Hello All,
This month I have been really busy with editing and moving my graduation film into post production. I hope in the next few months I can share more with you all. Until then here are the films that I have been watching. I would definitely check these out.
The rules are I can only write about films I haven’t seen before, I want to engage with films which have been on my watchlist for a while now. I have really enjoyed the films I’ve seen in this series so far. Hopefully during this busy period I can keep watching films. Stay safe and be there for one another
Palm Springs- Date Viewed: 06/06/2021
Director: Max Barbakow
Studio: Limelight Productions, Lonely Island Classics, Sun Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment
Release Date: 2020
A new spin on the time loop device, which focuses on the pointlessness of life until you’re trapped with someone else. A really funny and at moments moving film, which focuses more specifically on the lives of two people stuck at a wedding. Especially during this point in history the repetition of days feels very relatable. A really funny and snappy film that’s well worth your time.
Currently on Amazon Prime (At the time of writing)
Twelve Monkeys – Date Viewed: 07/06/2021
Director: Terry Gilliam
Studio: Atlas Entertainment, Classico
Release Date: 1995
Terry Gilliam’s sci-fi classic sees a convict sent back in time to find out the group responsible for the release of a deadly virus so that a cure can be developed in the future. Another examples of films which feel more relevant and personal at this point in history. Gilliam crafts a complex, yet simple story of time travel which focuses on the futility of change while building a fully believable, surreal world. Brad Pitt steals scenes and there’s so much more to be found in this Gilliam classic. A real visual and narrative treat.
Currently on BBC iPlayer (At the time of writing)
What We Do in the Shadows. – Date Viewed: 14/06/2021
Director: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Studio: Resnick Interactive Development, Unison Films, Defender Films, Funny or Die, New Zealand Film Commission
Release Date: 2014
This mockumentary based on the vampire/supernatural community in Wellington, New Zealand, is an exercise in timing, execution and writing. An ultra quotable, ultra funny film about four vampire flatmates as the annual Unholy Masquerade starts again. Clement and Waititi are on form as writers, directors and stars – they send up the horror and documentary genre while using modern sensibilities to portray a group of people who, even though they are vampires, still have to do the dishes every year. Also, the Swearwolves sequence is incredible. Over before you know it – this film has all the hallmarks of a classic and is so worth your time.
Currently on Amazon Prime / BFI Player (At the time of writing)
Tangerine – Date Viewed: 18/06/2021
Director: Sean Baker
Studio: Duplass Brothers Productions, Through Films
Release Date: 2015
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez steals the show as Sinn-Dee-Rella, a transgender prostitute who has just finished a brief stint in prison and searches for her boyfriend/pimp Chester on Christmas Eve. Shot entirely on iPhone 5s, Sean Bakers’ raw and vibrant look at love, friendship and family has such a pace and energy. It’s also a leap for transgender representation for film and is a film that is well worth your time just for that reason alone.
Currently on Amazon Prime (At the time of writing)
mother!- Date Viewed: 19/06/2021
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Studio: Protozoa Pictures
Release Date: 2017
Darren Aronofsky’s allegorical psychological horror film is perhaps one of the most ridiculous, visceral and disturbing films I’ve seen in a while. A film from one subjective POV – the events start from a stranger coming into the house to outright carnage and mayhem. If you enter with an open mind, you’ll come away with something, as it can be read in many different ways. I did lose my patience with this film in certain moments – it is a film I wouldn’t want to experience again. But I can’t stop thinking about it – as it is a rewarding film, which is perhaps the defining feature of the film. I really can’t stop thinking about it. I think it’s a film worth your time, but beware it is a challenging watch.
Currently on Amazon Prime (At the time of writing)
Picnic at Hanging Rock – Date Viewed: 20/06/2021
Director: Peter Weir
Studio: B.E.F. Film Distributors, South Australian Film Corporation, Australian Film Commission, McElroy & McElroy, Picnic Productions
Release Date: 1975
This mesmeric film centres around the ambiguous events surrounding the disappearance of a group of schoolgirls in the 1900s. Adapted from Joan Lindsay’s book of the same name and left ambiguous not only during the film but in real life as well. This beautiful, eerie and enthralling film began the New Wave of Australian Cinema. To understand the importance of this film it really must be experienced. I promise it is worth it.
Currently on BFI Player (At the time of writing)
Suspiria – Date Viewed: 21/06/2021
Director: Dario Argento
Studio: Seda Spettacoli
Release Date: 1977
Dario Argento’s horror classic sees a young American dancer enters a prestigious German ballet school only to find a sinister, supernatural force at play. Argento’s brilliant, absurd and borderline ridiculous effort is an exercise in some of the most beloved tropes of horror, from the scares, score and performances it shows and doesn’t tell you while being a beautiful, engaging and enduring classic. Plenty of gore, but plenty of brilliant moments – a must watch.
Currently on BFI Player (At the time of writing)
Onward – Date Viewed: 25/06/2021
Director: Dan Scanlon
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
Release Date: 2020
Pixar continues its long tradition of creating beautiful animations in tandem with a heartfelt theme and message. Onward is based in a world where magic exists but is surpassed by technology and suburbia, but it focuses on two teenagers as they find a way to bring their deceased father back for one day. While it’s a really funny, serviceable film it lacks that punch that Coco had and that Soul would come to have, but in any case, it’s a great film. Well worth a watch.
Currently on Disney+ (At the time of writing)
A Field in England – Date Viewed: 26/06/2021
Director: Ben Wheatley
Studio: Film4, Rook Films
Release Date: 2013
Ben Wheatley’s historical horror piece is a psychedelic and atmospheric affair, which centres around a group of deserters during the English Civil War in the 17th Century. They look to find a treasure buried deep in the titular field, stumbling upon some wild mushrooms that give them psychedelic hallucinations, which change relation dynamics in a drama that bends the mind and warps the psyche of its characters. An intense, kaleidoscopic watch worth your time.
Currently on All 4 (At the time of writing)
Luca – Date Viewed: 30/06/21
Director: Enrico Casarosa
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
Release Date: 2021
A really lovely, uplifting film about friendship and family on the Italian Rivera. Luca is a sea monster who can transform into a human once away from water. A new turn from Pixar as it doesn’t employ the typical emotional gut-punch, but more settles for a story of connection and understanding oneself. A nostalgic, yet new direction which has a really pretty art direction to boot. A great film for everyone and well worth a watch.
Currently on Disney+ (At the time of writing)
I have been watching these using a mix of Netflix, Amazon Prime, BFI Player and Disney+ and even rental. Typically all of these would cost a lot, but I have been fortunate to have access to these platforms for free – at least for now. Once that is over, I’ll be prioritising which platforms to still stick with moving forward. I hope you check these films out.
Watching these films again helps get money back into the film industry, so it feels good to feel like I’m helping while enjoying these films.
Stay safe, be present, enjoy things that you like.
Adam
Stills courtesy of FILMGRAB / Kiss Them Goodbye / Bluscreens.net / anothermag.com / Elevation Pictures / Movieclips Classic Trailers / movienco.co.uk / screenmusings.com / Screen Goblin /commonsensemedia.org / NME / Joe’s Movie Blog / cultandexploitation.blogspot.com / fancaps.net / ingloriousbaguettes.com / starwarsscreencaps.com / boardchairman / animationscreencaps / forum.pixarpost.com /
adam shafi 
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