The Brown Note Movie Review
Movie reviews from The Brown Note radio show presented by Julian Brown, recorded unscripted, unedited and live.
Episodes
March 14, 2023 • 11 mins
Perhaps an ironic title for this crushingly bleak finale to probably the TV event of the year - and a fitting strong episode that is centered on a massive moral question - would you sacrifice the person you love the most to save everyone else in the world.
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March 14, 2023 • 6 mins
I suspect that Ukraine played a big part in the awards success of this German anti-war film, which even the Germans called "Shallow, cynical and horny for Oscars", because other than the awards-worthy cinematography, sound and score - everything else is decidedly mid-tier. Almost as basic and trite as a modern war film could be without being directed by Steven Spielberg.
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March 10, 2023 • 11 mins
After a righteous victory lap with last years 30 Something celebrations, where would one of the all time greatest and most important electronic music acts go? For me they've successfully welded their past and modern electronic music into a highly political album that hits a surprisingly sweet spot.
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March 7, 2023 • 9 mins
After the middling episode 7 the series roars back into life, with one of the most powerhouse and satisfying episodes (perhaps alongside Ep 5) and also the darkest and most brutal. Bella Ramsey has her finest hour as Ellie and an excellent Scott Shepherd as preacher David, is the lowest humanity has sunk so far. Great stuff.
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March 7, 2023 • 8 mins
The Velvet Underground legend's fine seventeenth solo album makes the unexpected detour into Yacht-rock/pop and electronica with a raft of contemporary artists. I wouldn't mind a bit of trimming over its occasionally duller first half but it's and album that grows through its duration and also repeated listens.
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March 6, 2023 • 9 mins
Gradually getting back into newer album releases, with this surprise-around-christmas victory-lap release from the recent Mercury Music Prize winner and correct speller of little. Another consistent and solid album from the UK rap star and her in house producer, the already legendary Sault alumni, Inflo - if the least impressive of her golden run.
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February 28, 2023 • 8 mins
Oh dear, after the hugely successful Ep3 pulled the same stunt, stopping the forward momentum built up from Ep's 4-6 dead for another (gay) love story (a really tiny bit) falls a bit flatter this time. We get the necessary back story of Ellie (Bella Ramsey), her past at the military academy and her relationship with her room-mate and love, Riley. It's good but the weakest episode, quite repetitive, a slog, feels like low stakes fil...
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February 28, 2023 • 10 mins
The English Trainspotting. I've decided to include movies in "Gone But Forgotten" where I focus on something either denied classic status on release or ignored today or both in the case of this Nick Love adaption of epic writer, John Kings novel about football hooliganism. It's impeccably cast, moves like a rocket, has surprisingly great cinematography, awesome dialogue and a soundtrack that aces even Trainspotting itself. It also ...
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February 28, 2023 • 8 mins
Old M. Night Shyamalan has been on one wild ride these last fifteen years, a run of some of the worst films this century, followed by a couple of the worst films of all time - the ship seems to be righting though. Mainly his last few Unbreakable films and this book adaption have fared far better. He is still his own films worst enemy though, going PG or Spielberg when he should be going R-rated or confrontational, even reversing tw...
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February 27, 2023 • 29 mins
Even Scottish band, Simple Minds, rote story is all but forgotten - that they were purveyors of bombastic stadium rock alongside the peers U2, throughout the mid eighties, draping themselves in worthy social issues. This completely misses the even more hidden truth - in the four years between 1979 and 1982, the band released six albums in what was one of the most progressive and brilliant runs by any band, including The Beatles and...
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February 27, 2023 • 16 mins
Released as UK Punk raged, for me the greatest album by David Bowie artistically. A near remake of the also 10/10 Low from not even a year before - Low may get more plaudits for being first, but, that minimalist album is just shaded by its maximalist followup as far as outright satisfaction goes.
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February 23, 2023 • 11 mins
After watching director, Ti West's first Pearl movie "X", which alongside Pearl was regarded as 2022's high points in horror, I didn't really get it, but I wasn't prepared for the gulf in class between that good-but-rote standard horror and the masterpiece that is Pearl. Mia Goth is, I think, alongside Anya Taylor Joy, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, one of the four hottest properties in acting right now. Here she gives a performanc...
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February 23, 2023 • 11 mins
As a double PHD in both Liam Neeson action movies post Taken, and pre-Fast Jason Statham action movies, I feel Gerard Butler may well send me back to university. I'm really liking where he's at now and after the fabulous Greenland, we get this almost puritan throw back to 80s Jean Claude Van Dam era actioners, just with way better acting and directing. But please stop under-using the wonderful Daniella Pineda. Utilitarian film-maki...
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February 21, 2023 • 18 mins
Although I rarely watch new TV series, I have been swept up in the hype of this acclaimed video game adaption, and was presented with a very classy yet not mind-blowing show. It has, however grown to become enthralling and undoubtedly the TV event of the year. Ironically I have reviewed EVERY series of Narcos, so am one of the people viewing Pedro Pascal's assent to God status with a "yes, we told you this ten years ago". For all i...
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February 21, 2023 • 13 mins
I cannot get a line on writer-director Damien Chazelle at all. His films Whiplash and First Man were brilliant but in totally different ways. His films La La Land and Babylon are terrible but in totally different ways. I definitely didn't expect this to be this bad and I sat through three-hours and ten-minutes of it so you don't have to. I thought I'd get a wildly flawed, art-house triumph, instead I got the Baz Luhrmann's The Grea...
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January 27, 2023 • 15 mins
"Gone but forgotten" is an album (sometimes an artist) that was either denied classic status on release or has fallen completely out of the conversation. Alongside The Pixies and Sonic Youth, Bob Mould's 80's act, Hüsker Dü were one of the holy trinity that formed American alternative rock music and especially grunge - his follow up three piece, Sugar, had a fair crack of making some of Grunge's best music. They were certainly accl...
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January 27, 2023 • 10 mins
This Mia Goth led slasher has a lot to recommend it, mainly it's cast and direction - but the least interesting thing about it is probably the horror movie it becomes.
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January 25, 2023 • 13 mins
A new feature on this channel - on the radio show I have "Gone but forgotten" which is an album (sometimes an artist) that was either denied classic status on release or has fallen completely out of the conversation.
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January 25, 2023 • 8 mins
Being an enormous fan of the underrated outing by this films director (Scott Cooper) and star (Christian Bale), Out of the Furnace - which also received tepid reviews - I was sure this Edgar Allan Poe featuring murder mystery was a lock. I was wrong, I've no idea what went wrong here but this is actually atrocious and some great actors give their worst ever performances (not Bale btw)
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January 25, 2023 • 12 mins
Has eating the rich ever been more literal? Yes as they aren't actually eaten (unlike The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover) but this class/foodie warfare tale is even better than I'd been led to believe and slightly superior to the analogous Glass Onion.
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