The last movie I saw was...

[LeMarchand]

Heads of State (Prime Video)

 

 

Exactly the action comedy the trailer promises, but a bit better than I thought it would be. If you liked the trailer well worth a look, though the casting makes it obvious who the real baddie is.

[LeMarchand]

The Old Guard 2 (Netflix)

 

Andy and her team find themselves up against her old fried Quynh and a hitherto unknown immortal, Discord.

 

OK action movie, but not as good as the first. From what I've read, apart from Andy's im/mortal status the first film was fairly close to the comics. However this movie goes very off book and then has to make a nonsensical retcon to sort out that problem. Plus it ends on a major cliffhanger.

 

Jurassic World Rebirth (Cinema)

 

Dinos are now more or less confined to an equatorial band by oxygen and heat levels. An evil phrma corp needs three samples from three big types of dino and assembles a team to get them. Along the way they pick up a family who were making a transatlantic yacht journey.

 

Fairly efficient action thriller with great effects. It's hard to sympathise with a father who thinks it's fine to take his two daughters into dino-infested waters and the movie also features a nonsensical but, plot-wise, understandable retcon. One of the better entries in the series and probably worth a trip to see it on the big screen if you're a fan.

[LeMarchand]

Almost Cops AKA Bad Boa's (Netflix)

 

Possible NSFW language in trailer

 

 

Ramon is an easy going CSO/BOA in Rotterdam, but when his half-brother cop is killed he and his new partner decide to search for the killers.

 

Fun Dutch action comedy, though it won't do much for Rotterdam's tourist industry. Not sure if the Grocer's Apostrophe is OK in Dutch.

 

The Accountant²  (Prime Video)

 

 

 

Christian Wolff is back. This time he and his brother are trying to work out why Ray King was killed.

 

A step up from the first film. Affleck seems to be giving better "autistic", though his freshly frozen face may be helping there.

[Simcfc73]

Superman.

 

Loved it, but I went in with low expectations though. Not perfect but a good comic book film.

 

Real shame as the cinema had about 12 people in it.. no wonder they are struggling. ( Daughter bought a £6.20 slushy so they are getting a decent mark up from that)

[Simcfc73]

On 05/07/2025 at 12:31, LeMarchand said:

Heads of State (Prime Video)

 

 

Exactly the action comedy the trailer promises, but a bit better than I thought it would be. If you liked the trailer well worth a look, though the casting makes it obvious who the real baddie is.

Quite enjoyed this. 

 

Great chemistry between the leads

[LeMarchand]

On 15/07/2025 at 20:06, Simcfc73 said:

Superman.

 

Loved it, but I went in with low expectations though. Not perfect but a good comic book film.

 

Real shame as the cinema had about 12 people in it.. no wonder they are struggling.

 

Went last night and thoroughly enjoyed it, though Mme LeMarchand wasn't at all keen - especially after Lex Luthor used used one player Russian Roulette on an innocent. Cinema was also sparse, but it has been doing the business in the US, surprisingly given it's political leanings.

[LeMarchand]

Honeymoon Crasher AKA Lune de miel avec ma mère (Netflix)

 

 

 

After he is stood up at the altar Lucas is convinced not to waste the honeymoon he has already paid for, especially as his mum has always dreamed of such an exotic holiday.

 

Once you get past the Oedipal undertones (and there are a couple of scenes that make it seem like the movie is going to head into somewhat worrying territory) this is actually a fun comedy that had everyone in the house laughing. Film is available subbed, but couldn't find that version of the trailer on YouTube.

[paulkerton]

Wicked - Two excellent lead performances with some nice direction and beautiful set design and cinematography surrounded by a hell of a lot of padding, as we watch people in their 30s working hard to pretend they're late teenagers. Way too long, all but 2 songs are completely forgettable and overly stuffed with blatant references you can see from a mile off (When one character describes himself as brainless and thoughtless and the other character's last name is Woodsman!)

So yeah, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are great. Shame about the musical.

Edited July 21, 2025 by paulkerton

[LeMarchand]

Flow (Mubi but available to rent most places)

 

 

Set on a world where all humans have left/died and nature is reclaiming the cities a small black cat finds himself on a boat with a a selection of other creatures as they try to survive the rising floodwaters.

 

Stunningly beautiful dialogue free movie with surprising emotional heft. Well worth signing up for a free 3 months of Mubi for. They still do 7 day trials if anyone fancies the movie.

