This post is the start of what I hope to become a new segment on A Selenator's View. I've found that there are some films that I just don't have enough to say about to write a full-length review and I often watch films for the first time after their DVD release. Unless I really am passionate about a film I have watched on DVD or streaming, I often don't write my thoughts. This is where 'Micro Reviews' comes in - every so often, I will do a round up of recent films I have seen that could be older releases or film's I don't have too much to say on. 

For this post, I will be reviewing Hello, My Name is Doris, Personal Shopper, Fallen and Money Monster. These reviews will be briefer than usual, hence 'micro' reviews but they will I will still give a general consensus and score on/for each film. The main aim of these posts will to be make my thoughts on every film I see 'canon' - somewhere to track my thoughts on even the films I don't see at the cinema. 

Hello, My Name is Doris (2016)

Starring Sally Field (Forrest Gump, Lincoln), Hello, My Name is Doris tells the story of a sixty-something woman who is inspired by a self-help seminar to romantically pursue her younger co-worker. Admittedly, the plot is pretty cliche and predictable and the film isn't exactly that memorable. However, the saving grace is Sally Field who becomes Doris - thanks to Field, Doris is a sweet, likeable and charming character. If this character was in the hands of anyone else, Hello, My Name is Doris certainly wouldn't have been the heart-warming treat that it was. I would compare the film to the likes up 'Man Up' - not necessarily original but very pleasing. Hello, My Name is Doris is a crowd pleaser that is very hard to dislike. Oh, and does it intentionally mirror the ending of Fifty Shades of Grey? 65/100. 

Money Monster (2016).

Directed by Jodie Foster (The Beaver) and starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O'Connell, Money Monster is a perfectly fine film. Naively, I didn't expect as much financial terms and talk in this film (it is called Money Monster, duh) so all of that kind of went over my had. I also felt that the film lacked true stakes and tension - the concept is scary but it is executed like a glossy magazine article, not a gritty, tense thriller. The film is consistently engaging and exciting with intriguing twists and turns. The performances are solid - nothing truly memorable but nothing awful. The ideas that were presented were also interesting but the film loses some momentum when it stops being as contained - the confined location of the news studio is definitely where the film and story works best. If Money Monster has been a little more sophisticated, it could have been something quite special. 60/100. 

Personal Shopper (2016)

For the first time ever, I saw a film at the cinema and didn't write a feature-length review. I saw Personal Shopper at the end of March and it really didn't make that much of an impression on me. The film is directed by Olivier Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria) and stars Kristen Stewart (Twilight, Snow White & The Huntsman). I was excited to see this film mainly for Stewart's performance as its actually the first I've seen from her since she has gone down the indie route (and she's been getting critically acclaimed for all of her performances!). Personal Shopper is an incredibly moody and often boring film. It's labelled as a horror film but there's nothing that scary really going on here. There are brief and effective moments of tension and fear but they are only brief - the film really lacks emotion and excitement throughout. The film is definitely artistic and it should be praised for being outside the box. The role seems to have been written for Stewart as it really draws from her strengths. I expected to have more to say on the film and maybe a re-watch will do it justice but I wasn't completely buying Personal Shopper. 56/100.

Fallen (2016)

At the end of May, I witnessed possibly one of the worst films I have ever seen. Fallen is a truly horrible film - horrible acting, poorly written and ugly visual effects. There really is nothing saving this film. It was stupidly funny and there were many scenes that were unintentionally hilarious. The film is directed by Scott Hicks (The Lucky One) and I would say that this is a new career low for him. The film tries to hint at a sequel after an incredibly anticlimactic finale. The climax literally comes out of no where and the film really does lack a coherent plot. The cast are all non-starters, I don't expect much more from them after this. Don't fall into this trap, Fallen is to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. 19/100. 

What recent films have you seen? What were your thoughts on the films mentioned above? - COMMENT BELOW

See You Soon! (p.s hope you liked this new style of post?!)