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Reviews
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Kinds of Kindness
This film was already in the can and had success at the Cannes Film Festival, it had its official theatrical release a few months after the acclaim received for Poor Things, I was looking forward to more weirdness on screen from writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Favourite). Basically, the film consists of three distinct but loosely connected stories (all the characters dream, that's the only connection I could see). "The Death of R. M. F" - Robert Fletcher (Jesse Plemons), follows every order that is given to him by his controlling boss and lover, Raymond (Willem Dafoe). Raymond controls every aspect of Robert's life, including his relationship with his wife Sarah, their sex life, and their chances to have children. Raymond does not want Sarah to conceive a child; Robert is forced to give her birth control drugs, dismissing her failures as miscarriages. One day, Raymond orders Robert to kill a man known only by his initials, R. M. F. (Yorgos Stefanakos), crashing his car at a particular intersection and the man has willingly agreed to be killed. Robert fails on his first attempt and later confesses his strong unwillingness to do it, but Raymond sternly insists it must be done. After his refusal, Robert's life falls apart and Sarah goes missing. Robert has a dream about approaching Raymond to beg him for another chance. Robert is desperate and repentant to Raymond, begging for another chance, only to be rebuffed. Wanting to gain Raymond's respect again, Robert meets Rita (Emma Stone), but he finds out her life is also being controlled by Raymond. Rita was also tasked with crashing into and killing R. M. F. Later, Rita goes to hospital in critical condition. In a last effort to gain Raymond's respect, Robert steals a nurse's clothes and kidnaps R. M. F., who is in the same hospital. He dumps his unconscious body in a parking lot and repeatedly runs him over with a car, eventually killing him. Robert goes to Raymond's mansion, and he, Raymond, and Raymond's live-in lover Vivian (Margaret Qualley) embrace on the couch. "R. M. F. Is Flying" - Police officer Daniel (Jesse Plemons) is mourning the disappearance of his wife Liz (Emma Stone), a marine biologist who went missing at sea. One night, having dinner with his partner and his friend Neil (Mamoudou Athie) and Neil's wife Martha (Margaret Qualley), Daniel requests to watch a video Liz is in. Daniel gets emotional and they agree to put the video on, which turns out to be a sex tape. It is a wife-swapping orgy of the four of them together, and they do not seem uncomfortable while watching it. During the evening, Daniel is shocked when he receives news that Liz has been found and rescued in a helicopter piloted by R. M. F. Liz miraculously returns to Daniel but he finds many things about her are strange and unlike how she was before. Liz's behaviour is odd, she has new interests, and she cannot fit into her shoes. Daniel becomes suspicious that she is not his real wife. His growing obsession and paranoia cause him to exhibit erratic behaviour. During a traffic stop, he shoots a passenger (Joe Alwyn) in the hand and then drinks his blood, leading to him being suspended from the police. Liz recounts to her father George (Willem Dafoe) a dream she had while lost at sea, where dogs were the dominant species and kept humans like Liz as pets. Trapped at home with Liz and still unconvinced she is his real wife Daniel begins starving himself. For some time, Daniel had been receiving strange phone calls from an unknown caller, in which they remained silent, and he questions if it is the real Liz. One night, Daniel orders his wife to harm herself, telling her he wants to eat her finger. Following his orders, Liz severs her finger and serves it to Daniel; he does not actually eat it, feeding it to the cat. After ordering her to do so, she ultimately cuts out her own liver, intending to cook and serve it, but she dies from heavy blood loss. Immediately afterwards, another Liz shows up at Daniel's door, and they happily embrace. During the credits of this story, footage of dogs living like humans is shown. "R. M. F. Eats a Sandwich" - Emily (Emma Stone) and Andrew (Jesse Plemons) are two cult members who are looking for a woman with the ability to reanimate the dead. They bring a candidate named Anna (Hunter Schafer) to the morgue, but she is unsuccessful in her test. Emily regularly visits her estranged husband, Joseph (Joe Alwyn), and their daughter (Merah Benoit) in secret. Later at headquarters, cult leader Omi (Willem Dafoe) gives Emily and Andrew information on another possible candidate, but the woman is already dead. Emily believes that she dreamed about the woman they are looking for. While Emily and Andrew are eating at a restaurant, a woman named Rebecca (Margaret Qualley), who resembles the woman Emily dreamed about, approaches them. Knowing who they are, she suggests that her twin sister, Ruth (Margaret Qualley), could be the perfect candidate. Andrew brushes this off, saying that a candidate's twin must be dead, to meet the requirements. While visiting her old home, Emily runs into Joseph and their daughter as she is leaving, and Joseph invites Emily to return sometime. She does, only for Joseph to drug her drinks and rape her while she is unconscious. Emily is examined by cult member Aka (The Whale's Hong Chau), who licks her body, and she is found to be "contaminated". After being kicked out of the cult, she plans to return and meet with Ruth who called earlier to say she can meet the requirements. Rebecca kills herself by diving into an empty swimming pool during Emily's visit. After visiting Ruth's veterinarian practice and seeing her healing of a dog, Emily knocks her out and brings her to the morgue. When Ruth wakes, Emily orders her to bring R. M. F.'s corpse back to life. Miraculously, Ruth succeeds in reanimating his body, and Emily celebrates, dancing energetically to "Brand New B****" by Cobrah outside her car. Later, Emily crashes her car on the way to the cult's headquarters, killing Ruth. In a mid-credits scene, the revived R. M. F. Eats a sandwich and spills ketchup on his shirt. Also starring Margaret Qualley as Vivian, Hong Chau as Sarah / Sharon, Joe Alwyn as Collectibles Appraiser Mamoudou Athie as Will / Morgue Nurse, and Krystal Alayne Chambers as Susan. Stone, Plemons, Dafoe, Qualley, Chau, Alwyn and Athie in multiple roles all do a great job being eccentric, and Lanthimos does bring his unique unusual style which is good. The first story with a man and his predetermined life is alright, the second story of the dead wife returning is the most interesting, and the third with a cult and bodies raised from the dead is the least effective but not bad. There are shocking and funny moments of sex and violence that get your attention, and it is visually splendid but it's not quite as clever or memorable as I was hoping, but it's a worthwhile enough absurdist black comedy. Good!
Kynodontas (2009)
Dogtooth
Greek director Yorgos Lantimos (The Lobster, The Favourite, Poor Things) is becoming one of my new favourite filmmakers, I had not seen any of the films in his own language, so I was glad I found this, his third feature which gained awards won awards at the Cannes Film Festival. Basically, a couple lives in a fenced-in compound with their adult son and two adult daughters. The children have been raised with deceptive methods, isolated from the outside world. The parents have told their offspring they will be ready to leave the family home once they lose a dogtooth, and that one can only leave safely by car. The children entertain themselves with endurance games, such as keeping a finger in hot water. They believe they have a brother on the other side of the fence who gives them supplies and throws stones. The parents reward them with stickers for good behaviour and punish bad behaviour with violence. The Father (Christos Stergioglou) works at a factory and pays security guard, Christina (Anna Kalaitzidou), to come to the house and have sex with the Son (Christos Passalis). Christina is frustrated that the son refuses to give her cunnilingus, so she trades her headband with the Older Daughter (Angeliki Papoulia) in exchange for oral sex from her. The Younger Daughter (Mary Tsoni) wants the headband, so the older daughter tells her to lick her shoulder to earn it. Later, the younger daughter volunteers to lick the elder again. The elder has nothing to offer in exchange, but the younger does not mind and experiments by licking other body parts. The father visits a dog training facility where his dog is being held. The trainer (Alexander Voulgaris) refuses to return his dog because it has not finished its training. One day, a stray cat enters the family's garden; the son panics and kills it with a pair of pruning shears. The father lies, telling the children that cats are deadly creatures. Deciding to take advantage of the incident, the father shreds his clothes, covers himself in fake blood, and tells his children that their unseen brother was killed by a cat. He teaches them to get on all fours and bark loudly like dogs to fend off cats. The family later hold a memorial service for the brother. Christina offers hair gel and wants oral sex from the elder daughter. The daughter rejects it and instead wants rental videocassettes of Hollywood movies she has seen in Christina's bag. The daughter secretly watches the films and recreates scenes and quotes their dialogue. The father discovers the tapes, and punishes her, telling her to sellotape one to his hand and beating her with it on the head. He later goes to Christina's flat and hits her with her VCR, cursing her future children to be corrupted by "bad influences". The father and Mother (Michele Valley) decide that, with Christina no longer visiting, the son will choose one of his sisters as a new sexual partner. The sisters are forced to strip naked; the son fondles them with his eyes closed, and he chooses the elder. They have sex together, during which they are both uncomfortable. After this, she recites threatening dialogue from a Hollywood film to him. The mother and father celebrate their wedding anniversary and the children perform a dance routine. The younger daughter stops to rest, but the elder continues. The parents are disturbed when she performs the choreography from the movie Flashdance (1983). That night, the elder daughter deliberately knocks out one of her dogteeth with a dumbbell and hides in the boot of her father's car. The father discovers her tooth fragments and the family search for her when she is missing. The next day, the father is unaware she is hiding in his car while he goes to work. It ends with the car unattended by the father, but it is unclear if the daughter leaves the vehicle or is waiting. Also starring Sissi Petropoulou as the Secretary. It is an interesting story where the dysfunctional grown-up siblings are raised indoors by the oddball parents with misinformation, maintaining their innocence, ignorance, and fear. It is naturally strange, but that's what we've come to expect from Lanthimos, it could have been based on the Fritzl case, but this was revealed in the news later, it is a well-written script with disturbing moments, including unerotic sex and shocking violence, a provocative and interesting psychological drama. Very good!
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Elmer Gantry
I only found out about this film when it was broadcast on television, the fact that the leading actor won the Oscar (against Jack Lemmon in The Apartment) was a big reason for me to watch it, directed by Golden Globe nominated Richard Brooks (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, In Cold Blood). Basically, Elmer Gantry (Oscar and Golden Globe winning, and BAFTA nominated Burt Lancaster) is a charming, hard-drinking, fast-talking travelling salesman who tries to make money by pitching with biblical passages and passion. In his travels, he comes across the traveling roadshow of evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer (BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Jean Simmons) and is immediately attracted to her. Thinking he can become part of the troupe and make easy money, Elmer sweet talks Sharon's naïve assistant Sister Rachel (Patti Page) into disclosing information about Sharon. Elmer cons his way into her good graces and joins the troupe preaching "Christ in commerce" and how he is a saved salesman. Elmer and Sharon develop a "good cop/bad cop" routine, telling the mostly Christian audience members that they will burn in Hell for their sins and Sharon promising salvation if they repent. Because of Elmer's fire and brimstone sermons, the group comes to the attention of the church council in Zenith, Winnemac. Sharon's manager William "Bill" L. Morgan (Dean Jagger) is not confident she is ready to preach outside of the smaller venues, but Elmer convinces her to go to Zenith. They meet with the church leaders, with many of them wary of turning religion into a spectacle as Elmer does, but he convinces them that the churches must earn money to stay open and increase their membership. Elmer creates colourful revival meetings to win over prospective members. Travelling with Sharon is Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and reporter Jim Lefferts (Arthur Kennedy) who is torn between his disgust for religious preaching for money and his admiration for Elmer's charm and cunning. As Elmer brings Sharon's group to larger venues, Lefferts writes several articles labelling the revival a sham. His article reveals that neither Sharon nor Elmer has any credentials. Sharon eventually tells Elmer that her real name is Katie Jones, and that she does not want to admit her humble beginnings publicly. Sharon falls in love with Elmer, they become lovers and she loses her virginity to him. The success of the Falconer-Gantry team comes to the attention of Lulu Bains (Oscar winning, and Golden Globe nominated Shirley Jones), a prostitute who had a youthful affair with Elmer, who left her, and her standing in her minister father's eyes ruined. Acting as a moralist, Elmer unwittingly invades the brothel where Lulu works but sends the prostitutes out of town when he sees Lulu. When he meets Lulu privately after she phones him, Lulu wants revenge against Elmer. Lulu cannot help but still have feelings for Elmer; she later confronts him, and they embrace. Lulu has paid a photographer to capture their embrace, but Elmer's love for Sharon prevents him from going any further with Lulu. Elmer is framed by Lulu out of jealousy for his love for Sharon. Lulu blackmails him, and Sharon is told to pay $25,000 in exchange for the negatives of the incriminating pictures. Sharon brings the money, but Lulu refuses to accept it, and the pictures are then printed on the front page of local newspapers. Lulu first offered Lefferts the exclusive story of Emer's sexual indiscretion, but he refused, dismissing the pictures as merely Elmer being as human as anyone else. Following the publication of the incriminating photos in another newspaper, an angry mob ransacks the tent revival, and Lulu sees Elmer publicly humiliated. The mob curses Elmer and throws eggs at him, and Lulu leaves feeling upset seeing this. She returns to the brothel, which has gone downhill; her pimp wants the $25,000, and he beats her when she tells him she did not take it. Elmer comes to rescue Lulu, disposing of the pimp and he apologises to her, and she admits that she framed him. Elmer returns to Sharon and a large crowd attend a sermon following Elmer's publicised apology. Sharon declines Elmer's request to abandon her sermons, insisting that they were brought together by God to do His work. During a sermon, a man throws away a cigarette which ignites a straw bale; the audience is distracted by Sharon appearing to cure a follower of deafness. The fire spreads and erupts suddenly, and everyone panics as they rush to flee the venue. Elmer struggles through the crowd, pushed by the crowd onto the ground and pushed over the dock into the sea. Sharon makes no effort to get out, and Elmer is too late to save her; she simply remains in the tabernacle (a large tent for the congregation) as the flames engulf it and she dies. The next day, Elmer is saddened by Sharon's death, with many followers showing their support. Elmer tries to appear in peaceful spirits as he clutches a Bible and makes a short speech to the crowd, a smile remains on his face as he strides away. Also starring Edward Andrews as George F. Babbitt, John McIntire as Reverend John Pengilly, Hugh Marlowe as Reverend Philip Garrison, Joe Maross as Pete, Everett Glass as Reverend Brown, Philip Ober as Reverend Planck, Barry Kelley as Police Captain Holt, and Wendell Holmes as Reverend Ulrich. Lancaster gives a great award-worthy performance as the conman vacuum cleaner salesman who turns preacher uttering constant religious gibberish, Simmons is equally terrific as the true religious figure who believes in everything almighty, and Jones is alright in the supporting role. I personally have no interest in religion at all, and I did find the film length of almost three hours a bit testing, but I enjoyed the lead character schmoozing saintly talk to make a few bucks, and the relationship between him and the sincere woman is nice, it has an interesting tone and a good script, so it is certainly a worthwhile drama. It won the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Richard Brooks, and it was nominated for Best Picture, and Best Original Score for André Previn, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film from any Source, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Very good!
