First Time Viewings: February 2022
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- DirectorGurinder ChadhaStarsBilly BarrattRonak Singh Chadha BergesViveik KalraIn England in 1987, a teenager from an Asian family learns to live his life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of American rock star Bruce Springsteen.Viewed: 02-02-2022
Joyous coming-of-age tale of a British-born Pakistani high school student (played wonderfully by Viveik Kalra) who discovers Bruce Springsteen. His lyrics and music helps guide him through his difficult teenage years. There are several rapturous musical scenes centered around Springsteen's songs, which if you weren't a fan of his music, surely you would be after watching this. It is a by-the-numbers feel-good film if you break it down but what's wrong with that when it makes you feel this good?
8/10 - DirectorRupert GooldStarsRenée ZellwegerJessie BuckleyFinn WittrockLegendary performer Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.Viewed: 03-02-22
Renee Zellweger gives an amazing performance as Judy Garland in this otherwise standard biopic. The film mostly deals with Judy's later life when she decides to perform some shows in London to make some money and clear some debts. To think of Garland ever being broke is astounding, one of the most well-known and talented actresses to have ever lived. There are flashbacks to a younger Judy and how the Hollywood system practically destroyed her. Her story is certainly one of the saddest and while this film isn't up there is some of the best biopics it still does a fine job with the story it tells.
7/10 - DirectorMaggie GyllenhaalStarsOlivia ColmanJessie BuckleyDakota JohnsonA woman's beach vacation takes a dark turn when she begins to confront the troubles of her past.Viewed: 03-02-22
Beautifully complex and intriguing debut feature from Maggie Gyllenhaal. Olivia Coleman gives a commanding performance as Leda who is at times frustratingly unrelatable but is always fascinating to watch. She is on a vacation on a Greek island when a large and loud family turn up for their annual vacation. She manages to get involved with the family, more specifically a young mother (played by Dakota Johnson) which sets off memories of her own. In the flashbacks the young Leda is played by Jessie Buckley who is also excellent.
Everything about this film is superb. The direction from Gyllenhaal is A-grade and you'd swear she'd been making films for decades. This is a very confident debut that's for sure. Also I really loved the musical score by Dickon Hinchliffe which adds a lot of feeling to what we're watching. The locations are beautiful too. This film simply enraptured me from start to finish.
9/10 - 20228 epsTV-MA6.4 (54K)TV Mini SeriesCreatorHugh DavidsonLarry DorfRachel RamrasStarsKristen BellTom RileyMary HollandWhen a handsome neighbor moves in across the street, Anna, a heartbroken woman for whom every day is the same, starts to see a light at the end of the tunnel; that is, until she witnesses a gruesome murder. Or did she?Finished Viewing: 04-02-22
I didn't know anything about this but I like Kristen Bell so I thought I'd watch it. At first I actually thought this was meant to be a serious show but I quickly realised that was not the case. The preposterous title should have been a dead giveaway. Kristen Bell plays a woman who is having a rough patch in her life, her daughter died and her marriage fell apart quickly afterward. A new hunky neighbour moves in across the street and she is immediately attracted to him. They meet, they have dinner and there seems to be some sparks. Then the next day she finds out he actually has a girlfriend. Later on she sees the girlfriend in the their window bleeding to death. Who did it? Or with all the pills and wine she devours did she actually see anything at all? That's the premise.
Everyone in this show plays everything deadly serious which just makes it funnier and funnier. The sheer ridiculousness of how her daughter died, while being horrific, is completely hilarious in it's exaggerated and highly unlikely way. This has some very dark humour as you might be able to tell so it's not recommended if that's not your thing. Some might say it drags on too long with its 8 episodes but I thoroughly enjoyed watching Bell throughout and trying to figure out the mystery with her. The payoff at the end is so worth it too. There may even be a season 2 with a whole new mystery but we will have to wait and see.
8/10 - DirectorWes AndersonStarsBenicio Del ToroAdrien BrodyTilda SwintonA love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional twentieth century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch Magazine".Viewed: 05-02-22
Wes Anderson's new film once again has an impressive cast list including Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, Benicio Del Toro, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet and Adrian Brody among many others. Many wonderful actors and many wonderful characters they play. This film is basically broken down into five chapters, the first and last are just bookends so there's really three short stories to make up the bulk.
The French Dispatch is a magazine that is doing one final issue after the founder dies. The three stories are different articles in the magazine. The first one is about an artistic prisoner and is probably my favourite of the three. Del Toro, Seydoux, Brody and Swinton are the stars of this one and they are all magnificent as you'd expect. The next two stories are a step down from the first but are still very entertaining, there's even an animated sequence which is pretty cool. I mean, how can you not be entertained by a Wes Anderson film? I'll admit this feels like a lesser Anderson film, but his benchmark is very high so that's not really a complaint. A lesser Anderson film is still better than most can accomplish.
8/10 - DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsDaniel CraigAna de ArmasRami MalekJames Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.Viewed: 05-02-22
Daniel Craig's final Bond film certainly goes out with a bang. It's not the best of the five he's done, and it's not the worst, but even the worst one (Quantum of Solace) is still pretty good. Like with most (if not all) Bond films there's action aplenty and a good dose of humour and globe trotting. This one also hits the emotions hard toward the end as well but I won't say any more about that.
