neil-hodgetts Reviews

Whiplash (2014)

One of the best films of the 2010s - GOOD JOB!

[10/10 · 23 April 2022]

In a decade which didn't give he much this really stood out for me. A fantastic two hander with brilliant performances. The perfunctory scenes serve mainly to relive the tension but the film comes to life when the two are on screen.

For the reviews saying the film glorifies the actions of a Terence, I think they are missing the point. He gets to put his argument but it is always an unconvincing justification.

For me the film is always about abuser and abusee and when the two meet as like minds - a wielder of power and a lost but driven soul...driven for the need of recognition but never truly feeling they deserve it.

Citizen K (2019)

Solid doc with unsympathetic protagonist

[6/10 · 24 March 2022]

While the quality of production and use of clips are very good here, it is hard to find much cohesiveness. The overwhelming sense you come away with is that a bunch of corrupt men with half the wealth of Russia were bough to heel by a strongman president. It is easy to see why Putin is popular after the Russian brush with capitalism was so disastrous. Any sympathy for the main character being built through his prison battles is lost the instant he announced he has smuggled £500m out of the country before he left.

Fight Club (1999)

THE Movie for my generation!

[10/10 · 15 February 2022]

As a 40 year old male who was 18 when this came out, there has never been a book or film since that has been so brilliantly observed for my generation and I still watch this every few years. With the onset of social media, the film is more relevant than ever. In my view this is the best movie of all time - the 66% meta critic score shows why you should treat reviews with caution!!

After Life (2019–2022)

Emporer's new clothes

[1/10 · 18 January 2022]

Judging by the amount of positive reviews I am missing something obvious but if you can get past the bitter nihilistic nature of the character which is tiresome and energy sapping, then the poor acting, poor script, lack of laughs, lack of plot is waiting for you in the other side. But as David Brent once said. 'Everybody's got their critics!'

Don't Look Up (2021)

Much better than I expected

[9/10 · 14 January 2022]

I avoided at first due to the terrible reviews but got recommended by a couple of friends I trust. This is a fantastic and often hilarious assault of the senses.

For those criticising the lack of subtlety are surely missing the point. The politics and media of today left nuance and subtlety behind many years ago. If anything real life is more caricature than what is on screen!

I particularly liked the tech guru - again no caricature here or anybody has seen Elon Musk talk about how we should use his submarines to rescue children from caves!!

Leaving Neverland (2019)

An open mind will hear the truth

[9/10 · 6 June 2020]

It actually makes me sick to the stomach to see the level of denial that goes on and is present right here on this page about Michael Jackson. Unfortunately sexual abuse doesn't come with irrefutable evidence. It comes with testimony.

Look at the current #metoo movement. You have to take time to listen to people and their stories and the fact that people don't is the reason people are scared to tell the truth. Anybody who listened to these guys with an open mind in this documentary can only draw one conclusion.

The documentary was slightly overlong and there was too much use of dramatic music but i give it a lot of credit for letting victims tell their story and as painful as it was to hear, only a closed mind could conclude their story is all lies.