My Old Ass. When the wife told me she wanted to watch this I thought f*ck that it's a coming of age Romantic comedy and I don't think I could suffer another one ,but we were in bed so I had little choice other than sleep. Anyway with the help of Megan Parks disarmingly funny and intelligent direction and the talents of both Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza they managed to distract me from closing my eyes. I actually enjoyed it and laughed and smiled throughout ,although it's a good thing I managed to stave off sleep as the wife cried buckets and to be fair no matter how hardened you feel against sentiment in general , this film is not overly mawkish but it does creep up on the old tear ducts. So be warned it's a tearjerker which employs subtle but encroaching emotion nonetheless. Maisy Stella is absolutely superb throughout and she's backed up ably by the brilliance of imo a sometimes criminally underrated actress in Aubrey Plaza. So if you're looking for a film that you can sit down and watch with you partner ,girlfriend or wife that isn't the f*cking Notebook or Ghost then this is a very good recommendation.
The Substance I loved it a lot. Very campy & fun. It's interesting how the director managed to make the visuals stunning at times & another minute grotesque. Both Demi Moore & Margaret Qualley are brilliant. The story is somewhat predictable & the end a bit stretched, but overall the movie is entertaining. It's almost two & half hours long but never feels like it. Also, there are some really wonderful homages towards Carrie, Psycho, Shinning & ReAnimator.
Gloria [1980] Gena Rowlands is an unlikely and unwilling protector of a kid whose whole family has been murdered by the mob, because his father had been an FBI informer. It's all a bit laboured at times and the direction is a bit hit and miss. Remade in 1999 with Sharon Stone as the eponymous Gloria. 6.8802/10
Cold Pursuit (2019) One of Liam Neeson's best films the story of a father going after a drug cartel after his son dies of a heroin overdose,this had plenty of violence and some humour the final scene is hilarious. 8.5/10.
I loved this movie & its original Norwegian movie. Neeson rightly gets a lot of stick for average actions lately, but once in a while he makes good movies like this or In the Land of Saints & Sinners.
not a big fan of Neeson’s films in general. Most seem to be revenge thrillers and all very samey. I make an exception with this film and darkman, both excellent films imo
The Room Next Door. Picturehouse. 8/10 (if you're an Almodovar fan, otherwise possibly as low as 4.5/10). Missus took me to the pictures last week. We're big Almodovar fans. Have seen lots at the cinema and have a box set of CDs gathering dust under the TV. It's always about women but I didn't fully pick up that this one was about suicide (borderline euthenasia - what is "assisting" ????) as an approach to dealing with cancer and friendships taken to the extreme. This was Almodovar's first English Language film, about a New York journalist ex-war corrspondent, played magnificently by Tilda Swinton, reconnecting with a friend (played by Julianne Moore) after 30 years just as she has to deal with a cancer diagnosis. The journey is tortuous. A Telegraph review described it as "depressingly thin." I lean more to the Time review: "If it's possible to make a joyful movie about death, Almodovar has just done it." Other reviews were irritated by the "unreal" cinematography and slightly stilted way issues are weaved into the plot. I lapped them up as classic Almodovar. Pedro Almodóvar: ‘There should be the possibility to have euthanasia all over the world’ "...The acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar has called for euthanasia to be legalised worldwide. Almodóvar was speaking ahead of the world premiere of his first English language feature, The Room Next Door, which stars Tilda Swinton as a journalist with cancer who decides to end her own life and asks an old friend, played by Julianne Moore, to help. This movie is in favour of euthanasia,” said Almodóvar, 74, at a press conference at the Venice film festival. “It is something we admire about the character of Tilda, she decides that getting rid of cancer can only be done by making the decision she actually makes. ‘If I get there before, cancer will not win over me,’ she says. And so she finds a way to reach her objective with the help of her friend, but they have to behave as if they were criminals.” Spain legalised euthanasia in 2021 and is one of only 11 countries in which any form of assisted dying is legal. In the UK, assisted suicide is punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment, while euthanasia is regarded as either manslaughter or murder. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment. “There should be the possibility to have euthanasia all over the world,” said Almodóvar. “It should be regulated and a doctor should be allowed to help his patient.”........"
Airplane (1980) A genius comedy starring Leslie Nielson that is so un pc you can't help but laugh out loud many times watching this film. 9/10.
I'm all over this, thanks for bringing it to my attention Al as I may have missed this. Like you, I have the box sets and probably like you I have a strong lurve for Penelope...
Saturday Night I have never really enjoyed Saturday Night Live, but I really enjoyed this movie. It's basically a peek into the events leading up to the show's first LIVE broadcast. One & a Half hour's worth of events leading up to the actual show to be precise. It's very frantic, well acted & chaotic in a good way.
Dune II Was interesting enough to hold my attention on a lazy day, but despite some decent set pieces, it's hardly a classic IMO. I've not read the source material, but this doesn't compel me to change that. Better stories have been made into better movies IMO. The only character I really cared what happened to is the one played by Zendaya. 6.5 /10 Is it meant to be a trilogy? or even more?
Megalopolis [2024] Made it 45 minutes into this then turned it off. The cast is impressive but the script isn't, the special effects are decent but the direction isn't. Reminiscent of Nolan's later films, seems about to disappear up its own backside at any moment and full of characters that are implausible and unlikeable. 5.927/10
I'm interested in watching this with a few beers as everything about it seems to be an absolute car crash. Actors warm up lines making it into the final film level of car crash... Watched this a few days ago, it was very very good, would definitely recommend.
I’m surprised you’ve not seen the camp 80s version of this film? It was pretty good for it’s day i really liked the first film, my issue is I’m just not a fan of the ending in the sequel
No never watched it. Wasn't Sting in it? Never got to it as it got panned I believe, as some kind of pantomime with giant desert worms Is the second instalment the end then? Seemed like the story wasn't over.
Yeah sting was in it! It’s the end of this particular story but I believe there are more books/source material that they are planning on making.
Just finished watching it. Didn't expect it to be so good. Very sweet & earnest film. I kinda guessed the twist, but still felt the impact of it, which is a credit to the actors & the filmmaker. Maisy Stella was brilliant.
My Old Ass. Summed up by @Redpelt further up the page and watched because of his review, so I thank you for that, good sir. Lovely, just lovely. 8.111212121/10
