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Forrest Gump (1994)
Magical seduction of Forrest Gump's story
26 Years ago on today, 6th July 1994, this romantic comedy drama hit the cinema in America. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth and based on the novel by Winston Groom.
The story shows the history of Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks as an adult, and Michael Conner Humphreys as a child), as he shows what influence he has had on the world, and also the personal issues that he deals with along the way. So we see that Forrest is sat on a bench, by a bus stop in Savannah, Georgia telling anyone that sits near him the experiences that he has encountered in his life. He was born and raised by his mother Mrs. Gump (played by Sally Field) and had a curved spine that prevented him from walking properly, until he was fitted with leg braces. Mrs. Gump runs a boarding house out of their home in Greenbow Alabama. The boarding house is very popular and attracts many tenants (you get to see a few faces and see what influence Forrest would have on them). On his first day at school, Forrest meets a girl, Jenny Curran (played by Robin Wright), and they become best friends. With the leg braces on his legs and living in the cruel world that we live in, Forrest would become the target of bullies, we also see how he is able to overcome them. We see Forrest growing up and going through college, on to joining the U.S. Army and all of the other wonderful and sad things that occur in his life. We get to meet some great people on the way too, Lieutenant Dan Taylor (played by Gary Sinise), Benjamin Buford (played by Mykelti Williamson). Also look out for a very young Haley Joel Osment who plays a part too.
I absolutely love this movie, and the quotes and quips that Forrest says and have live forever in the memory. Also you will find that you will end up using these sayings in your real life moments too. The movie was a box office success and was 1994's second highest grossing film, only to be beat by the Lion King. It has won lots of awards including Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Tom Hanks.
The whole movie, from the actual concept, which is absolutely genius, through to the screenplay, which is magical and passionate, and is technically brilliant and will seduce you into every second. The cast is totally amazing and they are so believable in the roles that they play. I must say though that Tom Hanks, wow, wow, wow. He actual does turn into Forrest Gump, i mean its seamless. You watch the movie, you know its Tom Hanks, but for the 2 hours 20 minutes of the movie, Tom is Forrest. Forrest is Tom. You will know what i mean as soon as you see this masterpiece if you haven't already.
All i will say is "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get". You certain know what you are getting in this movie. Pure entertainment.
Inheritance (2020)
Pegg and Collins Show
This movie is a thriller directed by Vaughn Stein.
The movie starts and we see Archer Monroe (played by Patrick Warburton), having some sort of seizure as he tries to leave his house in his car. Archer is a very powerful and wealthy man, who has a son, William (played by Chace Crawford), who is a politician running for reelection, and a daughter, Lauren (played by Lily Collins), who is a Manhattan District Attorney. The seizure ends up making Archer have an accident in the car in which he died after he hit a tree. As the family mourn his death at the family home after the funeral, the will is read, which leaves most of the estate to William, and leaving Lauren a million dollars, but after this the family attorney, and close friend of Archer's,Harold Thewlis (played by Michael Beach), finds Lauren to give her a package that her father had left in his possession until his death. Lauren then opens the package that reveals a flash drive in a wooden box. Lauren goes into a quiet place in the house to find out what could be on this drive. When she opens it, it is a prerecorded video from Archer. Archer had a secret, maybe more than one, but this particular secret he had kept from everyone, even his wife Catherine (played by Connie Nielsen). As he is now dead, he had to pass this on to someone. That someone is Lauren. Within this secret, it will test her morals, her loyalty and her humanity.
I really did enjoy the tense moments in this film, one of the stars is Simon Pegg. I haven't mentioned him above as i may give away a spoiler, which i do not want to do. I thought that Simon Pegg was very very good, and seems to get better and better, and Lily Collins was excellent in her role as Lauren, as she deals with her "Inheritance". I thought the story had a good story-line with the suspense and mystery we all love in a thriller. There are a couple of things that happen within the movie, that i thought could have been smoother, as it seems to jump. Only a little, which could just be the cut of the movie, but i did notice.
Body Cam (2020)
Mary J. Blige has real acting talent
This movie is a Mystery Thriller with a git of gore, it is set as a Horror too, but i would not class it in that category.
The movie is about the Louisiana Police Department, as most police officers today, the use and recorded evidence of their "body cam" can be vital in cases. Renee Lomito-Smith (played by Mary J. Blige), has just come back to the force after an incident that got her suspended, where she lost her temper with a civilian. At the time, she was going through the stress and trauma of losing her son, he had tragically died in a drowning incident. The body cam that she was wearing, was the defining factor in the incident. As she is returning to work, a strange incident occurred, a routine traffic stop, becomes something very different and mysterious. Renee has been given rookie cop Danny Holledge (played by Nat Wolff), as her partner and as they are driving around, they come across the car of the colleagues that had been involved in the traffic stop. The car is in a dark area,with dim and broken lighting, and as they approach the vehicle with caution, they soon realise, the their colleagues are nowhere to be seen. When they get to the car, they see that there is damage and blood on the vehicle, as Danny scouts the area, Renee gets into the car to see if she can see what had happened on the dash cam. The computer within the car is glitchy and with a few taps, Renee sees what was on the cam. You see the stop, you see the person get out of the van, and then the unexplainable happens. I have left it there, as i do not want to give any spoilers away at all.
I thought the movie was OK, it did have some jumpy moments, but i do think that in this case, if they were trying to go down the horror route, that could have been made much more intense. I did like the twists and turns in the movie, but you get these with all mystery thrillers, but some of the acting in this was not quite there, Mary J. Blige, i thought was fantastic and i would really like to see her in a movie that could extract all of that acting talent that we get a small glimpse of here. The story-line was OK but not the best adaptation that it had the potential to be, as we only got a small piece of backstory for Renee. When/If you watch this movie, you will see exactly what i mean.