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
A Quiet Place: Day One
The first film was brilliant, and the second film, which opens with a flashback to how it all started in Millbrook, New York, was very good, I was looking forward to this third instalment, a prequel spin-off with new characters. Basically, Samira (Lupita Nyong'o) has terminal cancer and lives at a hospice outside New York City with her cat, Frodo. Her care worker, Reuben (Old's Alex Wolff), convinces a reluctant Sam to join a group of patients on an outing to a marionette show in Manhattan. Sam wants to return to her apartment in Harlem and get a slice of pizza at her favourite place, Patsy's Pizzeria and argues with Reuben when he dismisses this. As the group boards the bus back to the hospice, they notice meteor-like objects across the sky and crash into the city. Shortly after waking up covered in dust, Sam sees hostile extra-terrestrial creatures attacking people. In the ensuing chaos, Sam is knocked unconscious. Sam wakes again inside the theatre with Frodo and other survivors, including Henri (Djimon Hounsou). The survivors are all quiet because they realise that the aliens have an acute sense of hearing, and that they must avoid making any noise. Military helicopters fly over the city making announcements warning civilians to stay silent and hide until rescues can be made. Bridges leading out of the city are bombed to prevent the creatures from leaving the island. One of the survivors (Elijah Ungvary) panics, trying to calm him down to keep him quiet, Henri accidentally kills him in the process. Later that night, the national power grid cuts out, causing a backup generator to nosily activate. Sam watches Reuben turn it off, but the noise attracts a creature, and he is killed. A distraught Sam takes Frodo and leaves for Harlem. The military announces they are preparing to evacuate civilians by boat from South Street Seaport, because the creatures are unable to swim. Groups of people start leaving buildings towards the evacuation point. Eventually, the increasing volume of movement amongst the crowd creates noise that alerts the creatures. The people panic as the creatures attack them and cause a stampede. Sam flees in the opposite direction and is separated from Frodo. An English law student named Eric (Joseph Quinn) encounters Frodo and follows him back to Sam. She tries to convince him to go to the evacuation point, but Eric is shell-shocked and follows Sam back to her apartment instead. They narrowly avoid a creature making their way to Harlem and realise that they can talk quietly whilst it is raining heavily. Sam needs medication for her pain, and Eric learns she is an acclaimed and published poet. Feeling fearful and exhausted, they scream together when thunder strikes outside. The following morning, Eric gets Sam's medication from a nearby pharmacy. Sam tells him that she watched her late father play jazz at a club as a child, and often got pizza from Patsy's afterward. Sam wants to have what may be the last slice of pizza at the restaurant before she dies from her illness. She is devastated when they find Patsy's has been destroyed in the chaos. They go to the club her father played in for a rest. While Sam rests, Eric finds another restaurant and brings her a pizza. He also cheers her up with a magic card trick and they silently pretend to perform onstage together. Later, Eric and Sam see the two boats nearby, filled with passengers preparing to leave, with creatures congregating nearby. Sam gives Frodo to Eric while she distracts the creatures by smashing car windows. Eric runs and jumps off the pier into the water and is pulled up into a boat by Henri. Eric then finds a note in his jacket from Sam, telling him to take care of Frodo and thanking him for reminding her to live. Sometime later, Sam walks on an empty street listening to "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone on an iPod. Accepting her imminent fate, Sam smiles as she unplugs the earphones and lets the music blare out. A creature appears behind her as the screen cuts to black, presumably killing her offscreen. Also starring Alfie Todd as Max, Alexander John as Priest, Eliane Umuhire as Zena, and Ronnie Le Drew as Marvin Monroe. Nyong'o gives a splendid expressive central performance, Quinn is likeable as the Brit tagging along with her, Hounsou and Wolff are good support, and the cat companion is adorable. The premise remains the same, characters being extra quiet to avoid detection from the deadly monsters, the sound design is just about as effective as before, the gimmick has perhaps worn a little, it is not as scary or tense as previously, but is a worthwhile apocalyptic horror. Good!
The Bikeriders (2023)
The Bikeriders
The trailer for this film looked appealing, from the three lead stars to the theme and plot, it is a fictional story inspired by a photobook by Danny Lyon, it first premiered at film festivals a year ago and I was looking forward to it, written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Mud, Midnight Special, Loving). Basically, set in 1965, strong-willed Kathy Bauer (Killing Eve's Jodie Comer) meets Benny Cross (Elvis's Austin Butler), the reckless new member of the Chicago-based Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals. Kathy and Benny are married just five weeks later. Photography student Danny Lyon (Challengers' Mike Faist) travels with and interviews the Vandals. The club's founding member, truck driver and family man Johnny Davis (Tom Hardy), was inspired to create the club after watching the movie The Wild One with Marlon Brando on television. Club members include the level-headed lieutenant Brucie (Damon Herriman), the gear-head Cal (The Predator's Boyd Holbrook), the unstable Zipco (Michael Shannon), and the long-time bug-eating member Cockroach (Emory Cohen). Another member, Big Jack (Happy Anderson), suggests they should open a new chapter of the Vandals in Milwaukee. Johnny refuses and Big Jack challenges him; they engage in a fistfight which Johnny wins. He re-establishes his authority and grants permission to expand the club. New chapters begin to form across the Midwest. In 1969, Benny is attacked by two men in a bar for wearing his club jacket. He almost loses his foot when one severs his leg with a shovel and his face is cut during the altercation. Johnny forces the bar owner to name the men who attacked Benny, and later, the Vandals burn down the bar. While Benny is recovering from surgery, Johnny pressures him to return to the club. But Kathy objects because he is not fully healed, and doctors have warned him not to put pressure on his foot. Johnny offers Benny leadership of the club when he steps down, but Benny rejects it. A twenty-year-old delinquent called "The Kid" (Babyteeth's Toby Wallace) wants to join the Vandals along with his own motorcycle club. Johnny initially dismisses them but tests the Kid by allowing only him to join. The Kid expresses willingness to abandon his friends, and Johnny rejects his place in the club. The Kid attacks Johnny with a knife, who beats him and warns him not to come back. In 1973, Lyon interviews Kathy about what happened to the Vandals. She explains that Johnny was devastated after the death of Brucie, and the club grew increasingly violent after drug-addicted Vietnam War veterans joined the ranks. At a party, Cockroach drunkenly expresses a desire to leave the club to become a motorcycle police officer; he is beaten by new members who disagree with his thoughts. Benny confronts Cockroach's attackers, and Kathy is nearly raped, but she is narrowly rescued by Johnny. Furious that Benny was not there to protect her, Kathy demands Benny quit the Vandals. Instead, he leaves her for several days. To allow Cockroach to leave the club safely, Johnny takes Benny to stage a break-in at his house, and Cockroach is shot non-fatally in the leg. Troubled by the increasing violence of the club, Benny again rejects Johnny's offer of leadership, quits the club and leaves Chicago for places unknown. The Kid, now a member of the Vandals Milwaukee chapter, challenges Johnny to a knife fight for leadership. On the night of the fight, the Kid instead shoots and kills Johnny. Kathy explains to Lyon that the Kid took over the Vandals, and they became a large criminal gang involved in drug trafficking and murder. The older members of the group went different ways, some were forced to fall in line, some left to obtain legitimate jobs, and some died. Benny learned of Johnny's death, returned home, and had a breakdown. He and Kathy relocated to Florida where Benny works as a mechanic and has stopped riding motorcycles. Kathy tells Lyon they are happy, and Benny does not miss the biker lifestyle. Outside, Benny hears motorcycles nearby and wistfully smiles at her. Also starring The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus as Funny Sonny, Beau Knapp as Wahoo, Love's Karl Glusman as Corky, Paul Sparks as Gary Rogue Leader, and Will Oldham as Bartender. Comer narrates and holds the story together as the wife of a gang member, Butler tries to be like James Dean and gives a magnetic cool performance, Hardy doing a Marlon Brando impression is gruff and charismatic, and there is good support from Shannon, Reedus, Herriman and others. Based on photographer Lyon's experiences of a real motorcycle club between 1965 and 1973, it is a simple enough story of bikers meeting in bars and on the road, drinking a lot and occasionally having brawls, and later entering a violent underworld of thievery, fights, arson, and killings, the period detail is well done, the atmosphere is moody, and the bike riding sequences are fun, it is a stylish and interesting crime drama. Good!
Hard to Kill (1990)
Hard to Kill
Besides Under Siege and one of two other titles, the career of the leading martial arts movie star has been full of below-average and utterly rubbish films, this was his second film, rated average, I was hoping for perhaps another good enough film. Basically, in 1983, Los Angeles police internal affairs detective Mason Storm (Steven Seagal) investigates a mob meeting that takes place by a pier. He captures a shadowy figure on camera who assures the mob they can rely on his political support. Mason is spotted but escapes. Mason informs his partner, Detective Carl Becker (Lou Beatty Jr.), and his friend Lieutenant Kevin O'Malley (Frederick Coffin), that he has evidence of corruption. But Mason is unaware of corruption within the force and that he is being monitored. Mason hides the videotape in his house. Mason is upstairs with his wife Felicia (Bonnie Burroughs) making love, when a hit squad composed of corrupt policemen break in, including Detective Jack Axel (Charles Boswell) and Detective Max Quentero (Branscombe Richmond). The attackers proceed to murder Mason's wife and shoot him, but Mason's young son, Sonny (Geoffrey Bara), escapes out of a window. Mason is framed by the corrupt policemen, making it look like a murder-suicide. At the same time, assassins kill Mason's partner Becker. Later at the hospital, Mason is initially pronounced dead but he is revealed to be alive and in a coma. Lieutenant O'Malley tells the medics to keep Mason's status a secret, hiding his identity under a "John Doe", to prevent the assassins from finishing the job. Seven years later, nurse Andrea "Andy" Stewart (Kelly LeBrock), who has been caring for him, is amazed when Mason wakes from his coma. Mason tells her that he is a cop and to inform his superiors, so she calls the police, but the call is intercepted by corrupt officers. Aware that Mason is alive, Axel is sent to kill him and the nurses who have talked to him. Mason realises he is in danger, but his muscles are weak, and he can barely move. Remaining on his stretcher, Mason manages to get to an elevator, and Andy sees her co-workers killed, she helps Mason escape. Andy takes Mason to a friend's house to give him time to recuperate. Mason uses his knowledge of acupuncture, moxibustion and other meditation techniques to recover his strength. While training in martial arts, Mason hears a television commercial for Senator Vernon Trent (William Sadler) and recognises his voice from the mob meeting at the pier. Mason contacts O'Malley, who supplies him with weapons and tells him that Sonny (Zachary Rosencrantz) is still alive. O'Malley adopted Sonny and sent him to a private school to keep him out of danger. He arranges to meet O'Malley and his now-teenage son at a train station. After O'Malley leaves, Senator Trent's men find the house and try to kill Andy and Mason but they both manage to escape. To get back the videotape, Mason and Andy pose as real estate agents to enter his old house, and he recovers the tape from behind a concealed wall. O'Malley and Sonny arrive at the train station but are confronted by some of the Senator's men. Sonny flees with the tape, but O'Malley is killed. When Mason arrives, he sees Sonny running away from Quentero and Detective Nolan (James DiStefano). Mason catches up with the men and subdues Nolan by breaking his leg and throwing him in a trash bin. He then beats up Quentero, recognising him as one of the men who assaulted his home in 1983. Mason proceeds to kill Quentero, snapping his neck. Mason has a brief and somewhat awkward reunion with his son, before going after Senator Trent. Mason sneaks into the Senator's mansion and eliminates many of his men one by one. In the billiard room, Mason fights with Axel and avenges his wife, killing him by jamming a broken pool cue into his neck. Next, Mason targets the corrupt Captain Dan Hulland (Andrew Bloch), taunting him and stalking him at his home. He corners the captain near the fireplace before strangling him with a necktie and breaking his neck, killing him. Mason finally confronts Senator Trent and holds him at gunpoint when the police storm the mansion. However, they reveal that they know that Mason was set up, having seen the videotape footage already. Trent is arrested, and Mason is reunited with Andy and his son. As they walk away, the footage is shown on the television news, showing Trent coming out of the shadows. Also starring Dean Norris as Detective Sergeant Goodhart, Tony Perez as Detective #1, Steve Jones as E. R. Doctor, Ernie Lively (Blake's father) as Commander, and Julia Stormson as Girl in Hot Tub. Seagal is alright as the cop waking from a coma wanting revenge against his attackers, LeBrock is likeable enough as the beautiful woman helping him, Sadler is an okay villain, and O'Malley does fine as an ally. It is a simple enough story of a vigilante cop story fighting back against the bad cops and criminals who left him for dead and killed his wife, the training montage is predictable, but there are some exciting enough chases, gun battles and fistfights, it is one of the better films from Seagal, a fair action thriller. Worth watching!
