Everyone has their own favourites, everyone will tell you what it is about this movie or that one, that they so admired that they just had to include it on their Top 10 favourites. So of course, I’m going to add my 2 cents worth and share my current favourites. And yes, I say current, as tomorrow, or next week, or even next year, I just might watch another knockout SF movie that blows me away and, yep, nudges out an old fav, to take its rightful place on my list.
This movie was one long testosterone fuelled promo advert for the US Army Rangers, what with all the machismo and chest thumping, gruff voices, and lone-wolf attitudes. Over baked and undercooked, this one lacked enough ingredients to make it thoughtful, or interesting. Lots of big bangs and explosions and not much else.
Three lifelong friends reunite after the death of an old classmate turns a wake into a dark mystery. They embark on a thrilling adventure across Ireland, piecing together enigmatic truths amid complicated lives. We started watching the absolutely crazy Irish dramady, How To Get To Heaven From Belfast written by the team that brought you Derry Girls, and, in between the wonderfully twisted storyline, machine-gun delivered dialogue, and hilarious stunts, we were rolling around on the couch in stitches.
If you haven’t seen it yet, then I’m here to tell you, get thee hence and go watch the new German spy thriller, Unfamiliar on Netflix. Because it’s one of the best things I’ve seen this year (yeah, okay, we’re only in the middle of February, but the statement is still true.) We literally inhaled three episodes a night for the last couple of nights caught up in the guessing game of who, what, where, and why.
We decided to catch up on one or two shows, on Netflix last night, and chose the movie, Troll (no, not the kiddies animated version). And, I have to say, I’m glad we went with a silly fantasy because, it was ridiculously good fun. Putting aside whether we believe in trolls or not. It doesn’t matter. They gave their existence plausibility in this amusing Norwegian romp through the countryside. Genuine and heartfelt in places, whimsical in others, it was all the scifi references and throw away lines that made this all the more enjoyable.
We watched the last couple of episodes of Harlan Coben’s latest mini series, Run Away, on Netflix last night. And, well, what can I say? What seemed like a great premise and a story ripped straight from the news headlines, this one came across as convoluted rather than clever and muddled rather than twisted. Both of us kind of guessed early on certain key plot points even before the so-called great reveal at the end.
Well, I don’t care what anyone else says, we watched Borderlands on DVD last night and, I have to say, it was pure unadulterated fun. I should also add noisy, colourful, crazy, madcap, seriously demented fun. Kudos to both Kate Blanchet and Jamie Lee Curtis for knocking it out of the ballpark. Seriously, Jamie Lee gets better every film I see her in. Also, Kate was excellent as Lilith, she nailed the character.
We watched the torturous last episode of season 4 of Stranger Things last night which left me asking a number of questions. Like, “Why the hell did I put myself through watching several overly long episodes bulked out with so. much. filler?” And … “Do I really want to watch season 5 based on my viewing experience of season 4?” And … the answer is, no, maybe, I don’t know. Honestly.
I’ve persisted with The Abandons despite being triggered in the first episode and then, taking a over a week before watching the next episode. Why did I come back to it? I’m not sure other than being intrigued to see where a show (and a western at that) starring not one but two female leads, goes. The main event and catalyst in the first episode put me off wanting to watch more.
At nearly two and a half hours long, this third instalment of the Knives Out franchise, Wake Up Dead Man, was 45 minutes too long. At least, in my humble opinion. I started to watch this Saturday night and, got as far as Msgr. Wick' confession to Father Jud outside the church, and gave up due to the trite and childish need to appeal to an audience of 12 year old boys.
This run of the mill gangster flick on Netflix was made all the more enjoyable by performances from Pierce Brosnan, James Caan, and Morena Baccarin. However, stealing the show in the single scene she was in, Sharon Gless as the foulmouthed mother in law, got some of the best throw away lines going I’ve heard in a long time. If you’ve got nothing better to watch, grab some popcorn, suspend your sense of disbelief, and just enjoy the stunts.
Of all the Star Wars iterations I have seen so far, this one was the weakest. From the very first episode Obi-Wan known as Ben, because, you know, he’s in hiding, was a moaning old fisher woman from start to finish. He. Never. Stopped. Complaining. Obi-Wan’s failings aside, it was fun to get some of the backstory to Leia, and see her as a plucky 10-year old besting dear ‘Ol Ben and getting them both in and out of trouble.
Last night looking for something to watch on Netflix, I went surfing movie options and came across one simply titled LOU. The write up wasn’t much to go on, but when I saw that it starred Allison Janney (CJ from the West Wing) I knew I wanted to watch it no matter what it was about. Turns out this was as much an action thriller as it was about retired spies and so much more.
Death by Lightning? More like death by boredom, slowly … excruciatingly slowly. I watched the first two episodes expecting it to start off somewhat slowly as they introduce the characters but, by the end of episode 2, I was beginning to wonder just how I would survive not throttling Charles ‘Charlie’ Guiteau or shooting James A. Garfield myself. Neither a sympathetic character in any way shape or form. Guiteau being portrayed as a manic lunatic who, quite frankly, is so unbelievable as to make me question any historical accuracy.
I’m not sure what I was expecting but what I got was definitely not what I was expecting. Some people have called this clever and quirky. Some have even raved about it. Me? I would say it’s a little far along the weird scale to struggle past the first two introductory episodes. There was nothing of substance to grab my attention, even for quirky. And I certainly didn’t care for the lead character, the most miserable person on the planet apparently, played by Rhea Seehorn.
Watched the first two episodes of Down Cemetery Road starring Emma Thompson and, well, (possibly unpopular opinion here) I felt decidedly underwhelmed, never mind irritated by the drab, neurotic characters. Do they all have to be the same? I mean, it’s all very blah, blah bland. Worse, Emma Thompson looks positively bored delivering snark at every possible juncture. And can they please stop casting Adeel Akhtar as the bumbling fool in every TV thriller.
I struggled to finish the first episode of Chief of War starring Jason Momoa, last night. It was ultra violent in places to the point of showing us visceral disembowelment and people having the skulls smashed in. You know what, there’s historical accuracy, then there’s historical accuracy. This is not a show I will be finishing anytime soon.
I had such high expectations for season 3 of The Diplomat given how season 2 ended (on a cliffhanger). But, have to say, all the usual snark and drama has been overshadowed by way too much sex. This season has turned into a very bad British sex-farce worthy of a Benny Hill episode. I mean, I understand that having sexual tension between certain characters is a must these days, and can really change up a show.
It took me a long while to get into this one. I have to say that, after the first episode I was ready to abaondon it and, well, actually, I did in that my Apple subscription ran out and I waited till just last week to renew it. Maybe the break was just what I needed because we’ve just binge watched the rest of the season. And, well — I loved it.
A House of Dynamite is a chilling film by Kathryn Bigelow that explores the terrifying scenario of a rogue nation launching a nuclear strike on the U.S. and the critical moments that follow. Scarily accurate, authentic, and chilling to the bone, A House of Dynamite is Kathryn Bigelow’s peek inside just how it might all go down when a rogue nation decides to try its luck, and fires a nuclear warhead on the continental US, giving everyone just 20 minutes to decide if it’s real, and if so, how to respond before the shit hits the fan.