The Brown Note Movie Review

The Tomorrow War (2021)

After reading the less than tepid reviews, I was very surprised by how good the first two acts of this sci-fi actioner were, and how heady and existential the themes it doesn't quite fully engage with are. A dreadful and actually unnecessary third act and frankly lame performance from Chris Pratt crash things back to earth. However I now realise what I've been missing in the stellar Aussie actress Yvonne Strahovski, who is a revelation and who along with an excellent JK Simmons, deserved a movie on their own. Stay for the widescreen effects.

Black Widow (2021)

One of Marvel's only major mistakes was not striking first with the female superhero movie, when they had the perfect woman for the job. Now we finally get to say goodbye to Scarlett Johansson's Avenger properly. This enormously watchable stand alone isn't quite as reverent as I wanted and too often crashes her party with new franchise concerns - but the leads have great chemistry.

The Ice Road (2021)

Incredibly the third mediocre Liam Neeson actioner already this year and sadly the weakest of a pretty lame bunch. A low rent re-make of Wages Of Fear has some decent suspenseful action but dreadful special effects and zero originality.

Army Of The Dead (2021)

Zack Snyder's first film since the pivotal Synder Cut of Justice League shows him continuing his Guy Ritchie like rise to actually becoming a decent director - here continuing to show the patience from that previous film, in letting a screenplay build and breathe around characters rather than bludgeoning the audience to death Michael Bay style. Also combining the heist and zombie movies to imaginative effect.

Duran Duran - The Greatest Singles Band Of The 80s

Making the case that the band that came from the UK's dreariest town yet turned into the most glamorous act on earth were not only the best singles act of the 80s, who released the most dramatic singles but also the best 'boy-band' since The Beatles and the last great boy-band before it all went to hell.

F9 (2021)

Despite yet again wheeling out the rusting concept of a deadly weapon that can take over the world's computers, the ninth entry into the Fast and the Furious franchise is far less about its main story and more about back story and decent fan service returns. Finding unexpectedly wide scope and fertile ground to explore and expand previously hinted at Fast-lore in satisfying ways in a totally solid almost reboot. Oh, and they drive a car into space to fight a satellite.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

Believe it or not, this is the EIGHTH entry into the broadly lame Conjuring universe and it limps barely across the line on decent production values without an ounce of imagination. Vera and Patrick are a tiny bit less aggravating leads this time but it is still probably the weakest of the main three films.

Wrath Of Man (2021)

Given I had trashed Guy Ritchie as a director all the way up to the unexpected evolution of his talent with The Gentlemen and consider myself a connoisseur of Jason Statham movies, I was very excited by their return together after near fifteen years apart. Sadly, after a directorialy stunning opening third, Ritchie's most stylish and fluid yet, the film has none of The Gentlemen's strong writing, characters, performance or wit - and makes scant use of Statham. Far closer in fact to one of his underwritten, earlier films.

The Courier (2020)

Theater legend, Dominic Cooke's second film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the real life ordinary Joe and unintentional cold war hero, Greville Wynne, avoids the pitfalls of becoming too Ron Howard or Spielberg, to deliver a fine, satisfying period thriller with a real sting in the tale.

Another Round (2020)

After 2012's fantastic teacher drama from Danish director Thomas Vinterberg and the esteemed Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, a hugely welcome return to school for the pair. Not only the best film about drinking ever and a riotous comedy but a soulful, meditative and hugely uplifting drama full of life and the human spirit awakened.