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Joker (2019)

Directed by: Todd Phillips // Written by: Todd Phillips and Scott Silver // Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz

As a general rule, I’ll almost always struggle to enjoy a film in which I can’t like the protagonist, and I knew going in that this might be a problem here. So while there’s a level of respect for some of the craft - Phoenix’s performance, the cinematography and the music in particular - it mostly left me feeling pretty cold. Sure, there’s some broad social commentary, but overall there's just nothing and no-one to root for - it’s just sad from start to finish.  Add it to the list of well-made and respected movies that just aren’t for me.

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that dog. - If You Just Didn’t Do It

I haven’t listened to it yet, but I'm so happy I have the chance to hear a new that dog. record. If they tour it a bit and make it to London, I'm going to be absolutely delighted.

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Hustlers (2019)

Written and Directed by: Lorene Scafaria (based on an article by Jessica Pressler) // Starring: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Cardi B, Lizzo, Wai Ching Ho

Everything about how it was advertised made me question whether I’d like this, but I actually thought it was pretty good. For a movie that, on the surface, sold itself as so extravagant and glamorous, I thought it was remarkably lean in its storytelling. It wisely avoids over-complicating things, but it still gives enough context to allow the audience to form their own conclusions about where their sympathies should lie. It’s a very tidy piece of film-making.

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Booksmart (2019)

Directed by: Olivia Wilde // Written by: Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman // Starring: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Mason Gooding, Skyler Gisondo, Billie Lourd, Molly Gordon, Diana Silvers

I thought this was okay. As teen movies go it wouldn’t rank among my favourites, but it was definitely likeable and it had a very 80s, John Hughes-esque vibe. Its modernity made it feel a bit more frantic - liked a coked-up Sixteen Candles or Adventures in Babysitting - but while I may have struggled a little bit with the pace, I was always 100% with Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. Their performances and their characters’ friendship holds it all together.

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