The Railway Station Man (1992)
The Railway Station Man
I was shocked and saddened by the death of Donald Sutherland at the age of 88; M*A*S*H, Klute, Don't Look Now, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Outbreak, and The Hunger Games are among his most memorable films I've seen, and I was looking forward to paying my respects and watching this, one of the lesser-known movies he made. Basically, on Christmas 1981, in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, schoolteacher Daniel "Dan", husband of Helen Cuffe (Julie Christie) is shot by the Irish Republican Army in mistake for another man. Ten years later, in 1991, Helen sold her house in Derry and moved with her grown-up son Jack (Frank McCusker). They live in a small town in Country Donegal, Republic of Ireland where Helen hopes to become a painter. One day, Helen goes to the abandoned Knappogue Road train station building. There, she meets American stranger Roger Hawthorne (Donald Sutherland) who, despite it not being an active station, is working on the building's restoration. Roger lost his left hand from shrapnel in the Vietnam War and has a hook for a hand. Later, Roger goes to the local pub and meets Jack; they watch High Noon on the television, and Roger invites Jack to the station building. At home, Helen listens to "All I Have to Do Is Dream" on vinyl; she and Jack argue about socialists. The following day, Jack meets Damian Sweeney (John Lynch), who is helping Roger with the restoration. Jack mentions that he is aware Damian is in the "movement"; Damian talks about wanting to build a boat. Manus Dempsey (Mark Tandy) has told Jack to ask Damian for a secure place, perhaps the large empty goods shed, but he refuses. Jack is angered returning home to find Helen throwing things out for a jumble sale. But he calms down when Mary Heron (Ingrid Craigie) from the jumble sale arrives to collect stuff. Helen joins Mary at the jumble sale in the local hall, where Father Quinlan (Niall Cusack) buys one of Helen's unsigned paintings. Roger comes to the sale and asks about a gramophone she is selling. Roger overhears the ladies talking about him; he buys the gramophone and plays "Tallahassee Lassie" by Freddy Cannon, and Helen and Roger dance to it. Roger drives Helen to the rocks for a walk and they get splashed by sea water. Roger returns Helen's paintings after leaving them in his car and wants to buy them for £100. Roger suggests Helen put together a portfolio of her artwork to take to Dublin. Helen is painting on the beach, and Damian is watching her from above the cliff. He watches her strip and she swims naked in the sea. Swimming back to the shore, Damian hands her clothing, and then strips to go swimming naked himself. After getting dressed, Helen recognises Damian for giving Jack a bloody nose. Damian has fixed the signal box at the station, but there are no tracks and will be no trains. Roger has framed and hanged Helen's artwork at the station building. Roger's mother was killed in a car accident, but her father only told him six months after her death. Helen creates a portfolio, and Roger shows her the signal box. Roger has had stations in England, Scotland, Canada, the United States, and Ireland. Helen paints a portrait of Damian naked in the sea, which Roger is happy to see. After going for drinks to celebrate, he is drunk and walks home. Roger passes Jack driving with Manus, who wants to see the station. The next morning, Manus and Jack talk about using the goods shed. Manus looks at Helen's paintings and sketches of the man naked on the beach. Manus meets Roger, who says they are preparing the roadbed for track, and cleaning up the platform. Manus enters the empty goods shed and wants it for an "operation". Damian visits Helen and recognises himself in the paintings. Damian assures Helen that Jack is nothing like Manus, who may use guns and explosives. Helen later visits Roger at his home with food and they eat together. Helen and Roger dance together to "Mood Indigo" playing on the gramophone before they share a kiss and have clothed sex on the drinks cabinet. They wake up in bed together and she leaves. Helen wants to concentrate on painting and tells Roger waiting in his car to go away. Later, Helen invites Roger for dinner at her cottage. Jack is driving with Manus, and they are followed by a lorry. Jack goes home and catches Roger giving Helen oral sex Roger leaves but Jack rushes to stop him, returning with him to the station building. There, Manus and his men are unloading boxes of explosives from the lorry. Driving at high speed, Roger crashes into the boxes, with Jack close behind him, causing an explosion and killing them. The two wrecked cars remain outside the abandoned station building. Helen narrates that four people died, two young men in the lorry, Roger and Jack. Helen continues painting her emotions. Also starring Maire Hastings as Mrs. Sweeney, Peadar Lamb as Mr. Hasson, Ann Callanan as Policewoman, Gary Walker as Policeman, and Johnny O'Doherty Craig as Young Jack Cuffe. Sutherland gives a subdued charming performance as the loner obsessed with restoring an unused train station, and Christie is great as the lonely Irish widow and aspiring artist; Sutherland and Christie reuniting twenty years after Don't Look Now is a nice thing to see. It is a most simplistic story, a love story between two lost souls on the coast of Ireland, the son getting involved with a violent political group is only mildly interesting as well, it is fair to say that only a few memorable things happen, including the explosive conclusion, but it is a gentle worthwhile romantic drama. Good!
Weekend at Bernie's (1989)
Weekend at Bernie's
I had heard the title of this film a few times in the past, I knew it involved a dead body, and I understand it was something of a big hit in the 80s, so I'm glad when I finally got to watching it, directed by Ted Kotcheff (Wake in Fright, Fun with Dick and Jane, Rambo: First Blood). Basically, at an insurance company in New York City, Larry Wilson (Mannequin's Andrew McCarthy) and Richard Parker (Jonathan Silverman) are two low-level financial employees. While looking at finance reports, Richard discovers a series of payments made for the same death. He and Larry take their findings to the CEO, the wealthy and self-indulgent Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser), who praises them for discovering the insurance fraud; he invites them for the Labor Day weekend to his beach house in The Hamptons. Larry and Richard are unaware that Bernie is behind the fraud. Bernie has a nervous meeting with his mob partner Vito (Louis Giambalvo), asking him to have the two killed to cover up the discovery. After Bernie leaves, Vito orders Bernie to be killed instead, for his incompetence, and for sleeping with his girlfriend Tina (Catherine Parks). Before leaving the office, Richard encounters beautiful summer intern Gwen Saunders (Catherine Mary Stewart), but he is too nervous to ask her on a date. Bernie arrives at the island before Larry and Richard and discusses the murders with hitman Paulie (Don Calfa), unaware that their phone conversation is being recorded on his answering machine. Paulie arrives and kills Bernie with a lethal heroin injection, then stages it as self-inflicted. Larry and Richard arrive on the island and explore Bernie's beach house, and eventually find him dead on the couch, with a frozen smirk and his eyes open under his sunglasses. Before they can call the authorities, guests arrive for the usual weekend party. The pair are amazed when many guests are too busy partying to notice Barnie is dead, talking to his lifeless body with passing comments. Scared that they may implicated in Bernie's death and wanting to enjoy the luxurious house for the weekend, Larry suggests to Richard maintaining the illusion that Bernie is still alive, which Richard finds absurd. Richard changes his mind when Gwen arrives at the beach house, and he makes an effort to flirt with her. After the party, a drunken Tina arrives at the house and demands to see Bernie. They have put his body in his bed, and they cannot prevent her from going upstairs. Later, Tina comes back down and has made love with Bernie's corpse (unknowing necrophilia). One of Vito's mobsters sees Bernie and mistakenly believes that the assassination failed; he notifies Vito who sends Paulie back to kill him. The next morning, Richard is outraged to find Larry furthering the illusion by tying strings to Bernie's limbs to manipulate his movements, like a puppet. Richard decides it is time to call the police, instead, he activates the phone message previously left on Bernie's machine, with Bernie's voice detailing his plot to kill the pair. Unaware of how Bernie died, they mistakenly believe they are still the targets for an assassination, as Bernie had said not to kill them while he was in the area. Wanting to leave the island, they attempt to leave the island, driving in Bernie's car and his speedboat, but these attempts are thwarted, as they repeatedly misplace and recover Bernie's body. They are forced to return to the beach house, where Paulie makes numerous other assassination attempts, but he is confused when Bernie appears to be still "alive". Gwen, who has been trying to talk to Bernie, sees Larry and Richard with the body. She is shocked to discover the truth and almost screams in horror, but a crazed Paulie arrives and fires a gun at them. He shoots repeatedly into Bernie's corpse before turning his attention to Larry, Richard, and Gwen. Chasing after the trio, Paulie corners Larry, who subdues him. The police arrive and arrest Paulie, taking him away in a straitjacket as he continues to insist Bernie is still alive. As Bernie's body is loaded into an ambulance, Gwen invites Richard to stay with her family for the week, while Larry decides to go home to give them space. However, the stretcher rolls away, and Bernie's body falls off, landing on the beach right behind the trio. They run away in terror, and a bratty little boy (Jason Woliner), who was earlier burying his body in the sand, returns to do it again. Also starring Eloise DeJoria as Tawny, Greg Salata as Marty, Vito's Assistant, Ted Kotcheff as Jack Parker, Richard's Dad, and Margaret Hall as Bernie's Secretary, and look out for Skeet Ulrich as an Extra. If I was going to compare it, it is along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry. It is a one-joke scenario two idiotic aspiring accountants put in increasingly daft circumstances over a weekend with a corpse they must lug around to continue their fun and get out of trouble. McCarthy and Silverman do keep things moving, but Kiser does steal the show as the stiff being thrown and dragged around. There is enough slapstick to maintain the silliness, there is only so much stretching it can do (and it is ridiculous that a rubbish sequel followed four years later) but it is reasonable fun, not a bad black comedy. Worth watching!
Sweet Charity (1969)
Sweet Charity
I hadn't necessarily heard about this movie before it was on television, it is based on the Broadway stage musical, which is based on Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria; when I found out it had famous songs I recognise, I was most interested in watching it, the directorial debut of Bob Fosse (Cabaret, All That Jazz). Basically, in New York City, Charity Hope Valentine (Golden Globe nominated Shirley MacLaine) works as a taxi dancer at The Fandango Ballroom, a sleazily erotic setting, along with her friends, Nickie (Chita Rivera) and Helene (Paula Kelly). She hopes to find love, but is naturally clumsy, and has bad luck with men. This is seen when she is walking with her married boyfriend Charlie (Dante DiPaolo) who accidentally pushes her off Gapstow Bridge in Central Park and steals her life savings of $427. There is a performance of "Big Spender" (most famously performed by Shirley Bassey) at the ballroom. Charity shares her disappointment and hopes with Nickie and Helene several times. Somewhat later, Charity encounters famous movie star Vittorio Vitale (Ricardo Montalban), moments after he has broken up with his girlfriend Ursula (Barbara Bouchet). Charity goes to a nightclub, where the guests perform the "Rich Man's Frug," and later has dinner with Vittorio at his apartment. When Vittorio leaves the room for a moment, Charity plays with his folding too hat and celebrates what might be some good fortune, singing "If They Could See Me Now". However, moments later, Ursula comes back to Vittorio, and Charity is forced to hide in the closet for the entire night while Vittorio and Ursula make love and sleep together. Charity returns to the Fandango and tells Nickie and Helene about her night with Vittorio, they do not believe it and are happy for her, but disappointed by how it turned out for her. Nickie and Helene commiserate on the building's rooftop and sing "There's Got to Be Something Better Than This". Charity decides to find a more respectable and rewarding way to make a living and goes to an employment agency to find a job. However, she is forced to admit that she has no higher education or qualifications. The interviewer Nicholsby (Alan Hewitt) assumes she is making a joke, and she decides to go along with this, realising she won't be taken seriously, and she leaves. Charity enters the elevator to leave the building, but it breaks down between floors, and the man she is standing next to has a panic attack. Oscar Lindquist (John McMartin) is an insurance actuary who suffers from severe claustrophobia; he passes out, Charity holds him and is smitten with him, singing "It's a Nice Face". They are eventually able to leave the elevator, Oscar follows Charity onto the street and finally asks her to go on a date with him. The two have several dates over time, including dinner at various restaurants, and a walk over the same bridge she pushed over previously. Oscar suggests they do something different, and they visit an alternative church presided over by a preacher named Big Daddy (Sammy Davis Jr.) and "worshiping" with the song "The Rhythm of Life" (famously featured in a Guinness advert). Charity cannot tell Oscar what she does for a job and lets him believe she works in a bank. Oscar proposes marriage and when she finally tells him what she does he professes to be broadminded. Excited to be engaged, Charity's hopes are lifted again, and she celebrates in the huge production number "I'm a Brass Band". Oscar meets Charity's friends at the Fandango when they throw a party for her, singing "I Love to Cry at Weddings". However, at the marriage license bureau, Oscar has a change of heart, telling her he has tried to accept her past. But he cannot help but think about all the men she has slept with for money; he is unable to marry her. After walking away from each other, Charity is devastated and breaks down, leaning against the wall and crying. That night, Charity returns to the bridge in Central Park and may be considering throwing herself off it. The following morning, she is still sitting on the steps of the bridge when a passing group of young hippies singing about love and peace hand her a flower. Charity smiles with her spirits lifted and walks away singing "Where Am I Going?", hoping for a positive future. Also starring Stubby Kaye as Herman, Suzanne Charny as the Lead Dancer, "Mickey" singer Toni Basil as a Dancer, Chelsea Brown as a Dancer, Planet of the Apes' Jeff Burton as a Policeman, and Harold and Maude's Bud Cort as a Flower Child. MacLaine gives a vibrant performance as the showgirl dreaming of a fairytale romance, Montalban is charming during his time, McMartin is likeable as the man who may change her fortune, Davis Jr. Is memorable as the religious leader, and there is good support from Rivera and Kelly. There is no denying that the show tunes, choreography, and costumes are sublime and entertaining, I agree it has a brash nature at times and is not as sophisticated as it could be, but it is a worthwhile musical comedy-drama. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) for Cy Coleman. Good!
