Maverick_2023

Didn’t hate it. Found enough amusing lines. The plot was a little contrived and some situations seem to develop far too quickly but definitely seen worse.

Loved the opportunity to see one of my all time favourite films on the big screen once again. A film I quote from often and even though I’ve owned the video and later on the DVD for literally decades now, it isn’t a film I watch on a regular basis. I think that’s because the memory of what that film represents has never left me and as such I can replay it in my head without having to have it physically in front of me. Although the four main characters are 12, they always remind me of a time when I was 16 and that group of friends I was able to spend so much quality time with meant everything. This film is just perfect. Captures what friendship meant perfectly. This is a classic for a reason. Sadly Rob Reiner left us in such tragic circumstances but his body of work will live on forever.

You kind of know what you’re going to get with these movies. If you’ve seen one you’ve basically seen them all and so if you buy a ticket expecting to a classic of the genre then you are going to end up being disappointed. I saw Scream 6 three years ago and have no real recollection of the plot. As it happens I learned after seeing this and then listening to a review that this movie is not connected to the previous due to fallouts when making the previous. I just accepted it as a standalone and enjoyed seeing Neve Campbell back on screen after her absence in 6. Does it make any sense? Well possibly not. Do a number of people appear to be able survive attacks with sharp implements that you think would put an end to an elephant? Well yes of course. Have I seen worse movies? Of course I have. So accept what it is and you won’t be disappointed. The big question now is do they have the nerve to make a Scream 8. I think they do.

This movie was always going to be on my “must see on the big screen” list. The story, the setting and the cast and director made it so. I was at an advantage in possibly being one of the few people who doesn’t know what happens in the novel, nor seen any previous adaptations. Visually the movie was what I expected and all performances did not disappoint. The run time did not prove an issue and I thoroughly enjoyed my time. Strongly recommend this to all.

Decided to take a punt on this and so glad I did. Really enjoyed it. Had humour and made you think as well. Great performances from all. The children were excellent.

This wasn’t on the agenda for me to see but having seen Alexander Skarsgård on the Graham Norton Show I decided to give it a go. It’s one of those movies that won’t get a huge cinema audience. The combination of the price of cinema tickets, other releases and the subject matter means that the 10 other people plus myself on a late Saturday afternoon is probably going to be typical. That said, it was an enjoyable film, with humour and good performances and yes as the BBFC warned at the start some very strong sex scenes. This movie was made with the help of the BBC so may well end up on their channel at some point although given how strong the sex scenes were it may get a better home on Channel 4.

Not sure if it’s damning with faint praise to say I didn’t hate it. It may have taken a little longer than I liked to get going but once it did there was the anticipated body count with the bad guys coming in for some serious stick. There may have been a few questions you would have liked to ask about the plot points but at 1 hour 47 minutes it did not outstay its welcome. Bodhi Rae Breathnach deserves a special mention as I thought she was excellent as the spirited young girl who was a key part of the action.

The world has woken up to the fact that English speakers can enjoy a movie with subtitles. For a lot of people Parasite was their “Road To Damascus” moment. Having long been a fan **** movie with or without the one inch barrier, I had no qualms about seeing this on the strength of the trailer. This movie had so many strands which worked seamlessly and did not jar at all. There was humour, violence, pathos and a story that brought all the strands together with a conclusion that worked. I totally enjoyed this and I feel most people who do watch this will also.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Jessie Buckley is just superb in everything she does. A fine performance from Paul Mescal and the rest of the cast. Haven’t read the source material but did like the mix of real life events and imagination to create this story. Possibly won’t get the crowds in but there was a smattering of younger people in this screening. I know school has scared a lot of people off anything to do with Shakespeare but movies like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet & this does help a wider audience to appreciate the genius of the man.

I came to this as a fan of Neil Diamond and knowing that it would feature his music but wasn’t a biopic. Having seen Hugh Jackman & Kate Hudson being interviewed on Graham Norton I did know the movie was about a couple who performed as a Tribute Act to Neil Diamond. That was all I knew and I’m glad that was all I knew. It made the journey that this movie all the more enjoyable and I did enjoy it. I even found myself slightly emotional at times. I don’t know if you have to be a fan of Neil Diamond to enjoy this movie. I’m thinking not as you could say the music is a soundtrack to this story which you could describe as a simple love story.