Scoob! (2020)
Modern Scooby-Doo but back to its roots
This movie is to reboot the Scooby-Doo franchise, from TV series cartoons, to live action movies, Scooby-Doo has been through them all, but this reboot has gone back to its roots of animation, in the first fully animated feature film.
In the movie we see a stray dog, with no name taking a roll of kebab meat from a Greek takeaway shop, and is being pursued by a policeman on a bike. The dog manages to give the policeman the slip and hides himself and the roll of meat in the sand, disguised as a couple of sand mounds. At the same time a lonely young boy, Norvil Rogers is listening to his music on his phone, which, seemingly knows he is lonely and every record seems to depict that too. Eventually turning to a podcast, which does the exact same thing, he continues to walk down the street. while by the beach, he spots the two mounds and has an idea, putting faces on them with shells, and then sits to have his lunch with his 2 new friends "Shelley" and "Sandy". The dog is listening as the boy talks to the mounts, then suddenly appears and they, after scaring each other sit to eat the lunch together. All of a sudden the policeman appears and says that he needs to take the dog, the boy claims that the dog is his. When asked his name, the name Scooby-Doo comes from somewhere in the boys head. Once the policeman leaves the boy introduces himself to the talking dog, but says everyone calls him "Shaggy". This is the moment that Scooby and Shaggy meet. Also as the first few minutes roll, we get to find out how these 2 meet the kids who would end up forming the group Mystery Inc.
I really liked the fact that this had gone back to its roots and animation, i also like that we go right back to the start and find out how the gang came together. With an all-Star cast voicing, Will Forte as Shaggy, Gina Rodriguez as Velma, Zac Efron as Fred, Amanda Seyfried as Daphne and Frank Welker as Scooby. There are a lot more names too but i won't reveal their names or the characters they voice, just to see if you can guess who they are. With this being set in the modern era, this movie will be liked by all ages. There are even those great one liners that the children completely miss, but the adult find high amusing. I loved the way other Hanna-Barbera characters were also present.
Capone (2020)
The Capone story not depicted in the movies
So this movie depicts the life that the once Main Man, The Don, The Gangster, Scarface, Alphonse Gabriel Capone leads follows being released from an 11 year stay at a United States Penitentiary.
Al Capone or Fonz (played by Tom Hardy), has left prison, after being caught for tax evasion. He is now in his mid 40's and has been released from prison, as the authorities now do not deem him as a threat. Capone has now moved away from the hustle bustle of Chicago for one of the homes that he had while he was the most feared gangsters of his time. The problem for Capone is that he is suffering from untreated neurosyphilis and also has entered stages of dementia. So he is now only a shadow of that feared mobster prior to the prison sentence. Now retired and living with his wife Mae (played by Linda Cardellini) and son Junior (played by Noel Fisher) in their Florida home, Capone has lost all of those allies and friends he had when things were "good". He has a few bodyguard's and family members and close friends that are within reach. With the way that his illnesses are attacking his body, we see Fonz, going downhill, his bodily functions are failing him as he has the occasional bladder or bowel malfunction. Mae cares for him as much as she can with the help of some of the family and friends that are left. He has become very paranoid of people watching him, while smoking his cigars and sitting in the chair in the house or outside in the garden looking across his garden full of his beloved statues he thinks he sees people. Does he?Or is it the illnees? Its not paranoia though, as the FBI, since his release have a theory that Fonz has hidden some of the money he had $10 million to be precise, so they have teams of officers all around the property, in vans with listening devices picking up conversations in the bugged house, in case that Fonz tells someone where the money is. Fonz's mind does start to play tricks on him as we see him being tortured by his past experiences and being very confused. Matt Dillon plays the part of Johnny and Kyle MacLachlan plays the part of Doctor Karlock.
It was a very different story to any other that i had seen depicted in a movie of TV show before. The one i know and many too will agree, is a strong mobster leader that everyone respected and adhered to his rules. To see Tom Hardy play this part of Al Capone's life was an eyeopener. I do not think that many other actors would have been able to give the amazing performance that Tom did. He seems to have a knack of finding just the smallest little things within a role and transforms, almost morphs into that person. We have seen this from him on many of occasions as he has been Bane, Bronson, Mad Max, Venom and Alfie Solomans There are some darkly humourous parts in this movie as well as the sadness and a small amount of insight to how people who suffer from this illness must feel. I really did like the movie and found it very enlightening, i have seen that the ratings aren't very high, well it won't be to everyone's taste, give it a watch and make up your own mind.
The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)
A Fresh view of a Classic Novel
This is a comedy, drama based on the 1850 Victorian era novel David Copperfield, written by Charles Dickens. This movie shows the life events that David Copperfield (played by Dev Patel) has endured from the time of his birth, through to where he is now, the one reading his own personal history to an auditorium full of people. David's life is chaotic, hilarious and tragic, but he stays full of life. Along the way we get to meet a lot of characters played by well known actors and actresses. Daisy May Cooper plays Nanny Peggotty, Hugh Laurie plays Mr. Dick, Tilda Swinton plays his Aunt, Betsy Trotwood, Darren Boyd plays his Step-Father Edward Murdstone, Gwendoline Christie plays Edward's Sister Jane Murdstone and Peter Capaldi plays the eccentric Mr. Micawber.