La haine (1995)
La Haine
This French film has been in the IMDb Top 250 Movies several times, it was rated well and sounded interesting, and it received acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, so I was glad when I finally got to watch it, written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz (Gothika, Babylon A. D.). Basically, it opens with a montage of news footage of numerous urban riots in the poverty-stricken neighbourhood in the French suburbs. In the aftermath, local man Abdel Ichaha (Abdel Ahmed Ghili) is severely injured and is in intensive care while in police custody. The riots escalate, leading to a siege of the local police station, and a police officer's gun is taken. The story follows the lives of three friends of Abdel, all young men from immigrant families, over 24 hours. Vinz (Vincent Cassel) is a young Jewish man with an aggressive temperament who wants revenge for Abdel's condition. He has a hatred for all police officers and looks in the mirror imitating Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. Hubert (Hubert Koundé) is a black boxer and small-time drug dealer wanting to escape the suburbs and make a better life for himself. However, his boxing gymnasium was destroyed in the riots. Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui) is a young North African Muslim who acts as a mediator between Vinz and Hubert. The three friends have a directionless daily routine and are often being watched by the police. After a gathering on a rooftop which is broken up by the police, Vinz reveals that he found the gun, a .44 Magnum revolver, that was lost during the riot. He plans to use it to kill a police officer if Abdel dies. While Hubert disapproves, Vinz secretly takes the gun with him. They visit Abdel in the hospital but are refused entry by the police. Saïd is arrested when they become aggressive refusing to leave, but he is later released with the assistance of a familiar police officer. Vinz and Hubert have a disagreement about their perspectives on policing and violence, leading them to part ways temporarily. Saïd joins Vinz, while Hubert briefly returns home. They reunite at another gathering, but it quickly descends into chaos when Abdel's brother tries to murder a police officer as an act of revenge. This triggers a confrontation with the police, and the group narrowly escapes after Vinz almost shoots a riot officer. They board a train to Paris, where they have several dangerous confrontations with both friendly and hostile Parisians. In a public toilet, they encounter a survivor of the Gulag (forced labour camps in the Soviet Union) who tells them a story about a man who froze to death after refusing to relieve himself in public near their transport train and failing to get back onto the train in time. The trio is perplexed by the meaning of the story. Later, they visit frequent cocaine user Astérix (François Levantal) who owes Saïd money. This visit leads to a violent confrontation, as Astérix appears to force Vinz to play Russian roulette, although the gun chambers are secretly unloaded. They encounter sadistic police officers wearing civilian clothing who arrest Saïd and Hubert while Vinz manages to escape. The police officers verbally and physically abuse the duo before they are imprisoned overnight, causing the three friends to miss the last train from Saint-Lazare station and they are forced to sleep on the streets. The trio are kicked out of an art gallery and fail to steal a car, and they shelter in a shopping mall. They hear on the television news that Abdel has died. They head to a rooftop, where they insult skinheads and policemen. However, the same group of skinheads attack Saïd and Hubert. Vinz intervenes, holding one of the skinheads at gunpoint. Vinz initially plans to kill him, but he hesitates and lets the skinhead go, prompted by Hubert who challenges Vinz's gangster act and reveals his true nature. In the early morning, the trio returns home, and Vinz gives the gun to Hubert. Vinz and Saïd encounter an officer in civilian clothing who Vinz had previously insulted while on a rooftop with his friends. The officer grabs Vinz, threatening him and holding a loaded gun to his head. Hubert rushes to help, but the officer accidentally fires, killing Vinz. A tense standoff ensues between Hubert and the officer, as Saïd closes his eyes. A single gunshot is heard offscreen, but it is not revealed who fired or if anybody was shot. This climactic standoff has Hubert's voiceover, including the recurring phrase "so far so good", and the film portrays French society's descent from hostility into senseless violence, emphasizing that despite appearances, all is not well, and the future remains uncertain. Also starring Edouard Montoute as Darty, Solo as Santo, Marc Duret as Inspector 'Notre Dame', Héloïse Rauth as Sarah, Rywka Wajsbrot as Vinz's grandmother, Tadek Lokcinski as Man in the Lavatory, Choukri Gabteni as Saïd's brother Nordine, Nabil Ben Mhamed as Sam, Félicité Wouassi as Hubert's mother, Fatou Thioune as Hubert's sister, and Mathieu Kassovitz as a Skinhead. Cassel went on to become a bigger star because of his terrific performance, his co-stars Ghili and Koundé also do great performances, it has a good script that is hard-hitting and sometimes amusing, the use of black-and-white colour is arty, and it has fantastic cinematography and camerawork (the mirror reflection scene and bird's eye view above the buildings), a most interesting crime drama. Very good!
Inside Out 2 (2024)
Inside Out 2
The original Disney/Pixar film was a clever story incorporating human emotions as characters, receiving praise from critics, and winning the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar, I'm glad I watched it again to get more context for this sequel. Basically, two years after moving to San Francisco, Riley (Kensington Tallman) has become a teenager and is to start attending high school. Her five key personified emotions, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Tony Hale), Disgust (Liza Lapira), and Anger (Lewis Black), in Headquarters, Riley's conscious mind, continue to influence Riley's actions and memories via a control console. Since Riley turned thirteen, the emotions have created a new section of Riley's mind called "Sense of Self", housing memories and feelings that form Riley's core personality. Joy wants to fill the Sense of Self with only positive memories, and she has created a mechanism to launch many negative memories into the back of Riley's mind. Riley and her best friends Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green) and Grace (Grace Lu) are invited to an ice hockey camp weekend where Riley hopes to qualify for the Firehawks, her school's team. The night before the camp, the button reading "Puberty" flashes red, a construction wrecking ball crashes into Headquarters, and a group of mind workers start tearing it down to upgrade the emotion console. The emotions discover that when they control the new console, they cause Riley to overreact wildly to their inputs. Soon, the emotions are joined by four new emotions arriving at Headquarters: Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Richard Jewell's Paul Walter Hauser), and Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Though initially friendly, the new and old emotions clash over their approaches. Joy thinks Riley should focus on having fun at the camp, but Anxiety wants her to be successful at ice hockey and make new friends, especially since Bree and Grace will be going to a different high school. Joy inadvertently causes Riley and the other campers to be punished by the camp's strict director, Coach Roberts (Yvette Nicole Brown). Feeling that Riley needs to fit in with the older players, Anxiety changes her personality, dumping the Sense of Self into the back of Riley's mind. The old emotions are then "bottled up", and thrown into a memory vault. Anxiety and the new emotions then use negative memories to create a new, corrupted Sense of Self and encourage Riley to make friends with popular hockey player Valentina / Val (Lilimar), causing her friendship with Bree and Grace to become strained. The old emotions escape the vault and split up to try and find their way back to Headquarters. Sadness uses a recall tube to return to Headquarters while the others go to the back of Riley's mind to retrieve her old Sense of Self. Sadness is unable to prevent Anxiety influencing Riley to sneak into Coach Roberts' office to read her notebook. Riley is upset to discover that Coach doesn't consider her ready to become part of the team, and Anxiety determines to take further control over Riley. The old emotions make it to the back of Riley's mind and retrieve Riley's Sense of Self from a mountain made up of the bad memories deposited by Joy's mechanism. The emotions find the stream of consciousness and ride it to return to Headquarters. However, after causing an avalanche of bad memories, they spill into Riley's Sense of Self, corrupting it further. Their journey is further lengthened by the "Sar Chasm", whenever Riley makes a sarcastic comment. The old emotions manage to get to the section of Riley's mind where her dreams are created, and they try to get a message to Anxiety that she is causing a negative effect, but she refuses to listen. Anxiety is shocked to discover that, despite her intentions, the newly cultivated Sense of Self has caused the feeling of self-doubt for Riley, leading to Anxiety frantically controlling Riley during a crucial hockey game. This results in Riley hogging the puck, missing many shots, and accidentally hurting Grace, getting her sent to the penalty box. Anxiety is horrified she swarms the control console with a frenzied whirlwind, causing Riley to become overwhelmed and suffer a panic attack. The old emotions finally return to Headquarters, and Joy convinces Anxiety that she doesn't need to make Riley change herself to have a better future. Anxiety relents and the original Sense of Self is reinstalled, but Riley's attack persists. Anxiety is repentant, reiterating that she can't determine who Riley is. Joy realises the same thing and removes the first Sense of Self again. This allows a new, complex, and varying Sense to form from all of Riley's positive and negative memories. Together, the emotions embrace this Sense and stabilize it, finally allowing Riley to calm down. Riley is now in full control of her emotions, she reconciles with Bree and Grace and she calls for Joy to take command and finishes the game smiling. Sometime later, Riley attends high school and becomes friends with Val and the other Firehawks while staying true to herself and maintaining her friendship with Bree and Grace. At lunch, she and the team wait for a message from the Coach with the list of new Firehawks recruits. Now living in peace, the first and second generations of emotions work together to protect Riley's forever-changing Sense of Self. Riley checks her phone to see if her name is on the list (it is not revealed onscreen) and she smiles at herself in the mirror. Also starring Diane Lane as Riley's Mom, Kyle MacLachlan as Riley's Dad, Ron Funches as Bloofy, James Austin Johnson as Pouchy, Yong Yea as Lance Slashblade, Steve Purcell as Riley's Deep Dark Secret, Dave Goelz as Mind Cop Frank, Kirk R. Thatcher as the Foreman, Frank Oz as Mind Cop Dave, Paula Pell as Mom's Anger, June Squibb as Nostalgia, Pete Doctor as Dad's Anger, John Ratzenberger as Fritz, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea as Jake, and Sam Thompson as Security Man Sam. The cast of returning voices, and the new additions, all make for good characters, the colourful animation is terrific, and the story is interesting, with stuff that will appeal to both the younger and older viewers. The plot involving the teenage experience is just as complicated if not more so than before, but that is the point, there is lots of fun and humour throughout as well, it is a clever, creative, and enjoyable computer-animated fantasy adventure comedy-drama. Very good!
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 (2024)
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2
The original film released a year ago is one of the stupidest ideas for a British movie ever conceived, it won many deserved awards at the Razzies, and unfortunately, it is the beginning of The Twisted Childhood Universe franchise, so more rubbish is to follow, including this sequel no-one asked for. Basically, having survived the killings in the Hundred Acre Wood, Christopher Robin (Scott Chambers) flees and returns to his childhood town of Ashdown to seek help. Many of the corpses of the victims are recovered from the woods, but Christopher is believed to be responsible. The incident is dubbed the "Hundred Acre Massacre", and a film adaptation based on the murders is released (the first film within the film), damaging Christopher's reputation in Ashdown. Christopher becomes an outcast, and he has nightmares about his former friend Winnie-the-Pooh (Ryan Oliva) who killed several people. Christopher starts seeing hypnotherapist Mary Darling (Teresa Banham) to deal with the nightmares, along with his childhood trauma: the memory of his twin brother Billy who was kidnapped and never seen again. Meanwhile, in the Hundred Acre Wood, Pooh and Piglet (Eddy MacKenzie) are forced to hide along with Tigger (Lewis Santer) and Owl (Marcus Massey) as there are people who believe in Christopher's story. Three university students come to the woods in a recreational vehicle to investigate for themselves, and the creatures slaughter them. Following this, Owl suggests to Pooh that they attack Ashdown rather than wait for more people to come to the woods. A group of hunters ambush the creatures; Piglet is killed to avenge the students' death, and Pooh kills them in retaliation and reconsiders Owl's suggestion. However, one of the hunters survives the ordeal and returns to Ashdown. Due to the negative backlash in town, Christopher loses his job at the local hospital and returns to undergo further hypnotherapy with Mary. The surviving hunter arrives at the hospital for treatment and Christopher suspects he was attacked by Pooh, which is confirmed when he asks the hunter what happened. Christopher also meets hospital janitor Cavendish (Simon Callow), who used to work for scientist Dr. Arthur Gallup (Eddy MacKenzie), who forced him to kidnap children around Ashdown for experiments with animal genes. Many children did not survive the experiments and were buried in the Hundred Acre Wood. The bodies of the children came back as half-animal, half-human hybrids with an enhanced healing factor. Christopher confronts Cavendish, who admits that Billy was among the kidnapped children, he was resurrected as Pooh; Cavendish commits suicide filled with guilt. Christopher learns that the creatures are preparing an attack, he tries to warn the entire town, but people are sceptical and ridicule him. That night, Pooh, Tigger, and Owl embark on a killing spree throughout Ashdown, slaughtering several residents, including Mary and Christopher's best friend Finn (Flynn Matthews). Christopher's parents Alan (Alec Newman) and Daphne (Nicola Wright) are personally killed by Pooh, who kidnaps his younger sister Bunny (Thea Evans). The creatures next attack Christopher's new girlfriend Lexy (Tallulah Evans) who survives and escapes. The creatures move on to a rave party in a warehouse and slaughter all the partygoers. Christopher kills Tigger and learns that Bunny was kidnapped. He returns to the Hundred Acre Wood to confront and fight Pooh, but he is subdued easily. When Christopher calls Pooh by his real name, Billy, he tries to remember his childhood. But Pooh is still angry about Christopher abandoning the creatures and blames him for Eeyore's death years ago. Christopher is forced to kill Pooh with an axe before he reunites with Lexy and Bunny. Christopher is cleared of all wrongdoing when CCTV footage of the creatures' crimes in Ashdown is passed to the police, and he is released. It is revealed that Owl survived and has recovered the bodies of Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet and wants to revive them and get revenge on Christopher once and for all with the help of some old friends. Also starring Peter DeSouza-Feighoney as Young Winnie-the-Pooh, and Flynn Gray as Freddie. It is fair to say that with a slightly bigger budget, the special effects makeup has improved somewhat, and I may have enjoyed one or two of the grisly deaths, but everything else, the script, the dialogue, and the performances (how did they get Simon Callow?!?) are still dull and pointless, a stupid independent slasher horror comedy. Pretty poor!
