Inescapable

 

Inescapable 2012

• Director: Ruba Nadda
• Seen by this director: Taken
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Alexander Siddig, Marisa Tomei, Joshua Jackson, Oded Fehr, Saad Siddiqui
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Alexander Siddig – Game of Thrones, The Fifth Estate, Primeval, Merlin, Doomsday, Kingdom of Heaven, Vertical Limit, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid
• Marisa Tomei – Crazy Stupid Love, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Wrestler, Alfie, My Cousin Vinnie
•  Joshua Jackson – Fringe, Battle in Seattle, Bobby
• Saad Siddiqui - Taken, Orphan Black
• Why? The cast.
• Seen: 14 September 2023                 

             Syrian Adib (Siddig), living in Toronto for twenty years, returns illegally to Syria when his eldest daughter goes missing on a mysterious visit to this dangerous and chaotic country. It’s more a slow journey into Adib’s political and romantic past than a thriller. Many compare it to Taken with Liam Neeson as a father looking for a daughter. I haven’t seen it but it’s described as a violent shoot-‘em-up film, in which case I don’t need to see it to know that this is much better.

       The story is so-so, with a few moments of excitement, but Siddig is so intense and gorgeous and Tomei, as Adib’s Syrian fiancée from twenty years ago, is so convincing as an Arabic-speaking Syrian, that the film is more than well carried by them.

 3 ½ * of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

Love, Rosie

 

Love, Rosie 2014

• Director: Christian Ditter
• Based on the book by Cecilia Ahern
• Cast: Lily Collins, Sam Claflin, Christian Cooke, Jaime Winstone
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Sam Claflin – Adrift, Their Finest, Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean, United, Pillars of the Earth
• Christian Cooke  - Cemetery Junction, Doctor Who
•  Jaime Winstone – Tomb Raider, Elfie Hopkins, Made in Dagenham
• Why? I don’t really know
• Seen: 12 September 2023                 

             Once in a while I like rom coms, if there’s a good twist, or quirkiness, or favourite actors. This film has none of that, although I do like Winstone, and Claflin has been in some decent films.

       Alex (Claflin) and Rosie (Collins) have been besties since they were five years old. As teen-agers they’re in love with each other but neither of them reveal their true feelings. Things happen that keep them apart but three minutes into the film – no, three seconds – we all know they’ll end up together.

       I’m bored. It does, however, keep me just curious enough to keep watching it so

 2* of 5  

 

 

 

 

 

Land of Mine (Under sanden)

 

Land of Mine/Under sanden 2015

• Director: Martin Zandvliet
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Roland Möller, Louis Hofmann, Joel Basman
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? Good reviews
• Seen: 11 September 2023                

             Denmark 1945. A group of German boy soldiers under the command of a vengeful Danish sergeant Carl (Möller) are forcibly recruited to clear a stretch of beach of land mines planted by the German army.

       From hating and mistreating the boy POWs, Carl slowly starts stealing food for them and defending them against Danish and American soldiers who would rather see them dead.

       Quiet and slow, this complex film shows a different aspect of the war from what we usually see, another tragic and cruel consequence of the bestiality of war, as well as the resilience of humanity.

 4* of 5  

 

 

 

The Fourth Kind

 

The Fourth Kind 2009

• Director: Olatunde Osunsami
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton, Hakeem Kae-Kazeem, Corey Johnson, Enzo Cilenti
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Milla Jovovich – Cymbeline, Jeanne d’Arc, The Fifth Element
• Why? Possible interesting.
• Seen: 10 September August 2023.      

       We’re told from the beginning and throughout the film that this is a true story, authentic interviews with the victims and everything. The DVD box tells us that it’s about aliens.

       It must be true, right?

       It’s not without interest or drama but we’ve seen it all before. 

2 ½ * of 5

  

 

 

 

 

 

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012

• Director: Stephen Chbosky
• Seen by this director: Dear Evan Hanson, Wonder
• Based on the book by Stephen Chbosky
• Cast: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Ruud
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Logan Lerman – The Butterfly Effect, Riding Around with Boys
• Emma Watson – Little Women, The Circle, Beauty and the Beast, Colonia, My Week with Marilyn, Harry Potter
• Ezra Miller – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Suicide Squad
• Paul Ruud – Ant-Man, Friends, Cider House Rules, Clueless, Romeo and Julia
• Why? Good film.
• Seen: Once before. Now 9 September August 2023.         

       It’s still another bourgeois, rich, white American suburban high school films but it’s better than most. It might just be the best one.

       Charlie (Lerman) is a freshman in high school, alone, scared, bullied, nerdy. Step-siblings Patrick (Miller) and Sam (Watson) take him under their wing and bring him into their own little gang of weirdoes. They all have traumatic, painful backgrounds.

       It’s not really a feel-good film. Or a coming-of-age film. It’s just a very good film about kids with pain. 

4* of 5

  

 

 

 

 

Solo - a Star Wars Story

 

Solo – A Star Wars Story 2018

• Director: Ron Howard
• Seen by this director: Eight Days a Week, Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, EDtv
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandiwe Newton, Paul Bettany, Erin Kellyman
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Alden Ehrenreich – Hail Caesar, Beautiful Creatures
• Woody Harrelson – many
• Emilia Clarke – Last Christmas, Game of Thrones
• Donald Glover – The Martian
• Thandiwe Newton – 2012, Crash, Beloved, Gridlock’d, Interviews with a Vampire
• Paul Bettany - many
• Why? It’s Star Wars
• Seen: 8 September August 2023      

       No great expectations here but I hope it will at least be entertaining. Han Solo is my least favourite SW character but I’ll try to have an open mind.

       I’m not going to tell you the story because frankly, I can’t be bothered to figure out what it is. A big deal is made out of Han Solo meeting Chewbacca for the first time but, to coin a phrase, what’s the big deal?

       As usual with SW, there are a lot of spaceship battles –yawn! – and non-Earthians and bars and parties. Han Solo is just as obnoxious here as the Harrison Ford versions (it must be said, however, that Ford seems to be a good guy IRL).

       You may have guessed that I’m not a huge SW fan but I have liked the most recent ones. This seems to have reverted to the first babbly six or so.

       L3 is fun though. 

2* of 5

  

 

 

 

 

Barbie

 

Barbie 2023

• Director: Greta Gerwig
• Seen by this director: Little Women, Ladybird
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Michael Cera, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Margot Robbie – The Suicide Squad, Once upon a Time in Hollywood, Mary Queen of Scots, Terminal, I Tonya, The Wolf of Wall Street, About Time
• Ryan Gosling – First Man, Blade Runner 2049, La La Land, The Nice Guys, Crazy Stupid Love, Drive, Lars and the Real Girl, Half Nelson, The United States of Leland
• Michael Cera – Molly’s Game, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Juno
• Rhea Perlman – This and that
• Will Ferrell – This and that
• Why? It’s a sensation.
• Seen: 7 September August 2023 at the cinema with friends B-IS and ÖB      

       Dolls aren’t my thing. I have never owned, or even held, a Barbie doll. I have scorned the whole concept. Discussions about this film have changed my mind. All the different career Barbies have perhaps been a good role model for little girls. Or?

       The film is a delight from start to (almost) finish. I didn’t like the ending but up until that I love it. Witty, clever, colourful, astute, acerbic. See it, even if you hate the whole idea of Barbie. 

4 ½ * of 5