The last movie I saw was...

[LeMarchand]

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (Cinema)

 

When Rocket is mortally wounded the Guardians must try to find the MacGuffin that will restore his health. This quest will lead them to face Rocket's "creator" in an adventure so perilous that, if there still is a team left, it will be irrevokably changed.

 

I loved this one; possibly one of my favourite Marvel movies. You do need to have seen the first two and enough of the Infinity Saga to know about the two Gamoras for full effect, but otherwise some great action sequences, comedy and a genuine sense of dread when a character says something like, "I'll stay behind to do it".

 

Pllus, baby raccoons!

 

 

Also a fair bit of dust in the busy cinema at times.

 

Unfortunately this one is apparently a slight box office disappointment. I do wonder if the short window between theatrical and VOD is making a difference. "Quantumania" is already out to buy for <£10 and is "free" on Disney+ next week.

[LeMarchand]

A Tourist's Guide to Love (Netflix)

 

An uptight American travel agent (Rachel Leigh Cook) is dumped on what she thought would be her "proposal day", so her boss sends her off to "clear her head" to Vietnam as a "secret shopper" with a tour company they are thinking of buying. At first she isn't impressed, but grows to appreciate the country, the more freewheeling style of the company, and her guide, the owner's son...

 

Mme LeMarchand's pick! Not awful, but completely predictable. About the only surprise is two third act complications rather than one. Still, it makes Vietnam look great (though a recent email from a friend who was there suggests their marketplaces aren't as laid back as presented here) and it's nice to have a different location than normal.

[RedwayNetworks_Calum]

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves

 

Saw this yesterday with the OH (who is in no way a 'geek') and both absolutely loved it. I enjoyed several of the 'inside' jokes, but not getting them had no impact on her enjoyment of the film. It reminded me very much of a Marvel film in terms of the overall presentation/humour. Think Guardians of the Galaxy, but in Fantasy not Sci Fi - though possibly with a better storyline (although it's still not going to win any awards for it).

 

I agree it won't win any awards, but it was nice to see a film that didn't take itself too seriously and managed to have a more interesting story than the majority of the most recent Marvel films.

[LeMarchand]

The Mother (Netflix)

 

J-Lo plays a top army-trained sniper/assassin/killer who falls in with a bad crowd. When her unborn baby becomes the target of the possible baby daddies, she is forced to give up the child and go into hiding. 12 years later, the bad guys find the child and she must protect her.

 

Deeply average action flick with some weird cinematography in some scenes.

[LeMarchand]

Crater (Disney+)

 

In 2257 the moon is a mining base that provides fuel for the 75 year journey to Omega, where humanity is migrating to. When his father is killed in a mining accident it means Caleb automatically qualifies for transport to Omega, but he promised his father that he would visit a particular crater on the surface. Together with four friends, he sets off on an adventure that will change all their lives.

 

It's "Stand By Me" meets "The Goonies" on the moon with a surprisingly political edge. Skews a bit young for the undertones, but older viewers may be nitpicking about some of the physics. The ending isn't quite what you'd expect, and probably not what younger ones would want. Not bad, but not a "must see".

[harry]

I saw this last night... I don't think it was a patch on the first one. There was not as many laughs as the first two and it was very deep, as you would expect from looking into a troubled past. I don't think the choice is music was good, apart from The Beastie Boys. Too much shouting from everybody as well.

That said, everyone has their own opinion of films and everything is subjective.

[Norphy]

I saw this last night... I don't think it was a patch on the first one. There was not as many laughs as the first two and it was very deep, as you would expect from looking into a troubled past. I don't think the choice is music was good, apart from The Beastie Boys. Too much shouting from everybody as well.

That said, everyone has their own opinion of films and everything is subjective.

 

I think I'm missing something here. What did you see? Almost sounds like Star Trek Beyond

[Simcfc73]

Ant Man and the green screens.

 

Bang average IMHO although I really liked the baddie (except the mid credit scene). He's a really limited character so I'm suprised they have managed to get 3 films out of him bt I suppose he is introducing us to the next phase.

[harry]

@Norphy

 

"I think I'm missing something here. What did you see? Almost sounds like Star Trek Beyond "

 

Guardians of the Galaxy 3Sorry, thought i was replying to LeMarchand and the film Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Clearly Reply is not working as I think it should 'cos I've just done it again.

 

It's been a long week.

