Into the Labyrinth

 

Into the Labyrinth 2019

• Director: Donato Carrisi
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Toni Servillo, Valentina Bellé
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Dustin Hoffman - many
• Why? Possibly interesting
• Seen:  16 November 2024.      

       Sam (Bellé) was kidnapped at the age of thirteen and now some fifteen years later she suddenly reappears. She is brought to hospital where Dr Green (Hoffman) tries to help her recover her memory.

       Meanwhile, a private detective Bruno (Servillo), dying of a heart ailment, decides to find the kidnapper.

       Confusing. It’s all in Italian except for the scenes with Dr Green and Sam, who also speaks English though she has been isolated from the world since childhood. Where would she learn English? Never mind, that’s no weirder than the rest of the film.             

       Weird, yes, also creepy, atmospheric and somewhat fascinating. Wait for that twist. 

3* of 5

 

 

 

 

Spiderman 3

 

Spiderman 3 (2007)

• Director: Sam Raimi
• Seen by this director: Drag Me to Hell, The Gift, A Simple Plan, Spiderman
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Haden Church, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J K Simmons
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Tobey Maguire – The Great Gatsby, Seabiscuit, Wonder Boys, The Cider House Rules, Pleasantville, The Ice Storm
• Kirsten Dunst – Many
• J K Simmons – Whiplash, La La Land
• Thomas Haden Church - The Peanut Bitter Falcon, All About Steve, Sideways
• Why? Doing the series
• Seen:  16 November 2024.      

       Most viewers and critics don’t seem to love this one as much as the first two. For me, once again, it’s a matter of casting. I just can’t care about Maguire, Dunst or the others in this mediocre story. Other actors would no doubt lift it, and next it will in fact be Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.

       This one? Same, same. The sand thing is cool, otherwise, no better, no worse than SM1 and SM2. 

2* of 5

 

 

 

Ruby Jand's Film Blog: Spiderman 2002

Ruby Jand's Film Blog: Spiderman 2

 

Beast

 

Beast 2022

• Director: Baltasar Kormákur
• Seen by this director – Adrift, Everest
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Idris Elba, Leah Jeffries, Iyana Halley, Sharlto Copley
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Idris Elba – Many
• Sharlto Copley – Chappie, Elysium, District 9
• Why? Idris Elba
• Seen:  21 November 2024      

       Nate (Elba) and his teenaged daughters Mare (Halley) and Norah (Jeffries) are visiting their dear friend Martin (Copley) in South Africa. Nate’s South African ex-wife has died and Mare blames him for not being there for them. He blames himself.

       Martin drives them to a lion reserve he works closely with. They learn that there is a rogue lion on the loose, shot by poachers who have murdered this lion’s whole pride.

       The lion is out for revenge.

       The film got a lot of bad reviews so I’m not expecting a masterpiece. It’s not. It’s sort of a Jurassic Park film with a lion instead of dinosaurs. It’s almost as unbelievable but while I don’t much like Jurassic Park I like this quite a lot. It’s exciting and…Idris Elba. I would suspend a hell of a lot of disbelief for him. 

3 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

Änglavakt/ Guardian Angel

 

Änglavakt/Guardian Angel 2010

• Director: Johan Brisinger
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Izabella Scorupco, Tchéky Karyo
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Michael Nyqvist – Colonia, Min så kallade papa, John Wick, the Millenium Trilogy, Den bästa av mödrar, Grabben i Graven Bredvid, Reuter & Skog, Tillsammans
• Izabella Scorupco - Vertical Limit
• Tchéky Karyo – Saving Grace, Golden Eye, La Femme Nikita, Australia
• Why? Michael Nyquist
• Seen: 20 November 2024      

       Ernst (Nyquist) and Cecilia(Scorupco) have a good life with their eight-year-old son until the boy meets with an accident and won’t wake up from his coma.

       A mysterious Frenchman Walter (Karyo) enters their lives, saying he can help Alexander. Cecilia believes him blindly, Ernst rejects him as a charlatan.

