Babette's Feast

 

Babette’s Feast 1987

• Director: Gabriel Axel
• Seen by this directior: Prince of Jutland
• Based on the book by Karin Blixen
• Cast: Stephane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspel
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? I remember liking it
• Seen: Once before. Now 22 June 2024      

       Two aging sisters, daughters of the late priest in a remote village in 19^th century Denmark, carry on with his religious meetings. One rainy night Babette (Audran ) appears, fleeing from war in France. With them she finds a new home.

       She charms the villagers but their feuds and fanatical puritanism continue. When she wins the lottery Babette decides to do something about it.

       To be honest, I don’t know why I liked it so much the first time I saw it. It’s nice enough but not very interesting this time. 

2½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

Contact

 

Contact 1997

• Director: Robery Zemeckis
• Seen by this directior: The Walk, Flight, Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Romancing the Stone, I Wanna Hold Your Hand
• Based on the book by Carl Sagan
• Cast: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Jena Malone, David Morse, William Fichtner
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:

o   Jodie Foster – many

o   Matthew McConaughey – many

o   Tom Skerritt – Lucky, Smoke Signals, Alien

o   John Hurt – many

o   Jena Malone – The Hunger Games, The Soloist, Into the Wild, Cold Mountain, The United States of Leland, Donnie Darko, Ellen Foster

o   David Morse - many

o   William Fichtner - many

• Why? I liked it the first time.
• Seen: Once before. Now 21 June 2024      

       Oh, I wish they would contact us in my lifetime! Meanwhile, I must be satisfied with sci fi.

       Of which this is one of the best.

       Astronomer Ellie (Foster), after years of listening and being mocked by nearly everyone, picks up signals from outer space. Not only that, but with instructions on how to build a craft for humans to come for a visit.

       It’s not only a great story based on the novel by one of my heroes Carl Sagan, but there is a subtle dig at male dominance and power games as well as the kind of deep discussions about religion vs science that I have with my religious friends.

       Such an intelligent and gripping film. 

5* of 5

 

 

The Way Way Back

 

The Way Way Back 2013

• Director: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Steve Carrel, Toni Colette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell, Liam James
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Steve Carrel, Toni Colette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell – many
• Liam James – 2012, Things We Lost in the Fire
• Why? Toni Collette
• Seen: 21 June 2024      

       Cringe. Nerdy teenager Duncan (James) and his divorced mother Pam (Collette) are spending the summer with her unbearable but rich boyfriend Trent (Carrell) in his wealthy seaside villa with a Water Wizz Park nearby, and flirty drunken neighbours. Hell on earth.

       I’m so tired of coming of age rich white American films. Despite the clichés and sexist jokes, though, the good acting make it possible to endure. But no where near the rave review ratings. 

3* of 5

 

 

 

 

Watchmen

 

Watchmen 2009

• Director: Zak Snyder
• Seen by this directior: Man of Steel, Dawn of the Dead
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Jackie Lee Haley – Aelita Battle Angel, The Dark Tower, Robocop, Lincoln, Dark Shadows, Shutter Island
• Patrick Wilson – The Conjuring, Prometheus, The Ledge, Phantom of the Opera, Angels in America
• Billy Crudup – Public Enemies, Big Fish, Almost Famous, Waking the Dead
• Matthew Goode – The Guernsey Literature and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Crown, The Imitation Game, Belle, Dancing on the Edge, Cemetery Junction, Copying Beethoven
• Why? Rave reviews
• Seen: 19 June 2018      

       With all the hysterically positive reviews on IMDb I was expecting a lot, especially since I usually like super hero films. I’m trying very hard to get into this but it’s not happening. It pretends to be profound and serious but I find it pretentious and boring. Maybe I can fast forward to something interesting.

       Nope. 

1 ½ * of 5

 

A Somewhat Gentle Man

 

A Somewhat Gentle Man 2010

• Director: Hans Petter Moland
• Seen by this director: Ut och stjäla häster, Flaskpost från P, The Beautiful Country, Aberdeen
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Stellan Skarsgård, Björn Floberg, Jorunn Kjellsby, Jannike Kruse, Jan Gunnar Röise
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Stellan Skarsgård – many including Hamlet
• Björn Floberg – Drottning Margareta, Ut och stjäla häster, Shackleton, Insomnia
• Jan Gunnar Röise – Ut och stjäla hästar, Hawaii Oslo
• Why? Stellan Skarsgård
• Seen: 17 June 2018      

       Ulrik (Skarsgård) is released from a Norwegian prison after twelve years for murder. Is he going to go straight? Maybe, maybe not. Sort of, not really. It’s very low-key, which Skarsgård does so very well. Quirky characters, quirky story.

