Avengers Infinity War

 

The Avengers Infinity War 2018

• Director: Russo & Russo
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Same + Guardians + Wakanda
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Same + Guardians + Wakanda
• Why? Nr 22
• Seen: 9 February 2025      

       Oh no! Is Loki really dead this time? I can’t bear it!

       The Avengers, Earth and the Universe are really in trouble now. Thanos is after all six Infinity Stones. The Avengers must quit squabbling, and even need the help of the Guardians of the Galaxy. I hope they don’t ruin the film.

       They don’t. They actually work well with the Avengers.

       But oh dear. What now?

       Cliff-hanger! 

4* of 5

 

 

 

Ant-Man and the Wasp

 

Ant-Man and the Wasp 2018

• Director: Peyton Reed
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Paul Ruud, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Hannah John-Kamen, Lawrence Fishburne, Michelle Pfeiffer
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Paul Ruud – The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Cider House Rules, Romeo and Juliet
• Michael Douglas – A Perfect Murder, The Game, Falling Down, A Chorus Line, The China Syndrome
• Evangeline Lilly – Crisis, The Hobbit etc, Lost
• Michael Peña – The Martian, American Hustle, Babel, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, The United States of Leland
• Hannah John-Kamen  - Ready Player One, Tomb Raider, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Misfits
• Lawrence Fishburne - many
• Michelle Pfeiffer - many
• Why? Nr 21
• Seen: 9 February 2025      

        If you’re going to be able to endure the Marvel films you have to love at least some of the characters, or at least like them, because the stories are usually mostly rubbish. I love Tony Stark/Iron Man because of Robert Downey Jr. Not as much as I love Loki because of Tom Hiddleston, but almost. I like Bruce Banner because of Mark Ruffalo, and Natasha Romanoff because of Scarlett Johansson quite a lot, also Stellan Skarsgård’s character. I also love Peter Parker when he’s Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland does him well too. I love Captain Marvel, and Fury and T’Challa. All of these because the actors are so good, but also because the characters have, well, character.

       Doctor Strange is OK. Thor is OK although his gruff voice is fake and annoying. I don’t like the characters of Captain America or Ant-Man, though the actors are OK.

       So here I sit with Ant-Man and the Wasp. Maybe the Wasp (Lily) will help.

       Or not. She’s as dull as Ant-Man. Ava (John-Kamen) and Bill (Fishburne) add a bit but it’s a dull story.

       I only fast-forwarded a bit towards the end, though, so 

2* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Widow

 

Black Widow 2021

• Director: Cate Shortland
• Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Scarlett Johansson – Hail Caesar, Lucy, He’s Just Not that Into You, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Prestige, The Island, In Good Company, The Love song of Bobby Long, Girl with the Pearl Earring, Lost in Translation, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Manny and Lo
• Florence Pugh - many
• Rachel Weisz – many
• Why? Number 16
• Seen:6 February 2025      

       After defying Tony Stark/Iron Man and letting Steve Rogers/Captain America escape, Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) is on the run in Norway. Her past as a trainee assassin in Russia catches up to her when another Black Widow – which is what these assassins are called) – Yelena (Pugh) seeks her out because…well, bad stuff in their past. Oh yes, Yelena is Natasha’s sister.

       They go after the bad guys.

       Johansson and Pugh make a good team of bickering sisters. The happy family parody is skewered, partly funny, partly touching, but I miss the other Avengers.

       No doubt it’s a silly thing to say but in this series of absurd stories, I’m having a hard time with this one. I’ll need to see it again, probably. And I will.

  3* of 5

 

 

 

Captain America – Civil War

 

Captain America – Civil War 2016

• Director: Russo & Russo
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Chris Evans and a lot of others, you know who they are
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• same
• Why? The 15^th.
• Seen: 4 February 2025      

       The Avengers are having trouble because in trying to save people, people get killed and our heroes all have bad consciences. But do they want to answer to the UN?

       There’s a lot of same-old same-old but new depth to the characters, new characters, new complexity in the political.

       Captain A is still my least favourite, not even because he’s kind of the bad guy here with his ‘I can do it all by myself because I am right’ arrogance. Violent goody goody two shoes. Nope. I don’t like him. Funnily, Ant-Man is my other least favourite. I don’t like anyone on Captain A’s team.

       But I like the film because of Tony and Natasha and T’Challa and Peter Parker. The good guys. Flawed good guys.