       The film is hopelessly sentimental about the supernatural (=angels). Walter is creepy and irritating in his guardian angelness, endlessly spouting quasi-philosophical platitudes. Great message to parents whose kids have died. It’s your fault because you didn’t hope enough or love each other enough. The film gets 0* but because Nyquist does a decent job in this mess: 

1 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

Trade

 

Trade 2007

• Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Kevin Kline, Kathleen Gati, Paulina Gaitan, Cesar Ramos, Alicia Bachleda, Marco Pérez, Linda Emond, Kate Del Castillo
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Kevin Kline – Many
• Pauline Gaitan – Sin nombre
• Alicia Bachleda  - Ondine
• Linda Emond – Richard Says Good-bye, Unforgettable, Across the Universe, North Country, Dark Water, Pollack
• Kate Del Castillo - The 33, Julia
• Why? The subject
• Seen:  19 November 2024      

       Russian mafia sex slave kidnappings from Mexico to New Jersey. Horrific reality that the film doesn’t quite manage to portray deeply. Kevin Kline is always good and the rest of the cast do a fine job but it’s not as gripping as I had expected. 

3* of 5

 

 

 

Spiderman 2

 

Spiderman 2 (2004)

• Director: Sam Raimi
• Seen by this director: Drag Me to Hell, The Gift, A Simple Plan, Spiderman
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J K Simmons
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Tobey Maguire – The Great Gatsby, Seabiscuit, Wonder Boys, The Cider House Rules, Pleasantville, The Ice Storm
• Kirsten Dunst – Many
• Alfred Molina – Many
• J K Simmons – Whiplash, La La Land
• Why? Doing the series
• Seen:  16 November 2024.      

       Critics love it. Viewers love it

       I don’t love it. I don’t even like it. I actively dislike it.

       Tobey Maguire is so wrong for this role (I know, I know, nobody agrees with me.) He’s lifeless, the unsexiest actor in Hollywood. Kirstin Dunst is pathetic. No wonder there’s absolutely no chemistry between them. Their love story is the most unconvincing of all superhero films. The sob story gets no tears from me. The other characters as well as the story itself are ho-hum.

       We desperately need Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifhan.

       But this one gets more than 0* because Alfred Molina makes a fine villain and the runaway train was cool. 

2* of 5

 

 

 

Ruby Jand's Film Blog: Spiderman 2002

 

Make Your Move

 

Make Your Move 2013

• Director: Duayne Adler
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Derek Hough, BoA, Will Yun Lee, Wesley Jonathan, Izabella Miko, Jefferson Brown
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Will Yun Lee – The Wolverine, Total Recall, Hustle
• Why? Dance
• Seen:  15 November 2024      

       Donny (Hough) lives to dance, his parole officer in New Orleans tells him to get a real job or else, Donny heads up to New York where his brother (Jonathan) has a club There’s a conflict with Aya (BoA) who heads an all-woman drum and dance group, Cobu. Her brother Kaz (Will Yun Lee) and Donny’s brother, once the closest of friends, are now bitter enemies.

       Enough story. I’m watching it for the dance.

       Which is brilliant. Especially Cobu. It makes it worth seeing despite the lame story and the even lamer love story. 

3* of 5

 

Five Broken Cameras

 

Five Broken Cameras 2011

• Director: Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Documentary
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Documentary
• Why? The subject
• Seen:  14 November 2024      

       Emad has lived his whole life on the West Bank. When his fourth son is born he buys a film camera to record his family. He ends up recording his family during the spreading Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

       The camera is destroyed by Israeli soldiers. He gets a new one. It’s destroyed by Israeli soldiers. He gets a new one. Five in all. He and all his brothers spend time in prison. His baby son gets older and learns by the age of five that Israeli soldiers kill Palestinians.

       It’s now 2024. Now the Israelis are bombing and killing hundreds of Palestinian civilians, every day. Thousands of children, women and men have died. Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to evacuate their homes, thousands of homes have been destroyed. Starvation, untreated injuries and illness, blocked emergency supplies. Is this not terrorism?

       The film is from 2011. See it. 

5* of 5

 

 

 

Sacrifice

 

Sacrifice 2020

• Director: Collier & Mian
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Sophie Stevens, Ludovic Hughes, Barbara Crampton, Lukas Loughran
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? Good reviews
• Seen:  13 November 2024      

       Weird film. Young American couple, Isaac (Hughes) and Emma  (Stevens), come to Norway, to the village where Isaac was born and where his mother murdered his father some twenty-five years ago. According to the credits it was inspired by Lovecraft. There’s a lot of supposed Norwegian folklore, but I doubt it’s real. It feels very non-Norwegian to me. It’s creepy but unconvincing and mostly uninteresting. 