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
The original film is great, the second film is not great, and the third film made years later was fine, it was sort of surprising that there would be a fourth film, I didn't have any confidence it would be any improvement or anything we haven't already seen. Basically, in Miami, Florida, Detective partners Mike Lowrey (Will Smith, also producing) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence, also producing) are speeding to Mike's wedding, when they stop at a store and thwart an attempted robbery. After Mike marries his physical therapist, Christine (Melanie Liburd), during the celebrations, Marcus suffers a mild heart attack and goes into a coma. During his comatose, Marcus has a vision of the late Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) who tells him it is not his time. When Marcus wakes up, he believes he cannot die, and he is told to avoid fatty and sugary foods. Soon after, there are new reports that Captain Howard was corrupt being tied to drug cartels. Mike and Marcus are determined to prove that the captain has been posthumously framed and was innocent. The detectives are helped by Captain Rita Secada (Paola Núñez), and Rita's new district attorney boyfriend, Adam Lockwood (Ioan Gruffudd), who is running to become mayor. Meanwhile, a group of conspirators, led by a mysterious man, James McGrath (Eric Dane), try to access Captain Howard's computer, inadvertently sending a pre-recorded video to Mike and Marcus. In the video, Howard warns them of corruption within the department. Howard reveals he gave information to their former hacker colleague Fletcher (John Salley) because Howard felt he was more responsible than Marcus and Mike. The partners go to Fletcher's club to retrieve "files", however, a squad of assassins attack and kill Fletcher. Having escaped the assassins, the pair realise that what they are looking for is a QR code hidden in wall art. This unlocks a second more detailed video from Captain Howard who tells them that Mike's son, Armando Aretas (Jacob Scipio), has the answers they are looking for. Armando is incarcerated for Howard's murder, a hit ordered by his late mother, Isabel. Armando claims that Howard was not corrupt, but knew who was, and Captain Howard was killed for getting closer to bringing down the organisation. Having captured the leader in CCTV footage from the club, they want Armando to help identify the person responsible. As Mike and Marcus transport Armando to Miami, McGrath is aboard, killing the pilot and guards, and escaping before the helicopter crashes. The trio survive the crash, but Mike and Marcus are suspected of Fletcher's murder and have become wanted fugitives. Captain Howard's daughter, U. S. Marshal Judy Howard (Rhea Seehorn) believes the duo are part of the corruption and have joined forces with Armando, whom she has sworn vengeance on for killing her father. When McGrath puts out a bounty, the three are hunted by both law enforcement and criminal gangs. With the help of AMMO team members Dorn (Alexander Ludwig) and Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens), who believe in their innocence, Mike and Marcus go through several documents and photographs of criminals for Armando to identify the man they are looking for. Eventually, Armando positively identifies former Army Ranger turned DEA officer McGrath, and they uncover the truth behind the murder and setup. McGrath was captured and tortured until he gave up his associates; he has been working with them ever since. To force them out of hiding, Christine and Callie (Quinn Hemphill), Judy's daughter, are kidnapped by McGrath's mercenaries. McGrath sends his men to kidnap Marcus's family, but his son-in-law, Reggie (Dennis Greene), who is a skilled Marine, is warned of their approach. Mike and Marcus watch the house security CCTV as Reggie kills them all. The group determines there must be an insider working for McGrath, and they warn Rita when they realise it is Lockwood. Exposed, Lockwood attacks Rita and tries to flee, but she, Dorn, and Kelly apprehend him. They interrogate Lockwood about the corruption and McGrath's plans, of which he has little knowledge, and Rita is upset about their relationship being untrue. Using Lockwood as bait, the team makes their way to his hideout, a former alligator-themed amusement park, where the hostages are being hauled. Soon, the two sides engage in a fierce gunfight, while Lockwood tries to escape in the plane, only to crash and be mauled to death by an alligator. Mike finds and confronts McGrath, who holds both Christine and Marcus hostage at gunpoint. McGrath forces Mike to pick either Christine or Marcus to die. Mike, alluding to Marcus's newfound belief that he "cannot die", shoots Marcus in his bulletproof vest. This causes McGrath to let go of Christine and Marcus and he is killed. Amidst the chaos, Judy finds Armando and prepares to kill him, but Callie insists that he saved her life. Begrudgingly, Judy shows mercy to Armando for his good deed and allows him to escape. Mike and Marcus, along with the late Captain Howard are cleared of all charges. Later, the detectives celebrate by cooking food on a public grill with Reggie, who has finally earned the respect of both Mike and Marcus. Also starring Tasha Smith (replacing Thera Randle) as Theresa, Tiffany Haddish as Tabitha, DJ Khaled as Manny the Butcher, Jenna Kanell as Nicole, McGrath's hacker, and Michael Bay (director of the first two films) as the Porche driver. The buddy cop bickering and foul language banter between Smith and Lawrence is fine, Scipio is good, Gruffudd does a reasonable job as a dodgy politician, and Dane is okay as the villain. There was one moment I found hilarious when Lawrence tries to catch a Skittle in his mouth (spitting out the blackcurrant one) and then swigs the spilling sugary red drink while "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Baby" by Barry White is playing. The story of corruption in the FBI and clearing the name of the dead friend is interesting, I found Lawrence's character talking philosophically daft, and the script is full of cliches and predictable dialogue but several exciting fast-paced chases, explosions, and guns blazing more than make up for these niggles, it is an alright crime action comedy. Worth watching!
The Watchers (2024)
The Watched
This scary movie was the directorial debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan (also writing), daughter of The Sixth Sense director M. Night Shyamalan (producing), it looked worthwhile from the trailer but I read it was receiving mixed reviews from critics. Basically, in Galway, Ireland, American immigrant Mina (Dakota Fanning) works in a pet shop; she has struggled with guilt for fifteen years after distracting her mother (Siobhan Hewlett) while driving, inadvertently causing her a car accident that killed her. This accident caused her to become estranged from her twin sister Lucy. One day, Mina is tasked with delivering a valuable parrot to a zoo in Belfast. After getting lost on the way, her car breaks down, and she is stuck in the middle of the forest. She tries calling for help but cannot get a phone signal, and when she takes the parrot, naming it Darwin, trying to find help, she ends up going in circles. Mina notices an old woman in the woods; following her she finds a bunker-like building, nicknamed 'The Coop'. The old Irish woman, Madeline (Olwen Fouéré), introduces herself and brings her inside, where she meets two other occupants, Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan). Madeline explains that there are mysterious creatures called 'The Watchers' watching them from outside the other side of a one-way mirror window every night. Madeline explains there are rules to follow: the Watchers will kill anyone outside the shelter at night, they must never open the door to anyone outside during the night, and they must never enter the Burrows. The group has been stranded in the forest for several months without seeing a Watcher; Madeline claims that the sight of a Watcher will be enough to kill them. The only things to do in the Coop are talk to each other, draw, read, and watch a DVD of the reality dating show "The Lair of Love" repetitively. Ciara tells Mina that her husband John (Alistair Brammer) left the Coop days ago but has not returned. The group can leave the shelter during the daytime, which lasts only a few hours, to venture out for food and attempt to find a way out of the forest. Mina convinces Daniel to explore the Burrow, the subterranean tunnels where the Watchers retreat during the day because of their aversion to sunlight. Being sure to stay in the light from above and the torch, in the cavern below, Mina finds several items, including a camcorder before narrowly escaping a Watcher. That night, John is heard knocking and calling outside the Coop but Madeline refuses to let him in. Mina has set up the camcorder to capture a Watcher, and the group insists "John" shows himself on camera. When "John" fails to verify himself to Ciara, he appears to be dragged away. The Watchers crack the mirror and Madeline berates them for breaking a rule. The following day, Madeline returns the items to the Burrow to appease the Watchers. As winter falls, the group begins to turn hostile against each other. In a moment of madness, Daniel locks Mina and Madeline out of the Coop at night, forcing them to hide in an improvised den in the forest. They witness the Watchers, humanoid creatures that imitate and can transform into the Coop's occupants. The creatures react angrily to Madeline and Mina's absence. The pair return to the Coop and Madeline explains that the Watchers are shapeshifting Fairies trying to learn to mimic humans. The group notices a hidden door under the carpet of the Coop. They escape through it before the Watchers attack; at the bottom of a ladder, they find an underground study. On an old desk computer, Mina plays a series of video diaries of Professor Rory Kilmartin (John Lynch), the Coop's creator. Kilmartin came to the forest to study the creatures and managed to capture one of them, bonding with it. In his last entry, the despondent professor explains how to escape from the forest, following the flight of any birds above them. The video ends with him requesting that his research be destroyed and climbing the ladder back into the Coop to kill the captured Watcher and himself. The group spends what might be their last night alive, with Ciara and Daniel dancing to "Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton, and Mina telling Madeline about what happened to her mother. The next day, the group follows the professor's directions, along with tree markers they made, and they use Darwin and other birds to guide them to the river at the edge of the forest. On the way, after finding a stone marker, Madeline explains that the Watchers are Fairies, who were deprived of their wings, driven underground, and imprisoned in the forest, and humans have warred against them for a long time. The group is forced to run as it gets dark, but they reach the river and the professor's boat in time. But Daniel falls behind and is killed by the Watchers. Mina, Madeline, and Ciara get into the boat, realising that the creatures cannot swim, and they are shocked to see a Watcher mimicking John, and another transforming into Daniel. Mina heads to the professor's university to destroy his notes. She discovers that humans and fairies once lived in harmony, with some even mating and producing hybrid offspring that could withstand daylight. Then she shows Ciara photographs revealing that Madeline was the professor's late wife. Madeline is the Watcher the professor captured and eventually transformed into her. But Ciara is revealed to be a disguised Madeline when the real Ciara arrives. Madeline changes her form, knocking out Ciara and attacking Mina. Madeline tells them she was an outcast among the Watchers because she could go out in daylight, and she plans to kill and replace Mina. Mina reveals Madeline's status as a half-human hybrid, persuading her to let go of her hatred towards humans, and that there may be others like her. Madeline sprouts wings and leaves. Later, Mina reconciles with Lucy. Meanwhile, Madeline, in the form of a human child, keeps watch over Mina. Also starring Hannah Dargan as Young Mina, Emily Dargan as Young Lucy, Joel Figueroa as the voice of Darwin, Thabile Michelle Hlongwane as the Newscaster, Anthony Morris as Burke, Shane O'Regan as Collin, and Seán T. Ó Meallaigh as the voice of a Watcher. The performances of Fanning, Fouéré, Lynch, and the others are alright, the script is clunky, the scares are meagre and dull, the plot is patchy, and the twists (like father, like daughter) don't really work, the only good thing was the spooky score by Abel Korzeniowski, otherwise, it was a dull, disappointing, and only just watchable supernatural horror. Okay!
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
I'm glad I watched Mad Max: Fury Road again before this latest instalment in the franchise, a great looking spin-off prequel and origins story for the character originally played by Charlize Theron, from returning director George Miller (The Witches of Eastwick, Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet, Three Thousand Years of Longing). Basically, in the distant future, Australia is a radioactive wasteland, with the Green Place of Many Mothers being one of the last areas of fresh water and agriculture remaining. Young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) lives in the Green Place, one day she and her friend, Valkyrie (Dylan Adonis) are picking peaches in the forest when they see a group of raiders. Furiosa tries to sabotage their motorbikes, but they capture her and ride out of the forest to the desert. They take her to their ruthless warlord leader, Dementus of the Biker Horde (Chris Hemsworth). The men are amazed to have found a bountiful paradise, but Furiosa does not speak when asked how to get there. Furiosa's mother, Mary Jabassa (Charlee Fraser), pursues the bikers and kills many at the Horde's camp, leaving only one raider alive. The last raider delivers Furiosa to Dementus, but Furiosa mortally wounds him before he can reveal the Green Place's location. Mary sneaks into the camp and rescues Furiosa, but Dementus tracks them down. The mother stays behind at a chasm to allow Furiosa to escape and gives her a peach pit to remember her by, but Furiosa refuses to leave her mother. Dementus forces Furiosa to watch her mother's crucifixion. Dementus lost his own family, so he adopts an unwilling Furiosa as his daughter, hoping she will lead him to the Green Place, but she remains silent. Dementus besieges the Citadel, another settlement with fresh water and agriculture. However, the Horde is repelled by the War Boys, the fanatical army of Citadel warlord Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). Dementus changes course, capturing the oil refinery Gastown, which supplies the Citadel with gasoline, using a Trojan Horse strategy. At peace negotiations, Joe increases supplies of food and water to Gastown, in exchange for the Horde's physician, The Organic Mechanic (Angus Sampson), and Furiosa, who has tattooed a star chart to the Green Place on her left arm to find her way home. Joe imprisons Furiosa at the Citadel, with his stable of "wives". After Joe's muscular but dim-witted son Rictus Erectus (Nathan Jones) shows an attraction to her, she cuts her hair to create a wig as part of her plan to escape. One night, Rictus lets her out of Joe's vault to sexually assault her. She slips from his grasp using the wig and disappears. Disguised as a mute teenage boy, Furiosa goes unnoticed working her way up the ranks of Joe's men for over a decade. She helps build the "War Rig", a heavily armed supply tanker that can withstand raider attacks in the lawless Wasteland. The grown-up Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) plans to escape hiding on the Rig when Joe sends skilled driver Praetorian Jack (Strike's Tom Burke) on a supply run. Dementus's lieutenant The Octoboss (Goran D. Kleut) has become disillusioned by his leader's callousness; he goes rogue and launches an air assault on the Rig. His Mortiflyers massacre the Rig's entire crew and destroy Furiosa's hidden motorcycle, but Furiosa and Jack team up to defeat them. Furiosa tries to carjack the Rig and drive home, but Jack easily thwarts her. However, he sees her potential and offers to train her to escape if she helps him rebuild his crew. Furiosa becomes Jack's second-in-command and is promoted to Praetorian. Furiosa and Jack bond and intend to escape together. Joe decides to attack Gastown, which has gone downhill from Dementus's mismanagement; Furiosa and Jack see this as their opportunity. Joe orders them to collect weapons and ammunition from the allied mining facility Bullet Farm. However, they are ambushed by Dementus. Furiosa and Jack barely escape, and Furiosa's left arm is severely injured during the chase. They are captured, while Furiosa is chained up, Jack is tortured to death. Furiosa escapes by severing her injured arm, sacrificing her star map to escape. Furiosa struggles back to the Citadel but is rescued and recovers from her injuries. Joe intends to go to war against Dementus, so Furiosa helps them to plan their attack. With Furiosa's advice, the War Boys crush the Horde in a war that lasts for several days. Having lost her path home, Furiosa shaves her head again, fashions a mechanical prosthetic arm, and pursues the fleeing Dementus. She captures him in the desert, he eventually recognises and taunts her, saying revenge will not make her whole. The voice of the History Man, the Narrator (George Shevtsov), states that Dementus was imprisoned at the Citadel and his living body was planted as fertilizer to grow a peach tree from the seed given by Furiosa's mother. Joe promotes Furiosa to "Imperator" and she becomes commander of a new War Rig. She meets Joe's five remaining wives in the vault where Joe once held her prisoner. The "Five Wives" hide in Furiosa's Rig the night before another supply run - these events continue in Fury Road. Also starring Lachy Hulme as Rizzdale Pell, John Howard as The People Eater, Josh Helman as Scrotus, Elsa Pataky as Vuvalini General / Mr Norton, David Collins as Smeg, and Lee Perry as The Bullet Farmer. Taylor-Joy has little dialogue but gives a magnetic performance as the vengeful female warrior, as does Browne as her younger counterpart, and Hemsworth relishes being a violent greedy villain. As with Fury Road, it has a simple but interesting story, the special effects and makeup are fantastic, and the high-speed chases, fights, and violent moments are exciting, it is another thrill ride worth getting onboard for, a brilliantly entertaining post-apocalyptic action. Very good!
