BarrySheensAutograph
Midfield
Predator Badlands, crap, the original Predator will be turning in his grave
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Blue Moon (2025) 9/10
Probably being over-generous with the rating, but I loved this. Fantastic performance from Ethan Hawk - definite Oscar contender. It's like spending an evening hanging out at Sardi's with some of the biggest names of 1940s Broadway.
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Just watched this and thought it was brilliant. Like you said beautifully shot and a nice change of pace compared to most films these days.Train Dreams [2025] 7.5/10
It's beautifully shot, with good performances. I hoped for (and expected) more, though.
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You must be in a very forgiving mood. 1/10, at a push!!Logon or register to see this image
3/10 Don't bother
Same.Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance (2023)
These films are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, mainly because I find Craig Fairbrass so watchable. He’s utterly one dimensional, but really suits these (ahem) one dimensional lunkhead roles.
For all intents and purposes, it’s a cliched, low quality film. Not much of it makes sense, and it hides its clunkiness behind violence and cahnts. Yet, taken for what it is, I quite like it. It’s honest and doesn’t try to be something more profound. Loads will hate everything about it, but I’m not one of them.
4/10 as a film. 7/10 for enjoyment.
Where is this available?Blast of Silence (1961)
Written, directed and starring Allen Baron, this is a story about a hitman who scopes out a target over Christmas. He begins to realise a few things about the direction of his life.
Absolutely loved this. I was expecting bleakness and it didn’t let me down. The film was produced on a shoestring and didn’t apply for any filming licenses for location shots, so it has a very rough and ready feel about it, as they kept takes down to a minimum. As such, it’s got a raw and organic atmosphere, with places feeling genuine and not painstakingly controlled by a production crew. There’s a lot of tracking shots seemingly filmed out of vehicles. The end is filmed during an actual storm.
It’s got quite a savage tone, and nihilistic in its misery. There’s some great juxtapositions between the outdoor decorations and Christmas music, while the main character is only concentrating on finding a time and place to kill. The constant second person narration feels weird at first, but provides a framework for the action.
Won’t be everyone’s cuppa, but I found it memorable and fascinating,
8/10
The Criterion print is on YouTube.Where is this available?