[LeMarchand]

The American Society of Magical Negroes (Sky Movies)

 

 

Aren, an unsuccessful yarn sculptor, is constantly deferring to others which makes him the perfect recruit for the eponymous society (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_negro for an explanation of the trope) which aims to make life better for black people by making white people feel better about themselves. But when he falls for a girl that his "client" is interested in Aren begins to realise that he no longer wants to be subservient to everyone else's desires.

 

An interesting idea, but badly put together. Aren goes from new recruit to ready for his first client in what feels like a few minutes and, while it's somewhat of a necessity for his "job", he's so wet that you want to give him a good slap and tell him to get a grip. 

 

File under interesting failure.

[LeMarchand]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Cinema)

 

I was disappointed in this one. I was hoping for something more bright and colourful than the last few Marvel entries but it had a bit of a grey palette. Most of the cast were good though Pedro Pascal never convinced as a super genius (sorry, Pedro). At least they thought about the inhabitants of the city they were drawing the villain to.

 

[LeMarchand]

Falling for  Figaro (Netflix)

 

 

 

A London-based American trust fund manager played by an Aussie (Danielle MacDonald from "Dumplin'") decides she wants to pursue her dream of becoming an opera singer and signs up to be tutored by a crochety diva (Joanna Lumley).

 

We'd watched a bit of an emotional wringer the previous night (that I can't discuss) and watched this as we wanted something lighter and this had Clem Fandango (Shazad Latif) in it. An amusing comedy with side helpings of romcom and opera. The "trust fund manager" angle didn't really work for a few reasons, but otherwise worth a look if you are in the mood for a light comedy.

[LeMarchand]

Picked 2 duff ones and one quite good one over the weekend.

 

Everything About My Wife (Netflix)

 

Billed as a romcom, this does start out that way but then becomes more of a relationship drama and a depressing, choose your own ending, one at that. Shame as the official premise sounded fun: When the spark goes out in his marriage a man hires a local Lothario to seduce his wife in order to make her ask for a divorce. However, as he gives his "rival" information he comes to realise he does still love his wife and must fight to get her back. Even the synopsis isn't particularly accurate. It's hard to see why they even got together as it opens with her as one of the crowd screaming at a K-Pop idol. She's lovely to look at, but I wouldn't have thought someone like that would be someone to spend your life with until she'd grown out of it. One of many regional (this one's Filipino) remakes of an Argentinian original. Hopefully one of the others is better.

 

The Pick-Up (Prime Video)

 

Eddie Murphy stars as an armoured car driver forced to take part in a casino heist. One of those films that is an easy enough watch, but that you feel you could have found a better way to spend your time. Also the "leader of the gang" very much seems to be a career criminal but is later given a backstory to make her actions more palatable to the audience.

 

Metal Lords (Netflix)

 

NSFW trailer - very loud swearing including the "C" word

 

 

 

Kevin is in a high school metal band with his best friend Hunter (who's a bit of a d***) mainly because Hunter is his only friend - initially we doesn't even like metal that much. Will they win the school's Battle of the Bands? Will Kevin's relationship with Emily split up the band before they even get that far?

 

Plays like a small, low budget indie but is produced/written by/scored by some "Game of Thrones" alumni. Not an absolute must see, but a fun comedy that's particularly worth a look if you are partial to a bit of metal. Not sure why it took 3 years for Netflix to show this one to me.

[LeMarchand]

Weapons (Cinema)

 

One night at 0217 all but one of the children in an elementary school class leave their houses and disappear into the night. Suspicion falls on the class teacher, but she maintains her innocence.

 

Highly-praised horror that didn't really do it for me. I felt it had an interesting idea at its core, but the "Rashomon" style structure didn't really work. I'd say wait for streaming if this is on your watchlist.

[Dos_Box]

On 11/08/2025 at 15:53, LeMarchand said:

Picked 2 duff ones and one quite good one over the weekend.

 

Everything About My Wife (Netflix)

 

Billed as a romcom, this does start out that way but then becomes more of a relationship drama and a depressing, choose your own ending, one at that. Shame as the official premise sounded fun: When the spark goes out in his marriage a man hires a local Lothario to seduce his wife in order to make her ask for a divorce. However, as he gives his "rival" information he comes to realise he does still love his wife and must fight to get her back. Even the synopsis isn't particularly accurate. It's hard to see why they even got together as it opens with her as one of the crowd screaming at a K-Pop idol. She's lovely to look at, but I wouldn't have thought someone like that would be someone to spend your life with until she'd grown out of it. One of many regional (this one's Filipino) remakes of an Argentinian original. Hopefully one of the others is better.

