The Brown Note Movie Review

Underwater (2019)

A deep-water monster flick that barely lives up to its great environment and hint at Cthulhu and whose main purpose seem to be to reaffirm that Kristen Stewart cannot act.

The Wire special

Corona binge watch heaven. It's been long enough to do a retrospective of one of televisions finest ever shows. All five seasons of The Wire reviewed and rated.

The Way Back (2020)

Almost shamefully aims at the Oscars and in a tepid year has every chance. Ben Affleck is magnificent, especially by himself, in a painful performance that reeks of personal reckoning - it stops shy of greatness by tacking on a rote sports film.

The Old Guard (2020)

Yet another of the recent streaming friendly franchise hopeful actioners has inexplicably good reviews. The mythos, Charlize Theron and Matthiias Schoenaerts set things up magnificently but from there on in almost everything is dire. Painfully bad.

The Lodge (2020)

More proof that modernist new horror is where it's at as far as filmmaking is concerned. Ultimately surprising and disturbing and one of the years best.

The Gentlemen (2020)

The most surprised I've been by a movie in ages. After years of relentlessly bagging Guy Ritchie as one of the most consistently bad directors working (even giving his last outing my worst film of the year) I was shocked to see a massive uptick in his writing and direction here. A film that enthralls whenever Hugh Grant, Charlie Hunnam or Colin Farrell are on screen - which they nearly always are.

The James Bond Special

After an inspired Aussie TV network showed every Bond film in order, not only showing me lesser films I hadn't seen since childhood but also in detailed wide-screen for the first time, enabling back-to-back comparisons. So here it is - every single Bond film ranked and scored in order, my best and worst bond villains and girls and the top fifteen theme tunes.

The Invisible Man (2020)

Definitely one of the years best and most surprising films, expertly helmed by director Leigh Whannel - whose low budget Aussie sci-fi, Upgrade, I recently raved about. A thrilling new take of an old story that perfectly fits with modern concerns.

Extraction (2020)

Despite a brilliant performance from Chris Hemsworth and great visuals, far too much action and far too little writing spoil the party.

Color Out of Space (2020)

The age of Cage is returning (though this isn't quite as good as the insane Mandy). A welcome return for long absent director, Richard Stanley in this vivid, psychedelic take on H.P. Lovecraft.