Connie and Carla

 

Connie and Carla 2004

• Director: Michael Lembeck
• Based on a book: no
• Cast: Toni Collette, Nia Vardalos, David Duchovny, Stephen Spinella
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Toni Collette – Many 
• Nia Vardalos – My Big Fat Greek Wedding
• David Duchovny – Things We Lost in the Fire, Full Frontal, Return to Me, Twin Peaks, Working Girl, The X Files
• Stephen Spinella – Lincoln, Milk, Cradle Will Rock
• Why?  Toni Collette
• Seen:  26 October 2024 

Two totally loser wannabe singing divas (Collette and Vardalos) get into trouble with the mob, flee to LA and hide out as male drag queens pretending to be female and making a big hit doing classic Broadway numbers.

It’s embarrassingly bad and I cringe for Collette being shrill and asinine. But wow, can she sing. And I do like those Broadway numbers and she and her partner (I never did figure out which one is Connie and which one is Carla) can sure belt them out.

The story picks up a bit. Quite a lot, actually. My goodness, I even like it. 

3 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

 

Immortal Beloved

 

Immortal Beloved 1994

• Director: Bernard Rose
• Based on a true story: sort of
• Cast: Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbé, Isabella Rosselini, Johanna Ter Steege, Marco Hofschnifer, Miriam Margolyes, Valeria Golina, Christopher Fulford
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Gary Oldman – Many 
• Jeroen Krabbé – The Fugitive, Ever After, Kafka
• Isabella Rosselini – Joy, Wild at Heart
• Miriam Margolyes – many
• Valeria Golina – Frida, The Indian Runner, Rain Man
• Christopher Fulford – Queen of the Desert, Millions, TV series
• Why?  Gary Oldman, Beethoven
• Seen:  Several times before. Now 25 October 2024 

Gary Oldman, as we know, can play any role he chooses. This one, as Beethoven, is one of his best.

The life and mysterious loves of Ludvig von Beethoven, the abusive childhood, the tragedy of his deafness, his reputation as an irascible brutal misanthrope and dangerous republican in the time of the French Revolution, his stunningly magnificent music.

Whether or not he was the cruel, insulting and pathetic man as portrayed here I don’t know. One does not want to believe it of this superhumanly gifted composer but Oldman makes it believable. My love and reverence for Beethoven can only grow.

And then comes the 9^th symphony. 

5* of 5

 

 

 

 

3-Iron

 

3-Iron 2004

• Director: Kim Ki-Duk
• Based on a book: no
• Cast: Lee Seung Yun, Jae Hee
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Neither of them
• Why?  Could be good
• Seen:  24 October 2024 

A homeless young man (Hee) in South Korea breaks into homes of people who are on holiday or business trips. He enjoys the comforts, does small chore as thanks and slips away before the residents come home.

In one house, however, there is a battered wife (Yun) hiding. She leaves with him. She breaks into homes with him. There is absolutely no dialog between them, very little dialog at all. Nothing much happens. And then something happens. And then something else happens.

It’s weird, interesting enough but not really satisfying. 

2½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

Kate and Leopold

 

Kate and Leopold 2001

• Director: James Mangold
• Seen by this director: Logan, Wolverine, Walk the Line, Identity, Girl Interrupted, Cop Land
• Based on a book: no
• Cast: Hugh Jackman, Meg Ryan, Liev Schreiber, Brecklin Meyer
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Hugh Jackman – Many 
• Med Ryan – You Have Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, The Doors, When Harry Met Sally
• Liev Schreiber – Many 
• Brecklin Meyer – Clueless
• Why?  Hugh Jackman
• Seen:  Once before. Now 23 October 2024 

Who could have imagined, seeing Hugh Jackman here, that he would grow up to become Wolverine? Not I, but I remember liking the film because of him.

A simple story – a time travelling duke ends up in today’s New York and meets Kate   (Ryan). Rom com. Irritatingly idiotic story.

But Hugh Jackman. He can make any film worth seeing. Even this one. Not good but watchable. Jackman lifts it from 1* to 

2½ * of 5, and that’s a lot of heavy lifting.

 

 

 

Wild Target

 

Wild Target 2010

• Director: Jonathan Lynn
• Seen by this director: My Cousin Vinny
• Based on a book: no
• Cast: Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint, Morgan Freeman, Rupert Evert, Eileen Atkins
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• All of them - many
• Why?  The cast.
• Seen:  22 October 2024 

Victor (Nighy) is a professional hit man, like his father before him, with a mother (Atkins) who nags at him to get married at the age of 55, start a family and live up to the family heritage.