       A somewhat gentle film. 

3 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

Sweet Charity

 

Sweet Charity 1969

• Director: Bob Fosse
• Seen by this director: Lenny Bruce, Cabaret
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Shirley MacLaine, John MacMartin, Ricardo Montalban, Sammy Davis Jr, Chita Rivera, Paula Kelly
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Shirley MacLaine – Many Jeremy Renner – 28 Weeks Later, North Country
• John McMartin – Who’s that Girl
• Ricardo Montalban – probably something
• Sammy David Jr – TV mostly
• Chita Rivera – Chicago
• Paula Kelly – Soylent Green
• Why? A top favourite
• Seen: Many times. Now 16 June 2024      

       Sometimes you just need to see again a beloved oft-seen film. This is such an evening. The first time I saw Sweet Charity was at the cinema in 1969 when it came out. I have loved it ever since. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, but the last time was before I started this blog, thus no review. It’s high time to change that.

       If you don’t know the story, check it out on IMDb then go to YouTube for ‘Hey Big Spender’, ‘If They Could See Me Now’, ‘Rhythm of Life’… Better yet, see the film. 

5* of 5

 

 

 

 

Uncertainty

 

Uncertainty 2008

• Director: Scott McGeehee and David Siegel
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lynn Collins
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Many
• Lynn Collins – Angels Crest, X-Men Wolverine, The Lake House, The Merchant of Venice, Down with Love
• Why? JG-L.
• Seen: 15 June 2018      

       Bobby (JG-L) and Kate (Collins), a young couple in New York, flip a coin and the film splits into two stories à la Sliding Doors. In one they visit her family, in the other they get involved in a mafia murder. The first story is boring, the second ridiculous. Good actors but bad and pointless film. 

2* of 5

 

Richard II RSC

 

Richard II RSC 2013

• Director: Gregory Doran
• Seen by this director: many Shakespeare plays
• Based on Shakespeare
• Cast: David Tennant, Emma Hamilton, Michael Pennington, Nigel Lindsay, Oliver Ford Davies
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• David Tennant – many
• Why? Shakespeare and Tennant
• Seen: 13 June 2018      

       This is the third version I’ve seen in a short time after reading the play again. It’s getting a bit repetitive but I’ve very much looked forward to seeing David Tennant as Richard. Having seen his Hamlet several times I have high expectations.

       Which is unfair because his Hamlet is one of the best performances ever, and also because Richard II is a far less interesting character than Hamlet. All of this I write because I don’t want to write that I’m a little disappointed. He’s a bit melodramatic and it pains me to write that his interpretation is not as gripping as Ben Whishaw’s. Oh, what am I saying? Tennant is excellent, of course he is.

       Otherwise it’s very pompous and trumpety, it goes slowly and is too long. Not a 5* but still 

4* of 5

 

 

 

Eden Lake

 

Eden Lake 2008

• Director: James Watkins
• Seen by this directior: Woman in Black
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Jack O’Connell
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Kelly Reilly – Flight, Sherlock Holmes, Mrs Henderson Presents, Pride and Prejudice, The Libertine,
• Michael Fassbender – many including Macbeth
• Jack O’Connell – ’71, The Liability, United, This Is England
• Why? Good reviews.
• Seen: 12 June 2018

      

       Steve (Fassbender) and Jenny (Reilly are on a romantic weekend at the beautiful Eden Lake but it’s not as romantic as they had hoped. They have run-ins with a gang of teen-aged thugs which escalate into violence.

       I don’t like films like this. Brutal, nasty, wallowing in sadism just to make a dramatic film. No thanks.

 

2* of 5

 

Better Days

 

Better Days 2019

• Director: Derek Tsang
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Dongyu Zhou, Jackson Yee
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? Good reviews.
• Seen: 11 June 2018      

       High school bullying, exam pressure, good girl, cute hoodlum, uneasy romance. Sound familiar? We’ve seen it before. But probably not in China, in Chinese.

       This is more serious than the American versions I’ve seen but it drags a bit at times and it’s too long with too many twists. Still, it’s worth seeing. 