Sting (2024)
Sting
There have been several memorable giant spider movies over the years, including Tarantula, Arachnophobia, Eight Legged Freaks, Lavalantula, and Itsy Bitsy, this was the latest one; I personally get freaked out by large arachnids, so I was expecting to be trembling watching this on the big screen. Basically, on a stormy night in Brooklyn, New York City, a mysterious object from space falls from the sky and smashes through the window of a rundown apartment building. It is an egg that hatches and a strange alien spider that crawls into the apartment of Gunter (Robyn Nevin) and her forgetful sister Helga (Noni Hazelhurst). The sisters are great-aunts of rebellious twelve-year-old girl Charlotte (Alyla Browne), who lives in the building with her mother Heather (Penelope Mitchell), her overworked stepfather Ethan (Ryan Corr), and her baby half-brother Liam (twins Jett and Kade Berry). Charlotte is often left on her own, crawling through the ventilation ducts into other residents' apartments. She stumbles upon the strange tiny spider in her great-aunt's apartment. Intrigued, she decides to keep the spider as a pet, naming it Sting. Charlotte looks after Sting, feeding the spider flies, cockroaches, and other bugs, and she is fascinated with its ability to mimic sounds it hears. The creature begins to grow at an alarming rate, but she continues to keep the spider and its size a secret. She is unaware that Sting has found a way to unscrew the lid to his jar and escapes while Charlotte is asleep. On one occasion, the spider crawls into the great-aunts' apartment and kills their pet parrot. They call pest controller Frank (Jermaine Fowler) who cannot explain what killed the parrot but does checks throughout the building and sets several traps in the vents. Sting's growing size and insatiable appetite soon lead to further deaths, with the spider killing and draining the blood of a neighbour. Curious to know more about her pet spider, Charlotte takes Sting to socially awkward scientist neighbour Erik (Danny Kim), who carries out private experiments. He cannot identify the spider or its origin and asks to look after it to study it. Police begin investigating the strange occurrences in the building but cannot determine the cause. Meanwhile, Charlotte has a difficult strained relationship with Ethan, because she wants to be with her biological father. During a heated argument, Ethan inadvertently reveals that he knows where her real father lives, she storms out and Heather is upset also. Sting has grown to a monstrous size, kills Erik, and crawls through the building hunting for prey. Heather, Ethan, and Liam are taken by the spider into the vents. Frank is called by the confused Helga who hears the strange noises from the vent, which Gunter investigates, leading to her death. Charlotte realises that her parents and younger brother are in danger. She inadvertently learned that Sting has a weakness, water with mothballs, so she fills a few water bottles and a water pistol with this combination. She crawls through the vents searching for her missing family, finding Ethan caught in the spider's web and saving him, using the water to melt the cobwebs. Frank eventually catches up to the spider himself, but Sting is intelligent and gets the better of him, killing him in the process. After also saving her mother and brother, Charlotte and her family end up in the basement, going into battle with Sting. Charlotte manages to lure Sting into a trap with the help of Ethan. The spider is tricked into entering a trash compression device, and Charlotte activates it, squashing and finally destroying the monster. With the family safe they all embrace, with Charlotte finally accepting Ethan as her father. As they leave, they are unaware that Sting laid several eggs in the basement, and one starts to hatch. Also starring Silvia Colloca as Maria, Tony J. Black as Officer Miller, and Rowland Holmes as Gorik. This B-movie pays homage to creature features of the past, using real mechanical effects as opposed to CGI, with the creepy crawly antagonist brought to life by Weta Workshop, the company behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and good sound design. I will agree it is not always the scariest it could have been, but it does get nasty when it needs to, as the frightening flesh-eating giant arachnid bites and kills things and leaves sticky messes in its path, it is interesting and anyone with a fear of spiders will certainly be scared, a reasonable science-fiction horror. Worth watching!
Itsy Bitsy (2019)
Itsy Bitsy
I may have heard about this film when it was in cinemas, the title is obviously based on the nursery rhyme, I knew it was about a giant spider, I decided to watch it before the movie Sting, the latest feature about a giant (alien) spider. Basically, Kara Spencer (Elizabeth Roberts) works as a carer; she and her two children, Jesse (Arman Darbo) and Cambria (Chloe Perrin), have moved into the large, secluded mansion. Kara is to be the live-in nurse for artifact collector and widower Walter Clark (Bruce Davison) who suffers from multiple sclerosis. Walter has recently purchased a fabled artifact, the 'Black Egg of Maa-Kalaratri'. During the purchase, Walter angered the treasure hunter, Ahkeeba (Treva Etienne), who returns to smash the relic. This releases a large prehistoric spider, which bites Ahkeeba, who flees from the property before he dies. The move has been difficult for Kara, as she is a recovering drug addict. She blames herself for the death of her son Stevie who was killed while she was driving a car under the influence of drugs. To calm herself and stop visions of her son, Kara steals Walter's OxyContin medicine. But she still experiences a nervous breakdown in a diner. Sheriff Jane Dunne (Denise Crosby) notices Kara's addiction but helps her to calm down and they bond. Jesse begins to bond with Walter and the two piece together the relic. Walter also entertains Jesse with stories of the legend of Maa-Kalaratri, an ancient spider goddess who became vengeful when people stopped worshipping her. Jesse neglects to look after Cambria, who is nearly attacked by the spider. Kara is angry that he is not being responsible for his sister, they argue, with Jesse revealing that he knows she was fired from her last job for stealing medication. Walter discovers Kara's theft of his medication, and she is fired. After she leaves, the spider attacks and kills Walter. Jesse discovers Walter's body and Jane is called to investigate. She questions Kara, who believes that it may have something to do with the treasure hunter while Jesse suggests that it was Maa-Kalaratri. Kara later shouts at Jesse for scaring Cambria and slaps him, an act she quickly regrets. Later that night, Kara searches the attic after hearing noises. She discovers Jesse freeing Cambria from thick spider webs. They find an empty exoskeleton shed by the spider and flee the attic. The spider appears, attacking and biting Kara, who passes out from the venom. Jesse manages to call Jane for help but does not prevent the spider from biting Cambria's hand before seemingly knocking it unconscious. Kara wakes up and finds that the spider did not inject any venom while biting her child's hand. She manages to administer an epinephrine shot on herself to counteract the spider venom before passing out again. Jesse is attacked, narrowly avoiding being bitten before Kara wakes and manages to kill the spider. The trio escapes as Jane arrives with an ambulance. Kara collapses and has a vision of Stevie. She finally forgives herself for his death, having saved Jesse and Cambria, taking away her need to use drugs. After recovering, Kara and the children move out and swear to stay together no matter what. However, unbeknownst to them, the spider laid two egg sacs in Walter's house, one in a dollhouse and one in a chest, both of which are seen hatching. Also starring Matty Cardarople as Deputy Donny, Eileen Dietz as Sally, Spencer Watson as Deputy Maverick, and Daniel Martin as Coroner. The performances of Roberts as the troubled mother and Davison as the old antique connoisseur are fine, there are some nasty death sequences, but the giant spider should have featured much more often, it is slowed down by character development and only glimpses of webs and long spindly legs, a creepy enough horror. Okay!
Lavalantula (2015)
Lavalantula
From the same studio that created the Lake Placid sequels and the Mega Shark and Sharknado franchises, I knew this independent TV-made film was going to be stupid, I don't mind watching bad movies on purpose sometimes, an article I read in the Radio Times says it's good for your brain. Basically, in Southern California, Colton West (Steve Guttenberg) is an A-list action star on set for his latest movie, he walks out following an argument with the Director (Leigh Whannell). While stuck in traffic, Colton feels an earthquake hit, followed by a volcanic eruption from the Santa Monica Mountains, spewing molten lava and shooting lava bombs. Then a large fire-spitting spider appears, Colton runs and drives away heading for home. Colton tells his wife Olivia (Nia Peeples) about the giant spiders and that they must leave. He takes a shotgun and drives off to find his son Wyatt (Noah Hunt), who has pretended to be going to a soccer game. Wyatt is actually with his friends Jordan (Diana Hopper), Eli (Ben Snowden), and Travis (Zac Goodspeed) when they hear an explosion and investigate after seeing smoke in the distance. The teenagers find a sinkhole, and soon spiders come out of the hole spitting fire and attacking people. The terrified teenagers flee to a warehouse, but Eli is too late and is killed by a spider. Colton's car hits a lava sinkhole, so he gets out and distracts a passing bus driver to steal his tour bus full of people. While driving, excitable movie fan Chris (Patrick Renna) is excited to meet him. The bus is soon attacked by some spiders, but Colton manages to shoot one dead and run one over. The front of the tour bus starts dissolving because of the spider's blood being acidic. Colton stops the bus and evacuates it just before it blows up. Back at Olivia's house, a spider comes down the chimney, but she finds a gun and shoots it. With the situation escalating, citizens are being evacuated and the army is moving into the city. Soldiers are going house to house, and they rescue Olivia. Colton meets his friend, former disabled stuntman Pirate Jack (Ralph Garman), to get a lift in his car. Jack's car gets a puncture after encountering lava in the road. Spiders come out of sinkholes and chase them into a museum. There, they meet scientist Dr. Eric Von Struble (Time Winters), who is researching the spiders and the volcano beneath California. He has worked out that the spiders were buried in the magma millions of years ago. Because the spiders became active, they are causing volcanic eruptions through a series of vents. The only way to stop them is to kill the Queen spider at the centre. Back in the warehouse, a spider gets in through a window and tries to attack the teenagers. Wyatt fights the spider with a fire extinguisher. Jordan, who was severely burnt earlier, has a fit and dies. Then loads of baby spiders hatch and crawl out of her mouth as she catches fire. The baby spiders then attack Travis, setting him on fire and killing him. Wyatt runs to the warehouse roof and gets a phone signal, texting his location to Colton. The spiders attack the army truck, but Olivia escapes and hides under a fire blanket as they breathe fire. The soldiers are all killed, but Olivia survives and kills several spiders. She drives off in the army truck to try and find Colton. Meanwhile, the spiders break into the museum. Jack is killed, but Colton manages to escape. Olivia finds Colton and they drive to the warehouse to rescue Wyatt. Wyatt climbs down the fire escape ladder outside the warehouse but is attacked by a spider. Olivia and Colton arrive and run over the spider with the Army truck. Wyatt tells his father that liquid nitrogen can be used to fight the spiders. Various news reports show the devastation, with witnesses hailing Colton as a real-life hero fighting against the spiders. Colton's group go to the special effects store, where Colton finds his colleagues, including crew members Marty (Michael Winslow) and Teddie (Marion Ramsey), from the film set. Colton plans to kill the queen spider with a liquid nitrogen bomb, made using items from the special effects store, including C4 explosives. The film crew drops nitrogen bombs in all sinkholes and vents connecting to the queen's underground chamber. Many spiders come out of sinkholes to the surface and the film crew shoots them all down. As the bombs are detonated, the giant queen spider comes to the surface. Colton uses a jet pack, built by NASA for one of his biggest movies, to fly toward the queen spider. He drops a nitrogen bomb into the spider's mouth, killing it and saving the city. Colton and Olivia reconcile, and they walk away with Marty and Teddie to celebrate their victory. Also starring Carlos Bernard as Interrogator, Leslie Easterbrook as Doris, Danny Woodburn as Arni, Sharknado's Ian Ziering as Fin Shepard (an in-joke cameo), Leeann Tweeden as Sue Schnell, Suraya Fadel as Reporter, Christopher Wolfe as Ed Mendez, Jon Mack as Entertainment Reporter, Jon Edwin Wright as Anchorman, Ruben Pla as Tour Guide, Kyle Jordan as Military Commander, and Ben Maccabee as Lieutenant Rico Dan. Guttenberg is only reasonable as the hero, it's kind of nice to see him reunite with Police Academy co-stars Winslow, Ramsey and Easterbrook, and Peeples is sexy and feisty. As with many of these made-for-TV romps, it is ridiculous, but I did find myself laughing at the silly script, the daft dialogue, the crazy creatures, and the gnarly death sequences (especially a woman killed by a spider breathing fire in her face), the special effects are not the worst I've seen, it almost so bad it's good, a rubbish but amusing science-fiction comedy horror thriller. Pretty poor!
Eternals (2021)
Eternals
I thought the trailer for this twenty-sixth entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe looked appealing, it certainly had a lot to live up to following the huge success of Avengers: Endgame, but it was the first in the series to receive mixed to almost negative reviews, but I was always going to see it, directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland). Basically, in 5,000 B. C., the Eternals, ten superpowered beings are sent to Earth by Arishem (David Kaye), a Celestial, on the starship Domo. The wise and spiritual Ajak (Salma Hayek) leads the Eternals, consisting of Sersi (Humans' Gemma Chan), Ikaris (Bodyguard's Richard Madden), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Druig (Dunkirk's Barry Keoghan), Gilgamesh (Ma Dong-seok), and elite warrior Thena (Angelina Jolie). They are sent to exterminate invasive entities known as the Deviants. The last Deviant is killed in 1521, but the group has differing opinions of their continued relationship with the human race. Over the next 500 years, they mostly live apart, waiting for orders from Arishem. In the present day, Sersi and Sprite live together in London. After Ikaris left partner Sersi without explanation centuries earlier, she is now in a relationship with human Natural History Museum history professor Dane Whitman (Kit Harington). Sersi, Sprite, and Dane are attacked by the Deviant Kro (Bill Skarsgård), but Ikaris arrives and chases the creature away. The three Eternals travel to South Dakota to reunite with their leader, Ajak, only to find her dead. A posthumous message from Ajak tells Sersi that she has been chosen as her successor, granting her the ability to communicate with Arishem. Sersi learns that the Eternals' mission was actually to prepare Earth for the Emergence of a new Celestial. Arishem explains that, for millions of years, he has been planting Celestial seeds inside planets where the energy from large populations allows new Celestials to be born. The Deviants were sent to destroy the apex predators of each planet to ensure the development of intelligent life, but they evolved and began hunting the planets' native populations, Arishem created the Eternals to oppose them. Following the recent end of the Blip, restoring Earth's population, humankind has reached the necessary size to allow the Celestial Tiamut to be born, which would destroy Earth. The Eternals reunite hoping to delay the Emergence. At Druig's residence in the Amazon rainforest, they are attacked by the Deviants. They kill them all except for Kro, who kills Gilgamesh before escaping. Phastos proposes they use the Uni-Mind, a connection between all the Eternals that would give Druig enough power to put Tiamut to sleep with his mind-control abilities. However, Ikaris refuses to help stop the Emergence, remaining loyal to Arishem. He reveals that Ajak wanted to stop the Emergence and save humanity; he led her to the Deviants, allowing them to kill her. Sprite joins Ikaris due to her unrequited love for him while Kingo chooses to leave. Makkari locates an active volcano in the Indian Ocean as the place of the Emergence. There, Ikaris and Sprite try to stop them. Druig knocks out Sprite, and Phastos restrains Ikaris. Kro arrives and is killed by Thena. Druig fails to put Tiamut to sleep, and Sersi instead tries to turn him to stone. Ikaris breaks free of his restraints and goes to kill Sersi, but he loves her and cannot do it. Both he and Sprite join with the others in the Uni-Mind, and Sersi gains enough power to turn Tiamut to stone. Overwhelmed with guilt, Ikaris flies into the Sun. Sersi uses the remaining energy of the Uni-Mind to turn Sprite into a human, ending her permanent childlike state. Thena, Druig, and Makkari depart on the Domo to warn Eternals on other planets of the Emergences. Dane professes his love for Sersi and is about to reveal a secret about his family history when she, Phastos, and Kingo are transported into space to meet with Arishem. Unhappy with their treason, Arishem says he will spare humanity if the Eternals' memories show that humans are worthy of living. He vows to return for judgment and takes the trio into a singularity. In a mid-credits scene, Thena, Makkari, and Druig meet the Eternal Eros aka Starfox (Harry Styles) and his assistant Pip the Troll (Patton Oswalt). In a post-credits scene, an unseen person (Mahershala Ali as Blade) questions whether Whitman is ready to wield the Ebony Blade. Also starring Harish Patel as Karun, Haaz Sleiman as Ben, and Esai Daniel Cross as Jack. Chan, Madden, Hayek, Jolie and the others all give credible performances, the script is rather up and down, not the most sensical and interesting, but I cannot deny that there were the right amount of exciting fights, and the special effects are alright, I don't think it's that bad, a reasonable superhero fantasy action. Good!