I thought the movie is a good realisation of the good and bad that we all endure during our lives, full of the ups and downs of a roller-coaster. Now not having read the novel, I can't say how close it is to Dickens' work, but i did enjoy it. It is funny at times, as well as sad in those difficult moments. I think that Dev Patel was excellent and with the added humour of Hugh Laurie and Peter Capaldi, it is certainly a movie to brighten up your day. The action on the screen is none stop, almost as though David is running through the whole of his life, although this doesn't in any way mean that its rushed, its actually really clever. Armando Iannucci has made a modern day non modern day of a classic novel, by that i mean it is fresh, crisp but has the Victorian backdrop. The movie has already won an array of awards, as well as a lot of nominations too. The movie was released in the UK in January, but has been delayed for viewing in America until August.
Arkansas (2020)
Needed the big screen
This movie is based on the novel Arkansas by John Brandon and ids the directorial debut of Clark Duke.
Kyle Ribb (played by Liam Hemsworth) is a small time drug dealer, working in a big time organisation ran by drug Kingpin "Frog". We see Kyle about his business, then he is seen sat in a house, the house seemingly his, where he is seen watching TV. Then there is a knock at the door, to which Kyle ignores, other that a quick look. Then there is a noise of someone trying to pick the lock. These leads Kyle to get up from his chair and check out the perpetrator through the spy hole, then waiting. As the guy manages to open the door, Kyle is ready behind the door to take him to the floor and restrain him. Next scene is the burglar tied up and gagged in the cupboard, Kyle then gets a visitor, someone he knows from the gang. He is very impressed that Kyle has managed to do what he has done in restraining the guy, saving him a job. This leads to Kyle getting a promotion. The promotion involves moving to Arkansas to move "wholesale". He then is seen meeting Swin Horn (played by Clark Duke himself), Swin is a very talkative and confident character, which seems to annoy the placid, quieter Kyle. Their first assignment is to drive a flat bed lorry with the "wholesale" product hidden by an assortment of boxes with pictures of sinks on them. While on their journey to Corpus Christi, the rope holding down the tarpaulin breaks, forcing them to stop off to try and get something to assist in keeping it down. This is where they run into park ranger Bright (played by John Malkovich). He inspects the truck and the two think that they are caught. As it happens, Bright also works for "Frog", and has been trailing them all the way from their journey's start. This then sets up the story-line and shows the journey that they have. Vince Vaughn also stars in this movie, i will not go into detail about that as i do not what to give away any spoilers. Vivica Fox and Eden Brolin (the daughter of Josh Brolin and Alice Adair) also appear. The movie is split into chapters, some of present and some that go back to past times to give you the insight into the characters. I will say that the movie is very slow to build, i know you have to character build, but at times it seemed to drag. There are very good points that happen to, so please continue and don't give up on it. The black comedy elements are funny and will bring a smile to your face, if you like that, it also has some violent scenes too. Clark has elements in this movie that would not be out of place in a Quentin Tarantino movie. The guy has talent and i think will be one to watch for in the future as this will be no doubt a learning curve. I think that due to the pandemic, this movie has been wrongly chosen to be streamed, and released before a cinema audience saw it. I think that the big screen may have helped to launch the movie, rather than being a movie on TV that you can just turn off before it gets to the good bits.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Don't listen to the bad reviews
Today makes the 29 year anniversary of Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves being released, 14th June 1991.The story as we all know is based on the English folk tale of Robin Hood, that originated in the 12th Century.
The Third Crusade is well and truly underway, and Richard the Lionheart, England's King away in France. With Richard away, Sheriff Of Nottingham (played by Alan Rickman) seizes on the opportunity to rule the land. He is accompanied in doing this by his cousin Guy Of Gisbourne (played by Michael Wincott), and a witch, by the name Mortianna (played by Geraldine McEwan). Robin Of Locksley (played by Kevin Costner), has gone off to fight in the crusade, leaving his father Lord Locksley (played by Brian Blessed), at home at Locksley Castle. Nottingham has been trying to gain the support of Robin's father, but being a true supporter of Richard, will not support Nottingham's claim to the country. This brings on an attack on Locksley Castle by Nottingham's men and the staff and Lord Locksley are killed and the Locksley Castle destroyed.
Meanwhile over in Jerusalem, Robin and his comrade Peter Dubois have been captured, and are being held in a prison. They manage to break free from Ayyubid prison guards and help to save the life of a Moor called Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bakir (played by Morgan Freeman). In the escape, Peter is badly wounded, but sacrifices his life so Robin can escape, after getting Robin to swear to protect his sister Marian (played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio).
Robin manages to make his return to English shores, he is accompanied by Azeem. Azeem has promised Robin that he must repay the debt, the debt of life for Robin's actions in the prison, where he most certainly saved Azeem's. When Robin returns to his home to Locksley Castle, he finds that the castle is in ruins, and his father dead. He is told of the attack by Nottingham's men by Duncan (played Walter Sparrow), his father's servant. Duncan has had his eyes taken in the attack, but tells Robin everything. Robin then goes in search of Marian to tell her of Peter's demise. While with Marian, the Sheriff's forces turn up, making Robin flee, he flees to Sherwood Forest where he encounters a band of outlaws led by John Little (played by Nick Brimble).
The movie had very mixed reviews, with Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman being praised and Rickman winning a BAFTA for Best Actor In A Supporting Role, but the screenplay, overall movie and Kevin Costner's performance being criticised. One of the big successes to come was the theme tune written exclusive for the movie, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You was performed by Bryan Adams. It was a massive success throughout the World and topped most charts, in the UK staying at number 1 for a record 16 weeks.
I liked this movie and i think that the criticism is very harsh, yes i can see why the performances of Alan Rickman and Morgan Freeman being praised for good reason, both were excellent. I also thought that the screenplay was good, Kevin Costner was far from poor and i enjoyed it and have seen it more that a few times. I also enjoyed the role played by Christian Slater, he played Will Scarlet. If you haven't seen it at all or not for a while, then find a way to watch and give it a go. Look out for the uncredited cameo right at the end! Also just to add that the critics criticism did not stop the film grossing over $390 million worldwide and making it the second highest-grossing movie of 1991. only being beaten by Terminator 2: Judgement Day, while beating The Silence Of The Lambs, JFK and Cape Fear in the process.