2* of 5

 

This Is Where I Leave You

 

This Is Where I Leave You 2014

• Director: Shawn Levy
• Based on book by Jonathan Tropper
• Cast: Jason Bateman, Tina Frey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stroll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Jason Bateman – The Invention of Lying, Juno
• Tina Frey – A Haunting in Venice
• Jane Fonda – Many
• Adam Driver – Many
• Rose Byrne – X-Men, I Give It a Year, The Place Beyond the Pines, 28 Weeks Later, Sunshine, The Dead Girl
• Kathryn Hahn – The Visit, Captain Fantastic, Tomorrowland a World Beyond, Mimzy, The Holiday
• Connie Britton – Promising Young Woman
• Timothy Olyphant – Amsterdam, Once upon a Time in Hollywood, Snowden, I Am Number 4, Go, Ellen Foster, A Life Less Ordinary
• Why? Might be good. Interesting cast
• Seen:  12 November 2024      

       Dad was a Jewish atheist whose dying wish was that his wife (Fonda) and four grown children sit shiva for the traditional seven days.

       It’s a motley crew, otherwise there wouldn’t be a film. It’s pretty standard stuff – well-to-do white middle class American family but it’s quite a good mix of comedy and dysfunctional family drama with some decent acting.

       I like it more than I expected to. 

4* of 5

 

Spiderman 2002

 

Spiderman 2002

• Director: Sam Raimi
• Seen by this director: Drag Me to Hell, The Gift, A Simple Plan
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Tobey Maguire – The Great Gatsby, Seabiscuit, Wonder Boys, The Cider House Rules, Pleasantville, The Ice Storm
• Kirsten Dunst – Many
• Willem Dafoe – Many
• Why? Oh why not?
• Seen:  9 November 2024, possibly once before.      

       If you live on the planet Earth there’s a good chance that you know this story. Peter Parker (Maguire) is a science genius, a geek, constantly bullied by his high school classmates. Then he’s bitten by a spider and becomes Spiderman, the superhero who fights the good fight against all kinds of evil forces. And gets the girl (Dunst) but turns her down to fight the good fight etc.

       Spiderman has never been my favourite superhero. Contrary to many others’ opinion. I don’t think Maguire is right for the part. As a geek, OK. But as a superhero? Not so much. Nor do I like Dunst as the wimpy, vampy, damsel in distress. All the characters feel like, well, comic book characters. This film is simply in the same league as the Christian Bale Batman films, the whole X Men package, Iron Man, Terminator…Them I love. This one is OK but no more. I know Andrew Garfield is much better, I’ve seen part of one of his. Tom Holland I haven’t seen.

       But I will. I’ve bought them all. 

2* of 5

 

 

 

 

The Visit

 

The Visit 2015

• Director: M Night Shyamalan
• Seen by this director: many
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, Kathryn Hahn
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Olivia DeJonge – Elvis
• Deanna Dunagan – Unforgettable
• Peter McRobbie – Lincoln, 16 Blocks, Brokeback Mountain
• Kathryn Hahn – Captain Fantastic, Tomorrowland a World Beyond, Mimzy, The Holiday
• Why? The director
• Seen:  8 November 2024      

       Becca (DeJonge) and Tyler (Oxenbould) visit their grandparents (Dunagan and McRobbie) they have never met because their mother (Hahn) has been estranged from her parents for years. Becca is making a documentary film of the visit.

       At first they have a great time but things get weird quickly. This is M Night Shyamalan after all. It’s more sad than scary though as we see the results of dementia and paranoia in the grandparents.

       And then it gets scary. 