3* of 5

 

 

 

The Princes Diaries 2

 

The Princess Diaries 2 (2004)

• Director: Garry Marshall
• Seen by this director – PD 1, Runaway Bride, Frankie and Johnny, Pretty Woman, Overboard
• Based on the book by Meg Cabot
• Cast: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Caroline Goodall, Chris Pine
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Anne Hathaway – many
• Julie Andrews - many
•  Hector Elizondo – PD 1, Runaway Bride, Frankie & Johnny, Pretty Woman, TV series
• Heather Matarazzo – PD 1, Don’t worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Welcome to the Dollhouse
• Caroline Goodall - PD 1, A Street Cat Called Bob, Mental, Schindler’s List
• Chris Pine – Wonder Woman, Z for Zachariah, Into the Woods
• Why? Came with the first one
• Seen: 8 June 2024 

       If the first one was bad, what can be expected of this one? Not much, I assume.

       Unbearable is the word that comes to mind. Time to fast-forward.

       It’s bad enough that monarchies still exist in a world that claims to believe in democracy. Do bad films about them have to be made too? 

1 ½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Princess Diaries

 

The Princess Diaries 2001

• Director: Garry Marshall
• Seen by this director – Runaway Bride, Frankie and Johnny, Pretty Woman, Overboard
• Based on the book by Meg Cabot
• Cast: Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Caroline Goodall, Robert Schwarzman, Erik von Detten
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Anne Hathaway – many
• Julie Andrews - many
• Hector Elizondo – Runaway Bride, Frankie & Johnny, Pretty Woman, TV series
• Heather Matarazzo – Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Welcome to the Dollhouse
• Caroline Goodall - A Street Cat Called Bob, Mental, Schindler’s List
• Erik von Detten – Dinotopia, Barely Legal
• Why? My friend CW swears it’s a good film despite the dreadful title.
• Seen: 7 June 2024 

       Private high school (of course) in San Francisco, Mia (Hathaway) is a bullied nerd (of course) with a feisty single mom (Gooddall) (of course), an obnoxious know-it-all best friend (Matarazzo) (of course). Mia is in love with the school hunk (van Detten) of couse. So far so bad.

       Her rich grandmother (Andrews) turns out to be the Queen of Genovia, Mia’s late father was Prince and thus Mia is the heir to the throne. Grandma is going to teach her how to be a princess. Mia say – declares – decidedly, emphatically and inequivocally – NO!

       Yeah, right.

       It’s a terrible story with dreadful dialog. It’s only saving grace is a young but occasionally amusing Hathaway.

       Clichés, stereotypes, irritating characters, lame truisms.

       Sorry, CW.                        

 1 ½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Falls

 

International Falls 2019

• Director: Amber McGinnis
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Rachel Harris, Rob Huebel, Matthew Glave, Jessie Sherman
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Rachel Harris – Barely Lethal, Solisten
• Rob Huebel – Barely Lethal
• Why? Need you ask? See below.
• Seen: 4 June 2024 

       How bizarre is this? A film about the town where I was born and raised?! Why in the world would anyone want to make a film about International Falls?!

       Scenes of Smokey the Bear, the paper mill on the Fort Frances (i.e. Canadian) side of Rainy River (there was a falls once, hence the name), the drive on the ice road on Rainy Lake (the island they stopped at even looked like Snow Island which we could see from our living room window), Main Street, and all that, my question remains. Why Int’l Falls? It could have been filmed anywhere. It’s kind of boring, and depressing.

       But then so is International Falls. Which is why I left, as soon as I could, at the age of 16. Sorry, everyone who still lives there and likes it.

       Unlike Int’l Fall, however, the film gets kind of interesting towards the end (not including the embarassingly lame jokes at the very end), and Harris is very good in her role, especially because she’s not wearing make-up. 

3* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tjenare, Kungen

 

Tjenare Kungen 2005

• Director: Ulf Malmros
• Seen by this director: Min så kallade pappa, Sally
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Josefin Neldén, Cecilia Wallin, Malin Morgan, Johanna Strömberg, Joel Kinnaman, Kjell Bergqvist, Morgan Alling
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:

o   Josefin Neldén – 438 dagar, Gräns, Pojkarna, Min så kallade papa, Simon och ekarna

o   Malin Morgan - Bron, Upp till kamp

o   Joel Kinnaman - The Darkest Hour, Storm

o   Kjell Bergqvist  - Sally, Roseanna

·        Why? Cool title (Hiya, King)

• Seen: 6 June 2024 Happy Swedish National Day

 

       1982. A small town in Sweden. Abra (Neldén) is an aspiring punk rocker. The sexist locals hate punks. The attack her, and when they attack a visiting band she escapes with them to Gothenburg. She and Millan (Wallin) start a punk band.

