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The King's Man (2021)
At times writing, direction and photography is inspired
This movie was a very pleasant surprise in more ways than one, especially where often in the movie scene, substance has often been seen to be lacking. Held me all the way through with, quality writing, direction, acting and photography. Very enjoyable.
Star Trek: Discovery: Anomaly (2021)
Yes, these are flawed scripts, but their lessons are important for our time.
I write these words after listening to Putin rave like a delusional mad man as he initiates a preliminary invasion of Ukraine. Today I am also trying to cope with chronic illness similar to Long COVID, multiple water leaks that will not go away, a lightning storm that destroyed my laptop and Hi-Fi and a surge protector power board that refused to do its job in extreme circumstances. Not a good day.
I and 75 years old and remember watching the original Star Trek series back in the late 1960's. I watched it then cringing every time I turned the TV on. I love high quality science fiction and that certainly was not it.
Now 50 years later we have Discovery S04E02. Not perfect by any means, but perhaps right for our times.
To me Discovery is one way I can escape from the madness and delusions of this world to one where people are looking after each other in a way that appears to be often absent here, in the world I live in.
Yes the often ponderous scrip can be written with the spontaneity of a land snail, and is displayed by soapy acting and penetrating looks in the face of extreme danger the way only Americans can do.
But for me Discovery is a necessary escape to another time in space, away from a far more selfish world, where the concept of individual freedom has been militarized by a select few, allowing them to empower their fantasies in a way they have not been able to before. History will not treat them, Trump, Putin and the selfish and greedy corporate moguls that surround us with kindness.
This episode is a reminder that life is transient and can be taken from us at any time without a moment's notice. It is about caring for each other and doing what is right for others. Without others our life has no meaning. It's about others more than yourself.
But we need to reflect on this, perhaps more than we have in the past. And like Discovery's characters, we need to look out for the welfare of the society in which we live, even if like Discovery, our fellow travelers have values different from what we are used to. This is what Discovery S04E02 is about.
Eternals (2021)
No review for this movie can be too bad
I sat through this sad example of a movie and was reminded constantly how Hollywood has sunk so low. Intellectual and emotional marshmallow. This whole superhero thing was great in the 1940s, but now it is just a sad relic of where America has gone and should be relegated to the dustbin of history along with Donald Trump and Fox News.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Worst plot ever
Started off with potential and ended with a great speech - but the the rest of the plot in the middle was yuck.
Looks like it was written by a collaboration between 1970s Disney hacks and I really don't know who. What were they thinking. They had a chance to contemporize the plot in a more realistic fashion and completely lost it in its translation into the script.
By way of comparison, examples of two movies on minimal budgets that have caught the spirit of the underdog in very different ways and relevant to our times were Minari and Nomadland.
Over the last years the world, except for US Republican voters, has dramatically changed. Unless they become more relevant to the times, this franchise will go nowhere.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
10 is for CGI - Brilliant
Plot is non-existent, but CGi is just fantastic to watch. Just what we need to get away from the Covid-19 oriented news that seems to be never ending.
Le nom des gens (2010)
Simply a breath of fresh air
What can I say, In a sea of substandard American movies and mediocre French ones, this movie stands out like a beacon of light, celebrating life's highs and lows in all its complexities. Very reminiscent and certainly worthy of Radu Mihaileanu's movies. It delves into subjects such as inherent racism, family identity problems and the Holocaust. Each character is flawed, but in very different ways that help build complexity into the plot, in the many ways it brings opposites together - sometimes in a positive way, sometimes not. Just wonderfully written, offbeat with subtle humor all the way through. An incredible thought provoking script, wonderful acting and brilliant casting.
Watch it and enjoy.
Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)
Accept this Irish movie for what it is
This is very much a a quiet Irish genre film and needs to be accepted for what it is. In many ways it brings to mind the 1954 Gene Kelly musical Brigadoon - but without the music and with a different storyline. But the Irish atmosphere was there, together with the magic associated with rural Ireland.
I thought the choice of actors was spot on, the plot unimaginative, but the scenery was spectacular. When there is so much bad news around, this movie was a breath of fresh air in its simplicity, its relaxed pace and the fact that it was dealing with people living a different life to most of us in the artificial world of cities, social media and offensive politics. It's where people are bad emotional communicators and raining and mud become metaphors for life's frustrations and unspoken desires.
Just take the time to turn off, tune out and relax into another world's fantasies.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
It's all been said before - absolutely terrible
One of the worst written movies in history, a total disaster. Gal Gadot as producer got her wish and sold her soul on this one - for $10 million dollars.
Mulan (2020)
You cannot compare Mulan 1998 with Mulan 2020
As a 71 year old Caucasian male I really enjoyed Mulan 2020. Of course as a Disney film you would expect flaws, but this time the writers and the director used considerable restraint so as not to make it too "Disneyfied", as they tend to do all too often. An inspirational story-line for younger girls, was enhanced by, fantastic visuals and an interesting and at times informative historical backdrop, that helped those ignorant of ancient China, to visualize an imagined time and place different from their own. Also you can't be too picky about historical detailing when this movie tends to also pick up on some of the old Japanese movies of earlier times I remember watching. Although very different, Akira Kurosawa movie "The Seven Samurai", there were a number of attributes that were certainly taken from other early Japanese movies, such as farcical characters, magicians, witches and sword fighters that climbed up vertical walls, the list goes on. Also we should not forget that this is first a fairy tale for kids, so we should not expect absolute historical accuracy. Mulan 2020 is meant to entertain in an acceptable package aimed at kids, especially young girls. It's fictional entertainment first and foremost, after all. I also think the overly precious critics who panned Mulan 2020 for not being true to the animated version or thought it should be like a documentary on ancient China, should grow up and smell the fairy floss. Mulan 2020 is nothing like Mulan 1998 - and was never meant to be - and for that I for one am eternally grateful. I am sick of police shows, serial killers and most American comedies, so for me this movie was a pleasant change and very watchable, I give it a 9, I really enjoyed it. So there.
