ian_bolton Reviews

Empire of Light (2022)

Beautifully poignant and powerful

[9/10 · 31 January 2024]

I could've watched this film all night. The characters were utterly engrossing, Olivia Colman and Michael Ward particularly brought so much to the screen - alongside Roger Deakin's wonderful cinematography - this film danced through so many touching subjects.

One comment I saw on here suggested it was a struggle trying to understand what this film was trying to be about, yet it was about all the struggles, projections and societal problems you would expect from the 80s. Racial abuse, EDL marches, sexist mentalities and insecurity. It had everything. I thought every character had their own deeply ingrained problems that are there for us all to see. All set through the lens of a beautiful coastal cinema. I was crying my eyes out by the end.

Olivia Colman shows uniquely just how women were scrutinised and often abused by men trying to hang on to their power - being called 'crazy' when in fact they were far more in touch with their human intuition than they could have ever imagined. This isn't a film about one particular subject, it's about the struggles of an era where people were so divided and it gave me hope that the human spirit will always find love and empathy no matter what the wider circumstances are.

Boss Level (2020)

Very good.

[8/10 · 4 March 2021]

There's a lot more to this film than you originally realise or expect. He only get's so far, each time trying to learn new things to avenge his wife's death, but his connection with his son was the key and the build up to it all was full of great twists and turns.

The direction sometimes gets a little muddled as we lose some of the pacing at times, but Frank Grillo plays a great lead role - both hilarious and touching at times. The story was way more complicated than you originally think, from it being a schlocky Groundhog Day action romp to being a complex ordeal in which you're never sure where it might go.

Great soundtrack, some brilliant action scenes and Mel Gibson does play a decent bad guy. Wasn't really sure about Naomi Watts though. She's very unpredictable in her films and this one seems a bit over-edited - like, she had more parts but they were taken out because they were probably no real use to the overall tempo of the film.

Think there were a few nods to the current 'woke', 'PC' briggade which may have made a few studio's hesitant in today's climate, but glad it's finally getting a proper release. Would definitely recommend.

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World (2016)

What is the Internet?

[7/10 · 20 October 2016]

I watched this still not knowing what the internet was. I've seen friends talk about it, or my brother bought a TV from the Internet once, but this film was really fascinating. It was fascinating how Herzog portrayed all sides of this massive electronic thing - from the dark side, of how a family were abused through the internet or even how internet sends out signals through your hi-fi and can send you crazy. I didn't even know you could connect to the internet using dangerous hi-fi signals, but you can. I really loved how Herzog looked into how it will evolve, and admittedly nobody really knew, but Elon Musk is going to get the internet onto Mars soon. Like who will need eBay on Mars, duuurrrr!!!

Anyway, this film was really good.