Watch #1 of Hoop-Tober 5.0

*Deep breath*

Alrighty then.

A grimy film of unmerciful nihilism. Martyrs comes from the mind of Pascal Laugier, who obviously wanted to build something from the ground up then set it aflame so he and, subsequently us, could be hypnotised by the destruction. My problem is that he doesn’t find a clever enough way to instigate or maintain the carnage. I admire the film for how polar opposite the starting predicament is to its ending…

Surprisingly accomplished. I went into Crazy Rich Asians thinking its only distinguishing feature will be the representation aspect (applaudable just by itself), but the work done to expand upon a generic rom-com and pluck notes of tradition, family, hierarchy’s and prejudice gives it zest that many films in the genre fail to attain. Don’t get me wrong, it hits all the same beats, but the flair catapulting it (even if sometimes the infatuation with location resembles an advertisement or an…

It's difficult to articulate the skin-crawling, bone-chilling and spine-tingling aura of Denis Villeneuve's Enemy. In the full 90 minutes, we cross and recross the emotional spectrum all the while mesmerised by the films surreal tone and eeriness. Mystifying to all upon first inspection, the film was never intended for lethargic audiences. It was intended for the analytical and inquisitive who constantly and passionately congregate the clues in an attempt to solve the bamboozling riddle. I, myself, may not have unlocked…

The arresting fashion in which Darren Aronofsky injects profundity into a predominantly superficial genre may be the most impressive accomplishment of the resplendent and epic Noah. Aronofsky, a filmmaker with the incessant purpose to innovate and redefine, puts forth one of his most divergent motion pictures but simultaneously one of his most mainstream with this re-imagining of Noah's ark. A true blockbuster on the surface, the sweeping temperament of Noah is uncommonly matched with intelligence and a bonafide, gravitating narrative…