3 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

Honeydripper

 

Honeydripper 2007

• Director: John Sayles
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Danny Glover, LisaGay Hamilton, Yaya DaCosta, Charles S Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Gary Clark Jr, Mary Steenbergen
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Danny Glover – Many
• LisaGay Hamilton – Ad Astra, Take Shelter, The Soloist, Swing Vote, Beloved Jackie Browne, The Twelve Monkeys
• Charles S Dutton – Many
• Vondie Curtis-Hall –Cymbeline, Gridlock’d, Romeo and Juliet, Mystery Train
• Gary Clark Jr - Elvis
• Mary Steenburgen – The Help, Sunshine State, I Am Sam, Philadelphia, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
• Why? Music, Danny Glover
• Seen:  Once before. Now 7 November 2024      

       Alabama 1950. Ty (Glover) owns a club called the Honeydripper just outside the small town of Harmony. He has serious money problems and his debts are about to lose him the place. But he’s booked the popular radio star, electric guitar-playing Guitar Sam and plans on making a lot of money.

       Only Guitar Sam doesn’t show. Ty is ruined.

       Only a young wandering musician, Sonny () who has built his own electric guitar, has wandered into Harmony. Nobody knows what Guitar Sam looks like. What if Sonny…?

       There are a lot of side stories here, most of them interesting. The main story, the birth of the electric guitar in rhythm and blues and rock and roll is lovely. 

4* of 5

 

 

Call Jane

 

Call Jane 2022

• Director: Phyllis Naghy
• Based on a true story: yes
• Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Mara, Chris Messina, Wunmi Mosaku, Cory Michael Smith, Grace Edwards
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Elizabeth Banks – The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect, Sea Biscuit, Catch Me If You Can, Spider Man
• Sigourney Weaver - Many
• Kate Mara – The Martian, Transcendence, 127 Hours, Iron Man, Stone of Destiny
• Chris Messina – Argo
• Wunmi Mosaku – Philomena, Dancing on the Edge
• Why? The subject
• Seen:  6 November 2024      

       An appropriate film to watch on this day of catastrophe, when the disastrous election of Donald Trump further restricts the rights of women and many others.

       1968. Joy (Banks) is pregnant and is told by her doctor that a newly discovered heart condition is life-threatening if the pregnancy continues. The hospital refuses to grant her an abortion. In despair, she sees a poster at the bus stop. ‘Call Jane.’

       She does.

       Jane is a group of feminist women, led by Virginia (Weaver), running an illegal abortion clinic.

       It’s very dramatic and well-acted. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this again. No matter what, the struggle continues. 

 

4* of 5

 

 

 

Island of Lost Souls

 

Island of Lost Souls 2007

• Director: Nicolaj Arcel
• Seen by this director: The Dark Tower
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Sarah Langebäck Gaarmann, Lucan Munk Billing, Lasse Borg, Anders W Berthelsen, Nikolaj Koperikus
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Anders W Berthelsen – Rose, Ser du månen Daniel
• Why? Danish films are often good
• Seen:  5 November 2024

       Sylvester (Billing) and his sister Lulu (Langebäck Gaarman) have moved with their mother from Copenhagen to a small coastal town in northern Denmark. Sylvester is possessed by Herman (Berthelsen) who died in the 1880s. Lulu, who happens to know a lot about magic, their neighbour boy Oliver (Borg), and Sylvester/Herman take themselves to an island where other possessed souls are trapped.

       Kids might like it but Harry Potter it is not. 

2* of 5

 

 

 

A Haunting in Venice

 

A Haunting in Venice 2023

• Director: Kenneth Branagh
• Seen by this director: essentially everything
• Based on book: by Agatha Christie
• Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, Jude Hill
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Kenneth Branagh – Essentially everything
• Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once, Last Christmas, Sunshine, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies
• Jamie Dornan – Belfast, The Fall
• Kelly Reilly – Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows, Sherlock Holmes, Mrs Henderson Presents, The Libertine
• Jude Hill – Belfast
• Why? Branagh
• Seen:  4 November 2024      

       Neither Agatha Christie nor Hercules Poirot are on my list of favourites but Kenneth Branagh is, so here I sit.

       Ghosts, a séance, a murder are the subjects of M Poirot’s (Branagh) sharp eye, piercing questions, keen intellect and a refusal to believe in the supernatural.

       Why Branagh makes these movies, I don’t know. His immense talents should be used on Shakespeare. Still, this one is as visually stunning as all of his films are and he endows even these dull characters with some depth. 