If there was ever any doubt that Timothée Chalamet was a movie star then this movie definitely proved the point. To see a packed screening on a bright Sunny Boxing Day afternoon watching a movie about a fictional American table tennis player well and truly proved the point. The movie was entertaining and had good performances throughout. The runtime did no prove a problem as it had no trouble holding your attention. Probably not the movie that will garner many nominations next year but it wouldn’t surprise me if a few came its way.

Just wanted to watch something fun and easy on Christmas Eve evening and this fitted the bill perfectly.

Really enjoyed this movie. Great performances from both Amanda Seyfried & Sydney Sweeney. Will almost forgive Paul Feig for Last Christmas but it wasn’t that good.

Was really looking forward to seeing this and would have happily watched it on the big screen if its limited cinema release had included my home town. As it didn’t settling down on the sofa the Sunday before Christmas wasn’t a bad way to watch this. From very early on I felt I was going to enjoy this movie. Given the cast I wasn’t in any doubt that the performances would be up to scratch. So it proved with a story that kept you engaged and guessing to the very end. Of course I’m not going to give any spoilers. It had twists & turns and humour throughout and given how good this was, I have no doubt that number four will appear at some point in the future.

Must admit it did take me a while to get into the flow of this movie. Definitely no pun intended. So much so that I stopped watching last night and decided to start again today. I’m glad I did. It is one that you definitely can’t multitask and watch. You’ll stand no chance. I won’t give anything away here because part of the joy is picking up where the story is taking you and how everything fits together. I think even at the end you will take a moment to gather your thoughts to decide where each piece did fit. I’m just glad that the version I watched was dubbed as I’m not sure I would have had the patience to read and keep up with what was occurring on screen.

All seemed a tad too slow for me. Not the worse but definitely not the best I’ve seen and Liv Tyler’s role was far too minimalist. You could almost hear the director saying “Just walk on here and look beautiful”.

Found this fascinating. To have such access to her term as PM during the unprecedented Covid pandemic and the worst terrorist incident that New Zealand has ever experienced. All whilst trying to be a new mother to her daughter Neve. The level of misogyny was literally laugh out loud. This was very well done and definitely showed the strain of high office on an individual and on a family if you let it.

This is the sort of movie you watch when in mixed company at this time of year, when you’re in a good mood and you’re perfectly aware that it will not be troubling the members of the Academy when they cast their vote for Best Picture next year. You’re aware exactly where it’s going but you know it’s not upsetting anyone and you’ve definitely seen worse, yes Expendables 4 I do mean you, so you enjoy it for what it is and move on without going in two footed on what it may lack. You might make a comment that this is the Kiefer who appeared in: A Few Good Men, Flatliners, Lost Boys, Stand By Me, Young Guns et al, and decide that his credit is definitely good so you will cut him the slack. I didn’t hate it and the rest of the family enjoyed it and it went well with a cup of tea and a slice of Christmas cake.

Somehow I’ve managed not to have ever seen this movie before now. Having seen the clip where Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann & Melissa McCarthy are in the principal’s office several times on social media, I thought I would give it a go and chose today as Netflix informed me it was leaving the platform soon. Despite its age I found it very funny and great performances from all. I still failed to recognise Megan Fox not being a fan of the Transformers movies and having only really seen her in the woeful Expendables 4. May have to track down the movie this is not the sequel to apparently Knocked Up which I’ve also not seen.

There are times when a biopic appears and you’ve never heard of the subject and you wonder what inspired them to make this story. That was the case when I saw the repeated trailers for this movie. I could see that Sydney Sweeney had gone against type as the protagonist and they pricked my curiosity enough to make me want to see it. I’m glad that I didn’t go to the Google beforehand to find out any more than I’d seen in the trailers as this made what unfolded as the story developed far more interesting. I really enjoyed movie and was glad that I took the opportunity to see it on the big screen. Not that it needs a big screen but it meant that there were no outside distractions during its runtime. I’m guessing that it may not take huge money given the timing of its release, being up against Wicked: For Good and the exorbitant price of cinema tickets these days.

I love it when a movie comes along on a real life historical event that I’m sketchy about the details. Nuremberg is such a movie. I knew of the trials at the end of the second world war but was ignorant of what occurred among the allies to get to that point. There were great performances all round so I won’t single anyone out. It took to the end of the movie for me to appreciate that many of the main characters did exist and the closing details on screen did add even more poignancy to the story. Being reminded visually of the evil that men can do was a very hard watch at times. Definitely the best movie I’ve seen this weekend.

Really couldn’t get on board with this despite being a fan of Elle Fanning. May seem a tad naïve to say I was bored by just a load of fighting a no real compelling story. This seems to be a million miles away from the excellent Prey.