Rose (Blunt) deals in fake copies of classical art, for example Rembrandt.

Her latest, very unhappy customer (Evert) hires Victor to kill her. How much do you want to bet that they fall in love?

Of course it’s nonsense but it’s Nighy, Blunt, Grint, Freeman, Atkins and Evert, so how can it be anything but great wacky fun? And it’s in London. 

4* of 5

 

 

Decoding Annie Parker

 

Decoding Annie Parker 2013

• Director: Stephen Bernstein
• Based on a true story: yes
• Cast: Samantha Morton, Helen Hunt, Aaron Paul, Rashida Jones, Ben Mackenzie, Kate Macucci
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Samantha Morton – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, In America, Elizabeth the Golden Age, The Libertine, Morvern Callar
• Helen Hunt – Then She Found Me, Bobby, Cast Away, Pay It Forward, Twister, As Good As It Gets, Peggy Sue Got Married
• Aaron Paul – Eye in the Sky, A Long Way Down, Breaking Bad
• Rashida Jones – Social Network
• Ben Mackenzie – Gotham, Junebug
• Kate Macucci – The Big Bang Theory
• Why?  The cast.
• Seen:  20 October 2024 

Doctor Mary Claire King (Hunt) is an early researcher into genetically linked breast cancer in families. Everyone says she’s wrong but she perseveres.

Annie Parker (Morton) lost her mother and aunt to breast cancer in the 60’s, her sister in the 70’s and a few years later she herself gets breast cancer. She becomes obsessed in researching why her family is so unfortunate. Her previously devoted husband Paul (Paul) is driven away by her obsession and her illness.

Two remarkable women, brilliantly portrayed by Hunt and Morton. It’s a fascinating mix of science history, family drama and driven determination.

When is Mary Claire King going to get the Nobel Prize in Medicine? 

4 ½ * of 5

 

 

A Thousand Times Good Night

 

A Thousand Times Good Night

• Director: Erik Poppe
• Seen by this director: Utöye, Hawaii Oslo
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Juliette Binoche, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lauren Canny
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• Juliette Binoche – Many
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Game of Thrones, Kingdom of Heaven
• Why? Sounds good
• Seen: 18 October 2024 

Rebecca (Binoche) is a renowned photo journalist. The film opens with her taking photos of a young woman preparing herself to be a suicide bomber, following her as far as Kabul. She tries to warn to people in the street but the bomb goes off, killing many and injuring Rebecca seriously.

Next we see her in hospital, husband Marcus (Coster-Waldau) at her bedside, then reunited with their two daughters in Ireland. He tells her he can no longer live with her and his anxiety over waiting for the time she doesn’t survive. She tells him she will quit. He doesn’t believe her.

It’s an emotionally charged family drama, dealing with important domestic and world conflicts. Very well acted and beautifully filmed, with no easy answers. 

5* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

Mary

 

Mary 2019

• Director: Michael Goi
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Gary Oldman, Emily Mortimer
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• Gary Oldman – many including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
• Emily Mortimer – Relic, The Bookshop, Hugo, Shutter Island, Lars and the Real Girl, Paris je t’aime, Bright Young Things, Young Adam, The 51^st State, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Notting Hill, Elizabeth
• Why? Gary Oldman
• Seen: 16 October 2024 

Gary Oldman can play absolutely anything. Even a normal type guy like David, a loser fishing guide in Georgia, USA. He buys an abandoned half-wrecked ship called Mary. His wife Sarah (Mortimer) is not happy about it but she forgives him and they and their two daughters enthusiastically renovate and launch it.

But scary things happen on it and it becomes a scary movie.

It got a lot of bad reviews and it’s certainly no masterpiece – one wonders why Oldman and Mortimer accepted roles in it. With that said, they both give it a good shot and bring a certain amount of credibility to this many times told story, and make it worth watching. It startled me several times, which almost never happens with scary movies. 

3* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fugue

 

Fugue 2018

• Director: Agniezka Smoczynska
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Gabriela Muskala, Lucasz Simlat
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• Neither of them
• Why? Possibly good
• Seen: 15 October 2024 

Alicja (Muskala) has been in a Polish mental hospital for two years, suffering from complete amnesia. Her doctor arranges for a TV sending ‘Do you know this person?’ Her father recognizes her and she’s reunited with her family, including her husband (Simlat) and son. She does not want to live with them but she has no other choice.

