hjt15 Reviews

The Late Bloomer (2016)

Maybe I'm spectacularly childish but I found this hilarious

[8/10 · 2 February 2017]

The Late Bloomer made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. Maybe that's because I'm spectacularly childish being as all the humour was of the awkward sexual kind. I don't care, I loved it! I'm surprised by the negative reviews... Maybe I just have a penchant for pre-pubescent 30 year old's because I actually found myself having a crush on Johnny Simmons which made his angsty teenage strops particularly amusing to me. Loved his parents characters, loved his two sidekicks. Didn't find his love interest particularly appealing. But this is a comedy and to me it totally served it's purpose and kept me entertained and amused throughout.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

Nostalgic sci-fi adventure.... Brilliant!

[10/10 · 2 February 2017]

The Goonies is just about my favourite movie and Stranger Things recaptures all that excitement of nostalgic adventures and kids believing that life is one big adventure. It's like Stephen King has thrown a dark spin on all the movies I watched growing up. I binge-watched Series One on Netflix and literally couldn't stop. It was exciting, scary, brilliant performances all around and superb design from all departments. I'm not really a fan of sci-fi but there was something about this which immediately grabbed me and made me compelled to keep watching, I think because it sits so well in the 80's. I'd highly recommend Stranger Things to anyone that appreciates stellar performances, particularly from the children, some mystery, intrigue and a nostalgic trip back in time. The soundtrack, production design totally transported me back in time. It makes me want to get a group of friends together, go off to the woods on our bikes and plot how to save the world. Brilliant, brilliant TV.

Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000)

Love, love, love this nostalgic high school comedy

[10/10 · 2 February 2017]

I live in England and to me High School always seemed like a way more exciting place to grow up than where I did. And this totally proves it. I binge watched my way through the whole 18 episodes of Freaks and Geeks on Netflix within a couple of days and when i finished watching it I was convinced I was a teenager again. It beautifully and hilariously reminded me of all those firsts you experience as a teenager. I then had so much withdrawal, I went on to look up as many James Franco, Jason Segel and Seth Rogen films to watch because I'm not sure which one of them made me laugh more or that I fancied more!!!! It's funny, honest and with a fabulous dose of nostalgia. It's a terrible shame it was cancelled, but it's amazing casting paved a long and highly successful path for it's alumni, our now stalwarts of comedy. Any Millennial's/Generation X'ers should thoroughly enjoy Freaks and Geeks.

Friends (1971)

Moving and nostalgic love story

[7/10 · 2 February 2017]

I'm not a huge Elton fan but in this case, the soundtrack really helped transport me in time to this sweet love story set in the Camargue, France in the early 1970's. It's hard to imagine now that this would have been a hugely controversial movie when it was released about two underage runaways who set up house in a remote area and learn about love and life. It just shows that love and a strong bond between two people can conquer all. Or at least it could back then before tax and electricity bills blah blah. So if you're prepared to suspend reality for a few hours and just feel hopeful for these two young lovers then you will enjoy this sweet, simple and beautiful film as much as I did. Incidentally, I went to the Camargue about 5 years ago and it remains unchanged in it's charm so for me this was a nice reminder too that there are places that exist on this earth which are unruined and rustic.

Laggies (2014)

If you're a thirty something Peter Panette this is for you

[8/10 · 2 February 2017]

I thoroughly enjoyed Say When. But then I'm a thirty-something Peter Panette who hasn't grown up, found true love and who's biggest regret is never having made it to a high school prom. Its all about whether you're content with your pretty comfortable lot or whether you yearn for the same unbridled ambition you had as a teen. Sam Rockwell's character is hilarious - you don't want to like him but it's difficult not to like anyone so flawed. Ditto for Kiera Knightley's. It's the kind of movie that gives us millennials/generation x'ers hope that there is a silver lining to all the hard work. Now where can i find my own Craig....

The OA (2016–2019)

Binge-watching at it's finest

[10/10 · 2 February 2017]

I loved the OA. I binge-watched it on Netflix in two days. I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi/supernatural and had no real idea what this was about, judging it only from it's cover photo on Netflix. Yet I was gripped from the first episode and spent most of the 2 days itching to find out what the "OA" actually stood for. This is totally original, supernatural meets family drama. The coming together of numerous unlikely characters. Beautifully shot and fantastic design. Everyone who participated must be very proud. I think this is Netflix's biggest triumph. The ending was totally unexpected, phenomenal and very rousing. I've been recommending this to everyone. What's it about? It doesn't matter. Just watch it.

French Dirty (2015)

Great photography but lack's premise

[3/10 · 2 February 2017]

I love an Indie movie. I love a social commentary. But there was just nothing that I engaged with in French Dirty. I got the characters with their modern, selfish Peter Pan syndrome, desperately seeking love but only finding sex. But that was about it. Great photography but the only words I can really describe this film as is raucous and loud. Perhaps even a little pretentious. There was no real sense of flow to the story-line. A very short run-time of just over an hour but I still managed to get preoccupied and a lot of the time I just wasn't really sure what was going on or what direction this was going. And I wasn't even interested to find out.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Nostalgic, crude comedy

[6/10 · 2 February 2017]

Wet Hot American Summer is great if you are after a nostalgic comedy trip back to American Summer Camp's in the 1980's. It's crude, it's silly, it's cringy, it's full of hot young actors. What's not to enjoy? Amazing casting - great to see some of our comedy stalwarts all together in one place. I can imagine it was a lot of fun to make as well as to watch. Even though the whole thing is a bit of a parody each of the characters are totally unique and so there's a character everyone can relate to (if it's not you it's someone you knew at school) and you feel like you've been on a roller-coaster journey with them. Looking forward to the TV series!

