The Iceman. 2012 Michael Shannon and Ray Liotta. True story about a Mafia assassin in the 60's, 70's and 80's who had over 100 kills to his name. No idea how never watched this sooner, absolutely brilliant film.
Primal Fear Enjoyed the movie right up until the end. It's not that the twist was bad, but I think I would have enjoyed it more as a 15 year old who hadn't watched all the movies that I have of Edward Norton. It's one of the reasons why I don't really find Usual Suspects that great. I watched it just few years ago, & wasn't really shocked about the twist in the end, because I had seen it coming (simply because I had watched the main actor's many other movies). This was still a very solid movie.
Poor Things Probably my least favourite Yargos film. I mean it's weird (in a right way), inventive & very daring. Emma Stone deserves her Oscar for completely immersing herself in the role, though I liked Mark Ruffalo more. He is the pick of the actors. I thought it was pretentious at times & I was disappointed that Emma's mental journey was mostly centered around sex. Spoiler I was delighted with the introduction of Martha's character & I thought they would use that opportunity to take Bella's journey/mental growth through other means, but that was short lived with a small visit to the island. They put her into a brothel after that for her to learn new things. I was also uncomfortable by the idea of someone with a child's brain being groomed or used like that. If you like 90s movies, or good court dramas or a light thriller, you will love it.
Dune Part Two [2024] Disappointingly confused 2nd part after I really liked the first film. Even having read the books (20 years ago) a lot of what went on left me mystified. 7.2209/10
I’m obviously a bit slow, I thought Primal Fear was a straight courtroom drama and loved Usual Suspects and didn’t see the twist in that coming either. Same with Sixth Sense as well
Merry Christmas 2024 Yet another solid entry from the master of thrillers. A bit of a slow burner, & a bit weak at the start, but ends well. I don't usually love Bollywood movies, but any movie by this director, Sriram Raghavan, is must, if you like thrillers.
Road House [2024] If anyone thought the characters in the original 1989 film were thinly drawn this one make them look Shakespearean. This lacks the charm and humour of the original, the 'baddies' are even more cartoonish and incompetent, and there's no Kelly Lynch. It struggles for credibility for an hour and then Conor McGregor arrives, surely the only living Irishman who can't do an Irish accent? I watched it all the way through. 6.6601/10
Iron Claw Quite a depressing film. Very good, but depressing. I looked up the real story of the Von Erich family, & the makers actually kept quite a few things out of the movie, including an entire character. Shame that Zac Efron didn't get any love from the awards. He was excellent.
Marathon Man Kinda disjointed & meanders in the beginning. But there are moments, when it's entertaining as a thriller. Laurence Olivier was utterly brilliant, though. Lastly, kudos to Seinfeld for the reference they made to this movie, with that scene with Kramer.
Damsel [2024] Netflix film, tagline is 'This is not a fairytale', but it is. Cracking CGI and a decent cast, but ultimately it's a sword and sorcery tale of kings and queens, princes and princesses, and naturally there's a dragon. 6.227/10
I’ve got to agree unfortunately. I loved the first film and even though I enjoyed part 2, it still felt a bit of a let down. Especially by the ending, which I think was rushed (rather ironic considering the film was nearly 3 hours long) tbh I shouldn’t be surprised. I felt the same way about the original and much preferred part 1 I actually really enjoyed this but I am a bit of a sucker for these old fairly stories with a twist on the original. I liked the twist in this film, I thought it worked really well
Dune part 2 Liked the first film, Loved the second one. Timothy Chalamet is a damn good actor I've gotta say and the supporting cast is brilliant too especially the new additions Florence Pugh & Austin Butler. My one small gripe. Spoiler I am not familiar with the source material but with the Harkonens gone now who is the big bad I don't get it? Oh also couldn't understand Javier Bardem for most of the movie but it's Javier Bardem so will give him a pass. 9.2/10
Spoiler didn't it end with Paul and his gang being in a stand off with the other houses? Guess that'll be the battle
Spoiler Oh yeah not actually met any of them yet though they should have introduced them already surely
Don't Look Now It was on my watchlist for years, because it always featured on most horror lists. Well, after watching it, I can say with confidence, it is no horror flick. A psychological drama or thriller (if I am pushing it), then yes. It's engaging despite its slow pace, because of the excellent performances, especially by Hillary Mason & Ann Rye who play the two old British sisters. The end & its meaning is rewarding, & the much talked about controversial sex scene does feel real. Overall it's a decent flick, but I find the fawning over it by so many a little surprising. Dressed to Kill It's one of the few Brian De Palma movies that I hadn't watched. As most De Palma movies it's beautifully shot, engaging & a bit campy (in a good way). It's basically a 80s version of Psycho, but still enjoyable. Pino Donaggio creates yet another beautiful OST for this. The Night Stalker 70's Vampire TV movie, which apparently led to a sequel (which I intend to watch next) & a series with the lead. Quite a simple story but done well. The end elevates the whole movie from being just another flick to a good flick.