Does she remember? Doesn’t she? Whatever. It’s a kind of a low-key psychological thriller but it’s only somewhat interesting and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, which it does eventually but not convincingly. Still, nice photography. 

2 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

In America

 

In America 2002

• Director: Jim Sheridan
• Seen by this director: The Boxer, In the Name of the Father, My Left Foot
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Samantha Morton, Paddy Considine, Djimon Hounsou, Sarah & Emma Bolger (sisters IRL)
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• Samantha Morton – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Elizabeth the Golden Age, The Libertine, Morvern Callar
• Paddy Considine – Journeyman, The Girl with All the Gifts, Macbeth, Pride, The World’s End, Red Riding, Hot Fuzz, My Summer of Love, 24 Hour Party People, Born Romantic
• Djimon Hounsou – The Tempest, Blood Diamond, Gladiator, Amistad
• Why? I liked it the first time.
• Seen: Once before. Now 14 October 2024 

Johnny (Considine) and Sarah (Morton) drive into New York City as illegal immigrants with their small daughters (Bolger&Bolger). They move into a slum flat with druggie and/or crazy neighbours. Johnny auditions for acting roles then drives a night cab. Sarah works in a café across the street.

Money problems, extreme heat, missing Ireland, trying hard with laughter and love but

grieving for the loss of little Frankie.

                      The little girls make friends with their neighbor, a reclusive, troubled Nigerian artist Mateo (Hounsou) and family feelings become turbulent.

                      It’s a sad and lovely film, a little gem.

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

The Woodsman

 

The Woodsman 2004

• Director: Nicole Kassell
• Seen by this director: Leftovers
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Yasliin Bey (Mos Def), Michael Shannon
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• Kevin Bacon – Tremors, Crazy Stupid Love, X-Men First Class, Frost/Nixon, Mystic River, JFK, Footloose
• Kyra Sedgwick – The Edge of Seventeen, Born on the Fourth of July
• Yasliin Bey – Cadillac Records, Be Kind Rewind, 16 Blocks, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Monster’s Ball
• Michael Shannon  – Amsterdam, Knives Out, The Shape of Water, Man of Steel, The Ice Man, Take Shelter, The Runaways
• Why? Might be good
• Seen: 13 October 2024 

Walter (Bacon) is paroled after twelve years in prison for molesting little girls. He gets work in a lumber yard, talks to his shrink, is befriended by damaged but feisty Vickie (Sedgwick), fights against watching and following little girls. Will he be able to resist doing what he knows is sick and wrong?

It’s a serious and thoughtful film about a complex and difficult subject. Would I want to work with a convicted paedophile? Would I believe he could be cured?

Kevin Bacon gives a powerful performance in this most unpleasant but well done film.

 

3* of 5

 

 

 

 

Adam's Apples

 

Adam’s Apples 2005

• Director: Anders Thomas Jensen
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Mats Mikkelsen, Nicolas Bro, Paprika Steen, Ali Kazim, Ole Thestrup
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• Ulrich Thomsen – Mortdecai, Fringe, Kingdom of Heaven, The World Is Not Enough
• Mads Mikkelsen – many
• Why? Mads Mikkelsen
• Seen: 12 October 2024 

Adam (Thomsen) is a neo-Nazi just out of prison assigned to community service under the supervision of Danish priest Ivan (Mikkelsen), a relentless believer in the best in people, his own personal battle with Satan, and his fantasies that he wasn’t abused as a child, that his wife didn’t commit suicide, that his son isn’t severely handicapped, that he isn’t dying of a brain tumor.

Adam is violently contemptuous of Ivan’s madness and the others under his supervision.

Good vs evil. God vs Satan. Reality vs illusion. It’s almost like a Stephen King film. Kind of funny. Kind of sad. Quirky with quirky characters and quirky Danishness.

 

4* of 5

 

 

 

Deadpool 2

 

Deadpool 2 (2018)

• Director: David Leitch
• Films seen by this director: Atomic Blonde
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: See Deadpool
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• See Deadpool
• Why: Included in box
• Seen: 11 October 2024 

Is there an actual point to this sequel? Boring! But not 0* because it does get better towards the end, so

               

2* of 5

 

 

 

Deadpool

 

Deadpool 2016

• Director: Tim Miller
• Films seen directed by Scott: Terminator Dark Fate
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morina Baccarin, TJ Miller, Ed Skrein, Karan Soni
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• Ryan Reynolds – Life, Woman in Gold, Wolverine, Life During Wartime
• Morina Baccarin – V, Serenity, Firefly
• TJ Miller – Ready Player One, Cloverfield
• Ed Skrien – Alita Battle Angel, Game of Thrones
• Why: Wolverine connection and one of my many geek friends told me it’s good.
• Seen: 10 October 2024 

There’s a story here but never mind. Deadpool (Reynolds) is a newly created invincible superhero who refers often to the X-men, who have been trying to recruit him.