Die My Love is perhaps a little difficult to get on board with fully. There are definitely performances that may well impress the Academy next March but perhaps lacking a beginning, middle and an end. I didn't hate it but if someone was about to spend £15 on a ticket I couldn't in all good conscience say "go for it"

This film is extremely tense because it makes it quite clear that it will not take a lot to lead to our total annihilation. It seems too obvious to state that no one could ever win in the event of a nuclear war but still the threat remains. I didn’t have an issue with the retelling of the story from different view points. It will leave you to draw your own conclusions but that’s probably the best way of dealing with the subject. What it might make you think is that of ever the situation was to occur in real life you will definitely want a cool head in charge of the launch codes.

Been so many years since I last saw this superb film. Robin Williams was a genius on screen. Listening to his words you believed his pain and perhaps it now takes on more poignancy given we know how that ended for him. There are certain scenes that just stayed with you through the decades. The bar scene where Will confronts the arrogant Harvard students, Robin Williams describing the night he first met his wife are just two. Ben & Matt definitely hit it out of the park when it came to this script and backed it up with their performances as did all the cast. A beautiful film and I now feel I need to rewatch Dead Poets Society as that’s been too long since I last saw that.

Given the cast & director I was expecting good things from this movie. Happy to report that my expectations were well and truly met. A movie with great performances throughout, containing the right level of humour. I’ve always rated Sean Penn as an actor and sometimes I think people forget how great he has been throughout his career. Leo has truly moved away from playing the “pretty boy” many movies ago and do I need to say how great Benicio outside time and time again. I’m now curious if the Academy will notice this movie next year. Definitely far more deserving than The Smashing Machine in my opinion.

Saw this on Netflix. The sort of movie that makes you glad that Netflix exists. You know it would have struggled to get an extended stay at a cinema and given the price of cinema tickets these days, it’s not many who would choose to see it on the big screen. Interesting subject well acted by all involved.

I enjoyed this. Thought there were good performances by all. Wasn’t sure about this before going in but it definitely held my attention.

Movies are more often than not make believe. You sit in the theatre and just accept what is laid before you as fact and don’t worry about making sense of it in the more conventional sense. As long as the story holds together then that’s absolutely fine. I think it was Stephen King who said something along the lines of “As long as the story makes sense no matter how weird or wonderful it is just go along with it”. Definitely not quoting him verbatim there. So it is with “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey”. A lovely movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. Charming performances with a script that made me laugh and think. Do not bother to try and make sense of the practicalities of the journey. Literally just go along for the beautiful ride.

I’m old enough to remember the original with the great cast including Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner & Danny DeVito. Won’t give any spoilers re that movie but it was excellent. Having seen a couple of trailers to this with the excellent English line up of Olivia Colman & Benedict Cumberbatch, I was very much looking forward to this 2025 version. The release coincided with Cineworld’s £4 a ticket weekend which resulted in a packed screening. All which added to the feel good atmosphere. The movie was a riot from start to finish. Brilliant sharp & witty script combined with superb performances from all the cast. Loved every moment of it.

I enjoyed this. I suspected that the hype they were trying to generate stating it was the best King movie ever wasn’t going to be justified. I ignored that as it would have had to be something really special to best Shawshank, Green Mile & Stand By Me. It will make you think as not all you see can be taken literally. Would be interesting to read the novella and see how this is explained using words. Lovely performances from all the cast. Nicely done.

Really enjoyed this. Very entertaining. Kept you on the edge of your seat and had a touch of humour perhaps where you didn’t expect. Very glad I caught this because it wasn’t originally on the agenda.

Loved this. Lots of fun and at under 90 minutes it didn’t overstay its welcome

Up until this week I had never seen this movie. Adam Sandler isn’t someone I enjoy watching as a rule. With all the hype regarding the sequel I thought I would give it a chance just in case I had misjudged for all there years. Turns out I hadn’t. It is bad and I struggle to understand why so many appear to find it funny. I was cringing at far too many scenes to mention. Going into detail wouldn’t be considered a spoiler as this whom movie was spoilt from the start. Lee Trevino’s constant appearance was toe curlingly bad. Unfortunately he wasn’t the only one who was way below par. Apparently the sequel is worse than the original. Perhaps a difficult concept to grasp but if true then it must be truly awful. I feel 2 stars is being generous but I’m feeling generous as it is the weekend.