Enemy Lines (2020)
Disappointed
This is a World War II movie that is inspired by true events. Major Kaminski (played by Ed Westwick) is chosen by American leaders to lead a mission into Poland on a covert mission to extract a Polish scientist from the hands of the Germans. He is accompanied on this mission by 4 of Britain's finest officers, who have expertise in extractions. The problem is that the scientist in question is Dr. Fabian (played by Pawel Delag), he is very sort after by the German's and is under heavy guard while he works, they think that he is possibly a mission link to a secret innovation that they are planning. Dr. Fabien is allowed to go and see his wife and daughter for one day a month, and even then he is heavily guarded. The Germans are holding his wife and child as leverage and to inspire him to find what they are missing, he knows fore well that if he doesn't succeed then they will not hesitate to kill them, and him for that matter. This information has been smuggled from Poland by the way of Polish resistance who are working with the Allied forces. The mission has so many complications and needs to be timed to perfection to achieve the objective.
I really struggled at times with this movie, sorry to say there are lots of errors that if had been played correctly could have produced a very good movie. As i said it was/is inspired by true events but without background being given in certain areas you seem to have to work it out for yourself. Also its a very tactical mission that they are facing and we see no plans of how they plan to extract the Doctor. I just think that it felt clumsy and stumbled through rather that being a very good War story. I haven't even mentioned that John Hannah stars in the movie, as to be fair he didn't contribute too much. On a positive note, I did like the way the truth about Dr. Fabien's scientific field was kept away from Major Kaminski and the 4 soldiers before they left.
Big (1988)
Love this movie
So today this movie is 32 years old! Yes June 3rd, 1988 Penny Marshall had this movie playing in US cinemas. I have watched this film 100's and i mean 100's of times, It is my all time favourite film, and with it being its birthday i thought i had really better review it for you guys. I will keep it spoiler free, just in case there are people out there who have not had the pleasure of seeing it.
So the movie! Joshua Baskin (played by David Moscow) is a 12 year old boy who lives in New Jersey with his parents and infant sister Rachel. Your normal 12 year old who hangs out with his best friend, Billy Francis Kopecki (played by Jared Rushton). Josh has developed a crush for a girl at his school, Cynthia Benson (played by Kimberlee M. Davis), Freddie Benson's Sister! Josh is over the moon when one day, while being stood outside a shop, shuffling through his baseball cards, with the usual "need it, got it, got it need it". Which i'm sure you have all done in your youth. Anyway back to this moment! Cynthia actually says "hi Josh". Well Billy is first to react and to tell Josh she must like him. With the Carnival in town Josh's parent's take him along to have some family fun. While there Josh notices Cynthia queuing for the Super Loops ride. She looks on her own, so Josh convinces his parents that he wants to go on it, and on his own. He pushes his way through the queue to where Cynthia is stood, as they begin to chat, Derek arrives, She introduces him to Josh and says to Josh, "this is Derek, he drives". As Josh gets to the front of the queue, his hopes of credibility are dashed as the operator of the ride tell him, he is too small to ride. With a sunken heart, the devastated boy walks away, as he is stood still, he notices a machine just slightly on its own, away from the usual video game section. Something attracts Josh to go to the machine. Its a Zoltar! Josh reads the instructions, inserts his 25 cents into the machine. Nothing happens! Josh gives it a little whack, then another, then another. Suddenly, the machine kicks into life! Josh follows the instructions and makes his wish. He utter the words "I wish i was Big", before hitting the red button, that releases his coin, down the ramp and a direct hit, into the mouth of Zoltar. A card drops out of the bottom of the machine, one side has the Zoltar emblem, with the words "Zoltar Speaks" and the opposite side says "your wish is granted". At this point a bewildered Josh notices that the machine is not connected to and electrical supply! He goes home, during a windy night in New Jersey, something magical happens! In the morning, Joshua slips from his top bunk and stumbles off to the bathroom. It is here that he has a shock! As he looks into the mirror, its not him looking back! its an older version (played by Tom Hanks). This scares Josh and does not know what to do! This starts a series of events, he tries to get Billy to help. When Josh approaches Billy, he does not think its Josh. Josh convinces him with their song, The Ice Cream Song
The space goes...
down down baby, down down the roller coaster.
Sweet sweet baby, sweet sweet don't let me go.
shimmy shimmy coco pop, shimmy shimmy rock,
etc
With the help of Billy he is able to run off to the city, to try to solve his problem. Its here, lonely and afraid that Josh's life changes.
As you can gather this movie is very very close to my heart and love every minute of it, even knowing the Ice Cream Song off by heart. Tom Hanks is an amazing actor and this movie really did help gather momentum behind his career and push him on to the major roles we know he got afterwards. I must say i also love the character of Susan (played by Elizabeth Perkins).
I hope i have inspired you to re-watch or even watch for the first time this movie. Its a long post, i know i haven't spoilt it with spoilers, so go and indulge in this multi award winning fantasy comedy movie. Try to see if you can see the extended version, its 2 hours 10 minutes, compared to 1 hour 44 minutes of the standard version, so nearly an extra half an hour of pleasure.
