10 Films I Saw This March (Film List 2022)

Hello All,

Three months down and my first cinema visit, I’ve missed out on a few releases this year, but I’m excited to have at least caught up on one – fingers crossed many more to come this year. The list has gone a little off the rails in terms of genre, but it has been nice to look further away from the norm to find different films or in this case, complete a film series.

No Time to Die – Date Viewed: 03/03/2022

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Eon Productions

Release Date: 2021

Daniel Craig’s last outing as James Bond is a fitting swansong to the most impressive and fully realised depiction of the legendary character. Bond has retired from active duty and is settled with his love Madeline Swan, but as some secrets come back to haunt them both, James is forced back into service as a new superweapon is captured by the film’s antagonist Lyutsifer Safin. Fukunaga helms an impressive Bond film, which after a turbulent production and release cycle manages to cap off what is an emotional and poignant ending to Craig’s Bond.

Currently on Rental (At the time of writing)

The Batman – Date Viewed: 05/02/2021

Director: Matt Reeves

Studio: DC Films, 6th & Idaho, Dylan Clark Productions

Release Date: 2022

Matt Reeves ‘The Batman’ sees a rain-soaked Gotham terrorised by The Riddler, who commits murder after murder to reveal a truth that will shake Gotham to its core, with Robert Pattinson’s Batman tasked with uncovering the lies and corruption that Gotham is built on while capturing the Riddler. Catwoman and The Penguin play pivotal roles in the film as it looks to expand past this film, but the depiction of all of these characters are some of the best that have been seen within the Batman canon. The film is lengthy, but never tires out as it plays out like a murder mystery come crime thriller, which is a nice angle to tell the story. Overall the film is impressive and it’ll be exciting to see how the characters evolve as the film ends on a somewhat bleak note.

Currently showing at cinemas (At the time of writing)

Nobody – Date Viewed: 09/03/2022

Director: Ilya Naishuller

Studio: Perfect World Pictures, 87North Productions, Eighty Two Films, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment

Release Date: 2021

Bob Odenkirk plays a family man, who after a house robbery returns to his dangerous life, becoming involved with a sociopathic Russian drug lord, who is after him – he leaves bodies in his trail in order to bring the empire down. The film has a B-movie quality, which suits the tone well with OTT violence and creative dispatching of goons – the film is definitely in line with its contemporaries, such as John Wick, but the more realistic aspects such as the gruelling nature of the fist fights, but it does it with a less serious tone, but overall the film is fast, enjoyable and rewatchable due to it’s over the top set pieces.

Currently on NowTV(At the time of writing)

Boiling Point – Date Viewed: 10/03/2022

Director: Philip Barantini

Studio: Ascendant Films, Burton Fox Films

Release Date: 2021

Phillip Barantini’s feature adaptation of his short film of the same name, sees Stephen Graham reprise his role as a head chef in a high end restaurant on one of the most important nights of his life. All done within one shot the film has a tempo which feeds into the stress, claustrophobia and pressure of the moment as restaurant crumbles. The ensemble cast is incredible and Stephen Graham is also incredible, as his teeters on the edge of implosion and explosion as multiple situations unravel. The film is not only a technical success, but a narrative one too as the all the threads come to one in a brilliant ending.

Currently on Rental (At the time of writing)

Turning Red – Date Viewed: 12/03/2022

Director: Domee Shi

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios

Release Date: 2022

Pixar’s newest endeavour is one of its brightest and funniest yet, Turning Red focuses on Mei, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student, who is cursed to turn into a giant red panda whenever she is overwhelmed with strong emotion. The film delves into themes of puberty, maturing and family and it handles it with such a comedic brilliance that shows through its vivid colour palette and hilarious animation style. It’s a little different in the pantheon of Pixar films, but it’s a welcome addition as the themes are even more personal and it may even signify a new change in direction for Pixar films in regards to their art style. Overall I loved the film in every respect and I would highly recommend it.

Currently on Disney+ (At the time of writing)

The Witch – Date Viewed: 16/03/2022

Director: Robert Eggers

Studio: Parts and Labor, RT Features, Rooks Nest Entertainment, Maiden Voyage Pictures, Mott Street Pictures, Code Red Productions, Scythia Films, Pulse Films, Special Projects

Release Date: 2015

Robert Eggers’ atmospheric, nail-biting period horror sees a puritan family exiled from their homes – as they set up a new home they are met with supernatural forces in the woods that surround them. The dialogue is accurate to the period and is performed incredibly by the ensemble cast, as they suspect their eldest daughter being a witch drives the family apart and leads to some spectacular moments, which are equally shocking and enthralling.

Currently on Netflix (At the time of writing)

The Master – Date Viewed: 23/03/2022

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Studio: JoAnne Sellar Productions, Ghoulardi Film Company, Annapurna Pictures

Release Date: 2012

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘The Master’, follows a naval war veteran suffering from PTSD as he is taken in by an enigmatic cult leader, Lancaster Dodd. An incredible performance within the incredible career of the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Dodd is the creator of “The Cause” a religious movement that spreads its teachings far and wide, with Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell becoming a dedicated follower. The film’s exploration into the relationship between Lancaster and Dodd is a complex affair as it changes from friend to doctor and patient and even somewhat of a mentoring figure between damaged people, but the untamed, animalistic nature of Quell is something that keeps Dodd attracted to him on an ideological level as he spreads his teachings. A complex and subtle film, which is a technical marvel, which is par for the course with Anderson as he delivers another film, which stands tall years after its release.

Currently on Netflix (At the time of writing)

Spiderman: No Way Home – Date Viewed: 24/03/2022

Director: Jon Watts

Studio: Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, Pascal Pictures

Release Date: 2021

The biggest film of 2021 probably doesn’t do the film any justice, as the film became a movement and in a year in which cinemas were opened, shut and opened again, a film like this was needed. We join Peter Parker after the events of Far From Home, his identity is revealed and his and his loved ones’ lives are turned upside down – he seeks an option to fix it with the help of Doctor Strange but goes wrong as the spell is corrupted by Parker himself, which leads to the multiverse collapsing and villains from all dimensions rearing their head. A nostalgia trip in every sense, the film handles it well and doesn’t overdo the certain devices and reveals but also contains the trademark humour and wit of Marvel Films, overall I enjoyed it and I also was happy for the Marvel fanbase as the film is really good and is among the best Marvel films.

Currently on Rental (At the time of writing)

The Wolverine – Date Viewed: 25/03/2022

Director: James Mangold

Studio: Marvel Entertainment, Donners’ Company, TSG Entertainment

Release Date: 2013

The Wolverine follows up from ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’, as we look at Logan’s life leading from the moment he lost his love, Jean Grey. We take a look back into Logan’s life as he was a POW in a Japanese internment camp – through this history with an office her saves he is given a choice in the present day to have his powers taken from him to die a natural death, from there he has his powers taken through other circumstances and embarks to kill those responsible. Hugh Jackman is great in the film as Wolverine puts his body through the wringer – from set piece to bombastic set-piece the film.

Currently on Disney+ (At the time of writing)

High School Musical: Senior Year – Date Viewed: 30/01/2022

Director: Kenny Ortega

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Borden & Rosenbush Entertainment

Release Date: 2008

The crescendo to the High School Musical series, sees the students wrestle with the idea of leaving one another as they move on to college. The film much like the others is bouncy and fun, but also step up from the last two in terms of musical numbers, which are even more elaborate and funny. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens lead the dance, as the film revolves around the inevitable split that they will have to be a part of.