'Infinity Chamber' (2017)
Interesting little microbudget indie sci-fi film. Great concept, if a little too long. The intrigue of the premise makes the viewer stay until the end and find the 'reveal' of sorts. Not exactly the best film of the year but it's great that these types of movies are still being funded and made. 7/10
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'The Goob' (2014)
Coming of age type film set in rural Norfolk (The Fens). Gritty and harsh in the style of an early Andrea Arnold / Clio Barnard, which I dig. It's not as hard hitting as those types of films but the performances from all 3 or 4 main characters are very watchable. 6.5/10
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'A Prayer before Dawn' (2018)
The true story of an addict in Thailand who faces a 3 year jail sentence and becomes a Muay Thai champion to deal with it. It's very well done, and Joe Cole puts in a more than decent turn as the lead. As great as the fight scenes were (one in particular is very realistically filmed), there were a bit too many of them. This is just my personal preference - I'm not a fan of too much fighting as it tends to distract from any plot, but in this film, this was the plot, so I was kind of on to a loser already. That said it's good to know the story of this pan out as I hadn't read anything about it beforehand. It's also worth reading up on Billy Moore's life since - as the film is not the end of the line. 7/10
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'On Body and Soul' (2017)
[Not Suitable for Vegetarians] I was eager to see this after its award nominations last year. It doesn't disappoint. I wish I'd watched it earlier as it would have appeared in all my self indulgent 'best films of 2017' type lists. It plays out like a spiritual, cerebral take on how we interact and overcome personality traits to appear normal, do normal things, and act the way society tells us to do. In that regard, I found it quite similar to Julia Ducournau's Raw (2016). But in 'On Body and Soul', Ildikó Enyedi has created a hugely ambitious mystery masterpiece love story in the same mould as a Yorgos Lanthimos film. Morcsányi Géza's performance as Endre is absolutely perfect and there are some spellbinding shots of animals in forests. 8.5/10
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'It's Only the End of the World' (2016)
xavier Dolan once again proving what a wonderkid of a writer/director he is. A really engaging script and a fine performance from Vincent Cassel, who I've never really rated that highly before. Dysfunctional family life and the inability to communciate properly is at the core of the movie but also unconditional love. Dolan's ability to create tension between characters on screen is remarkable. 8/10