Blind Date (1987)
Bruce Willis' first starring role
So going back in time to 1987, this Blake Edwards directed movie was released. The concept is a bit surreal to the younger generation of today. A "Blind Date", when you hadn't met or seen the person before, usually set up by mutual friends. Exactly what happens in this movie. Walter Davis (played by Bruce Willis) is a workaholic, he cares only about work, and isn't really bothered about appearance or his personal life. The problem is that his company are to host a business dinner with a very important client, Mr Yakamoto from Japan. Walter is expected to be accompanied by a female (wife/girlfriend, etc), but the person who Walter has earmarked, is unable to help him out! He is desperate and asks his brother, Ted (played by Phil Hartman) if he can borrow his sister-in-law, Susie (played by Stephanie Faracy) for the night. As it will be their anniversary, the answer is no, but Ted does say that Susie's cousin Nadia (played by Kim Basinger) is in town, and would like to get out and meet people. Walter isn't convinced by Ted's proposal and tries everyone in his phone book, before going back to Ted, with his tail between his legs, saying that he will take Nadia. Nadia is a gorgeous woman and Ted is very pleased that his brother has come through this time, but Nadia comes with a few rules (bit like mogwai from Gremlins, no she doesn't multiply if dropped in water and you can feed her after dark), Nadia is shy and has a problem with her behaviour when she has alcohol! Lets just say, I am sure Walter didn't take these instructions, or bit of advise seriously enough.
The movie is Bruce Willis' first starring role, after his performances in the TV series Moonlighting, and took second billing behind Kim Basinger. The chemistry between them is very good, they do seem to bounce off one another. The movie is your classic 80's Rom-Com and is OK. It certainly isn't the worse film that you could watch, but i have seen better from this era.
Bad Education (2019)
Excellent Hugh Jackman Performance
This movie is based an actual events. Welcome to Roslyn High School in the early noughties. Here we see the ambition of the School District in Long Island aspire to be the best. Under the guide of superintendent Dr. Frank Tassone (played by Hugh Jackman) the school has seen significant improvements. As the movie starts it shows a packed assembly hall at Roslyn, this is in celebration of the District rising to the 4th ranked public school in the County. With the school's rise also comes the economical upturn in the local community, with house prices rising and basically the school becoming a major player when it comes to college applications, all of this combined makes everyone in the Distict very proud. The school has set plans in motion for a Skywalk. A walkway to connect one side of the school to the other. This has to go through the usual route for approval, which starts at the board, this is now at the planning stages and is almost certain to be approved.
So Frank, he is absolutely adored by the whole County, he has helped to transition the school to it heady place, but strives for more, he wants to be number 1. Nothing is ever too much trouble for him either, he is always on hand to spend time with parents, students and people within the community. He is helped in all of his work environment by the vice superintendent, and very close friend Pam Gluckin (played by Allison Janney). We see how loved Frank is throughout the first few minutes, greeting everyone in the mornings, knowing everyone's name and always at hand to help, making time to go to book club, where in Pam's words "those women adore you, and they speak to 2 dozen more, and with the budget vote is less than 9 months away". Frank's continuous help and kindness leads to a major finding that has catastrophic effects. Junior student Rachel Bhargava (played by Geraldine Vismanathan), is aspiring to get her foot on the first rung of journalism, with the school paper. Her assignment is to find out an update from management of the Skywalk project. After giving Rachel what she needed to satisfy the editor of the paper, Frank encourages Rachel to push the boundaries further, and in his words "a real journalist can turn any assignment into a story". Rachel decides to give it a go and heads back to Pam's office to ask more questions, within these questions Rachel asks about the whole tendering process of the Skywalk project. Pam unable to remember of the top of her head, invites Rachel to take a look in the archive room, and gives her the key.
This is where the real story starts to unfold and those events back in 2004 happen. I thought the movie was a slow starter, but it allowed us to familiarise ourselves with the characters and the concept of the story. I, personally knew nothing of those events, so i was grateful for the background building start. I also thought that Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney and Geraldine Vismanathan were excellent in their roles. HBO have produced a very good movie that has the path of reality, and be able to add comedy and sending you on a roller-coaster ride of feeling towards certain characters. In my opinion, this is the best and complete Hugh Jackman performance for a while, and yes including the later X-Men movies.
Extraction (2020)
OK, but missing something
So the movie starts and we see Tyler Rake (played by Chris Hemsworth) decked out in tactical vest, looking very badly injured, on a bridge. As he slumps behind a vehicle with shots being fired around him, his mind goes back, we see a blurred vision, of what looks like a little child on a beach. The story then cuts from that scene and goes back to explain, how and why Tyler is in this condition.
We see a teenage Indian boy, Ovi Mahajan (played by Rudhraksh Jaiswal) with his friends. He looks like your average teenager, hanging out with his friends. You can see that he is of a wealthy family. He sneaks out of his home to meet his friends at a club,While out one boy he is with gets shot and a hood is placed over Ovi's head.
We then find out that this is a kidnapping. Ovi's father a Mumbai crime lord, serving time in prison, but he main rival Amir Asif (played by Priyanshu Painyuli) has orchestrated it all and will use Ovi as a pawn to get what he wants. Amir runs the underworld of weapons, drugs and trafficking in Bangladesh. So where does Tyler Rake feature? The next scenes show Tyler being commandeered and offered the mission of the "extraction" of Ovi. You see Tyler is a black market mercenary. The mission is offered to him by Nik Khan (played by Golshifteh Farahani), who is also a mercenary. She describes the mission to Tyler as, the most deadly "extraction" of his career. Does he get to Ovi?
This movie was OK, to be honest i expected a little more. Its A Chris Hemsworth Action Thriller! Don't get me wrong, the movie is full of action and is a thriller, but seemed to be missing something. Car chases, gun fights, knife fights, you got it, the story-line was feasible too. I don't know? Do i now expect amazing films from Chris Hemsworth? Am i expecting too much? I don't think i am! He has come to be known as a very good actor and in Netflix high budget movie, i wasn't as blown away as i think I should have been, especially as its screen-writer was veteran Marvel Comic guru, Joe Russo.
