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  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Good Things

 

All Good Things 2010

• Director: Andrew Jarecki
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Ryan Gosling – Many
• Kirsten Dunst – Many
• Frank Langella – Many
• Why? Ryan Gosling
• Seen: 17 April 2024 

       David (Gosling) is the oldest son of a very rich real estate New Yorker (Langella) who wants him to follow the same career path. Instead, David marries working class Katie (Dunst) and they move to Vermont to run a health food store. They’re happy but his father’s pressure breaks his resistance. He returns to NY in a suit and tie. His mental condition – already unstable since childhood when he witnessed his mother’s suicide – deteriorates as does his marriage to Katie.

       The story is told in flashbacks from the 70s and onwards in the framework of a trial, and it’s based on true events. It’s grim but well-acted and suspenseful, though it lags in the second half.

      3½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Night Watch

 

The Night Watch 2011

• Director: Richard Laxton
• Seen by this director: River, Fortitude
• Based on the book by Sarah Waters
• Cast: Claire Foy, Jodie Whittaker, Anna Maxwell Martin
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Claire Foy – Women Talking, The Electrical Life of Louise Wain, First Man, Breathe,  The Lady in the Van, Wolf Hall, Being Human
• Jodie Whittaker – many, especially Doctor Who
• Anna Maxwell Martin – Line of Duty, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Bletchley Circle, Philomena, South Riding, Becoming Jane, Doctor Who
• Why?  Jodie Whittaker
• Seen: 15 April 2024 

       Told backwards in three episodes – 1947, 1944, and 1941. The acting is excellent, the scenography quite beautiful but the characters and stories are shallow and trite. Waste of good talent. 

2 ½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nanny McPhee

 

Nanny McPhee 2005

• Director: Kirk Jones
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and every other actor in Great Britain.
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• All of them, many times
• Why? I like it.
• Seen: Once before. Now 13 April 2024 

       A widower’s seven horrible kids scare away one nanny after another, trying to get their father’s attention. Enter Nanny McPhee.

       Ever so much more fun than sweet singing Mary Poppins.

       Emma Thompson can do anything and do it brilliantly. The whole cast makes this overworked story work beautifully.

       It’s just what I need this evening.      

4* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proxima

 

Proxima 2019

• Director: Alice Winocour
• Based on the book: No
• Cast: Eva Green, Zélie Boulant, Matt Dillon, Aleksey Fateev, Lars Eidinger, Sandra Hüller
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Eva Green – Euphoria, Miss Pergrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Dark Shadows, Perfect Sense, The Golden Compass, Casino Royale
• Matt Dillon – Crash, Beautiful Girls, Rumble Fish
• Lars Eidinger – High Life, Clouds over Sils Maria
• Why? Possibly interesting.
• Seen: 12 April 2024 

       Engineer Sara (Green) has been chosen for the last space mission before sending people to Mars. She will be gone a year. Her little daughter (Boulant) will be living with Sara’s ex, the girl’s father (Eidinger).

       It’s not an action film, it’s all about the preparations for the flight and Sara’s relationship with her daughter. While it’s a worthy portrayal of the problems of working mothers being gone a long time, as a film it just doesn’t make a big splash. I can’t help but think, ‘I guess guy astronauts don’t have kids, huh?’

       Towards the end when Sara breaks quarantine to be with her daughter the film loses all credibility and essentially destroys the premise of a professional, scientific, serious astronaut.      

2* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Sheep

 

Black Sheep 2006

• Director: Jonathan King
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Oliver Driver, Nathan Meister, Tammy Davis, Matthew Chamberlain, Danielle Mason, Peter Feeney, Tandi Wright
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them.
• Why? New Zealand
• Seen: 11 April 2024 

       Killer zombie sheep. Need I say more?

       If you love sheep and think films about killer zombie sheep are immoral, evil, politically despicable then the rating would no doubt be      

0* of 5   

       If on the other hand you’ve a fondness for zombies and parodies, the rating might even be as high as 

2 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reign over Me

 

Reign over Me 2007

• Director: Mike Binder
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Don Cheadle, Adam Sandler, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Don Cheadle – Many.
• Adam Sandler – The Wedding Singer
• Jada Pinkett Smith – Matrix etc
• Liv Tyler – Many.
• Donald Sutherland – Many.
• Why? Don Cheadle
• Seen: 10 April 2024 

       Alan (Cheadle) is a well-to-do dentist with a family and beautiful apartment but he is not happy. He runs into his roommate from dental school Charlie (Sandler) who is a wreck because he lost his family in 9/11.

       Sandler looks like a young Bob Dylan. I like Cheadle a lot but not his character here. The story is lame without any of the emotional impact one would expect.

       The music is good – the Pretenders, Bruce Springsteen – which raises it ½ *      

2 ½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Departmetnt Q - Journal 64

 

Department Q: Journal 64 (2018)

• Director: Christoffer Boe
• Based on the book by Jussi Adler-Olsen
• Cast: Nikolai Lie-Kaas, Fares Fares, Johanne Louise Schmidt
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Nikolai Lie-Kaas – The Whistleblower, Flaskpost från P, Fasanjägare, Kvinnan i rummet
• Fares Fares – Chernobyl, Rogue One, Jalla jalla, Flaskpost från P, Fasanjägare, Kvinnan i rummet
• Johanne Louise Schmidt – Fasanjägarna, Flaskpost från P
• Why? The first three.
• Seen: 8 April 2024 

       Department Q takes over the case of mummified corpses found in a wall behind a flat in Copenhagen. It’s all connected to a home for ‘fallen women’ in the 60s.

