Spy

 

Spy 2015

• Director: Paul Feig
• Seen by this director: The Heat
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Jason Stratham, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Melissa McCarthy – The Heat, The Life of David Gale, White Oleander
• Rose Byrne – X-Men, I Give It a Year, The Place Beyond the Pines28 Weeks Later, The Dead Girl, Sunshine
• Jude Law – many
• Allison Janney - many
• Why? Might be fun. Jude Law’s presence doesn’t hurt.
• Seen: 27 April 2024 

       Is Jude Law the next James Bond (fine by me…). Um, probably not but he does a lovely parody. Oh, I get it. The whole film is a parody. Overweight, lovelorn, desk-bound CIA agent Susan (McCarthy) finds herself against all odds in the field in Paris to catch the bad guy – bad gal actually – who has a nuke and plans to sell it to an even badder guy.

       It’s funny. I like McCarthy and the others are good too. A feminist spoof of 007 – what’s not to like?      

4* of 5   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Woman King

 

The Woman King 2022

• Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Seen by this director: Beyond the Lights, The Secret Life of Bees
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Jordan Bolger
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Viola Davis – Widows, Fences, Suicide Squad, Get on Up, Prisoners, Beautiful Creatures, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Disturbia, Solaris, Antwone Fisher, Far from Heaven, Kate and Leopold
• Why? Viola David and the subject
• Seen: 26 April 2024 

       It’s been called an epic film and compared to Braveheart which a pity because I think Braveheart is one of the worst films ever made. This one is absolutely not. Despite its flaws it’s a powerful film about the African nation Dahomey and its army of women warriors who fought against black and white slave traders. It is no doubt romanticised but it still offers a glimpse into African history seldom seen in films (or anywhere).  The acting is strong and the characters diverse enough to capture our sympathy.

       Better that expected.      

4* of 5   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red State

Red State 2011

• Director: Kevin Smith
• Seen by this director: Dogma
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Michael Parks – Django Unchained, Argo, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Kill Bill 1&2
• Melissa Leo – Snowden, London Has Fallen, Oblivion, The Space Between, Welcome to the Rileys, Veronica Decides to Die, Frozen River, Homicide Life on the Streets, The Ballad of Little Joe
• John Goodman - many
• Why? Possibly Good
• Seen: 25 April 2024 

       Three horny boys are lured with the promise of group sex into a fanatical Christian sect.  The local cops find out about it and a vicious gun battle breaks out.

       I’d like to say that it’s unrealistic and exaggerated but knowing what’s going on in the US with the right-wing gun-crazy Christians these days, I can’t.

       As a film it’s quite exciting with decent actors who do OK with the two-dimensional characters. It doesn’t really go anywhere though. 

2½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mama

 

Mama 2013

• Director: Andy Muschietti
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Jessica Chastain – X Men, Molly’s Game, The Martian, Interstellar, The Help, The Tree of Life, Coriolanus, Take Shelter, Jolene
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Game of Thrones, Oblivion, Kingdom of Heaven
• Why? Possibly interesting
• Seen: 22 April 2024 

       Lucas (Coster-Waldau) and his rock musician girlfriend Annabelle (Chastain) take in his nieces who have been missing for five years. To survive, the girls have invented an imaginary carer they call ‘Mama’.

       How imaginary is she?

       It’s quite spooky, Chastain is good, the ghostiness is plausible and it’s a handsome production.

       One of the better ghost films I’ve seen.      

3½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graffiti Bridge

 

Graffiti Bridge 1990

• Director: Prince
• Seen by this director: Under the Cherry Moon
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Prince, Morris Day, Ingrid Chavez
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Prince – Purple Rain, Under the Cherry Moon
• Morris Day – Purple Rain
• Why? Prince
• Seen: 21 April 2024 

       Prince was gorgeous, there’s no question about that, and he was a musical genius. I saw him in concert in Stockholm once upon a time. Very cool.

       According to some reports (I just read Sinead O’Connor’s Remembering), he wasn’t such a cool person.

       This film? Some kind of rivalry between greedy commercial club owner Morris Day (Day) and spiritual godly club owner Kid (Prince).  Non-story, horrible script, horrible acting.

       Prince, you may be not always be cool but you’re usually better than this. You should have stopped with Purple Rain or even Under the Cherry Moon, which I actually liked, unlike almost everybody else.

       Because he really is a cutie and there are snippets of good music:      

1 ½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Inheritance (Arvet)

 

The Inheritance (Arvet) 2003

• Director: Per Fly
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Lisa Werlinder, Ghita Nörby, Karina Skands, Lars Brygmann
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Ulrich Thomsen – Mortdecai, Fringe, Kingddom of Heaven, The World Is Not Enough
• Why? Danish. Good reviews.
• Seen: 20 April 2024 

       Christoffer (Thomsen) has gone against his family’s wishes and rejected leadership of its steel factories. He lives with his wife Maria (Werlinder), a rising star in Stockholm’s theatre world, and owns a high-class restaurant.

       When his father commits suicide he goes against Maria’s wishes and takes over the business which is deep in debt. She gives up a theatre contract and moves to Denmark with him.

       Good acting and all that but rich family intrigues, capitalist quibbles, hunting parties – it’s very hard to care. By the end I actively dislike the characters and the film.

       I guess all Danish films aren’t good.      

1 ½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pan

 

Pan 2015

• Director: Joe Wright
• Seen by this director: Darkest Hour, The Soloist, Hanna, Atonement, Pride and Prejudice
• Based on the characters by J M Barrie
• Cast: Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Adeel Akhtar, Kathy Burke
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Hugh Jackman – Many
• Garrett Hedlund – Inside Llewyn Davis
• Rooney Mara – Women Talking, Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot, Social Network
• Adeel Akhtar – The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Victoria & Abdul, Unforgotten, The Night Manager, River, Utopia
• Kathy Burke – Absolutely Fabulous the Movie, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky, Happiness, Once upon a Time in the Midlands, Elizabeth, Nil by Mouth, Absolutely Fabulous, Sid and Nancy
• Why? The cast
• Seen: 19 April 2024 

       Peter (Miller) is left at an orphanage as an infant. Ten years later, during the WWII Blitz, he is kidnapped by Black Beard (Jackman) and off he goes in a pirate ship to Neverland.

       The film got very mixed reviews. No one loved it, some liked it it, some hated it. I’m one of the likers. Some hated the flirting with other films, for example Indiana Jones and Moulin Rouge, and the use of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, but that’s all part of the fun. The cast, as expected, is good. If you don’t think the Peter Pan story is sacred and shouldn’t have a prequel, and if you just want an entertaining film, ignore the whingers and see it.      

3 ½ * of 5