Still worth a watch for you car chasing, gun wielding action fans.
The Flood (2019)
Underrated moving Drama
This movie is a drama that is based on Hailie's (played by Ivanno Jeremiah) plight to gain asylum in the UK. One of the first scenes that you will see, is a guy, Hailie jumping out of the back of a lorry wielding a knife at the police officers that are inspecting it. He is arrested and as an illegal immigrant is taken to be interviewed. The immigration officer is Wendy (played by Lena Headey), she is a hardened officer that has heard every conceivable excuse, reason and claim for the right it stay. You can also see that Wendy has other issues that she is trying her best to hide away from anyone else. When Hailie turns up at Immigration Office you will notice his clothes are dirty and his boots are flapping, but are held together in a fashion by some tape. As Wendy begins, the almost robotic questioning of Hailie, we see his journey coming to him through flashbacks. The reasons he wanted to leave Eritrea, through his journey in "The Jungle", in Calais, and why his clothes and boots as they are. As the questioning is taking place, Wendy's boss Phillip (played by Iain Glen) is pushing for this particular case to be done and dusted quickly, as the attack has hit the Headlines in the National Press. Will Hailie's story convince Wendy that he has a case or will he be be seen as a dangerous asylum seeker, have his claim rejected and be deported back to Eritrea?
I must say that since watching this movie, I have read some of the other reviews, and seen some of the ratings! I do not see why the scores are so low and the film is underrated! This movie IS better than what is shown at the time of this being posted. If you are looking for an action movie or a Hollywood Blockbuster, then this movie is not what you are looking for. You will find a very good Drama movie, in which the acting from Lena Headey and Ivanno Jeremiah is of a very good standard. The story itself was also easy to follow and flowed along nicely and in my opinion shows a good insight into the trials and tribulations that refugees go through to make it to the UK.
Final Destination (2000)
Start of the Final Destination Series
So 20 years ago today, May 19th 2000 this movie was first aired in UK cinemas. It began the start of the Final destination series of movies that would last 11 years.
In this movie Alex Browning (played by Devon Sawa), is just your standard teenager that goes to Mt. Abraham High School in New York. The school has arranged a field trip to Paris for students and teachers. Alex is going, but the night before the flight from JFK, he is having trouble sleeping. All the students and teachers arrive in plenty of time to catch the Volee Airlines Boeing 747 Flight 180 to Charles De Gaulle, Paris. Alex seems to be a little worried about the flight, he become agitated on the walkway to board the plane. He eventually boards and finds his seat, but Christa (played by Lisa Marie Caruk) and Blake (played by Christine Chatelain) ask him to move seats, so they are able to sit together. Alex does move to allow the girls to sit together, he moves next to his best friend Tod Waggner (played by Chad Donella). When Alex sits down, he has a real to life experience of the plane taking off, circling NYC and then the plane has problems and it starts to tear up and eventually explodes, midair. Suddenly Alex comes around, it was all in his head! He'd been spooked! This then makes Alex want to leave the plane. He becomes involved in a scuffle with Carter Horton (played by Kerr Smith) and both get removed from the plane, along with Carter's girlfriend Terry Chaney (played by Amanda Detmer), late arrival Billy Hitchcock (played by Seann William Scott), best friend Tod, Valerie Lewton (played by Kristen Cloke), who is one of the teachers on board, and Clear Rivers (played by Ali Larter) just decides to leave. They are not allowed to re-board the plane. The plane takes off and......
I do like this movie's concept, i thought the actors, the plot and the screenplay were very good. The producers and directors have done really well with the "Easter Egg" clever bits within the movie, you just have to be focused and switched on to see them.
The Main Event (2020)
Maybe avoid if not a WWE fan
This Movie is about an 11 year old boy called Leo Thompson (played by Seth Carr). He has a passion for WWE and hopes one day that he could possibly even make it and become one of its Superstars. Leo and his 2 best friends Riyaz (played by Aryan Simhadri) and Caleb (played by Glen Gordon) are not what you call "the popular kids" and do seem to catch the attention of Trevor (played by Josh Zaharia), the school bully. One of the times that Trevor is chasing Leo, Leo stumbles across an old wrestling mask like the ones worn by the Mexican Lucha Libre. This is the point things change for Leo.
I do think that the target audience for this one is children and teens and obviously WWE fans, the children and teens will get the funny parts, the silliness that adults may not, the messages that are within the movie are plain for all to see and maybe relate to. If you do not like WWE, then i think that you maybe shouldn't watch this movie. For you WWE fans, with it being an official WWE title, then you do see some of their Superstars making appearances.
The Wave (2019)
What have i just witnessed
Well, this movie, I have no idea why or how it ended up on my watch-list, but it did and i've just watched! If i told you that this movie is a cross between The Matrix, Donnie Darko, The Hangover and the Clockwork Orange mixed in with a little bit of Legion (the series staring Dan Stevens) i would not be lying! I really do not know how on earth to describe the plot without giving it away. All i can say is when things are moving at pace, and you are wondering where you are and what are you watching. Just take a little breath and watch. The main character is Frank (played by Justin Long), he is an insurance lawyer. He goes out on the town for a couple of drinks with his work colleague Jeff (played by Donald Faison) and booya!
I know this is a shorter post than normal but i think my brain is still processing what i have just witnessed on my TV.
