The End of Oak Street
I’m really on the fence with this one. I didn’t dislike it, but I’m not sure I can say I particularly loved it either!
Some parts genuinely had me laughing out loud, which I wasn’t really expecting, while other parts had me sitting there thinking, “Are they actually stupid?!” There were definitely a few moments where I was questioning the characters’ life choices and wondering why nobody seemed to have brought any common sense with them.
I did like the idea behind the film and thought it was quite different. It kept me interested enough to want to know what was going to happen, and I actually really enjoyed some of the humour. But there were also bits that dragged and other moments that were just a little too ridiculous for me.
Overall, I enjoyed it more than I expected to, but probably not enough that I’d watch it again. I think half of my entertainment came from the film and the other half from silently judging everyone’s decisions!
6/10 – not bad, made me laugh, made me question people’s intelligence, and kept me entertained!
A House of Dynamite
I really enjoyed this one! It had me hooked pretty much from the start, and I loved the tension of knowing something potentially catastrophic was happening without knowing exactly how it was all going to play out.
I really liked the way the story was told from different perspectives. Seeing the same crisis unfold through the eyes of different people made it feel much more real and showed just how much confusion and uncertainty there would actually be in that situation. It also kept me interested rather than just following one character throughout. Plus, it meant we got to watch several highly important people panic professionally, which felt oddly reassuring.
There were definitely moments where I was thinking, “Well, this is slightly terrifying!” Especially because it didn’t feel completely far-fetched. It was one of those films that makes you realise just how quickly things could escalate when people are making enormous decisions with very little time or information. Nothing says “relaxing evening” quite like watching the fate of the world depend on a room full of people trying not to look worried.
The performances were strong, the tension stayed high and I genuinely wanted to know what was going to happen next. I was also impressed by how much suspense the film managed to create without needing constant explosions or people running dramatically down corridors.
My only complaint is the ending! After all that build-up, I wanted a bit more of an answer. I know that was probably the point, but I still felt slightly cheated! It was a bit like being promised the world’s most stressful explanation and then being told to think about it yourself.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed it. Tense, thought-provoking and definitely one that kept my attention. It also gave me a renewed appreciation for ordinary problems, like losing my keys or forgetting to buy milk.
8/10 – really enjoyed it, although I’m not sure it did much for my faith in humanity’s ability to avoid blowing itself up!
. The whole idea of having minutes to decide what to do about an unidentified nuclear missile is terrifying, and I actually thought the tension was really well done.
