Oliver Battershall

Apocalypse Now (1979) 5/5
This was always one of those classics that I felt I’d watched a little too early (and in the wrong circumstances, on a dodgy online stream) to truly appreciate, so in what turned out to be my best decision so far this month I gave the 4K re-release a try at my home from home, the Broadway. And this really is a film that deserves, even necessitates the majesty of 4K on the big screen. The sheer beauty of the film’s lighting was elevated to the nth degree. Coppola is hyperaware of what he is or isn’t showing you within a scene or even within a frame. Cloaks of darkness and billowing clouds of fog shroud the pale skin of a soldier and his omnipresent enemy. Unbridled, bewildering, delirious, lawless warfare ensues. The horror. The horror.

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991) 4/5
Watched in 4K a day after Apocalypse Now, I really am blessed. This was a great companion piece and the perpetual spiral of dread conveyed throughout was almost comical. Coppola is the best kind of director to watch interviews of, in that he comes across as an absolute nutter.

Grey Gardens (1975) 4/5
I love documentaries where the camera and any semblance of an imposed narrative structure can just take a backseat and observe the whole time because its subject’s mere existence is so dynamite. These two women living in their own microcosm of a past America are accidentally hilarious and I can’t believe I found their constant shrieking and interrupting of each other so compelling in its own unique, slightly tragic way.

Hard Target (1993) 3.5/5
Look, you go into a John Woo movie, you expect three simple things. Doves, slow-mo and explosions. And fair play to him, he delivers. Van Damme is a great ingredient to add to the stew due to his flying kicks ripe for slow-mo-ification. There’s plenty of high-octane thrills and an upbeat energy kept throughout that elevate this above average 90s action slop. I like the sound design, there’s real crunch and weight to every gunshot. Also, adding half a star for that awesome lengthy final showdown.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004) 2.5/5
Once you’ve seen one modern disaster movie you’ve seen them all really. Bad dialogue, ham-fisted political messaging, heroic father figure trying to win back the affection of his strained family, etc etc. The scale and quality of the effects were the only draw here, besides that this drags and I was reeeally ready for this to be over after about 90 minutes. Thankfully the monkey’s paw curled and I was treated to the biggest cop-out ending ever.

Tunnel (2016) 3/5
I think that Ryan Reynolds movie Buried did this general concept better and nailed the claustrophic element more. This should’ve leant more into the media/bureaucracy satire side and the unrealistic ending was annoying, the whole thing exhibited a general lack of cojones. Also it’s decidedly too long. But, technically this is very competent which salvages some points.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001) 1.5/5
What an insidious movie. I felt held at gunpoint for two hours as this movie pulls out all the stops to try and make me sympathise with a high-ranking military fascist purely because he likes music and enjoys life which makes him completely different from the enemy of the movie which is just…regular fascists. I don’t care about Nicolas Cage’s character or his crap accent or his men laying about on the beach or his love interest who is way too eager to abandon her existing relationship. This is just shameful.

Friday the 13th (1980) 3.5/5
It’d be remiss of me not to mention that a murder of crows gathered on the tree outside my room and started raising hell right as I started this which genuinely gave me quite a spook. This kinda rocks! There’s a real dignified simplicity to each kill, elevated by some brilliant practical effects. I’m not surprised Tom Savini was involved in the make-up department, I adore his work on the Living Dead series. There are some great shots in this that really nail the eery vibe and I felt properly tense for parts of that whole Final Girl sequence. Certain bits were a little drawn out though.

Police Academy (1984) 3/5
I’m not a massive fan of the silly comedies of this era that feel like they were riding the coattails of ‘Airplane!’, but this was a fun enough time with some laughs. George Gaynes stole the show with his scenes. Not sure how they squeezed six sequels out of this but fair play to them!