 

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Avengers the Age of Ultron

 

The Avengers the Age of Ultron 2015

• Director: Joss Whedon
• Seen by this director: Much Ado About Nothing, Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Mostly same
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Mostly same
• Why? The 13th
• Seen: 3 February 2025      

       Crash bang boom. This is not a drill. The bad guys – the Hydra – are still bad.

       I love it when Iron Man quietly says, ‘Yay.’

       While the Avengers are partying and being good friends with each other, the AI invented by Tony/ Iron Man (Downey Jr) to create Peace in Our Time, Ultron goes rogue, attacks them all and escapes into Internet.

       That’s AI for you. Can’t trust anybody these days.

       Ah! Wakanda! The plot thickens!

       And Ultron is messing with the Avengers’ minds.

       This one has some very strong moments. But where’s Loki? With him it would have been 4*. Without him 

        3 ½ * of 5

 

Sightseers

 

Sightseers 2012

• Director: Ben Wheatley
• Seen by the director: High-Rise, Doctor Who
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Eileen Davies, Monica Dolan, Jonathan Aris
• Steve Oram – Doctor Who, Line of Duty, The Living and the Dead
• Eileen Davies – Adult Life Skills, High-Rise, The Theory of Everything, Mr Turner, Another Year, Bright Star, Vera Drake
• Monica Dolan – Strike, Eye in the Sky, Casual Vacancy, Wolf Hall, Pride, Never Let Me Go
• Jonathan Aris – Rogue One, The Night Manager, Sherlock, The Martian, Humans, Wolf Hall, The World’s End, Being Human, Bright Star, Merlin, Bonekickers
• Why? Saw a trailer, looked interesting.
• Seen: 2 February 2025      

       Tina (Lowe) is 34 and lives with her neurotic mum (Davies). She finally has a boyfriend, Chris (Oram) and she wants to go on holiday with him. Her mum bad mouths him and guilt trips her but off they go in his caravan.

       He takes her to his favourite places like The Tram Museum, the Blue John Mines, the Pencil Museum…

       A tragic accident doesn’t dampen their enthusiasm, after they wash the blood off.

       It’s called a dark comedy. It’s dark all right, but not so much comedy as cringe. They’re both nuts. They tend to kill people and steal dogs.

       Happy holiday, folks.      

3* of 5   

 

 

 

Guardians of the Galaxy

 

Guardians of the Galaxy 2014

• Director: James Gunn
• Seen by the director: The Suicide Squad
• Based on the Marvel Comic
• Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, and a bunch of others whose faces/voices can’t be recognised
• Chris Pratt – Zero Dark Thirty, Wanted
• Zoe Saldana – Pirates of the Caribbean Black Pearl
• Karen Gillan – The Circle, Doctor Who
• Why? 11^th.
• Seen: 1 February 2025      

       Before realising that the Guardians were part of the Marvel universe I saw GG 2, in the belief that it was a sequel to Galaxy Quest. Alas, I was sorely wrong about that. I didn’t like it and I wrote in my review that I didn’t need to see the first one.

       Ha. That was before I started to do the Marvel films, all 30+ of them. So here I sit.

       Peter (Pratt) calls himself Star-Lord (nobody else does) and he’s somewhere in the galaxy. He’s a criminal and he has stolen the Orb, intending to sell it. Other people (or whatever they are) want the Orb too and will happily kill for it. Peter encounters various other rogues, including a raccoon and a tree.

       It’s a comedy, but mostly it’s just silly. The best part is ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ from 1974 by Blue Swede. Aka Björn Skifs, still going strong here in Sweden. Oh, and ‘Cherry Bomb’ by the Runaways.

       Does this film have anything to do with the real Marvel characters?

       It’s hardly worth any * at all but the above-mentioned music, a few short appearances by quality actors and the little dances at the end grant it      

2 * of 5   

 

 

 

 

 

Boy Erased

 

Boy Erased 2018

• Director: Joel Edgerton
• Based on book by Garrard Conley
• Cast: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Lucas Hedges  -Mid90s, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird, Manchester by the Sea, Moonrise Kingdom, Dan in Real Life
• Nicole Kidman – Many
• Russell Crowe – Many
• Joel Edgerton – The Great Gatsby, Star Wars
• Why? The cast
• Seen: 1 February 2025      

       Jared (Hedges) is the 18-year-old son of fundamentally religious parents Nancy (Kidman) and Marshall (Crowe). He is also gay and his parents enrol him into Love in Action, a clinic which promises to cure homosexuality through Jesus and God.