Judy (2019)
More whoosh than the tornado
Well this was an impromptus decision to watch this one but boy, it certainly opened my eyes. The movie is all about Judy Garland when she is in her 40's. We all known Judy as the sweet Dorothy from the Wizard Of Oz. Someone who got whisked off by a tornado. Well metaphorically speaking, that tornado was already whirling Judy around before she got that part. We see small snippets during the movie of young Judy (played by Darci Shaw), and the struggles that are put upon her while shooting the movie we all know and love. The control and torture that was bestowed onto her of not eating and drugs to take away the need to eat. She was encouraged as a child to lose weight, as "she isn't the prettiest, not got nice teeth and her nose was too big at the bridge", but she had the "voice". In the movie, we see Judy's childhood tortures on the face and in the persona of the adult Judy (played by Renee Zellweger). We see that she has been drained of her money and what we all perceived to be the Hollywood lifestyle of a childhood actress. She is given the lifeline of shows in London, which she has to take so she could be the mother she wants to be to her 2 youngest children. The story is heartbreaking to see, but Renee Zellweger plays the part absolutely amazingly. I was surprised how well she was able to copy the traits of singing in the way Judy did. I also think that Jessie Buckley played a very good part as the London show's assistant Rosalyn Wilder. I can definitely see why Renee Zellweger not only won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, but also the Oscar for Best Leading Actress for this performance.
Churchill (2017)
Honour of Mr. Churchill
A little history has guided me towards this review. On this day in 1940, Winston Churchill (a World War I veteran) succeeded in replacing Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister. So 80 years ago today.
This film is a Biography of the time leading up to Operation Overlord (or as we now know it, D-Day). Brian Cox takes the role of Winston, as he struggles to come to terms with the overall plan for the big day. He is a very patriotic Britain, who believes that leaders, should lead. He struggles to come to terms with the risk that is involved in the details on the mission, set out by Dwight Eisenhower, AKA Ike (played by John Slattery) and General Montgomery, AKA Monty (played by Julian Wadham). He also seems to feel as though he is being pushed out of all of the major decisions.
I think that this is a decent movie to watch. Slightly slow at times, but as in the context of the real life seriousness, it had to be strategic. Brian Cox plays the part of Winston Churchill very well and has all of the traits and the stature that we associate with Winston, the cigar smoking, the clothes, the walk, the hat and the way he was perceived to be. I also think that Miranda Richardson played an excellent part as the down to earth, Clemmie Churchill (Winston's Wife). She shows the cool temper that would have been required and also the strength that undoubtedly made her his rock.
Chernobyl (2019)
Wow!!!!
This 5 part mini-series is an account of the horrific disaster that happened on April, 26th 1986. I am sure that you know about the catastrophe, but this series gives you the details that you possibly didn't know. It shows decisions that were taken, before, during and after that had massive impacts on the timeline of destruction. The series follows the accounts of men and woman's journey from the impact of that number 4 reactor. Valery Legasov (played by Jared Harris) is a Soviet scientist that was put onto a task-force that needed to find the cause of Why? And How? And Who is responsible or was it accidental. He is commandeered by Boris Shcherbina (played by Stellan Skarsgard), the man who was chosen to lead the investigation. We see how the employees from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant reacted to the events that were transpiring around them. We see heroism as they try to save one another. We also see how the emergency services are called in, and that they were totally unprepared for their encounter with a nuclear power plant fire (hardly any PPE was seen). We also take a look at how the residents of the nearby city of Pripyat were awoken by the sound of the explosion, and the tremor that came from the shock-wave of the power as buildings and the Earth shook. They are very unaware of what they are doing as they are seen gathering together and watching the "beautiful colours" from the fire, that can be seen from reactor.
I really did enjoy finding out the "truth" that is the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, i was shocked at the way things happened and completely engrossed in seeing the outcome, even though i do remember this happening, but not hearing such in-depth analysis. The screenplay was outstanding, and i know i have only mentioned 2 of the cast, all of them were perfect for the roles that they were given. If you haven't seen this then i would definitely recommend that you do. It is only 5 episodes long and each one tells very important parts with the intensity that it deserves.
Four Kids and It (2020)
Not a Classic, but a good effort 👏
Yes, Yes I have got the title right! Oh you must be thinking about the 2004 movie, Five Children And It. This is a modern day version, bought completely up to date.
So David (played by Matthew Goode) and his daughter Ros (played by Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen), and son Robbie (played by Billy Jenkins) are seen setting off on a family holiday to Cornwall. On the way down, David tells the kids that there is a surprise when they get there! At the same time as this we see Alice (played by Paula Patton) also getting her family, which consists of 2 girls, Smash AKA Samantha (played by Ashley Aufderheide) and Maudie (played by Ellie-Mae Siame), an American family new to life in England.
The holiday is full of ups, downs and magic wishes with the help of someone very special.
I did like the film, and yes it wasn't the classic that you will have seen previously (whether that was the movie or the series), but it is fun and a very nice family movie. You will also spot some well known people that are in this movie. You don't need to search far SAND wide for them! I think its a good effort by Sky to produce this feel good movie.
Greed (2019)
Disappointed Coogan Fan
With being a Steve Coogan fan, i was really looking forward to this Super-Rich satire movie. To set this scene, Sir Richard McCreadie (played by Steve Coogan) is a super-rich fashion mogul. He is the king of the high street, and is approaching his 60th birthday.
The movie is set on a Greek Island, where the birthday celebrations are to take place. To show off his riches to the world, Richard has set the agenda of the party to be of a Roman theme, with all the glamour of how a Roman Emperor may have celebrated a birthday. on the guest list is Richard's first love (except money) and first wife Samantha (played by Isla Fisher) who is the main face of the McCreadie Brand and its flagship fashion brand "Monda". Since divorcing they have stayed completely on the same page, even though Richard and Samantha have new partners.