All of Craig's films seem to carry on somewhat from the previous film, especially this one seems to be a direct sequel to previous outing Spectre. In the past, Bond films have generally been stand-alone films where the slate is clean from the start but this is not the case at all with this one. Saying that, you could still watch this one without seeing the previous films. This is also the longest running Bond film at 163 minutes but I personally found it to fly past pretty quick. The action is exciting, Daniel Craig is wonderfully charismatic and the all of the supporting characters are rather good too. The villain (played by Rami Malek) is rather weak though, and is easily forgettable. Still, this is a high octane, highly enjoyable piece of entertainment. I'm genuinely curious as to how they will reboot this series now that Daniel Craig has left the building.
8/10 - DirectorMark RobsonStarsLana TurnerLee PhilipsLloyd NolanA peaceful New England town hides secrets and scandals.Viewed: 06-02-22
The melodramatic soap opera of all melodramatic soap operas. This one has it all, rape, murder, suicide, abortion and even some implied skinny dipping. This film is about hypocritical and immoral goings-on behind closed doors of a small town in the early 1940's (though it looks like it set in the 50's when the film was actually made). The high school students who are soon to be graduating and becoming young adults are stifled by their parents. Sex is completely taboo and should not be discussed, what can go wrong with that view?
Obviously this film is a time and place which doesn't exist like this anymore, but many of the issues brought up do still shockingly exist and will likely always exist because, well, there are plenty of rotten people out there unfortunately. This film would've and should've opened many eyes back in the 50's as these issues weren't openly discussed in mainstream movies. So kudos for this film bringing important issues to light and pushing boundaries of what can be spoken about in the movies.
Now about the actual movie, it's a bit corny at times because it wouldn't be a soap opera if it wasn't and it paved the way for a lot of awful daytime television shows but it has a lot of positives as well. The ensemble cast is very good with five acting Oscar nominations coming from this film and it looks great as well. The script, while being somewhat overbearingly melodramatic at times, is also very cleverly written. It could have easily become as bad as those shows it influenced but the script stays on target and keeps things feeling real without going too overboard.
7/10 - CreatorJohn HoffmanSteve MartinStarsSteve MartinMartin ShortSelena GomezThree strangers - who live in the same New York City apartment building and share an obsession with true crime - suddenly find themselves embroiled in a murder.Finished Viewing (Season 1): 08-02-22
So there's been a suicide in the building but something just doesn't seem right. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez team up to solve the mystery as they believe it's a murder. This series is a rollercoaster ride of fun and mystery. There's also a few guest stars such as Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan and Sting to add to the entertainment as well. I can't wait for season 2.
9/10 - DirectorJared BushByron HowardCharise Castro SmithStarsStephanie BeatrizMaría Cecilia BoteroJohn LeguizamoA Colombian teenage girl has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers.Viewed: 09-02-22
This Disney film looks vibrant, is occasionally funny and I think it has a good message though it feels a little muddled, but I just didn't feel it. The story is about a magical village where everyone has some kind of magical gift, except for the film's lead character Mirabel (voiced by Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Stephanie Beatriz). It's a nice film, and I did like it but when the end credits rolled it all just felt a little too meh.
6/10 - DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansMark RuffaloWhen Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.Viewed: 11-02-22
The second Avengers film has the team assembling to stop an A.I. that Tony Stark carelessly created. I've seen the first and third Avengers' films but it has taken me a while to get around to watching the second one. While I enjoy the Marvel films, I wouldn't call myself a fan. They are a wall of special effects and they produce a numbing sensation after a while. This one is no different, but like the others this is also quite entertaining for large portions.
The A.I. creature is voiced by James Spader and that's one of the best things about this film, Spader's voice is so perfect for this role. All of the characters are enjoyable to watch and that's what keeps the film watchable when the frequent mind-numbing action won't let up. I feel like I can pretty much just copy and paste my reviews for the Marvel films as I feel about the same about this one as all of the other ones I've seen. I honestly liked this film more than I thought I would though. There's plenty of humour and some really nice touches throughout that I can deal with the incessant wall of special effects.
7/10 - DirectorPaul Michael GlaserStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerMaria Conchita AlonsoYaphet KottoIn a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.Viewed: 13-02-22
80's action sci-fi set in a dystopian world in the late 2010's. There's a television game show called "The Running Man" where they set a prisoner free only to be hunted down by gladiator-like "stalkers". If the prisoner wins they are set free for real. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a cop who is framed for killing unarmed civilians and then ends up on the deadly game show. Richard Dawson is especially good as the game show host. This film is based on a Stephen King novel but it's apparently very different from the novel, though I have yet to read it.
This film is a trash-fest with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek. There are many cheesy one-liners and seeing Arnie in a colourful jumpsuit is something else. This film is simply stupid fun and has its merits viewing it as such. Dawson's game show host certainly elevates this film above what it probably deserves. On a side note, I have read that another adaptation of the King novel which will actually closely follow the novel (unlike this film) is in the works which I am looking forward to. I mean I thoroughly enjoyed this version but I feel like there's definitely a better version out there to be made.