Edited May 19, 2023 by harry

[StevieM]

@Norphy

 

"I think I'm missing something here. What did you see? Almost sounds like Star Trek Beyond "Guardians of the Galaxy 3Sorry, thought i was replying to LeMarchand and the film Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Clearly Reply is not working as I think it should 'cos I've just done it again.

 

It's been a long week.

@harry - Try 'Reply With Quote'.

[Brax]

Watched Bullet Train

 

An entertaining action film with a somewhat good twist, a good watch.

 

Also watched Guardians of the Galaxy 3

I was shocked it was a 12A as it's very in your face with violence and a scene of Gore. Apart from that a fantastic and sad film that stands out from most of the content Marvel have released recently as we learn more about Rocket's past and the future of the Guardians.

[LeMarchand]

Plane (Rakuten, but available to rent most places - I had a voucher)

 

Gerard Butler plays a pilot told to fly through a storm to save fuel. His day gets worse when he is told that he will have to transport a murderer and his transportation officer. Worse still when the storm blows the plane's electrics and even worse again when the road he lands on turns out to be on an island controlled by a murderous militia. Looks like he picked a bad day to stop smoking!

 

As unoriginal as its title, but a passable action flick. Glad I didn't pay for it, though!

[LeMarchand]

The Portable Door (Sky Movies)

 

Paul, a hapless young Londoner, somehow gets an internship at a prestigious firm. He's not actually sure what the firm does, or what his role is though. It soon becomes clear that magic is involved...

 

Based on the Tom Holt book (have to confess, I've never read any of his) this is an OK comedy fantasy, but never really sparked to life for me. Still, Patrick Gibson is much better cast as a befuddled and awkward young man than the confident pirate/prince he doesn't do a good job of in "Shadow & Bone".

[LeMarchand]

Yesterday I lived my life a quarter mile at a time, Fast Ten'd my seatbelt, and drove Fast and Furious, changing gear every second or two, to the cinema for Fast X. If you're a fan of the series, well worth a look (especially if you've managed to avoid spoilers), particularly for Jason Momoa's OTT villain. If you're not a fan, this one won't change your mind. If you do go, there is a mid-credits scene that sets up the next movie.

 

Also watched Dzien Matki (Mother's Day) on Netflix. Trailer a bit NSFW due to violence.

 

 

It's basically Taken in Poland with a female lead kicking a lot more than Liam Neeson could manage. Not a bad actioner, but not a classic/must see. A US remake wouldn't surprise me; I can see Mia Kirshner and Paul Giamatti as the leads.

[LeMarchand]

Took my son to see Don't Worry Darling (he wanted to see it for...reasons) on Saturday.

I won't spend long trying to describe how bad it is, but, and SPOILER, it's The Stepford Wives, badly done and with VR.

Pitch Meetings sums it up well:

 

 

Got around to this last night, and that vid does sum up its problems. On the plus side, its beautifully shot - it makes a pleasant change to get away from the murk that many films seem to be shot in. However, it really doesn't make any sense. It would also have been better as an episode of an anthology show, pared down to the bone and faster moving; maybe the audience wouldn't have time to see the flaws.

[Simcfc73]

Extraction 2 - loved it... Felt like a video game, or Arnie at his best.

[witch]

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Netflix)

Nick Cage playing - Nick Cage

Pedro Pascal out acting him

A quirky film with comedy and action

Loved it!

[witch]

Did you include Solo and Rogue One?

 

Yes. I have watched all of them

 

Enjoying Star Trek Strange New Worlds (Paramount)

Very similar to Discovery but easier to understand!

[LeMarchand]

The Treatment/De Behandeling (Disc, but widely available to rent) and Ritual/Ritueel/Ritualmord (Disc, may be streamable in certain European countries)

 

Trailers have language and subject matter NSFW

 

 

 

(Yeah, those red armbands are a bit iffy)

 

Based on the second and third books in Mo Hayder's "Jack Caffrey" series, these two Belgian productions were released in 2014 and 2022 but retain the same director and star (though he is bumped to second billing in the sequel) - who looks like Arthur "Rory" Darvill's tougher brother in 2014 but has put on a few pounds and gone greyer by 2022, looking more the way I envisaged the character. An upcoming BBC adaptation of the seventh last book in the series (and the last of the author's novels published in her lifetime) casts Ukweli Roach, who is always the decent/nice guy in the shows I've seen him in so I'm currently struggling to see him in the part. I've read the first four of the books, the first two before publication (I was in bookselling at the time and had proofs) and the others more recently, but still a few years ago, so my memories of them may be a bit off.

