"Free Fire," directed by Ben Wheatley

Movie, 2016

A film with one fairly hackneyed idea, which is pushed to breaking point, but is ultimately rescued by some great and at time over the top acting and a possibly dubious sense of fun at having every protagonist n the film getting battered by their rather dishonest trade. A parable, possibly, about power and guns and evil corrupting and leading to anarchy. It is, however, possibly too easy to read anything into this film because of its almost crass simplicity. A little repetitive, though watchable and, oddly, surprisingly well-paced. 

"The Lobster", directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Movie, 2015

Relentless, surreal film in which single people have forty-five days, under a strict regime in a strange hotel, to find a loving relationship or be turned into an animal. Events unfold and are, at turns, striking and brutal, with a few jaw dropping moments, but more often , an uneasy sense of a fil trying to be too odd and profound. The mood, throughout, is despairing and yes, there are laughs, but they're often dragged out of set-ups that are a little too brutal.