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Summer Hours - (2008)
There's a deep, moving sadness to Summer Hours that snuck through my myriad defenses and had me thinking about what it's like to lose loved ones, and how that change in our life makes us note little details that hurt. It's a great movie - directed by someone I'm making a note of - Olivier Assayas. It starts at a family gathering for 75-year-old matriarch Hélène Berthier (Édith Scob) on her birthday, who gives son Frédéric detailed instructions on what he's to sell when she dies, including the house all siblings grew up in. She dies, and the film flashes forward scene by scene to every occasion when the siblings get together to sort out everything that needs sorting when a last parent dies. Birthday presents she'd been given, some still unused, keep creeping into shots, and the process of moving on is exposed in every step these people take. The family live and work in distant places - so these little reunions are precious, and you get the feeling these family members will rarely be together like this ever again. It's not a melodramatic film - it's straightforward, and doesn't manipulate your emotions, and that's what I loved about it. Those feelings are there, and we don't need them pointed out. Hauntingly beautiful, and effectively grounded and subtle - I loved this blind watch.
9/10
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Edward Scissorhands - (1990)
It's a bit of a shock to the system to go back and see just how much of a magical touch Tim Burton had in the late 80s and early 90s - Edward Scissorhands, with the help of Danny Elfman and some Oscar-nominated make-up effects, has such a delicate touch - which Burton would go on to lose after hitting a kind of peak with Ed Wood. Watch this film with an open heart, and you are guaranteed to feel this throwback to the fables of old squeeze it tight. It's beautiful - and comes from a very genuinely expressive artist. For Burton, the key is not to get carried away, even if you have the resources and money to do so - with Edward Scissorhands there's no excess, just a wonderfully told tale.
8/10
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Little Monsters - (2019)
Little Monsters is a cute little zombie film. It's not going to knock either Dawn of the Dead or Shaun of the Dead off their perches, but it starts strong and is full of enjoyably carefree comedy and spunk which makes up for it's lack scope. For those who love the genre, you should check it out if you haven't already.
7/10
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Cuban Fury - (2014)
During Cuban Fury, a film I wasn't enjoying even the slightest bit, I imagined what things would have been like if Nick Frost and Chris O'Dowd had of swapped roles. It would have made this piece of dump-rubbish watchable. I love Chris O'Dowd, but in this salsa-themed movie he's the foul-mouthed, crude villain - and it doesn't suit him at all. Nick Frost is the romantic lead, who is a salsa dancer, and that doesn't suit him at all. The comedy also happens to fall flat as a pancake. The only time I laughed was when we get a very unexpected and sudden Simon Pegg cameo. Going by the cast I thought this might be good - but it's obviously the reason why director James Griffiths went back to television after directing it, never doing another feature to this day.
4/10
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