3* of 5

 

 

 

Let the Right One In / Låt den rätte komma in

 

Låt den rätta komma in 2008

• Director: Tomas Alfredson
• Seen by this director: Snömannen, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Ika i rutan
• Based on a book by John Ajvide Lindqvist
• Cast: Kåre Hedebrandt, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Ika Nord 
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Kåre Hedebrandt – Äkta människor
• Per Ragnar – Storm, Gustaf IIIs äktenskap
• Ika Nord – Ika i rutan
• Why?  I liked it the first time and I like the book
• Seen:  Once before. Now 3 November 2024 

Young Oskar (Hedebrandt) is bullied at school and spends a lot of his time in the courtyard outside his block of flats in a wintery suburb of Stockholm. Eli (Leandersson) is often there and they become friends.

Only she’s a vampire.

A sweet, sad film about friendship, cruelty, fear, courage. It’s poetic and disturbing and realistic.

Beautiful winter landscapes and good acting are a bonus. 

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matrix Resurrections

 

Matrix Resurrections 2021

• Director: Lana Wachowski
• Seen by this director: The other Matrix films, Jupiter Ascending, Cloud Atlas
• Based on a book: no
• Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and many others
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Keanu Reeves – Many 
• Carrie-Anne Moss – Matrix etc, Humans, Unthinkable, Fireflies in the Garden, Disturbia, Snow Cake, Chocolat, Red Planet
• Why?  The others, of course
• Seen:  1-2 November 2024 

To be honest, I haven’t really understood the Matrix films but I like them, and I like Reeves and Moss. Ah, Neo in that coat!

Another reality vs the gaming world. Thomas Anderson/Neo (Reeves) is in therapy to deal with his breakdown after the first three films. Now he’s being coerced into creating a 4^th Matrix Game and he’s being chased/rescued by characters in the game. Or something.

Most reviewers seem to regard this as blasphemy to the first three. I like it. It even sort of makes sense, sometimes. The parts I like, I really like. Sadly all the car chases, gun fights and kung fu stuff go on forever and ever and bring the rating down. Still, now I’m keen to see all 4 again. 

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Petite maman

 

Petite maman 2021

• Director: Céline Sciamma
• Based on a book: no
• Cast: Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphan Varupenne, Margot Abascal
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why?  Good reviews
• Seen:  30 October 2024 

A little girl’s grandmother dies and she escapes to a fantasy world to deal with the loss. Many viewers have been charmed and delighted by the film. Not me. Sure, childhood is magical and all that, but this just doesn’t move me.

Still, it’s visually artistic and the young actors do a fine job. 

2½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dead Girl

 

The Dead Girl 2006

• Director: Karen Moncrief
• Based on a book: no
• Cast: Toni Collette, Brittany Murphy, Marcia Gay Harden, Piper Laurie, Giovanni Ribisi, Rose Byrne, Mary Steenburgen, Mary Beth Hurt
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Toni Collette – Many 
• Brittany Murphy – 8 Mile, Riding in Cars with Boys, Girl Interrupted, Clueless
• Marcia Gay Harden – Into the Wild, The Mist, American Dreamz, Mona Lisa’s Smile, Mystic River, Pollack, Meet Joe Black
• Piper Laurie – Twin Peaks
• Giovanni Ribisi – Selma, The Rum Diary, Public Enemies, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Cold Mountain, Friends, Lost in Translation, The Gift, The Mod Squad, The X Files
• Rose Byrne – X-Men, I Give It a Year, 28 Weeks Later, Sunshine
• Mary Steenburgen – Many
•   Why?  I remember it as intriguing.
•  Seen:  Once before. Now 29 October 2024 

Arden (Collette), a timid downtrodden daughter to a cruel bedridden mother (Laurie) finds the dead girl.

Rudy (Ribisi), a supermarket employee, seeks out Arden to talk about the dead girl and serial killers.

Leah (Byrne) works at the morgue and falls apart when she suspects that the dead girl is her long-missing sister.

Ruth (Hurt) suspects that her husband is the killer and burns the evidence.

Melora (Harden) is the mother of the dead girl and learns about her daughter’s dark life.

The dead girl (Murphy) struggles to get to her little girl to give her a birthday present but doesn’t make it.

Grim and gripping, carried by a strong cast. 

4 * of 5

 PS I discover that I have reviewed this before, in 2016. I agree with my rating then.