Mid90s

 Mid90s 2018

• Director: Jonah Hill
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Sunny Suljic, Katherine Waterston, Lucas Hedges, Na-Kel Smith, Olan Prenatt, Gio Galicia, Ryder McLaughlin, Alexa Demie
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Sunny Suljic – The House with the Clocks in Its Walls
• Katherine Waterston – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Taking Woodstock
• Lucas Hedges – Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri, Ladybird, Manchester by the Sea, The Zero Theorem, Moonrise Kingdom, Dan in Real Life
• Why? Great reviews with lots of *s
• Seen: 16 January 2022      

       Young Stevie (Suljic) has a violent and bullying brother (Hedges) and a mother (Waterson) he doesn’t get on with. He’s alone until he eases into a gang of teenaged skateboarders. He’s eager to belong but he skates very badly. Poor Stevie is just a naïve little kid, but he loves this new world.

       But there’s trouble in this Skateboard Paradise. Each of the kids has problems of his own. Leader Ray (Smith) tries to take care of them, especially Stevie.

       It’s a good coming-of-age films. The kids are terrific. 

4* of 5.

 

 

Icebound

 Icebound 2003

• Director: Roger Spottiswoode
• Seen by this director: A Street Cat Called Bob, Tomorrow Never Dies
• Based on the book by Jerri Nielsen
• Cast: Susan Sarandon, Aidan Devine, Cynthia Mace
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Susan Sarandon – Cloud Atlas, Emotional Arithmetic, Romance & Cigarettes, Alfie, Moonlight Mile, The Banger Sisters, Igby Goes Down, Anywhere but Here, Cradle Will Rock, Dead Man Walking, Little Women, The Client, Lorenzo’s Oil, Thelma and Louise, White Castle, The January Man, Bull Durham, Witches of Eastwick, Atlantic City, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Aidan Devine – Suicide Squad, A History of Violence
• Why? Antarctica. Susan Sarandon
• Seen: 15 January 2022      

       Doctor Jerri Nielsen (Sarandon) flees the world and joins team od scientists at the South Pole. She suffers immediately from culture shock. She resents the equality and job-sharing of the team, the gossip and total lack of privacy, the fanatically strict rules on hot showers and recycling, the primitive and badly equipped clinic, the pranks and raw humour, everything but the doctoring itself.

       Gradually she comes to terms with everything and everyone and slowly they begin to appreciate her.

       Then she discovers a fast-growing lump in her breast. With sketchy Internet connection, the help of her colleagues and an emergency airlift, she is diagnosed with cancer. She treats herself.

       A most unusual feel-good, disease-of-the-week film. Based on a true story, although the real Nielsen didn’t like Sarandon’s portrayal of her. Too grouchy and unlikeable at the beginning. I think Sarandon is terrific and her character seems much deeper than the real life one (sorry).

       Maybe I also connect so much because I’ve also been treated for breast cancer, fortunately by professionals in Stockholm in one of Europe’s best hospitals, and I cringe at everything she went through. But she didn’t lose her eyelashes. I did. Every single hair on my head and body – poof! Gone.

       The visuals and the rest of the cast are great. 

4* of 5.

 

 

The Scent of Green Papayas

 The Scent of Green Papaya 1993       

•  Director: Anh Hung Tran
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Man San Lu, Nu Yên-Khê Tran
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? Good reviews
• Seen: 15 January 2022      

       A beautifully filmed work of art about the daily life of a young Japanese servant with wonderful music and mouth-watering food preparations.

       But oh! So unbearably slow and boring! I’m a great fan of minimalism but sadly this did nothing for me. I guess I’m just an insensitive Philistine. Pearls before swine and all that. 

2* of 5. Hal liked it and gave it 4*

 

 

Back to the Future Part II

 

Back to the Future Part II 1982

• Director: Robert Zemeckis
• Seen by this director: Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Contact, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Romancing the Stone, I Wanna Hold Your Hand
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Michael J Fox – Mars Attacks, Light of Day
• Christopher Lloyd – Wit, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
• Why? It’s in the box
• Seen: 14 January 2022

      

       Marty (Fox) and Doc (Lloyd) go back to the future to fix problems there but even more problems ensue, so they have to go back to the past to fix problems so that the present… you know, wibbly-wobbly timey wimey.