7/10 - DirectorMartin DavidsonStarsTom BerengerMichael ParéJoe PantolianoA television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album.Viewed: 14-02-22
The story goes that a rock and roll band from the 60's are about to become the next big thing and then the lead singer (Michael Pare) drives his car off a bridge and is presumed dead as his body was never found. Twenty years later there's a revival for their music and a TV reporter (Ellen Barkin) decides to do some digging into what happened that lead up to singer's car crash and also a missing second album that was made but never released. Tom Berenger plays the main character who was in the band as the lyricist and keyboardist and we see flashbacks from his perspective.
This movie runs just over 1.5 hours and I feel it's too short. Not because I loved it and wanted more but because the film needed more for me to love it. Pare's character seems to be a very interesting person but he's made out to be one-dimensional, they really needed to flesh him out so we know what makes him tick and for us to really care about investing our time into the film. Also Barkin could have used some more screen time. She gets the whole ball rolling and then only pops up here and there but I would've liked to see more from her too. I also have issues with the last ten minutes or so. The resolutions are so unlikely and unsatisfying.
However, even with those negatives, I really liked this film. It's a really interesting concept even if it isn't as strongly written as it could have been. The music by John Cafferty is really solid and the musical performances in the film are great to watch. Overall it's quite enjoyable, it just should have been better.
7/10 - DirectorJean-Claude LordStarsMichael ParéMarina OrsiniBernie CoulsonA Montreal construction worker joins a band and turns out to be a long-lost rock star from 1960s New Jersey - none other than Eddie Wilson, who mysteriously disappeared after a road accident.Viewed: 15-2-22
So Eddie does indeed live. He lives as a construction worker as "Joe West". This film follows him around sulking about how his music from his past life is now massively popular. This would be ok if we got even slightest insight into his character and what made him tick but the movie offers no such explanation. He's just an angry living breathing stereotype with no depth whatsoever. The character of Eddie Wilson has so much potential to create a deep character study and I think this film actually thinks that what it is, but alas, it is shallow and features cliches around every corner.
There are some positives though. Again the music is pretty solid, if not as good as the first film and the scenes involving the music (of which there are many) are pretty entertaining. Again this film suffers, like the first, from a terrible screenplay but the music is enough to make this film watchable... just.
5/10 - DirectorLindsay AndersonStarsBette DavisLillian GishVincent PriceTwo aged sisters reflect on life and the past during a late summer day in Maine.Viewed: 16-02-22
Slight but hugely enjoyable touching drama about two sisters who are well into their old-age who are vacationing at their seaside holiday house. The sisters are played by two legends of cinema in Bette Davis (in her penultimate film) and Lillian Gish (in her swan song). Gish plays the older, kind and caring sister who still looks to the future while Davis plays the younger but cold and harsh sister who seems to biding her time for death to take her, but neither are one-dimensional stereotypes, they both have a real depth.
Ann Sothern (also in her final performance) plays the bubbly neighbour who also grew up with the sisters. Then there's Vincent Price who gives a brilliant performance as a former Russian aristocrat who now relies on the kindness of others to get by in life, and he repays them in kind. How he didn't sweep every supporting actor award of the season is beyond me, it is a truly remarkable and poignant performance.
The film revolves around one summer day, that on the surface nothing much seems to happen but these characters are so wonderfully written (by David Berry based on his own play) that they bring a real profundity and beauty to the film. It's simple but it's very difficult to make it work so well because there are no gimmicks, action or melodrama to rely on. This is pure and honest filmmaking at a very high level.
9/10 - DirectorChris NoonanStarsJack ThompsonHelen O'ConnorMary HaireIn 1937, a routine passenger and mail flight crashes during bad weather on a flight between Brisbane and Sydney. A local bushman begins a search, and finds the wreckage and two survivors ten days after the crash.Viewed: 20-02-22
Solid TV movie based on one of the most well known plane crashes in Australian aviation history. After the rescue teams go searching in the wrong area for a plane that's disappeared and all hope of finding it has been given up, a bushman who runs a guest house in the mountain range under the plane route (That is far north of the search area) has an inkling the plane may have crashed somewhere in that range and goes looking for it.
Jack Thompson plays real life bushman Bernard O'Reilly and is excellent in the role. The harmonica driven score is quite unique and terrific as well. The screenplay features some
great Aussie humour and isn't littered with cliches like a lot of other TV movies. There's a lot of great scenery to add to the other highlights too. All in all, one of the stronger made-for-TV films I've seen.
8/10 - DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogKatia KrafftMaurice KrafftAn exploration of active volcanoes around the world.Viewed: 20-02-22
Wonderful documentary from the iconic Werner Herzog. The film is about some of the world's active volcanoes and includes some stunning photography. Herzog also manages to go off on little tangents throughout which may not appeal to some but I found these detours most entertaining. There's a fascinating section that delves into the history of North Korea and another moment of finding fossilized human remains. These tangents are somewhat distracting to the central subject for sure but Herzog has earnt the right to do what he wants.
8/10