The Brown Note Movie Review

What should be the year's most important film, is its biggest let down. Director-writer Alex Garland, refuses point blank, to engage with anything at all happening in America today, and instead delivers yet another war correspondent film, and not a good one, that could have been filmed in any country, about any conflict in the last 50 years.

Actor Dev Patel has had a wild ride of a career so far, back to back the world conquering high of Slumdog Millionaire followed by the atomic crash of The Last Airbender. In recent years he has grown back fully into stature, peaking with his directoral debut - correctly dubbed the Indian John Wick.

Much like it's unexpectedly entertaining precessor, I enjoyed it more than most critics. Though it misses the faux-Spielberg 80s magic of Afterlife, once it clicks into gear, the second half is the superior.

I've been a big fan of the American iteration of the Godzilla franchise, though after the high water mark of the previous outing, this is arguably the least essential of the lot. Still enjoyable hokum but undeniably shown up by its proximity to the awesome Godzilla Minus One. A much lower stakes and for some reason lower scale outing.

Wildly imaginative and original and actually thrilling, plus a great showcase of a so far unsung actor, that crops up over and over again in hugely memorable bit parts (from Nolan's Batman to Villeneuve's Prisoners) David Dastmalchian. Writer/Director/Editors Colin and Cameron Cairne's 70s chat show horror is NOT a satire but definitely is a horror.

 

 

 

Only being available to watch on Paramount Plus streaming in Japan, I took a flight to the country and ordered one months subscription, to be able to bring you this review. Is it worth the hype? It certainly is. The writing and development of the human characters wipes the floor with the (often excellent) modern American Godzilla franchise, the cinematography, effects and score are magnificent and the story packs a real wallop.

The California singer songwriter broadens the setting of her voice on her lovely new album, sounding less idiosyncratic than in the past, though more of that instrumentation would've been welcome.

The first album by the legendary Hartnoll brothers is bizarrely a group in flux even on their debut. Much more a collection of tracks compared to the immortal run of albums that would follow and a more dated sound. Yet it's still often fascinating and when the material peaks across tracks like Chime and Belfast, they were already a cut above. This 5 CD reissue benefits from remastered sound quality, though is really for completists who want everything from an era nowhere near as interesting as what was coming.

In my infrequent series on art denied classic status on release or forgotten from the conversation since. Like almost no one since Sergio Leone, director Paul Verhoeven's work was been critically derided on release, hugely successful with the public and gone through countless upward critical revision since. Whereas Robocop and Total Recall have remained permanently in the public consciousness, Starship Troopers has undergone endless re-appraisal and even Showgirls has become a cult classic, his most controversial film of all has remained curiously quiet, a look back at the impeccably made Neo-noir that cause such a stir on release - a much better film than the trash-controversy elicits and in Sharon Stone, one of the most electric major league debuts in cinema history.

As one of the world's most renowned PHD experts on Liam Neeson action movies, the modern era has been a truly testing time, with virtually nothing that hasn't been terrible. So with great exhalations I am thrilled to announce, by miles the best Liam actioner since the golden era of The Grey, Cold Pursuit and Run All Night. Imagine The Banshees of Inisherin but gangsters and terrorists and you're virtually there.