror classic for a very long time, I finally sat down and watched it on YouTube! I don't even know where to begin with reviewing a silent film, so I'm just going to end this post with a hearty recommendation for anyone that reads this to check it out if they haven't already. Being a brilliant example of both German Expressionism and silent horror, it's an incredibly pivotal film and a very interesting watch!