What Katie Watched

Author: kbeaumont2910

  • 28 Weeks Later (2007)

    1h 40mins

    4/10

    First time watch

    Gory – Violent – Horror

    28 weeks after the virus broke out in the UK, the US Army have come in to try and help rebuild society in a small, secured area of London.

    I did not enjoy this film as much as 28 Days Later. I had a look after watching it to see that it had a different director and writer.

    I felt like it was lots of running around, a lot more bloody and violent deaths for shock value and not a lot of story or time to connect with the main characters on screen.

    There were some aspects of the film I did enjoy, but these were drowned out with my feeling grossed out by the violence. I feel that the violence particularly bothered me in this film, where I felt it was really amped up compared to the previous film. I felt the first film was able to create fear and tension without the need to shock the audience with unnecessarily violent onscreen deaths.

    I’m hoping that I will like 28 Years Later where it is back to Danny Boyle as the Director and Alex Garland as the Writer from 28 Days Later.

    Would not watch again

  • Mickey 17 (2025)

    2h 17mins

    6/10

    First time watch in the cinema

    Black Comedy – Sci-Fi – Satire

    On a space expedition to try and set up a civilisation on a different planet, Mickey is an “Expendable” who is sent out on the dangerous tasks as another version of himself can be printed out if he dies on the job.

    It took me a while to process whether I liked this film or not.

    Plenty of laugh out loud moments mixed with moments of me freaking out while hiding behind my hands and outrage at the inhumanity of some of the characters.

    Loved Robert Pattison’s performance. I thought he played Mickey 17 as a wonderfully weird character, with a brilliant level of humour for a poor man who continuously dies.

    Obviously with the premise of the film being that human life can become “expendable” it has many dark moments too, but is balanced through the use of comedy in this film. So as much as you will be laughing, there will still be that sinking feeling with the difficult subjects that are present during the film.

    Would watch again

  • The Wild Robot (2024)

    1h 42mins

    6/10

    Sweet – Acceptance – Animation

    Intelligent robot Roz, finds itself on an uninhabited island hoping to find tasks to complete as programmed, resulting in the task of caring for an orphaned gosling.

    I felt like I had been misled by the trailer that had drawn me in to wanting to watch this film.

    I went in thinking that this was the next WALL-E type film, which left me feeling very disappointed when the robot and the animals started talking.

    I spent a lot of the film feeling like I’d seen it before as it felt so familiar, like a mash up of other children’s stories.

    I feel like I can see how that film wanted its audience to feel, however I feel like it missed the mark. Something just didn’t hit my emotions as I could see they were hoping for. This could be from me building this film up in my head before seeing it and then being left feeling disappointed.

    Would not watch again

  • Flow (2024)

    1h 25mins

    8/10

    First time watch in the cinema

    Stunning visuals – Adorable characters – Fabulous storytelling

    A cat tries to survive a great flood by seeking refuge on a boat with a number of other animals.

    Truly blown away! This is such a beautiful and moving film. I was surprised by how deeply I felt connected to this cat and desperately willed it to survive the uncertain circumstances it found itself living in. I absolutely loved that it was pretty much a silent film with the occasional animal noises. Such clever story telling through image alone and kept me captivated throughout.

    The animation of the cat was so spot on that it had me shedding a tear for my cat that passed many years ago, leaving me longing to hold her once again and to hear her purring on my tummy.

    Would watch again

  • 28 Days Later (2002)

    1h 53mins

    7/10

    First time watch

    Unsettling – Suspenseful – Post-Apocalyptic

    A man wakes from a coma 28 days after a deadly virus has broken out in the UK and must adapt quickly in order to survive.

    As the film started I began to share my fear with my partner of “If a zombie outbreak were to happen, what would you do?” in that I would not want to “try and survive it” as I would be too fearful of the “undead” and the living. This film then went on to perfectly illustrate this fear.

    The atmosphere in this film had me instantly on edge, fearing anyone that Jim (Cillian Murphy) came into contact with and wondering whether they were trustworthy. Although this is a “zombie” film, I do not feel that is the main factor that is focused on. It was able to build the suspense and horror of living under constant threat without it having to scare us with constant violence and gory blood baths.