Baby Reindeer (2024)
Baby Reindeer
Everyone was talking about this series on Netflix, and I had seen clips of it on Gogglebox, so I was glad when I made the time to watch it, created and written by Richard Gadd, about his own experiences. Based on a true story, it is about struggling comedian Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd, as a fictional version of himself) and his warped relationship with a female stalker and the impact it has on his personal and professional life. Donny works as a bartender in a pub but has ambitions to break into the world of stand-up comedy. One day, he shows one act of kindness to a middle-aged woman, Martha Scott (The Outlaws' Jessica Gunning), giving her a free cup of tea. Soon, Martha starts visiting the pub every day, always ordering a Diet Coke (which she never actually drinks) and talking about herself, claiming she is a lawyer. Donny is happy to engage in conversation, although Martha does most of the talking, he finds her fascinating, her laugh infectious, and every so often he makes gentle seemingly flirtatious comments, which she takes literally. Then he is disturbed after she finds him online through social media and emails him constantly, with numerous messages containing several spelling and grammar mistakes, all containing sexually explicit content and her nickname for him, "Baby Reindeer". Donny struggles onstage during many performances as he tries to perfect his material, and he is unsettled when she attends his shows, being one of the only audience members to laugh. It becomes uncomfortable when she sings love songs to him while he is on stage, and she becomes increasingly harassing towards him and others. Donny then searches for her online and is scared when she discovers her history and convictions as a stalker. Years earlier, Donny was in a relationship with Keeley (Shalom Brune-Franklin), and he worked with TV writer Darien O'Connor (Tom Goodman-Hill). He is given hope for his comedy career after Darien gives him advice about his comedy act, promising him numerous opportunities. But they spend more time taking several drugs, Darien repeatedly sexually assaults Donny and rapes him during a drug-induced blackout. Eventually, Donny breaks contact with Darien, and his relationship with Keeley breaks down. Keeley's mother Liz (Nina Sosanya) allowed him to stay and rent a room in her home and he found a job in the pub. Donny explored his sexuality over time, becoming bisexual and encountering several partners. But then he wanted to commit to a real relationship, joined a dating site, and met transgender therapist Teresa "Teri" (Nava Mau), initially using a fake profile name. Later, Martha finds out about his relationship and becomes threatening towards Teri, as well as Keeley when she comes back into his life. There are points when Martha's behaviour becomes erratic and concerning, including her introducing herself under a false name to become a friend to Liz, and spending endless time at a bus stop across the road from Liz's house. He initially tries to ignore her, only getting closer to her when he was concerned for her wellbeing, but eventually he knows that he must try to stop her from ruining his life. Teri is initially wanting to help him, but the situation becomes too much for her, especially when Martha insults her gender, and she breaks up with Donny. After several months, Donny finally reports Martha to the police, and the officer he speaks to reacts suspiciously (because he recognises her, having seemingly been stalked by her himself). He finds the strength to tell his parents, Elle (Amanda Root) and Gerry (Mark Lewis Jones), about what he has been through as well, but they are understanding and supportive. During one of his biggest performances, everything becomes too much for Donny, he has a full breakdown onstage, telling the audience, including his colleagues, about his experiences with his stalker and being abused. Someone in the audience was filming this breakdown and it was posted on social media; over time he is invited on several television shows to talk about his experiences, and his comedy career begins to flourish with more opportunities. Later, Martha is arrested, charged, and sentenced, and spends nine months in prison. Donny is reunited with Darien, after he watched the video online, and he suggests they renew their collaboration, to which he reluctantly agrees. Donny reads several unread emails from Martha, and she reveals that she used to have a toy animal that she named "Baby Reindeer", she called him this because he reminded her of it. Also starring Michael Wildman as Greggsy, Danny Kirrane as Gino, Thomas Coombes as Daniels, Alexandria Riley as Culver, Tom Durant Pritchard as Jason, Hugh Coles as Francis, Josh Finan as Diggsy, Laura Smyth as Glenda, and Mark Watson as Compere. Gadd, narrating his own story, essentially playing himself gives a sensitive performance as the victim of stalking, and Gunning gives a superb as the large mentally ill crazy woman who will not leave him alone. It is a hard watch, with some dark and traumatic subjects covered throughout the series, there are some genuinely emotional moments, but it does have its funny moments as well, it is brilliantly written and performed, no wonder it has been watched by so many and received great acclaim, a must-see biographical black comedy psychological drama-thriller. Very good!
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! (2017)
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!
I watched this the day of the sad news that documentary filmmaker and television producer Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, One Direction: This Is Us) had died from complications of cancer aged 53, this meant that this sequel to his most recognised film was his final work. Basically, Spurlock returns to investigate whether fast food has truly changed since his last experimental venture eating nothing but McDonald's for 30 days. Specifically, he focuses on the chicken farming industry, because chicken is the most consumed meat in the world, and the production and marketing behind it. Spurlock explains that he received an invitation from the marketing agency for Carl's Jr. And Hardee's proposing a commercial script to expose them as a bad fast food brand. Sceptical about the email's claim that fast food has improved in the last twelve years, where health issues are still prominent, and new chains have come along, including Five Guys. Spurlock decided that to learn more, and rather than going on another food binge, he would "become part of the problem" and open his own fast food restaurant. Spurlock opens a farm, "Morganic Farms", and breeds his own "free range" chickens, which initially proves difficult with his prior notoriety. While the white chickens are growing up, he and his team sample chicken sandwiches from various chains, including McDonald's, Wendy's, Popeyes, Chick-fail-A and others. He and his team decided to create a new crispy grilled chicken sandwich. After consulting the CCD Innovation, a food and beverage product development and commercialisation agency, Spurlock discovers the "Big Chicken" industry, and learns that the five major chicken producers are Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's Pride, Sanderson Farms, Koch Foods, and Perdue Farms. During his discussions with a veteran chicken farmer, he confirms that the practices of the National Chicken Council are unethical, with their salaries unfair and the whole chicken production having many faults. Spurlock finds a good location close to the other chain restaurants, an abandoned venue that was formerly a Wendy's, and makes the news when he announces the opening of his new chicken restaurant. The restaurant is named Holy Chicken, with nothing but honesty displayed to customers, with staff who have negative feelings towards the fast food industry, deliberately misleading keywords on the walls, posters, menus, and packaging, and branding showing the conditions of chickens and the poor treatment of chicken farmers. Spurlock lost his credibility somewhat when he admitted, during the "Me Too" movement, to cheating on all of his partners, including during marriage, and he confessed to sexual misconduct, which led to him essentially losing his career, but I only found this out after watching the film, and I can put this to the back of my mind and respect him as an intelligent filmmaker. It is a funny and satirical film, but it also makes serious points about the flaws of the system, I will agree that it is not quite as good as the original film, but I did find it interesting (the chicks hatching from the eggs is memorably cute) and I don't know why critics were so harsh towards it, a worthwhile documentary. Good, in my opinion!
xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
The original film was worthwhile, while the sequel The Next Level/State of the Union was adequate, this third instalment received negative reviews, but it had a good cast list and I wanted to complete the trilogy, directed by D. J. Caruso (Taking Lives, Disturbia, Eagle Eye, I Am Number Four). Basically, in Brazil, facially scarred NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) meets professional footballer Neymar (as himself) to recruit him for the XXX (Triple X) program, but he is uninterested. Meanwhile, a satellite has fallen out of orbit and crashes to Earth, seemingly killing Gibbons and Neymar. Shortly afterward, a team of four skilled individuals, Serena Unger (Deepika Padukone), Talon (Tony Jaa), Hawk (Michael Bisping), and their leader Xiang (Donnie Yen) infiltrate a high-security CIA office in New York City to take "Pandora's Box", a device capable of controlling satellites to crash in chosen locations as warheads. Meanwhile, former operative Xander "X" Cage (Vin Diesel), who was thought to be dead in Bora Bora but faked his death, has been living in self-imposed exile in the Dominican Republic. CIA Agent Jane Marke (Toni Collette) tracks down and after informing him about Gibbons he is convinced to return to active service to retrieve the device. In London, England, Xander enlists the help of his old friend Ainsley (Hermione Corfield) and then travels to the Philippines after tracking down the attackers. In Lakenheath, at an RAF outpost, Xander rejects help from Special Forces operatives led by Paul Donovan (Tony Gonzalez) in favour of his own team. His crew consists of sharpshooter Adele Wolff (Ruby Rose), DJ "The Hood" aka Harvard "Nicks" Zhou (Kris Wu), and getaway driver Tennyson "The Torch" (Rory McCann), along with weapons specialist Becky Clearidge (Nina Dobrev). The team locates Xiang and his teammates Serena, Talon, and Hawk, and Xander meets Xiang in an underground nightclub on a remote island. Xiang reveals that his team were also recruited by Gibbons as XXX agents. He claims that they stole Pandora's Box to avoid it falling into the wrong hands, but Serena believes they should destroy it. Shortly after, the island is raided by Russian soldiers. The attackers are fended off by the team, while Xiang escapes with Pandora's Box. Xander intercepts him chasing him to a nearby beach. Serena betrays him, destroying the Box and joining Xander's team, while Xiang escapes and rejoins Talon and Hawk. After another satellite crashes in the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia, Marke determines that the destroyed device was only a prototype and that the two teams have been wasting their time. Meanwhile, Xander discovers CIA Director Anderson (Al Sapienza) is involved and has got hold of the real Pandora's Box. Xander's and Xiang's teams race to get to Anderson in Detroit, tracking the unique signal transmitted from Pandora's Box. Xander and Xiang have an argument, but later protect each other from Anderson's men. Xander confronts Anderson, who admits to crashing the satellite that killed Gibbons before Wolff shoots him dead. Xander reluctantly allows the CIA to arrest Xiang to frame him for the Moscow attack, and they secure the box. On the journey back to headquarters, Marke announces the XXX program has ceased operation and reveals herself as corrupt. She takes Pandora's Box for herself and sends a group of assassins to eliminate the others, who are waiting to be extracted at a local NSA warehouse. They join forces to fend off invading attackers, and they are joined by former US Navy SEAL and previous XXX operative, Darius Stone (Ice Cube). Xander is wearing a bulletproof vest Becky provided him earlier, he recovers from a gunshot and joins forces with Xiang to fight Donovan and his men. Marke uses the box to send a satellite plummeting toward the warehouse to kill the fighting teams. Donovan uses a pair of bionic gloves for extra strength to destroy equipment aboard the plane while Xander dodges his punches. During a scuffle in the bathroom, Donovan punches the toilet, creating a vacuum while Xander ejects him from it. Marke is sent falling to her death when the cargo door is opened and Xiang knocks her out, and then he escapes with a box and a parachute. Serena notifies Xander about Becky's unsuccessful attempts to halt the signal, so he manouvers the plane to crash into the approaching satellite before it can crash into the warehouse. Xander jumps out without a parachute, landing onto a cargo load with a larger parachute as the plane and satellite collide and explode. Once landed, Xiang gives him the device, who decides to permanently destroy it by stomping on it. Xander and Serena share a kiss, and Stone introduces himself driving up in Xander's old car. The team attends Gibbons's funeral, but he reveals himself to Xander; he faked his death, along with new recruit Neymar, and is rebuilding the XXX program alone. Gibbons compliments Xander on a job well done, so he decides to continue in service. Also starring Nicky Jam as Lazarus, Ariadna Gutiérrez-Arévalo as Lola, Shawn Roberts as Jonas, Daniel Kash as Russian Spymaster, Andrey Ivchenko as Red Erik, Nigel Bennett as MI6 Control, and Courtney Friel as Newscaster. Diesel lacks the charisma he often has, Yen is alright as the skilled ally, Collette has fun as the authority figure turned villain, and returning cast members Cube and Jackson are reduced to formulaic roles. There are plenty of overblown stunts and gunfights to keep things moving, although it does get repetitive and far-fetched, the characters are cliched, the dialogue is predictable, and it has unnecessary on-screen text and pacy editing. The biggest problem is the non-sensical silly script, with the filmmakers concentrating on spectacle with no effort to create a decent plot, it is just a ridiculous James Bond style mediocre mess, a disappointing spy action. Pretty poor!
