The last movie I saw was...

[Simcfc73]

Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix)

 

Enola's detective agency seems unable to attract any customers and she is about to give up when a case involving a missing match factory worker comes her way. As the investigation continues, it seems as if her older brother's current case and her own may be entwined.

 

If you enjoyed the first film in the series, you'll enjoy this one too. There's a mid-credits scene that sets things up for part 3 and you'll probably also end up searching to see how true to life the historical event portrayed at the end was.

 

My eldest loved this.. I couldn't get over the fact her nose wasn't running blood all the time.

[LeMarchand]

Bullet Train (Rental most places)

 

A bunch of criminals find themselves assigned various tasks on the eponymous train.

 

Brad Pitt and the sort of cast you will recognise from other shows (plus a few cameos) punch, kick, stab, drug and shoot their way through a highly entertaining 2 hours. Lots of darkly comic fun, but very violent and very bloody. Well worth a look if that sounds your kinda film.

[LeMarchand]

Samaritan (Amazon Prime)

 

Years ago Granite City two superpowered brothers, the villainous Nemesis and the good Samaritan, fought each other to the death. Many believe that Samaritan is still out there, waiting to save the city once more. When a young boy thinks he has found Samaritan it sets up another power struggle between two titans.

 

This is a bit like one of those cheap action movies with a vaguely interesting idea that you used to find buried away on late night TV or on the bottom shelf of the rental place, even down to the lack of much modern tech in Granite City. The budget on this is much higher, though one suspects most of it went to Sylvester Stallone. Kinda OK, and a bit better than the trailer suggests, but not a "must see".

[6Foot2]

The Owners (All 4, 4 days left at the time of posting)

 

Brutal horror-thriller set in a remote countryside mansion with Maisie Williams and Sylvester McCoy. Three opportunistic criminals burgle the wrong house.

 

Free via All4, chargeable through (some) other providers.

[Simcfc73]

I watched The Ambulance last night from Mr Bay.

 

It makes Transformers look realistic.

[LeMarchand]

The Royal Treatment (Netflix)

 

Izzy, sparky NYC Italian hairdresser, gets hired to do a prince's hair and ends up getting contracted for his upcoming wedding. Can you guess what happens?

 

Despite the trailer making this look a bit like a low-budget TV Movie, this turned out to be a fairly polished and above-average romcom with a few properly funny bits. Not quite sure where Lavania is supposed to be, though. Though it sounds like it should be somewhere in Eastern Europe, the prince is played by Aladdin and most of the royal household have posh British accents apart from the aide out of "'Allo, 'Allo!" and the Kiwis (where it was filmed, hence driving on the proper side) who couldn't do the accent, while the "villagers" (literally on the "other side of the tracks" where it does look Movie Eastern European) go more for a "East End" accent.

 

One of those films that it's very easy to pick holes in, but is OK if you or your partner is in the mood for a romcom.

[Ditto]

The Watcher on Netflix. Engrossing at times, well acted throughout. If you like moderately tense thrillers, it may rock your boat. It's good, but maybe a little too implausible at times and ultimately disappoints me at the end - but perhaps the completer/finisher aspect of my personality profile. Given that's it's based on a true story, might be worth following up how that came to a conclusion - indeed if it did...

 

I'm going to watch Witcher next, just because it's one letter different

[LeMarchand]

I'm going to watch Witcher next, just because it's one letter different

 

Followed by The Hitcher?

[Ditto]

Now's there's an idea - would it warrant a thread of it's own?

[LeMarchand]

I think you'd have to allow more than one letter different as I was stuck after that one (without counting sequels and remakes).

[LeMarchand]

Palm Springs (Amazon Prime)

 

Timeloop romcom with Andy Samberg, who has been stuck in the same wedding day for so long that he knows everything that will happen and has got around to sleeping with many of the guests. One day Cristin "The Mother" Milioti is dragged into the loop. They slowly begin to bond, but she really wants out...

 

Funny and quite cleverly written - there are quite a few bits that make you thing "Huh?" on one loop and "Ah!" on a later one - but I didn't think it was worthy of the high critical praise it received. Neither of the main characters come across as particularly nice with Cristin M's character doing something particularly heinous. Obviously they both grow over the course of the loops.

 

It did get me thinking about what happens to the people who aren't in the loop. This does get a throwaway line, but what do they experience? Is it a multiverse type thing where each action has consequences? Or do people just remember what happened "the first time around"? Does he disappear from "the next day" when he wakes up in the loop (he doesn't disappear when he goes to sleep)?

[LeMarchand]

The Ghost (Netflix)

 

Trailer pretty violent with drug use and gratuitous bikini shots.

 

 

Top Interpol agent Vikram (40s going on 60s) and his half-his-age partner/lover Priya are on a job that goes wrong. 5 years later he's working as a private contractor and his only contact with Priya is professional. When his estranged "older" sister asks for help as she and her daughter are under threat, he must deploy his particular set of skills to protect them.

 

OK but ridiculous action movie with scenes that even John Woo would have rejected as OTT. It's also hard to believe that the star could be that attractive to a supermodel type or capable of taking out armies of bad guys single handed. If you're going to watch a Tollywood (or any other) action film this year, RRR is the one to go for.

[LeMarchand]

All the Old Knives (Amazon Prime)

 

 

Chris Pine stars as a CIA staffer tasked with discovering if there was a mole in the Vienna office back ion 2012, when a hijacking went pear-shaped causing the deaths of all aboard. The prime suspect? His lover at the time (Thandiwe Newton).

 

If the trailer looks up your alley, go for it; it's fairly intriguing. It's not a "must see" by any stretch, though.