       Religion puzzles me. And it often scares me. This film is one reason why. Such poison in the name of Jesus and God. Such hate and humiliation and violence pretending to be love.

       The acting is strong, the story – based on Coney’s memoirs – is important. But the film is muddled, the storyline unclear. I think it needs some serious editing.

       Still, it’s worth seeing.        

 3 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain America Winter Soldier

 

Captain America – Winter Soldier 2014

• Director: Russo & Russo
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Chris Evans and a lot of others, you know who they are
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Several of them but not Chris Evans – Many
• Why? The 10^th.
• Seen: 31 January 2025      

       Captain A (Evans) is the least interesting of the Marvel superheroes and Evans has the least charisma of them all.

       Fortunately in this one, Natasha (Johansson) shows up early on and adds her usual zip. Fury (Jackson) is there with his acerbic sarcasm as well.

       Well, well. This one is much better than the first one. Capt. A actually seems like a real person and there are whispers of our current Trump catastrophe, eleven years before it happens.

       Too much fighting and chases and exploding of course but still        

3 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Prophet

 

A Prophet 2009

• Director: Jacques Audiard
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Tahir Rahim - Maria Magdalena, The Eagle
• Niels Arestrup  - Elle S’appellait Sarah, Le scaphrande et la papillon
• Adel Bencherif  - London Has Fallen, Spectre, Paris je t’aime
• Why? Good reviews and many awards
• Seen: 31 January 2025      

       Young Malik (Rahim) is in adult prison for the first time. He has no friends or family on the outside. He’s an easy target for the prison’s mafiosa boss (Arestrup) and he rises in the ranks.

       Prison films are usually low on my list. Usually they’re heavy on macho violence and drugs. Realistic, no doubt, but to me, uninteresting.

       This is no exception.

       I suppose the viewers who rave about this film also love the Godfather films. I don’t like them either.

       The acting is OK so       

 2* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thor the Dark World

 

Thor the Dark World 2013

• Director: Alan Taylor
• Seen by this director: Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Homicide Life on the Street, Palookaville
• Based on book: not as such
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Chris Hemsworth – Doctor Strange, Avengers, Snow White and the Hunter Winter’s War
• Anthony Hopkins – oh so many!
• Natalie Portman – Annihilation, Black Swan, The Other Boleyn Girl, Darjeeling Ltd, Paris je t’aime, V for Vendetta, Star Wars, Closer, Cold Mountain, Anywhere but Here, Mars Attacks!, Beautiful Girls, Léon
• Tom Hiddleston – The Avengers, Kong Skull Island, The Night Manager, High-Rise, Only Lovers Left Alive, The Hollow Crown, The Deep Blue Sea, Wallander
• Stellan Skarsgård – Out Stealing Horses, Mamma Mia 1&2, Melancholia, Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean, King Arthur, Dogville, The Glass House, Dancer in the Dark, Amistad, Good Will Hunting, Breaking the Waves, Hamlet, Den enfaldige mördaren
• Idris Elba – Cats, Luther, The Mountain Between Us, Molly’s Game, The Dark Tower, 100 Streets, Mandela, Pacific Rim, Prometheus, 28 Weeks Later, The Wire, Crocodile Shoes
• Why?  8^th on the list
• Seen:  29 January 2025 

War etc. Loki (Hiddleston) in a luxury dungeon. Thor (Hemsworth) pining for his mortal love Jane (Portman), strutting his muscles.

Meanwhile, on Earth. Meanwhile, back in Asgard.

Either I shouldn’t be watching these films one evening after another, or this one really isn’t as good as the others.

Story: what story?

Romance: zero chemistry between Thor and Jane.

Battles, chases, fistfights: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Character development: non-existent. Only Loki has some complexity as the tragic villain. Mainly thanks to Hiddleston’s acting skills.

Most beautiful: Idris Elba. What must it be like to be the most beautiful man on Earth (or Asgard, as the case may be)?

Sparks of humour: Skarsgård explaining his science to fellow inmates in the madhouse after streaking naked around Stonehenge. Darcy (Dennings) is also an asset to the humour.

Surprisingly, it picks up towards the end. I’m caught up in spite of myself. But oh! Loki!!!???

Always judge a film by its ending more than its beginning. Therefore: 

3* of 5