    I felt that we were allowed to connect with these characters and follow their stories, as well as being fearful of the post-apocalyptic world.

    I’ve seen that this film was one of the first to make the “undead” able to run which brought zombie films to a new level of scary as they become even more difficult to get away from.

    I found the concept of how easy it was to contract the virus was really clever in adding another level of fear, where in other films it has to come from a bite.

    Would watch again

  • The Outrun (2024)

    1h 58mins

    5/10

    First time watch

    Addiction – Mental Health – Healing

    Saoirse Ronan stars as Rona who returns to her home of Scotland’s Orkney Islands and tries to heal herself after her troubles caught up to her while she had been trying to build a like for herself in London.

    I wanted to like this film more than I did. I thought Saoirse was s fabulous as always. I was interested in the story and thought it showed a raw portrayal of the struggles with addiction. It shows how addiction impacts everyone involved in the life of the person with the addiction. However, my overall final thoughts were that it had some pretty shots, some pretty lines and some nice moments of connection between people.

    A film to say I am happy to have seen, but it didn’t really have a lasting impact on me or anything that would make me want to watch it again.

    Would not watch again

  • Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

    2h 4mins

    6/10

    First time watch in the cinema

    Sweet – Funny – Easy watch

    Bridget Jones is back navigating the ups and downs of love, parenting and personal growth.

    Went in and got what I expected, an easy watching film, plenty of giggles, as well as touching on living with grief.

    I fondly watch the first one, but have to say it is not one of my top picks of 00s Rom-Coms. I have a vague memory of one scene from the second film and have not watched the third, so cannot say I am a loyal fan. However, I do not feel that seeing it’s counterparts are essential to being able to enjoy this film.

    Would watch again

  • Sing Sing (2023)

    1h 47mins

    8/10

    First time watch

    Beautiful – Vulnerable – Heart-warming

    A group of incarcerated individuals come together to stage a production, finding purpose and freedom on this creative endeavour with one another.

    I knew very little about this film before I started watching it and I was surprised at how quickly I became invested in the characters and cared for them.

    I did not know until the credits that lots of the cast had come from the rehabilitate theatre programme and had been playing themselves in the film, adding another layer of love for this film.

    Our human need for connection and to feel free to express ourselves shines through in this film. It highlights how we can feel trapped by others preconceived ideas of us, feeling like we have to fit a certain role that others have placed upon us. Maybe we took on a certain role but don’t know how to come out of it and step into a new one that fits us better as we have grown. Sometimes we need to take on a role for our own survival.

    Lovely seeing adults just play and let loose, especially when these adults are physically trapped in prison.

    A beautiful story of connection, the importance of creativity and not giving up hope.

    Would watch again

  • Conclave (2024)

    2h

    6/10

    First time watch in the cinema

    Religious – Thriller – Morality

    Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with leading the process of selecting the next Pope and leaves no stone unturned to ensure the right person takes on this position.

    To be honest, I had dismissed this film when I saw it being advertised as I felt it was not a film I would be interested in. However, after having a number of people tell me how good they thought it was, I thought I would give it a try. Although, I could appreciate it was a good film, it just wasn’t my kind of film.

    I had not seen any trailers for the film, only the movie posters. I expected a film about corruption in the church and saw a film about corruption in the church. Great performances, some beautiful shots, just not a storyline that interested me.

    Would not watch again

  • Anora (2024)

    2h 19mins

    8/10

    First time watch in the cinema

    Comedy – Romance – Drama

    A young sex worker catches the eye of a wealthy young man who soon wants her to himself, but will Anora get the happily ever after of her Cinderella story once news of their relationship gets to his parents?

    As this film started I started to wonder if it was going to be our new Pretty Woman, but the happy bubble of the first half soon bursts.

    I loved the use of comedy throughout this film, which could have felt really dark and heavy, but the balance of the comedy gives it such rewatch-ability.

    Mikey Madison has you routing for her character Anora to get the best out of the situation she finds herself in. I loved Yura Borisov’s character Igor who gets brought into Anora’s story and as much as he’s present throughout, he feels like an observer just on the outskirts, who truly sees Anora.

    Would watch again