[mavhc]

The Glass Onion, nicely modernises the murder mystery genre, subverting your expectations

[LeMarchand]

Christmas With You (Netflix)

 

Aimee Garcia (Lucifer, Global Frequency) plays a pop star whose career is waning and needs to deliver a Christmas hit... but she can't find the inspiration. On a whim she decides to visit a teenage fan in a nearby small town who just so happens to have a widowed Dad who is writing a song.

 

Xmas themed romcom (chosen by Mme LeMarchand as our Date Night movie) that's fractionally better than if Hallmark had made it.

[LeMarchand]

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Disney+)

 

I suppose this is a short film. It's slight, but fun.

 

The Swimmers (Netflix)

 

 

In 2015 two girls attempt to flee from war-torn Syria and head for Germany, where they want to build a new life, get their parents and younger sister safely out of Syria, and enable the middle sister to swim in the Olympics for Syria. Things don't go as smoothly as planned.

 

Based on a true story (from a brief look, the only obvious change seems to have been made to heighten the tension in one scene) this is an incredible film. Not quite the emotional roller-coaster/weep-fest the trailer suggests but certainly has plenty of feels. Well worth a look.

[LeMarchand]

Sea Fever (Recording, but on many streaming platforms)

 

The crew of a fishing trawler and their marine biologist passenger find themselves threatened by a sub-aquatic lifeform.

 

(The Thing + The Abyss) - alien life - budget = Sea Fever. Despite that, this Irish/UK/Swedish/Belgian production is pretty good. If it's been on your radar, probably worth checking it out.

[LeMarchand]

Troll (Netflix)

 

 

When a mining operation disturbs something under the Norwegian mountains, it's up to a palaeontologist and her estranged father - and expert in folklore - to save the country.

 

As you can tell from the trailer, it's basically Trollzilla, but it's nice to see something from a different culture than normal. Not the greatest film ever, but well worth a look.

[LeMarchand]

This is Christmas (Sky Movies)

 

 

When his pitch for a Christmas ad is rejected as "too unrealistic", Adam decides to test it on his commuter train and announces a Christmas party with everyone on the coach welcome to attend and contribute. Although initially dubious, his fellow travellers begin to warm to the idea, and each other.

 

This year's Christmas and train-themed Sky Original (after Michael Sheen in 2021's Last Train to Christmas which I really must get around to watching) is a wannabe Love, Actually with less romance and far too much time spent on the main couple. I felt that we needed to get to know more about the other characters beyond the main pair and the pairing with Timothy Spall to give them a bit more depth. Still quite a sweet watch but last year's A Christmas No. 1 was far superior.

 

P.S. Star Alfred Enoch is the son of OG Who companion William Russell, who recently reprised his role as Ian Chesterton.

[Mrpower]

Troll (Netflix)

 

 

When a mining operation disturbs something under the Norwegian mountains, it's up to a palaeontologist and her estranged father - and expert in folklore - to save the country.

 

As you can tell from the trailer, it's basically Trollzilla, but it's nice to see something from a different culture than normal. Not the greatest film ever, but well worth a look.

 

I am guessing this has no relation to the cult classics Troll and Troll 2?

 

[LeMarchand]

Men (Various premium rental)

 

After her husband dies in a freak accident (?) soon after she announces she wants a divorce, Harper decides to take a country break to get away from things. Unfortunately the place she chooses has an almost all male population, all of whom look like the same guy.

 

I'm not a fan of "mental anguish" dramas, which this probably is - it's almost wilfully oblique, so who knows? It's stunningly shot, with verdant landscapes and the music and soundscapes help to engender a feeling of dread but it was way too up its own backside for my tastes. I'm also not sure that Harper was a particularly likeable person. Maybe worth a watch with a film buff friend that you can discuss the movie with, but I'd say to steer clear.

[simpsonj]

The Amazing Maurice (Sky)

 

A film version of one of Terry Pratchett's more child friendly books; a play on the Pied Piper story with typical Pratchett twists and turns.

 

A few things; firstly I didn't finish reading the book as my daughter decided she didn't like me reading it (she was only 2 or so at the time) and secondly said daughter requested various snacks throughout, so I didn't manage to quite watch all of it. That said, I did enjoy it, especially the nods to the wider Discworld universe in the background and other easter eggs. Thought the voice acting was excellent, and the yarn spins through at a good rate, keeping the family entertained throughout. I doubt the daughter (4) will be demanding a rewatch any time soon, but one to consider if you're stuck as a family for something to watch.

[DalekSec]

Paw Patrol: The Movie (Brought)

 

1st Viewing: Was ok, watchable kept me entertained atleast.

2nd Viewing: Saw about 60% did enjoy it

3rd Viewing: Saw 10% of it played hearthstone on iPad whilst on

 

 

*Disclaimer these were all watched back to back yesterday and not by my choice

[JATSO]

The Little Things - Amazon Prime

[LeMarchand]

Last Train to Christmas (Sky Movies)

 

Last year's Sky train/Christmas movie stars Michael Sheen as Tony Towers, a Peter Stringfellow type nightclub impresario who, on Christmas Eve 1985, finds himself travelling home by a train. Somehow, moving forward a carriage takes him a decade forward in his life. He takes this in his stride and when he sees things aren't going to work out as well as he hoped realises that each carriage back can take him a decade back, so he can course correct...

 

The trailer made this look like a light-hearted romp, but it is actually a fairly downbeat family drama and doesn't qualify as a "Christmas" film. Cary Elwes is impressively unrecognisable as Tony's bother and Sheen manages to rescue the ending, when it would have been nice to learn just how things worked out, with a look that speaks volumes. Not without its merits, but this year's This Is Christmas is more fun if you want trains and Christmas.