       After a shaky start it pulls together to a story of sorts, thin to be sure but there are some amusing moments and some that are exciting. And some that are far too long. There’s a lot of same old same old.

       Entertaining enough but not as good as the first one. The curse of sequels.     

 

2 ½ * of 5

 

Mission to Mars

 Mission to Mars 2000

• Director: Brian de Palma
• Seen by this director: Carlito’s Way, Bruce Springsteen Anthologies, Hi Mom
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Tim Robbins, Gary Sinise, Don Cheadle, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O’Connell, Kim Delaney
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Tim Robbins – Tenacious D, War of the Worlds, Mystic River, Human Nature, High Fidelity, The Shawshank Redemption, Jungle Fever, Twister,
• Gary Sinise – The Human Stain, The Green Mile, Forrest Gump, Of Mice and Men
• Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda, Crash, The United States of Leland, Bulworth, Devil in a Blue Dress
• Connie Nielsen – Wonder Woman, Perfect Sense, Battle in Seattle, Gladiator, Rushmore
• Jerry O’Connell – Stand by Me
• Why? Sci fi. Tim Robbins
• Seen: 13 January 2022      

       A rescue mission on Mars discovers a statue. Proof of a previous civilisation on the planet.

       Why do some people hate this film so much? It’s dramatic and visually beautiful. The characters are well enough developed to be engaging. Granted, the acting is mediocre with the exceptions of Robbins and Cheadle who are always good. The dialogue is lame at times, yes, and there are too many US flags but all in all, it’s a solid, entertaining sci fi film. Don’t let the bad reviews stop you from seeing it. 

3 ½ * of 5.

 

The Running Man

 The Running Man 1987

• Director: Paul Michael Glaser
• Seen by this director: nothing else that he directed but he played the romantic lead in Fiddler on the Roof!
• Based on the novel by Richard Bachman (a.k.a. well, you know)
• Cast: Arnold Schwartznegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Richard Dawson
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Arnold Schwartznegger – Terminator etc, Dave, Twins
• Yaphet Kotto – The Wire, Homicide Life on the Streets, Alien
• Richard Dawson – TV series
• Why? I remember liking it.
• Seen: Once before. Now 9 January 2022, 5 years after the film takes place.      

       Totalitarian society. The most popular TV show is ‘Running Man’, convicted criminals who are released to be chased by really nasty brutes. If they win, they survive and have a good life. If they lose, well, you can guess. The audiences go mad, cheering for the brutes.

       Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger) is supposedly a good guy who gets into trouble and is forced to become the Running Man.

       Why did I like this? It’s 97 % action (yawn), 1% Schwarzenegger’s stupid muscles, 1% Schwarzenegger’s even stupider one-liners and 1% stupid sexist love story.

       This film has aged very, very badly. But for the 80’s hair 

1 * of 5

 

Back to the Future

 Back to the Future 1985

• Director: Robert Zemeckis
• Seen by this director: Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Contact, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Romancing the Stone, I Wanna Hold Your Hand
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Tom Wilson
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Michael J Fox – Mars Attacks, Light of Day
• Christopher Lloyd – Wit, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
• Crispin Glover – Nurse Betty, Alice in Wonderland, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Doors, Wild at Heart, Twister
• Why? Michael J Fox
• Seen: 8 January 2022      

       Marty (Fox) is a hard-rocking high-schooler whose best friend is the crazy scientist Doc (Lloyd) and who has dorky parents (Glover and Thompson).

       Doc invents a time machine.

       Such adventures. You probably know the story.

       We’ve been doing a lot of time travelling in the Tardis lately with the sophisticated (ahem) Doctor, so this is pretty tame stuff.

       But funny. Good 80’s time travel humour. 

3* of 5