We go back in history to see, how and why Richard has risen to where he is today, as well as seeing the plans unveil of the birthday party. There are cameo performances by many people that are not in the credits on the movie
As i said at the start, i am a massive Steve Coogan fan and his satire characters (love Alan Partridge), but i was massively disappointed, the script was OK, the acting was weak (Personal preference, maybe), and very few Coogan bits of magic! For me the best parts or the movie (there are't that many) are James Blunt Cameo, singing, Beautiful, and the final credits. If you do stay on to watch the end of the movie. Then please hang in there for the credits and the message that i believe the movie was trying to portray.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
Good Ending to Breaking Bad
So following on from my catch up of watching the Breaking Bad boxset. I thought I'd conclude it with the follow on movie. If you haven't seen Breaking Bad, then you may not get the concept and story-line. So maybe do that first. If you haven't seen it then what I say below may ruin your experience.
So this is a movie that continues the story of Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul) after the last scenes of Breaking Bad. Jesse is escaping form where he had been held hostage, we see him racing from the scene in a Chevrolet "El Camino". Jesse soon notices red and blue flashing light lighting up the night sky. He pulls over to allow the Police cars to pass without him being seen (they are heading to the place where Breaking Bad had its ending). Jesse soon realises that he is at the forefront of a mass manhunt. He needs to do something? Does he leave town?
So the movie goes through his exploits and we see essential flashbacks to parts within the Breaking Bad Series, where we see cameos from Mike, Walt, Todd and a few more. While at this point i want to just state that one thing that i didn't like in the movie was, small attention to detail. Now, this maybe because i have very recently watched the series, but i noticed that Todd (played by Jesse Plemons) had gained a bit of weight. He is appearing in flashbacks, these would be during the final season, and he looks bigger. I know, small detail, but with the precision that Vince Gilligan (Director & Co Writer) had gone to all the way through the boxset, i just thought it was a bit careless and unBreaking Badlike. That said, i did enjoy the way the movie panned out and the action was good, and i think that most Breaking Bad fans will see this as a decent lid on the whole world that this has been playing out over the 5 Seasons of the boxset.
Breaking Bad (2008)
Out Of This World
So it took me years (yes I know, I know), but I have now completed at 62 episodes of this awesome show. I know that I am the last person on the planet to watch this, but if for some reason, you haven't seen it, or if you are bored, nothing on TV. Get this onto a TV set near you.
So back to the start and a quick walk through of the concept. So in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston), a normal standard high school chemistry teacher, has just celebrated his 50th Birthday. Generally this is a joyous and happy time, but mixed in with this, Walt, gets the awful news that he has terminal Cancer days after. His wife Skyler (played by Anna Gunn) is also pregnant with their second child, their first child is Walter White Jr. (played by RJ Mitte) who is a handicapped teenager. This news rocks the family. Walt is lives a normal (boring) life compare to Brother-In-Law Hank Schrader (played by Dean Norris), who is a D.E.A. agent and married to Skyler's sister Marie Schrader (played by Betsy Brandt). Hank invites Walt to come on a sting with him. The sting is a Crystal Meth Lab, while sitting in the car watching the D.E.A. do their jobs, Walt spots someone coming out of the next door neighbours window. This is local Crystal Meth dealer Jesse Pickmann (played by Aaron Paul), a former student of Walt's.
Walt keeps this information from Hank and chooses to go to Jesse's house to discuss the possibilities of using his "skills" as a "chemist" to go into business with Jesse to make money for his family, for after his death, as they are not very well off. The story then continues. You will see ups, downs, further downs, even further downs, a few ups, a lot more downs and a few ups. You will see exactly what i mean. You will hate characters, then love them, the be happy for them, then sorry for them. That is a whole host of characters, not just 1 or 2.
Excellent Cast, Story-line, Script, Director, so on and so forth
Have i told you yet that you should watch this! sure i have somewhere! if you have watched then watch again! it is seriously that good. It has an average of 9.5 on IMDb, which is an amazingly high score. I think that is too low! I have given this a 10!
Hanna (2011)
Baby faced assassin
Well 9 years ago today, this movie hit the cinemas in the UK. The movie is an Action Thriller in-which we see a 15 year old girl called Hanna (played by Saoise Ronan) being trained in the arts of hand to hand combat, in the knowledge that she will one day be "Ready".
So her father Erik (played by Eric Bana), is an ex C.I.A. Agent, that has taken himself off the grid when Hanna was just a baby. He sets up in the wilderness of Finland, where nobody will ever find him or Hanna, and he is able to bring up his daughter and set her on a program. Hanna's program as she grows up is to be able to survive! So Erik teaches Hanna all the skills that she needs to be that trained assassin. One that will one day track and attempt to eliminate Marissa Wiegler (played by Cate Blanchett), who is also a C.I.A. agent. She used to work alongside Erik before Hanna was born. Hanna is aware of the objective and trains hard, becomes fluent in many languages, has great strength, stamina and becomes very intelligent, not only with the arts of combat, but also academically. She is aware of facts and how the world actually works, but without ever seeing another human other that Erik. When Hanna gets home from a hunt, Erik gives here a tracking beacon, which will alert the C.I.A. of their location. Erik says to Hanna "when you are ready, just press this switch and they will come". By them he means the C.I.A. and Marissa in particular. As Hanna is sure she is ready, she flicks the switch! The plan is now active and sure enough "they come".
So why does Erik want Hanna to kill Marissa? Well, as the story unfolds all the secrets of Hanna's mother do come out. Does the innocent looking deadly assassin complete what Erik has trained her for? Why does the C.I.A. want Hanna?
I do like this movie and the concept of the trained teenage assassin works very well. In parts the action is slower, but it needs to be to allow you to take in the story-line and how it is unfolding. In other parts it is much faster, with good fight scenes.