xXx: State of the Union (2005)
xXx: The Next Level
The first film with Vin Diesel was worth watching, I knew about this sequel (alternative title - xXx²: State of the Union) because of its lead actor, it wasn't as well-rated as its predecessor, but I thought I'd watch it anyway, directed by Lee Tamahori (Along Came a Spider, Die Another Day, Next). Basically, in Virginia, an underground NSA bunker run by facially scarred Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) is breached by assailants. Gibbons fends off the attackers and barely escapes along with technology specialist Agent Toby Shavers (Michael Roof). In order to return to the overtaken bunker, they must reignite the XXX (Triple X) program and recruit a new agent with more attitude, and they consider applicants with criminal backgrounds. After going through potential candidates, they turn to a previous comrade, former US Navy SEAL Darius Stone (Ice Cube) who is currently serving sentence in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary for disobeying orders and breaking the jaw of ex-four-star General George Deckert (Willem Dafoe), who is now the Secretary of Defence. Stone is offered to become an agent to reduce his sentence, but he is uninterested. NSA Agent Kyle Steele (Underworld's Scott Speedman) is leading the investigation into the attack on the bunker; he was informed that Xander Cage was apparently killed in Bora Bora. Stone makes an elaborate escape from the prison, but Gibbons is there to meet him to recruit him, and he begrudgingly agrees. Stone insists on being the leader, as he does not trust Gibbons. Stone wants to form a team for the mission, so they bring in his old partner in crime Zeke (rapper Xzibit), and his ex-girlfriend Lola Jackson (Nona Gaye) who is an expert on cars but is cold towards Stone. Lola agrees to let Stone, Gibbons, and Shavers hide in her car shop in exchange for a classic car that Shavers modified. Stone infiltrates the NSA bunker, with instructions from Gibbons to recover a hard drive containing confidential information, while Gibbons returns to his house to recover evidence. However, Deckert and Sergeant Alabama "Bama" Cobb (John Gleeson Connolly) attack the house and Gibbons is apparently killed in a bombing to burn and cover up the evidence. Stone meets with Gibbons's contact, Charlie Mayweather (Sunny Mabrey), to get information. Charlie directs Stone to a party where Deckert's bodyguards Stone recognises as members of his old SEAL Team unit. He then overhears Deckert arguing with General Jack Pettibone (Ned Schmidtke). Stone goes to Charlie's safe house but is framed for murdering Pettibone, realising that she is involved in the conspiracy. Steele arrives with the police to talk with Stone before escaping. While Shavers hacks into the Pentagon to find Deckert's plans, Steele researches Stone and discovers that was imprisoned after he and half his SEAL team rebelled against Deckert's orders to start a fire to clear civilians, and this resulted in his court-martial. Stone infiltrates Deckert's troops aboard an aircraft carrier and discovers Gibbons alive; he is imprisoned along with the rest of their SEAL team unit. Stone realises those against Deckert's intentions are prisoners, while those who have remained loyal to him are part of his security team. Mayweather is alerted that Stone is close by, and he is forced to escape. After retrieving the plans, Stone learns that Deckert is planning to overthrow President James Sanford (Peter Strauss). Stone contacts Steele and shows him the plans. But Steele dismissed it for not being concrete proof, frustrating Stone who leaves, confusing Steele. During a conversation with Deckert, Steele realises Stone was right. He meets with Stone and tells him that Deckert wants to kill Sanford and his successors so he can take over as President of the United States. Deckert is opposed to Sanford's current plans to dismantle various military operations to focus on foreign aid. Stone, Steele, and Shavers enlist Zeke and his crew to help them. Together, they break into a disguised cheese truck secretly hauling guns and equipment for the Department of Homeland Security. They end up hijacking a tank, and Stone helps Steele penetrate the Capitol building where Sanford's State of the Union Address is being held. A gunfight begins, during which Gibbons kills Mayweather. Deckert and Cobb take Sanford hostage and they escape on a bullet train. Lola arrives with a Ford Shelby Cobra Concept, which Stone uses to chase and infiltrate the train. He kills Cobb before fighting Deckert, while Gibbons flies a helicopter and Steele extracts Sanford in it. Gibbons derails the train, Stone jumps to safety before it is destroyed and Deckert is killed. The story is covered up, and Deckert is buried and branded a hero. Steele and the unknown soldier (Stone) are awarded the Medal of Honor by Sanford. Stone is officially released from prison; he bids farewell before returning to his former lifestyle. Gibbons, Steele, and Shavers return to the rebuilt NSA Headquarters and talk about potential qualities for the next Triple X agent. Also starring Ramon De Ocampo as Agent Meadows, Barry Sigismondi as Bull, and Thom Gossom Jr. As Baptist Preacher. Cube is moodier than Diesel and reasonable, Jackson again is alright as the authority figure, and Dafoe does his usual square-jawed villain character fine. I don't know if the teamwork concept works as well, it is let down by several slow moments and a predictable script, it is only saved by some relatively exciting chases, gunfights, and explosions, overall it is a below-average spy action. Adequate!
IF (2024)
IF (Imaginary Friend)
Only a few months before this was released, I watched the scary movie Imaginary, which also involved imaginary friends, but it was crap, I hoped this movie with the same theme would be much better, produced, written, and directed by John Krasinski (A Quiet Place). Basically, twelve-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming) has moved into the New York apartment of her grandmother Margaret (Fiona Shaw) while her father (John Krasinski) is in hospital awaiting heart surgery. Her mother (Catharine Daddario) died of cancer a few years earlier in the same hospital. One day, while visiting her dad, Bea meets and befriends young Asian boy Benjamin (Alan Kim) who makes jokes about being in the hospital. One night, Bea finds her mother's old camcorder in the closet and goes out to buy a charger for it. On the way, she sees an unfamiliar creature on the street, and she follows it back to her grandmother's building. The following day, she sees the creature again, accompanied by a man. Bea follows them to a nearby house where the man, Cal (Ryan Reynolds), retrieves a large furry purple creature. She also sees another creature, a butterfly-like being, and she faints. When she wakes in Cal's apartment, the purple creature, Blue (Steve Carell) (named Blue because his child was colourblind), and the butterfly type creature named Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) introduce themselves. Bea learns that Cal has been working with imaginary friends, nicknamed IFs, to find new children for them, as their original children have grown up and forgotten them. As the only other person to see the creatures, Bea is reluctant when they ask for her help, but she decides to do so. The following day, Cal takes Bea to an abandoned Coney Island fairground where hidden beneath one of the attractions is the Memory Lane Retirement Home, a retirement community for Ifs. There, he introduces Bea to elderly teddy bear Lewis (Louis Gossett Jr., posthumous), the head of the facility. She is introduced to many interesting IFs, including the cuddly Unicorn (Emily Blunt), houseplant Sunny (Matt Damon), alligator Ally (Maya Rudolph), giant jelly bear Gummy Bear (Amy Schumer), octopus costumed cat Octopuss (Blake Lively), living bedsheet Ghost (Matthew Rhys), cold glass of water Ice (Bradley Cooper), green mucus Slime (Keegan Michael-Key), animated private detective Cosmo (Christopher Meloni), and poseable wooden figure Art Teacher (Richard Jenkins). Lewis inspires Bea to use her imagination to redesign the facility, which really annoys Cal who goes all over the place. Bea returns to the hospital to see her father and encounters Benjamin again. He motivates her to try and match one of the IFs with him. She, Cal, and Lewis audition the IFs, including droid Robot (Jon Stewart), canine superhero Guardian Dog (Sam Rockwell), smiley ball of floating froth Bubble (Awkwafina), astronaut Spaceman (George Clooney), rodent Magician Mouse (Sebastian Maniscalco), and hot melting confectionery Marshmallow Man (John Krasinski). But when she brings them to the hospital, Benjamin cannot see any of them. Feeling unmotivated, Bea talks with Lewis on the Coney Island pier. He tells her that maybe the IFs do not need new kids, perhaps they should try to reunite them with their old ones who have grown up. Talking with her grandmother, she sees a picture of her as a young dancer and recognised Blossom in the background of the picture. Bea realises Blossom is her grandmother's IF, and she decides to test Lewis's idea. Bea plays one of her grandmother's records and Margaret is inspired to dance, and she remembers Blossom, instilling Bea with hope. Following this, Bea, Cal, and Blue find Blue's original grown-up kid, Jeremy (Bobby Moynihan), who is trying to launch a business. Their initial attempt to help him remember Blue fails, but Bea realises that Jeremy's parents had a bakery and he would be reminded of Blue with the smells of a pastry. The smell of a croissant helps Jeremy to remember Blue, and he is given the confidence he needs for his business presentation. After saying goodbye to Blue, Bea returns home that evening, but Margaret is upset because something went wrong with her father's operation. Bea rushes upstairs to Cal, who comforts her. When Bea says she does not want to say goodbye to her father, Cal advises her to tell him a story instead. At the hospital, Bea tells her father about her efforts to be a grownup and she still needs him to bring fun into her life, and he eventually wakes up. Bea goes to tell her grandmother the good news, but she notices that the IFs have vanished. Bea goes upstairs to thank Cal, but when no -one answers, the landlady (Barbara Andres) reveals that the door opens into an old storage room. After her dad is released from the hospital, they pack up his belongings to go home. While packing her things in the car, Bea finds an old picture she painted. The picture sees Bea with her parents, and a clown named Calvin; she realises that Cal is her own IF, forgotten after the death of her mother. She closes her eyes and remembers, restoring her ability to see IFs, and reuniting with Cal. After they leave, Margaret speaks to Blossom, and she realises that Margaret can see her. Sometime later, Cal reunites many of the other IFs with their original kids who have grown up. Benjamin meets his IF, a cartoonish dragon with glasses. Bea and her father return home, where he trips over his invisible imaginary friend Keith. Also starring Liza Colón-Zayas as Janet, and Audrey Hoffman as Bea (Ages 3 & 5), with the voices of Bill Hader as Banana, Allyson Seeger as Viola, and Brad Pitt as Keith (this is an in-joke referencing Deadpool 2, he does not actually feature). Fleming is cute, Reynolds is likeable, and Carell and Waller-Bridge are good leading an all-star cast of talents voicing the animated companions. From the trailer it looked like it could be fun; the animation for the various characters is well done, and the fast-paced song and dance sequence with the scenery changing is memorable. The problem is it lacks any feeling of magic or heart, there are obvious slightly exploitative scenes designed to make you cry, I only tittered in moments as well, the younger audience might get something out of it, but I found it a slightly disappointing average live-action computer-animated fantasy comedy. Okay!
The Garfield Movie (2024)
The Garfield Movie
When I was a kid, I watched the 1984 cartoon Garfield in the Rough, and I used to watch the TV show Garfield and Friends on CITV, I've seen the comic strip in the Daily Mail now and then as well. Obviously, there were two Bill Murray live-action/CGI movies that were below average, and then came this new fully animated big-screen outing, directed by Mark Dindal (Cats Don't Dance, The Emperor's New Groove, Chicken Little). Basically, when Garfield was a kitten, he was seemingly abandoned by his father in an alley on a dark and rainy night. Scared, wet, and hungry, he followed the scent of delicious food in an Italian restaurant. Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult) is lonely and finds the kitten at the window, offers him pepperoni from his pizza, and the kitten gorges the whole thing, and goes around the restaurant eating many other tasty treats. Now grown up, Garfield (Chris Pratt) claims he adopted Jon (as opposed to the other way around). He is a fat, lazy, and greedy tabby cat, ordering takeaway food, including lasagne and pizza, whenever he feels like it. Fellow household pet Odie the yellow beagle dog (Harvey Guillén) is his friend and his sidekick. One night, whilst looking for a midnight snack from leftovers in the fridge, Garfield and Odie are kidnapped by tiny whippet Nolan (Bowen Yang) and huge wrinkly Shar Pei Roland (Brett Goldstein). The dogs take them to a secret lair before being rescued by Vic (Samuel L. Jackson), Garfield's biological and estranged father. Garfield is understandably bitter towards his father for abandoning him when he was younger, his father insists it was not like that, but Garfield doesn't want to hear it. Soon enough, Vic encounters his former acquaintance, diva Persian show cat and criminal master Jinx (Hannah Waddingham). Jinx and Vic go way back; he double-crossed her years ago, and she went to the pound for five years. She got her scary dog henchmen to kidnap Garfield and Odie because she knew it would lure Vic to her. Jinx wants payback, demanding 1,672 bottles of milk, one for every day she was incarcerated, and they have 72 hours to get it. If they fail, she will sick Roland and Nolan on them. The only way to do it is to break into Lactose Farms, which is protected by high-security systems. To help them get inside, Garfield, Vic, and Odie ask the farm's former mascot, gloomy Scottish Highland bull Otto (Ving Rhames), for his knowledge of the security systems. Otto eventually agrees to help them, on the condition that they help him reunite with his true love, his fellow female cow mascot and girlfriend. Jon realises Garfield and Odie are missing and tries to call a missing pets hotline, but he is continually put on hold waiting to speak to someone. Otto trains Garfield and Vic to work together because they will have no success if they cannot cooperate and put the past behind them. When they are tied up together by Otto, Garfield finally listens to his father who explains that he did not abandon him, he simply left him for a few moments while he wanted to find him food, his son went missing when he returned. It is revealed that Vic followed Garfield and decided he had a good life with Jon, but he continued to watch Garfield from a tree outside the home. Otto is satisfied that they have put their differences aside and releases them as they discuss their plan for the heist. Jinx intends for them to get caught during the heist and sends an anonymous tip-off to Lactose Farm's head of security and Animal Control officer Marge (Cecily Strong). Garfield, Vic, and Odie start their journey to the farm by jumping onto a speeding train, and Garfield and his father bond more. The trio manages to get through the various obstacles, including an electric fence, a massive cheese shredder, and scary security guards. They successfully get the milk, steal a truck, and drive away with it. But Jinx intervenes, revealing it was never about the milk, she was setting them up so that Vic would be incarcerated. The trio is taken to the pound, where many of the other animals, including eyepatch-wearing blue cat Snoop Catt (Snoop Dogg), have been double-crossed by Jinx. Garfield, Vic, and Odie manage to break out of the pound and escape on the moving train. Jinx tries to stop them, but Garfield's instant fast food delivery service drones come to the rescue, and Jinx's henchmen have a change of heart and assist them in defeating her. In the end, Garfield and Odie return home to Jon, Vic initially refuses the invitation to come inside but is eventually welcomed and becomes part of Garfield's family. Also starring Janelle James as Olivia, a green cat, Dev Joshi as Liz, Luke Cinque-White as Vito, Lynsey Murrell as Tour Guide Tracy, and Alicia Grace Turrell as Ethel. Pratt is a good choice as the sarcastic fat cat, Jackson is likeable as his long-lost dad who wants to make amends, Waddingham is obviously having fun as the prima donna villain, and Dogg playing a cat is an amusing in-joke. It starts out with the usual establishing scenes of Garfield being gluttonous and slothful before it moves into an elabororate plot with an attempted robbery and good and evil animal characters, it is very well animated, and there are some amusing jokes and slapstick, it is not the simplistic movie you may have expected, but it is relatively good entertainment and kids will enjoy it, a fun computer-animated comedy adventure. Worth watching!