The Brown Note Movie Review

Although I rarely watch new TV series, I have been swept up in the hype of this acclaimed video game adaption, and was presented with a very classy yet not mind-blowing show. It has, however grown to become enthralling and undoubtedly the TV event of the year. Ironically I have reviewed EVERY series of Narcos, so am one of the people viewing Pedro Pascal's assent to God status with a "yes, we told you this ten years ago". For all it's achievements in technical and writing areas, there's no doubt it's biggest success - the greatest lead pairing in modern TV and how emotionally wedded to Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) we already are.

I cannot get a line on writer-director Damien Chazelle at all. His films Whiplash and First Man were brilliant but in totally different ways. His films La La Land and Babylon are terrible but in totally different ways. I definitely didn't expect this to be this bad and I sat through three-hours and ten-minutes of it so you don't have to. I thought I'd get a wildly flawed, art-house triumph, instead I got the Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, only even more superficial and empty. Car crash cinema.

"Gone but forgotten" is an album (sometimes an artist) that was either denied classic status on release or has fallen completely out of the conversation. Alongside The Pixies and Sonic Youth, Bob Mould's 80's act, Hüsker Dü were one of the holy trinity that formed American alternative rock music and especially grunge - his follow up three piece, Sugar, had a fair crack of making some of Grunge's best music. They were certainly acclaimed at the time, but now revisionism of the era tends to bring in acts like Stone Temple Pilots or Alice in Chains - but I barely hear Sugar mentioned, despite Copper Blue being up there with Nevermind, Siamese Dream and Ten as one of the best albums of that first rush, and one that I have always gone back to.

This Mia Goth led slasher has a lot to recommend it, mainly it's cast and direction - but the least interesting thing about it is probably the horror movie it becomes.

A new feature on this channel - on the radio show I have "Gone but forgotten" which is an album (sometimes an artist) that was either denied classic status on release or has fallen completely out of the conversation.

 

Being an enormous fan of the underrated outing by this films director (Scott Cooper) and star (Christian Bale), Out of the Furnace - which also received tepid reviews - I was sure this Edgar Allan Poe featuring murder mystery was a lock. I was wrong, I've no idea what went wrong here but this is actually atrocious and some great actors give their worst ever performances (not Bale btw)

Has eating the rich ever been more literal? Yes as they aren't actually eaten (unlike The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover) but this class/foodie warfare tale is even better than I'd been led to believe and slightly superior to the analogous Glass Onion.

An unexpectedly timely rumination on male relationships and depression, as well the most welcome cinematic reuniting of a director and cast since Another Year. Probably Oscar winning writer/director, Martin McDonagh's most complete film, as well as star, Colin Farrell's most complete performance. With its focus on existential crisis, despair, depression and suicidal idealisation, the oddest companion piece with Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, possible.

No matter the critics consensus, the sequel to the breakout modernist take on Agatha Christie, Knives Out, isn't quite the film its predecessor was. This time both the characters (a rogues gallery of internet famous people) and the murder mystery itself, are both less interesting. This is still top quality entertainment though, and feels like a million dollars, even when it's slapping itself on the back. We wont tire of Benoit Blanc any time soon, as long as the quality is at least this high.

Bizarrely, in the same year another, very different Australian director thought it was time for a biopic of Elvis, auteur Andrew Dominik finally realised a decade long goal of bringing another icon back to the silver screen, Marilyn Monroe. Dominik has only released four films this century and this is his most art-house and dangerous project. Sadly, despite the luminous and brilliant Ana de Armas, some outstanding visuals and music (courtesy of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis) it's hampered by bad writing, mostly soaring when people aren't talking.