                Constant wise-arse asides, extreme violence and profanity, tongue-in-cheek clichés and likeable geeky characters make this a very entertaining film.

 

4* of 5

 

 

The Big Short

 

The Big Short 2015

• Director: Adam McKay
• Based on the strue story: yes
• Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, Melissa Leo, Margot Robbie
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• All of them – many times
• Why – the cast
• Seen: 9 October 2024

          Finance bores me to tears and I actively hate capitalism but these actors are promising.

                Housing, mortgage bonds, funds – all that stuff, even the film itself admits that it’s all incomprehensible, even with cameo appearances by the likes of Margot Robbie giving explanations that don’t help a bit.

Michael (Bale) is an eccentric genius who predicts the crash of 2008 but nobody believes him. Mark (Carrell) is a broker (or something) who loves his job and hates everything else except his wife Cynthia (Tomei). Jared (Rosling) is out to make money, big money. Brad Pitt, retired banker, comes out of retirement to get in on the money-making.

                It plays like a spoof of the very true story of the American housing crash, a seriously not funny tragedy for millions who lost their houses, their jobs, their pensions, and some their lives, while individuals within the financial system made millions, even billions.

                Believe it or not, it’s very funny. And horrible. This hateful system is still going strong.

                Revolution. Now. Please.

 

4* of 5

 

 

A Hidden Life

 

A Hidden Life 2019

• Director: Terence Malick
• Based on a true story: yes
• Cast: August Diehl, Valerie Packner
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• August Diehl – Inglourious Basterds
• Why? Possibly interesting
• Seen: 7-8 October 2024 

Franz (Diehl) and his wife Fani (Packner) live a peaceful and idyllic life with their children on their farm in the Alps. When the war breaks out Franz becomes a conscientious objector in Nazi Austria. True story.

A film on this subject could have been excellent and many viewers find it so. Sadly, it gives into self-indulgent post card beauty, preachiness and endless short incoherent scenes. Much more stringent editing, cutting at least an hour would have made it so much stronger. 

2½* of 5

 

 

La Ligne

La Ligne 2022

• Director: Ursula Meier
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Stéphanie Blanchoud, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Elli Spagnolo, India Hair, Dali Benssalah, Benjamin Biolay
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• None of them
• Why? Possibly interesting
• Seen: 6 October 2024 

After attacking her mother (Bruni Tedeschi), Margaret (Blanchoud) has a restraining order put on her. For three months she must not come within 100 meters of her mother. If she does, she will be sent to prison.

Her younger sister (Spagnola) paints a blue line, and there they meet every day.

It is clear that Margaret is a very disturbed young woman with a history of violence. We are not told why but we see her mother as a narcissist, playing the suffering martyr to the hilt. All three sisters are emotionally damaged by their upbringing.

It’s an engaging film of a dysfunctional family. Good acting helps pull it together but it’s quite depressing to watch.     

 3 ½* of 5

 

 

Alien Covenant

 

Alien Covenant 2017

• Director: Ridley Scott:
• Films seen by this director: Many
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Carmen Ejogo, Jussie Smollett
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor/actress in:
• Michael Fassbender – Many including Macbeth
• Katherine Waterton - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Taking Woodstock
• Billy Crudup – Public Enemies, Almost Famous, Waking the Dead
• Carmen Ejogo – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Selma, Sparkle, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Cold Lazarus, Absolute Beginners
• Why? The others
• Seen: 5 October 2024 

Can this really be an Alien film without Sigourney Weaver? Ripley Scott says so.

And indeed it is. The slimy yucky thing appears about half an hour in, bursting from the back of one of the astronauts.

Instead of cool courageous Ellen Ripley there is the weak, fumbling religious captain (Crudup) and a gang of panicking (understandable, granted) scramblers.

It bridges the gap between Prometheus and Alien quite nicely. If not completely logical or realistic (really???) it’s exciting and entertaining. Worthy of the franchise.

4* of 5