 

Anyway, The Treatment has Inspector Nick Cafmeyer called in when a family are found near death. The father and mother have been chained up whilst their young boy has been taken. Nick's own brother was also taken when they were children and the prime suspect, a convicted paedophile, delights in torturing Nick with conflicting horrible stories about what happened to Bjorn. As the case continues, it becomes clear that maybe the two disappearances are connected and that the perpetrator may not be done yet...

 

This is an hugely tense and engrossing film, but not for the faint-hearted as the perpetrator's MO is incredibly sick, in many ways more sick than that in the first book (and there's a very good reason why that one has yet to be filmed). To the best of my memory, it's pretty close to the book apart from the switch to the land of waffles, though I can't remember one of the red herrings (which needed a bit more of an explanation, though maybe I missed a subtitle) nor one of the perp's... foibles. The final shot features a scene that I also don't remember in the book, which makes it even bleaker. Worth catching if you have the stomach for it and this sort of thing is in your wheelhouse but it is very upsetting.

 

Ritual sees Nick in a new location (he moves from London to Bristol in the books) but at times he is almost the secondary character as the film mainly concentrates on "Kiki" a police diver whose discovery of a severed hand starts an investigation into what seems to be ritualistic killings by Africans living on the edges of society.

 

I wasn't as impressed by the book, nor this film. That probably wasn't helped by the subs only being in French or Dutch. I managed to find subs online in French that I got (surprisingly well) auto-translated, BUT I wish I had persevered and tried to get the Dutch subs to translate as the large portions of dialogue in French didn't have subs to be translated! Whilst the main beats of the book are followed, I thought Kiki's car problems were from the next book, and that the perp's motivations were different. Here, there is a lot of examination of Belgium's colonial past and current involvement in its old colonies. Not bad, but doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor. Also Kiki's surrogate dad, especially given his dapper style and very precise beard, kept reminding me of the older guy who now seems to have been dropped as a model from the Joe Browns catalogue - which threw me a bit.

[LeMarchand]

Boss Level (Prime)

 

Entertaining time loop actioner. Not a classic but if, like me, you've had it on your list but wondered if it was worth the effort I'd say you should give it a go.

[Ditto]

Fall (Netflix) - picked by Mrs Ditto when friends were visiting, one of whom has a height phobia , which I thought was a bit of an odd thing to do!

 

Didn't really do it for me, in spite of some suggestions the cinematography was excellent - for me it was a just a tall rusting aerial tower.

[witch]

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

 

Loved it - definitely more like the original films. If we could destry all copies of The Crystal Skul I would be happy.

[LeMarchand]

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

 

Loved it - definitely more like the original films. If we could destry all copies of The Crystal Skul I would be happy.

 

I wasn't as impressed, though I'd rank it third: 1,2,5,3,4. For some reason "Last Crusade" never did it for me; maybe I should give it another go.

 

I felt the new one was overly long with action sequences that needed cutting down and Harrison Ford (understandably) seemed pretty creaky. I was impressed by the de-ageing CGI; less so by the subsequent laughable shot of Indy's first train-top sprint. The film started strongly, looking "real" enough for me to wonder if we would get this sort of spectacle again but then descended into CG murk. Still, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was fun and the ending did warm my heart.

 

P.S. Given today's "cancel culture" that leaps on anything that the self-appointed guardians of moral outrage perceive as an offence, how the heck did they get away with bringing back the world's Welshest Egyptian?

[LeMarchand]

Extraction 2 (Netflix)

 

Tyler Rake, having somehow survived his fall from a bridge at the end of the first movie, is given a new mission by Alcott (idris Elba) that has a personal element. In just six weeks, he manages to montage himself back to full strength before heading to a Georgian prison...

 

If you liked the first movie, you'll like this one. Maybe I was in just the right mood, but I found this to be one of the best-paced action films I've seen in a long time, even though it's basically three long sequences spread over a couple of hours. You will have to fight wondering why the kid is so stupid (did he like living in a prison cell?) and why another character thought they'd still be well off if the bad guy's empire collapsed and, most of all, who's funding all these weapons, transports and medical care.

 

Idris turns up at the end to set up Extraction 3; I'm wondering if he's going to be the Nick Fury of the Netflix Universe.

[mavhc]

If it's not a cinematic universe I'm not interested!