Can I ask how you came to that decision?

Skeletons

(2010)

The title proves to be a bit on-the-nose, but for the most part a highly original piece that spends considerable time refusing to provide any obvious explanations for the activities of its two protagonists; they go house-to-house, signing agreements with clients, setting up equipment and doing... what exactly?

And the nature of the addiction that one of them is forming to part of the process they conduct is not entirely clear either. At least, until the daughter of one of the clients proves to be adept at the same activity that he engages in.

Extremely well put together by Nick Whitfield, the altered realities in particular. The lilting countryside that forms the backdrop to the film gives a certain timeless Englishness to the proceedings.

The only big name in the cast is Jason Isaacs as the boss of the two, but it's the director/writer who's the real star. The ending, however, is a little too much on the cosy side, reducing the overall impact to "quirky" rather than truly off-the-wall.

****

Comments

My name is Dr. King Schultz, this is my valet, Django, and these are our horses, Fritz, and Tony.

Django Unchained (2012)
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She writes Twilight fan fiction.

Vampire Academy (2014)
My willingness to give writer Daniel Waters some slack on the grounds of early glories sometimes pays off (Sex and Death 101) and sometimes, as with this messy and indistinct Young Adult adaptation, it doesn’t. If Vampire Academy plods along as a less than innovative smart-mouthed Buffy rip-off that might be because, if you added vampires to Heathers, you would probably get something not so far from the world of Joss Whedon. Unfortunately inspiration is a low ebb throughout, not helped any by tepid direction from Daniel’s sometimes-reliable brother Mark and a couple of hopelessly plankish leads who do their best to dampen down any wit that occasionally attempts to surface.

I can only presume there’s a never-ending pile of Young Adult fiction poised for big screen failure, all of it comprising multi-novel storylines just begging for a moment in the Sun. Every time an adaptation crashes and burns (and the odds are that they will) another one rises, hydra-like, hoping…

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One day you will speak and the jungle will listen.

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You look like an angry lizard!

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
(SPOILERS) I can quite see a Queen fan begrudging this latest musical biopic for failing to adhere to the facts of their illustrious career – but then, what biopic does steer a straight and true course? – making it ironic that they're the main fuel for Bohemian Rhapsody's box office success. Most other criticisms – and they're legitimate, on the whole – fall away in the face of a hugely charismatic star turn from Rami Malek as the band's frontman. He's the difference between a standard-issue, episodic, join-the-dots narrative and one that occasionally touches greatness, and most importantly, carries emotional heft.

A steed is not praised for its might, but for its thoroughbred qualities.

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There's something wrong with the sky.

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Outstanding. Now, let’s bite off all the heads and pile them up in the corner.

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I was vaguely familiar with the title, not because I knew much about Jordan Belfort but because the script had been in development for such a long time (Ridley Scott was attached at one time). So part of the pleasure of the film is discovering how widely the story diverges from the Wall Street template. “The Wolf of Wall Street” suggests one who towers over the city like a behemoth, rather than a guy …

Something something trident.

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Now In Full Color, with a Happier Ending

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