       The trials and tribulations of punkers who work in a sausage packing factory, get gigs in old people’s homes and weddings, fall in and out of love with more or less worthy guys.

       Predictable but fun.     

 3* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vinyan

 

Vinyan 2008

• Director: Fabrice du Welz
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Rufus Sewell, Emmanuelle Béart, Petch Osathanugrah
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Rufus Sewell – many including The Taming of the Shrew Re-Told
• Why? Possibly interesting.
• Seen: 3 June 2024 

       A European couple, Paul (Sewell) and Jeanne (Béart), are foreign aid workers living in Thailand. They lose their little boy in a tsunami. Six months later Jeanne is convinced she sees him in a film of a village in Burma. They hire unsavoury characters to take them to that village. What follows is a tangled tale through the jungle.

       It’s listed as a horror movie but mostly it’s low-key with no ghosts or demons. It’s atmospheric and dark = (hard to see) and some of the characters are creepy but it doesn’t capture my interest. It’s more surreal than spooky, which could be good but it lacks depth and focus. It’s more unpleasant than interesting.      

 2* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoke

 

Smoke 1995

• Director: Wayne Wang
• Seen by this director: Maid in Manhattan, Anywhere but Here
• Based on the book by Paul Austen
• Cast: Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Jared Harris, Harold Perrineau Jr, Stockard Channing, Forest Whitaker, Ashley Judd
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Harvey Keitel - many
• William Hurt - many
• Jared Harris – Chernobyl, The Crown, Lincoln, Fringe, Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Igby Goes Down, How to Kill Your Neighbour’s Dog, Happiness, I Shot Andy Warhol, Dead Man, The Last of the Mohicans
• Harold Perrineau Jr – Lost, 28 Weeks Later, Dead Like Me, Matrix etc, Lulu on the Bridge, Romeo & Juliet, I’ll Fly Away
• Forest Whitaker – many
• Stockard Channing – Sparkle, Out of Practice, Bright Young Things, Practical Magic, The Ex-Wives Club, Edie & Pen, Six Degrees of Separation, Grease
• Ashley Judd – Twin Peaks, Frida, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Double Jeopardy, Heat
• Why? Liked it the first time.
• Seen: Once before. Now 1 June 2024 

       Augie (Keitel) runs a corner tobacco shop in Brooklyn where regular customers get their smokes, talk baseball and philosophy, gossip. Their stories intertwine but they don’t know much about each other. Augie takes a photo every single day from the same spot outside his shop and fills photo albums with them. Paul (Hurt) a widower offers homeless (supposedly) Rashid (supposedly) (Perrineau) a place to stay for a couple of days, which he does then takes off to confront his father (supposedly) (Whitaker). Ruby (Channing) shows up after 18 years demanding help with her and Augie’s (supposedly) daughter (Judd), a pregnant (supposedly) coke head.

       It’s a bit stagy at times and the dialog doesn’t always work but the cast is good. I especially remember Channing. This is the first film with her I saw and she has become a big favourite. Perrineau is also very good.

       It’s 1990. Everybody smokes. Constantly. It’s a good film anyway.      

 4* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noah

 

Noah 2014

• Director: Darren Aronofsky
• Seen by this director: Black Swan, The Wrestler, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Russell Crowe, Henmnifer Connelly, and Emma Watson – many
• Anthony Hopkins – many including Titus
• Why? Curious
• Seen: 31 May 2024 

       The film has received very mixed reviews and I have been reluctant to watch it because as an atheist I am no fan of the bible, which is mostly nonsense that religious people use for nefarious reasons. But the flood myth is known to many peoples and the cast is good so I’m giving it a try.

       An enjoyable fantasy, actually. Not as fun as Harry Potter but more fun than Lord of the Rings and as visually spectacular.

       The message seems to be that the Creator is a mass murder (read your bible, he is indeed) and that Noah is a murderous religious fanatic.

       I quite like this film.   

4* of 5  

 

 

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