A horror that had you on the edge of your seat with fine performances from all the cast. Sally Hawkins was her usual excellent self. Have to confess I was a little slow in realising that it was set in Australia. Will be received well when it eventually streams.

Found this quite refreshing. A Marvel movie that didn’t make me cringe as I watched. Enjoyed the fresh approach. The visuals was done very well. Look forward to the next appearance of these fantastic four.

I found the first hour so slow which was a disappointment seeing how much I enjoyed the original. I was hoping the next 46 minutes would some how save the rest of the movie. Imagine my utter surprise when the film just ended. I truly believed that somehow I had accidentally pressed fast forward. I would imagine very few people will be prepared to wait 5 years for the next instalment that’s assuming Netflix pony up the cash. Utter disappointment.

I found this lacking thrills. I didn’t take kindly the rewriting of history and the appearance of characters which added very little to the plot.

Not terrible by any stretch of the imagination but nothing new here apart from the main plot point which wasn’t the most enthralling. Will get the numbers in as after all it is about dinosaurs and children love dinosaurs.

Somehow I’ve managed to never have seen this movie before. I know taste is personal so I will accept the ratings I’ve seen across various sites. I found it exciting and waiting for the moment when the inevitable happens and it blows quite tense.Pierce is his usual cool self and it was good to see Linda Hamilton on screen. The special effects worked and given they are nearly 30 years old they were far better than some recent movies I’ve seen. Yes I do mean you “Expendables 4”. There is plenty to like about this movie even if it does tread a well worn path of sleepy little town in denial about the impending disaster. But it was executed very well and the movie did not out stay its welcome being under 2 hours long. Glad I caught it.

Maybe one for the fans of F1 but this was done very well. The race sequences were thrilling and whilst there may have been a couple of moments that you could have expected because it is a movie, they didn’t stop me from having a good time.

Was expecting more from this movie. Found it extremely boring and just not funny. Really odd. The dialogue had nothing. Given that this was created by the same person who wrote Succession & In The Loop the fact that the dialogue did not land is really strange.

One for the fans. Didn’t deliver anything unexpected but didn’t outstay its welcome either. Not sure if it’s possible to deliver any spoilers. If there is anyone who isn’t aware how this is going to end up I’ll be amazed. That’s not to say it wasn’t fun for all that. Sometimes you just like rereading your favourite book or watching The Incredibles for the umpteenth time. Buy your ice cream & hot dog, sit down and enjoy.

If you like the John Wick movies then you’ll enjoy this. No more needs to be said.

Have been so excited waiting for the release of this in Jane & Dez Wedding Day stalment. Loved Dead Reckoning and had no doubt that this would be just as entertaining. As predicted, it was. It had thrills, spills, loads of tension and great stunts. Loved how it referenced previous films in the franchise. Made me want to go back and watch them all again in a marathon session at some point. Superb afternoon’s entertainment.

I had never seen this before. Had seen the odd clip and that was it. Huge fan of Life Of Brian which will have me quoting large chunks whenever it gets a mention. In fact I think that movie is a work of genius and it’s so hard to believe that it was banned in some places when released. So I was very pleased to be able to see this for the very first time in the cinema on its 50th anniversary re-release. It was very good. Some great line which I hope once given the opportunity to hear again will allow me to commit to memory. It was a sizeable audience for a midweek showing of such an old movie. It’s fair to say that the audience was largely made up of men of a certain age, but there was a smattering of young people and even women. I enjoyed it and the introduction by the living members of the Monty Python gang was most welcome.

Never afraid to admit when I’m wrong and when I saw this for the first I thought it rather dull. I later decided that perhaps my opinion was marred by the fact that I was tired and perhaps I should give it another go. So glad I did because I saw almost a completely different film to my first outing. One that had far more subtlety than I had originally given it credit for. There was plenty of humour and Florence Pugh definitely gave a stand out performance. It definitely pays to have a second look sometimes.

Had a lot of fun with these. Plenty of genuinely laugh out loud moments together with the expected and sometimes not expected action sequences. Thoroughly enjoyable time was had by me.

The film is let down by a ridiculous plot and terrible, laughable conclusion. Do you ever wonder how you can’t run a red light in real life without being chased by a police car but in movies people can drive like they’re in one of the Fast & Furious movies and there’s not a cop in sight.

Really enjoyed this movie. Those who left before the credits finally finished will have a different interpretation of how it did end. Big clue being that Ryan Coogler directed Marvel’s Black Panther. Remember when Marvel made decent movies? Loved all the performances. Great music as well.