A Monster Calls (2016)
A must see for those facing the loss of a loved one
What can I say. This is a movie that appears to be aimed at those who have to live with the fact that someone close will die in the not too distant future. The underlying theme is how to comprehend this imminent loss and live the rest of your life without it eating away at your insides. Brilliantly thought out, but a little slow for those outside the lesson parameters. All hospitals with cancer patients in particular should have a copy of this film to show to close family members of those who are about to die.
Earthquake Bird (2019)
Best movie I have seen in a long time
Beautifully written with excellent restrained acting, reminds me a lot of the Igmar Bergman movies of yesteryear, but in colour and not so bleak and depressing.
An interesting side-thought is that adapting a screenplay from a book gives all involved with the movie more substance to work with.
A must watch.
Date with an Angel (1987)
Not worth watching
Watched this movie on SBS Movies in Sydney and do not understand why they chose this film to show on their movie channel.
A US movie made in 1987 to look like the late 1950s or early 1960s, it was made in the style of the worst movies of that era. Bad script, bad acting. Kept on fast forwarding to the end and it never showed signs of improving. Do not understand how some of these reviewers rated it so highly.
If you want to watch a better movie about an angel with a sort of similar theme watch the 2009 English movie called Skellig: The Owl Man based on an award winning book and starring Tim Roth.
Bumblebee (2018)
One of the worst screenplays I have ever seen in my entire life.
What more can I say. This movie belongs to a longstanding and highly profitable franchise. It is impossible to comprehend how the producers would accept a script as terrible as this one - only of course, as was probably the case, they actually requested it to be written like this. Words fail me.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
Enjoyable to watch but with qualifications
I came away from watching this movie, unsure of its aimed demographic.This extravagant production, paying a small but important homage to the conductor of Walt Disney's Fantasia, Leopold Stokowski, is built very loosely around a heavily distorted skeleton of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet, the Nutcracker Suite.
Certainly not for small children, this version could have been co-written by Steven King. Like many of these cinema extravaganzas, originality is secondary to the visuals, with elements liberally borrowed from Narnia, The Wizard of Oz and even Dr Who all fighting for plot supremacy in a landscape lush with superficial imagination and rich colours.
Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy was the stand out star of this show, with Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger playing a more subdued role than normal. The rest of the cast, including the lead actor Mackenzie Foy as Clara ended up playing second fiddle to the aforementioned extravagant and colourful sets, which tended to overshadow a rather stodgy script.
Doctor Who: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (2018)
Really bad for the most part
Sack the writers and producers and bring in some good serial type scripts with up with plots that don't look like they have come out of the 1950's. Needs to grow up.
Demain tout commence (2016)
A breath of fresh air
What more can I say. In this age of terrorists,serial killers, superheroes, self serving politicians and globalised corporations, it's wonderfully refreshing to watch a movie such as this. At this point words fail me. Just watch it, take in the messages of selflessness and then reflect on what you have yourself. A wonderful movie.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
Very disappointing
Fancy sets ruined by ponderous writing and direction that simply did not work. Should have been much better than it was.
Autómata (2014)
Not pretty, but certainly a cut above what we are used to for SciFi.
Philosophically relevant, dark and foreboding, Automata visually reminds me of Blade Runner 1, District 9, perhaps The Machine and of course my favourite, Ex Machina. It questions our right to rule, what it is to be human, robot sentience and "The Meaning of Life" itself. Where I Robot and Bicentennial Man are slick and glossy, this movie is the exact opposite. Dirty, dark and rough around the edges. It's gritty, engaging intellectually and emotionally satisfying. I'll leave other reviewers to go over the plot, but my advice is to bring out a large glass of whisky, sit down in a comfy chair and enjoy a movie that is very different to most and a reminder of what good writing and acting can accomplish.
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
More of the same, just worse
More of the same. No effort to rise to the occasion of the third movie with something with more pizzazz and fewer old jokes. And John Lithgow as an Aussie, should have turned down for two reasons. His Aussie accent was cringe-worthy and his part in this movie was just very badly written. Hopefully there there won't be a PP4.
Embedded (2016)
Could have been written a lot better than it was.
Journalist Frank picks up beautiful Madeleine at a function for the high end of town in a posh hotel somewhere in Africa. Having just returned from being embedded with specialist American troops, he is looking to let of steam and to somehow come to terms with the horrors he has seen. What follows is steamy sex and vocal toos and fros over a period of 24 hours or so, as the two protagonists existentialize the parts they play in the world , whether life is worth living and whether experienced horrors can be effectively drowned in drugs, booze, sex and a lot of shouting. Very drawn out , disappointing except for the last 10 minutes, when the writers at last get their act together allowing both actors to really strut their stuff with quality dialogue.