Adventures in Film: Part I (July 2022)

In an effort to get back into the routine of writing here on this blog, I have decided to change up the format a little. Instead of the commitment of full-lengths reviews, I feel much less intimidated by the idea of doing occasional updates on stuff that I have recently seen that I enjoyed. Watching films is something I do constantly, but with the increasing load of other areas of work the ability to write long-form pieces consistently is unfortunately not as immediate as maybe it once was for me.

Of all the new release films I have seen recently, the one that surprised me the most was a film called Phantom of the Open. I love seeing films blind, and I knew nothing about what this film was other than that it was a comedy about golf. I will admit, I was trying desperately to dispel any and all expectations based on Caddyshack, but thankfully the film grabbed me almost immediately in a way that forced me to forget everything other than the film that was immediately in front of me. It's hilarious, but it's also incredibly wholesome and earnest in a way that immediately reminded me of Paddington 2 - imagine my lack of surprise, then, to discover that the film was written by Simon Barnaby, co-writer of Paddington 2. The Paddington 2 comparison is one that I don't use lightly, either. Phantom of the Open is operating at the same level of brilliant wit and comedy balanced with life-affirming warmth. The screening I saw it at was a 9:30am screening on a weekday (an incredibly underrated time to see films), so I felt a sense of solidarity in that I was joy-sobbing my way through the last twenty minutes of the film with a handful of snowy-haired pensioners scattered around the cinema. It's a film that was totally off my radar this year, but has immediately shot towards the top of my favourites so far in 2022. Absolute gold. 

On almost the opposite end of the spectrum, I got another Gaspar Noé fix this month. After watching Lvx Æterna for the first time on the recent Arrow Video blu-ray release, I then also revisited Irréversible on Indicator's updated special edition blu-ray release. Lvx Æterna was totally engrossing, and manages to be exactly the sort of thing I would expect from Noé whilst also branching out into new territory. Technically a "medium film," clocking in at roughly 51 minutes, it is a blend of visual essay, documentary and art film. Much like most of Noé's work, it is largely improvised, but also makes interesting use of split-screen; something I am aware he fleshes out more fully in Vortex, a film I am yet to see. While I certainly wouldn't flippantly categorise it as "entertaining," I had a blast with it. Fair warning, there is a 10-minute (not a typo) strobe sequence at the end. It's pretty astonishing to behold. 

In regards to Irréversible, I find myself drawn back to revisiting it at least once every year or two. There is something about it that left a huge impression on me when I first saw it aged 19, and that something compels me to continue to revisit it. The best I can describe it is with a comparison to something like Requiem For A Dream. Yes, it is unpleasant, oppressive and borderline unwatchable in parts due to its brutality, but the devastating final act seals it for me as one of the most important films for me in understanding the function of film in people's lives. I totally understand that Irréversible is largely unwatchable for some folks, but the emotional impact of the reverse-chronological unravelling of a couple's lives is something that impacted me profoundly and continues to do so every time I revisit it. 

It's not often that a film is so bad that it ruins my day, but Dashcam has the unfortunate honour of being the most recent film to have that effect on me. Friday morning is a time that I will see a lot of new films in the cinema, and at the beginning of the month I was looking through the films showing that I hadn't seen, and thought I'd take a chance on a short little low-budget horror that I knew nothing about. Easily the most dogshit film I have seen this year, but it takes more than that for a film to tip over into day-ruining territory. The protagonist of this film is up there with the most unlikeable and unbearable main characters in cinema history - I wish I were exaggerating, but I am not. This is made even worse by the fact that Dashcam is a found footage film, meaning that for 99% of the film we are seeing the events of the film through her eyes. The film is only 72 minutes long (including credits), and I genuinely think that this is the only thing that stopped me from walking out of the theatre. And I don't walk out of movies. Three of the other five people at this screening weren't as patient. Avoid. 

I'm going to keep it nice and short and wrap this up here, but hopefully you get an idea of the slightly more conversational and free-form approach I will be taking to these blogs. Each month I'll leave you with the full list of films I saw, too. 

Full July List:

Dashcam (2022)

Red Sparrow (2018)

Scanners (1981)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)

Thor: Love & Thunder

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)

Lightyear (2022)

Due Date (2010)

The Hangover (2009)

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)

Heaven Is For Real (2014)

The Black Phone (2022)

Meet the Robinsons (2007)*

Unbreakable (2000)

Phantom of the Open (2022)

Vertigo (1958)*

Lvx Æterna (2022)

Irréversible*

The Gray Man (2022)

Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

Ready or Not (2019)

Nostalghia (1983)

Die Hard 2 (1990)

First Reformed (2018)*

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)*

*denotes re-watch

denotes cinema