Flow

 

Flow 2024

• Director: Gints Zilbalodis
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Animated
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Animated
• Why? The cat
• Seen:  at the cinema 3 December 2024      

       The humans are gone, the water is rising, the Cat loses its home, losing every bit of land, only surviving by hopping onto an abandoned boat. Abandoned but by a beaver-type creature. They are joined by a dog, a lemur, a big bird and more dogs. They face countless dangers but despite hissing, barking, chittering, clawing, pecking, pushing, they can only survive by helping each other.

       There is no dialog whatsoever and the animation is stunning.

       A lovely and remarkable film. But did the whale survive?   

 4 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

Nothing to Lose

 

Nothing to Lose 1997

• Director: Steve Oedekerk
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Tim Robbins, Martin Lawrence
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Tim Robbins – Dark Waters, Then She Found Me, Tenacious D, The Secret Life of Words, War of the Worlds, Zathura, Mystic River, Human Nature, High Fidelity, Mission to Mars, The Shawshank Redemption, Jungle Fever, Jacob’s Ladder, Twister, Bull Durham
• Martin Lawrence - Welcome Home Rosco Jenkins, Do the Right Thing
• Why? Tim Robbins
• Seen:  2 December 2024 2024      

       Rich, white advertising executive Nick (Robbins) finds his wife in bed with his boss. In shock he drives around aimlessly and ends up with a black guy T Paul (Lawrence) holding a gun to his head, demanding his wallet. Instead Nick guns the engine, drives madly through town and into the desert, scaring T Paul to death.

       Buddy film. Black guy – white guy film. Yuppie – slum guy film. It could be a turkey and it kind of starts out that way but Robbins doesn’t disappoint. His spider dance should be considered a classic.

       Silly but funny with an appealing cast. 

3* of 5

 

 

 

The Amazing Spider-Man

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2003

• Director: Marc Webb
• Seen by this director: 500 Days of Summer
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan, Denis Leary, Sally Field, Martin Sheen
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Andrew Garfield – Under the Silver Lake, Breathe, Hacksaw Ridge, Social Network, Never Let Me Go, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus, Red Riding x3, Boy A, Doctor Who
• Emma Stone – Zombieland +Double Tap, The Favourite, La La Land, Birdman, The Help, Crazy Stupid Love
• Rhys Ifans – Snowden, Harry Potter, The Boat that Rocked, Elizabeth the Golden Age, Once upon a Time in the Midlands, The Shipping News, the 51^st State, Human Nature, Notting Hill
• Irrfan Khan - The Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire, Darjeeling Limited, The Namesake
• Sally Fields and Martin Sheen - Many
• Why? Andrew Garfield
• Seen:  30 November 2024.      

       It just can’t be helped. Andrew Garfield is just so much better than Tobey Maguire. Emma Stone is just so much better than Kirsten Dunst. Rhys Ifans is a better villain than Willem Dafoe. Sally Fields is a better Aunt May than prissy Julie Harris.

       The whole film is so much better than Spiderman 1-3. More pizazz, more spark, more oomph, more believable, more fun, more everything.

       This is what a Marvel film is supposed to be. 

4* of 5

 

 

 

Ruby Jand's Film Blog: Spiderman 2002

Ruby Jand's Film Blog: Spiderman 2

Ruby Jand's Film Blog: Spiderman 3

 

Restless

 

Restless 2012

• Director: Edward Hall
• Based on book by William Boyd
• Cast: Hayley Atwell, Michelle Dockery, Charlotte Rampling, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Charlotte Rampling – Many
• Rufus Sewell - Many
• Michelle Dockery – The Gentlemen, Downton Abbey, The Hollow Crown, The Turn of the Screw, Red Riding
• Hayley Atwell  - Blinded by the Light, Christopher Robin, Ant-Man, Cinderella, Testament of Youth
• Michael Gambon - many
• Why? The cast and good reviews
• Seen:  28-29 November 2024      

       Can the cast make me like this spy film? Let’s find out.

       Ruth (Dockery) learns in the 70s that her mother Sally (Rampling) was a spy during WWII and now her enemies are after her. Her life is in danger and only Ruth can help her.

       It alternates between the 70s and the 40s. Standard cloak and dagger stuff. And no, the good cast doesn’t make me like it. I’m bored. 

2* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Babycall (The Monitor)

 

Babycall 2011

• Director: Pål Sletaune
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Noomi Rapace, Kristoffer Joner
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Noomi Rapace – Many
• Kristoffer Joner– Skjelvet, The Revenant, Böljen, Flykten från Bastöy
• Why? Noomi Rapace
• Seen:  27 November 2024      

       Anna (Rapace) and her young son have been moved to protective custody to escape their abusive husband/father. She is overprotective of the boy and puts a monitor in his room. Instead of calming her, however, she hears the sounds of a child being abused.

       It’s classified as horror/thriller and it is pretty scary. But mostly sad.

It’s in Norwegian with neither English nor Swedish subtitles but I can follow the Norwegian subtitles well enough and Rapace speaks Swedish. 

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

Night of the Living Dead

 

Night of the Living Dead 1968

• Director: George A Romera
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Harman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Kyra Schon
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• None of them
• Why? A classic
• Seen:  Once before. Now 26 November 2024      

       The inspiration to every zombie film ever since. Enough said. 

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

You Were Never Really Here

 

You Were Never Really Here 2017

• Director: Lynne Ramsay
• Seen by this director: Morven Callar
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, Ekaterina Samsonov
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Joaquin Phoenix – Many
• Why? Joaquin Phoenix
• Seen:  25 November 2024      

       Joe (Phoenix) is middle-aged, somewhat overweight, has mental issues, lives with his aged mother and earns a living as a hit man and a finder of kidnapped girls. He has violent flashbacks of war and his abusive childhood. Sometimes he puts his head in a plastic bag to practice self-asphyxiation.

       It’s visually beautiful, even the scenes with violence but oh, so grim. Not for everyone but compelling. Phoenix is worth another Oscar for this. 

4* of 5