       Twists, suspense, emotions. This is best of the four.      

5* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freedom Road

 

Freedom Road 1979

• Director: Jan Kadar
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Muhammad Ali, Kris Kristofferson, Alfre Woodard
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Kris Kristofferson – He’s Just Not That Into You, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
• Alfre Woodard - 12 Years a Slave, Black Panther, American Violet, Down in the Delta, Bopha
• Why? Muhammad Ali
• Seen: 7April 2024 

       Reviews warned me that Muhammad Ali can’t act. Kris Kristofferson is not my favourite. But the subject, the Reconstruction period after the American Civil War, interests me.

       Ali plays a former slave, one of the first black men to be elected to the US Senate, and a defender of the property of ex-slaves and poor whites. Among their enemies is the Ku Klux Klan.

       It’s good enough to watch but nor much more. Ali’s acting is as good as anyone else’s here. It’s the story behind the clumsy script, the mostly amateurish drama and the irritating music that gives it

 2 ½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Argo

 

Argo 2012

• Director: Ben Affleck
• Based on the book by Howard Fast
• Cast: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Ben Affleck – Gone Girl, He’s Just Not That Into You, Daredevil, Dogma, Shakespeare in Love, Armageddon, Good Will Hunting  
• Bryan Cranston – mainly Breaking Bad
• John Goodman - many
• Alan Arkin – many
• Clea DuVall – Jacklie & Ryan, 21 Grams, Ghosts of Mars, Girl Interrupted, The Astronaut’s Wife, A Slipping-Down Life, Life During Wartime
• Scoot McNairy - Once upon a Time in Hollywood, Black Sea, Gone Girl, 12 Years a Slave, Six Feet Under, In Search of a Midnight Kiss
• Why? Good reviews
• Seen: 6 April 2024 

       In 1979 the US embassy is stormed by Khomeini revolutionaries and a lot of people are taken hostage. A very hot conflict, a lot of enflamed patriotism and bad guys on both sides.

       Six Americans escape from the embassy and hide out in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Ben Affleck is the super-spy who is going to get them out by pretending to produce a movie in Teheran. True story, sort of.

       This won the Oscar for best film instead of Lincoln which I saw yesterday. Is it better? Not really. Not worth the Oscar. Django Unchained should have won. Or even Life of Pi. Or even Les Misérables. The others I haven’t seen. 

3* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lincoln

 

Lincoln 2012

• Director: Stephen Spielberg
• Seen by this director: many
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and a slew of other familiar faces.
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Daniel Day Lewis – many.
• Sally Fields – many  
• Why? The subject
• Seen: 5April 2024 

       In 1863 US President Abraham Lincoln signed the Proclamation of Emancipation, freeing all slaves in the states waging war against the United States. In 1865 he proposed an amendment to the constitution forbidding slavery. It was controversial. He and his colleagues used different kinds of pressure against various congressmen to get it passed.

       If the film had started with this explanation, shortening it by an hour or so, it would have been so much better. As it is, the first hour or so is boring, confusing, plodding to the point that I almost DNF. It does pick up during the vote and there are some moments of emotional drama, but it is far from the Oscar nominee I expect. It was, simply, a disappointment. 

3* of 5   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colossal

 

Colossal 2016

• Director: Nacho Vigalondo
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Dan Stevens, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Anne Hathaway – many.
• Dan Stevens – Beauty and the Beast, Summer in February, The Turn of the Screw, Downton Abbey
• Tim Blake Nelson – Fantastic Four, Detachment, American Violet, The Darwin Awards, Warm Springs, Holes, The Good Girl, O Brother Where Art Thou, Hamlet, Donnie Brasco
• Why? Anne Hathaway
• Seen: 4 April 2024 

       Gloria (Hathaway) is a drunk and her fed-up boyfriend Tim (Steven) throws her out of their artsy luxury NY flat. She goes back to her home town and hooks up with her grade school friend Oscar (Suseikis).

       Seoul is attacked by a Godzilla like monster and a humungous robot.

       Gloria and Oscar are connected to the monster and the robot.

       Weird, but more interesting than it sounds. It gets even more interesting when it becomes nasty.

       A most unusual monster story. Better than I expected. I think I even have to give it 

4* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snow Cake

 

Snow Cake 2006

• Director: Mark Evans
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Alan Rickman – many, including Romeo and Juliet
• Sigourney Weaver – many.
• Carrie Anne Moss – many.
• Why? A good film.
• Seen: Once before. Now 4 April 2024 

       Alex (Rickman) is for an unnamed reason driving to Winnipeg. Very much against his wishes – he is burdened with his own demons – he gives young Vivian (Hampshire) a lift to Wawa. After a dreadful accident he seeks out Vivian’s mother Linda (Weaver). To his dismay and discomfort he discovers that she is severely autistic and he doesn’t know how to deal with her.

       It’s tragic, it’s funny, it’s Rickman and Weaver. Even Carrie Anne Moss is there and Emily Hampshire is a real gem.

 

5* of 5