Miss Stevens (2016)

A little to relate to...

[5/10 · 2 February 2017]

Miss Stevens is a mediocre movie with some nice moments but has an air of itchiness about it. What I mean by that is that it doesn't stand alone as a narrative. You are always waiting for something to happen. Itching for something scandalous. Lily Rabe manages to hold a very controlled and uptight character throughout and you can feel her internal struggles as she navigates the reality that she's responsible for these 3 kids she's chaperoning. I resonate with that moment where you realise you're an adult but you just don't feel it. But sadly it just wasn't quite enough for me. Just too bland and the performance weren't quite strong enough to make them believable. Watchable but not memorable.

Wildflower (II) (2014)

More of a daytime TV movie than a feature

[3/10 · 2 February 2017]

I watched this movie as I've been binge watching on Netflix and sadly there wasn't much that was thrilling about this thriller. It wasn't that the movie was terrible. There was a decent enough story line and the acting wasn't bad. But I didn't find anything to relate to in any of the characters and it was just a bit dull. Chloe's 'confession' to her mother at the end just seemed like an unnecessary guilt-trip for not liking her character. Perhaps if there had been a little back story to the characters they may have been more likable. The title and Chloe's 'look' made me feel that the intention was an edgy, arty, dark film but unfortunately the execution was mid afternoon TV movie.

According to Greta (2009)

Decent Coming of Age Teen Movie

[6/10 · 2 February 2017]

This is a pretty decent coming of age teen movie starring Hillary Duff. Nicely shot, lovely costumes and make up and a good performance from Duff as a stroppy teen who gradually learns to love and be loved. It's not her usual Disney style role, she actually exhibits a quirky character with some substance which most of us that went through adolescence should be able to relate to. Fairly bland story line but if you're looking for a feel-good movie with a bit of teen romance then you can't go wrong with Surviving Summer (or According to Greta, the original title). Overall it's about a girl finding her way and learning that if you look hard enough, you can find you have something in common with anyone and you don't have to feel alone. It's a short run time, an easy watch, it all looks good and there are some funny, some heartwarming moments.

The Lobster (2015)

I wanted to love this but it felt a bit bland.

[3/10 · 2 February 2017]

I love the premise of this movie, a black comic look at how the modern world has made us all terribly lonely. Fearful that we end up unmarried and childless (let alone what other people would think!) we would be reduced back to a more primitive form. It's like natural selection meets tinder. You can't knock the performances of this fantastic cast either. Lots of internal characterisations which just emulated from Colin Farrell's facial expressions and made you feel truly awkward with him. He felt utterly tortured. But overall, it was just a bit dull and I got a bit bored. Maybe it went a step to far with it's satire and I got distracted. Would have made a good 'Black Mirror' episode but there was something missing from this as a feature length film. Which is a real shame because with a bit more backstory that the viewer could relate to I think it could have been a standout indie classic.

Love Me! (2014)

Enjoyable Moody Coming of Age Character Movie

[6/10 · 2 February 2017]

Enjoyable moody coming of age character movie about a woman who on the outside if brash and provocative but on the inside is still a little girl who desperately wants to be loved. It's a movie about loneliness, forgiving and self-belief. The backdrop feels slightly rebellious, almost throwback to the Germany I suspect the writer grew up in. Feminists might complaint is that this movie lacks a feminine touch, clearly a story and character written by a man about a woman. But I like the clean-cut nature of that, as a female this doesn't offend me. Great locations and costumes. It makes for a good foreign language watch as it's light on dialogue but heavy on atmosphere.

The Interview (II) (2014)

Some very amusing moments

[7/10 · 2 February 2017]

There were some truly hilarious moments in The Interview and it's always a joy to see cast members who have obvious natural humour and chemistry reunited time and time again (James Franco & Seth Rogen plus you might spot a few other appearances from Freaks And Geeks Alumni). Good to see a major distribution company backing something of a risqué comedy too. And I like the fact that a comedy movie has such a serious backdrop. James Franco could make me laugh without opening his mouth so he alone would get my vote for his facial expressions alone. This movie had a clear plot, an obvious beginning, middle and climatic end so it made for easy watching, great cameo's and might inspire you to have a think about international relations.

My Blueberry Nights (2007)

Blueberry Drivel

[2/10 · 2 February 2017]

First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I'm a huge fan of a beautiful, arty movie that doesn't really go anywhere, it's just a statement on time or place or feeling and narrated mainly by it's own soundtrack. Which I think was the intention for this. Unfortunately it fell short and the delivery was pretentious and edited like a car commercial. I'd like to give kudos to the production design, costumes, make up and some of the camera work which provided a lovely backdrop and palate to some very grey acting. Sadly, this just wasn't for me. Poor performances from some usually stellar cast and I felt absolutely nothing for Norah Jones' performance or character. Saddens me to give a bad review as I can usually find something to enjoy out of any film you put in front of me but for the first time, I nearly didn't sit this one out. But Jude Law did look very bewitching in that beanie....