 

The Pick-Up (Prime Video)

 

Eddie Murphy stars as an armoured car driver forced to take part in a casino heist. One of those films that is an easy enough watch, but that you feel you could have found a better way to spend your time. Also the "leader of the gang" very much seems to be a career criminal but is later given a backstory to make her actions more palatable to the audience.

 

Metal Lords (Netflix)

 

NSFW trailer - very loud swearing including the "C" word

 

 

 

Kevin is in a high school metal band with his best friend Hunter (who's a bit of a d***) mainly because Hunter is his only friend - initially we doesn't even like metal that much. Will they win the school's Battle of the Bands? Will Kevin's relationship with Emily split up the band before they even get that far?

 

Plays like a small, low budget indie but is produced/written by/scored by some "Game of Thrones" alumni. Not an absolute must see, but a fun comedy that's particularly worth a look if you are partial to a bit of metal. Not sure why it took 3 years for Netflix to show this one to me.

Thanks for that, I do love a good rock comedy. Not seen one since Still Crazy.
And yes, I'm looking forward to the new Spinal Tap film   

 

 

[ICTDirect_Dave]

17 minutes ago, Dos_Box said:

Thanks for that, I do love a good rock comedy. Not seen one since Still Crazy.
And yes, I'm looking forward to the new Spinal Tap film   

 

 

Still crazy is a brilliant film!

[HarryMonkey]

28 minutes ago, ICTDirect_Dave said:

Still crazy is a brilliant film!

Timothy Spall is hilarious in it.

[Dos_Box]

On another note, have you noticed that 80's rock fashion (suitable black band t-shirt, jeans and denim cut-off) is back in amongst the 'yoof'?
Kinda nice to see and I can't help but stare as I used to dress like that 😁

[LeMarchand]

26 minutes ago, Dos_Box said:

On another note, have you noticed that 80's rock fashion (suitable black band t-shirt, jeans and denim cut-off) is back in amongst the 'yoof'?
Kinda nice to see and I can't help but stare as I used to dress like that 😁

 

unfortunately not. All the kids I see are wearing the same sort of clothes as each other. Very boring.

[DalekSec]

On 11/08/2025 at 15:53, LeMarchand said:

 

 

NSFW trailer - very loud swearing including the "C" word

 

 

 

 

...........Coldplay?

[Dos_Box]

1 hour ago, LeMarchand said:

 

unfortunately not. All the kids I see are wearing the same sort of clothes as each other. Very boring.

It's getting very visible up here in the shires, and I approve  

[Omega_NL]

Saw the film Bring Her Back at the cinema a few weeks back, one of the last late night showings.

 

A fantastic, deeply creepy film with some truly wince inducing gore and once again I'm blown away by the acting from one Jonah Wren Phillips who plays a sort of possessed boy used in a dark ritual. Sally Hawkins is also brilliant in this as a sort of possessive, manipulative foster mother who has a collection of bizarre/disturbing VHS tapes probably purchased on some not-so legitimate websites.

Highly recommended if your stomach can handle some pretty violent scenes and some child abuse.

[LeMarchand]

In the Lost Lands (Netflix)

 

They say that Gray Alys can get you anything you want, but it is best not to deal with her as the price may be too high and while you will get what you want, it may not be what you think you want.

 

Paul WS Anderson's adaptation of George R R Martin's first stab at fantasy (he was mainly known for SF) transposes the story to a post apocalyptic land and adds an army of baddies who can seemingly swarm a cable car mid-journey. It does keep the basic story, though adds a lot of stuff in the middle to pad it out. There are some nice shots, but there is way too much murky CGI and it totally misses the melancholy of the original. Not awful, but I'm kinda glad it bypassed our cinema.

 

 

[Claret_and_blue]

Together (Cinema)

 

Saw Together a few nights ago, I enjoyed it but you can guess how it is going to end by about a quarter of the way through. Alison Brie and Dave Franco are brilliant in it though.

[Dos_Box]

I watched Vivarium over the weekend. It gets very mixed reviews, but if you are willing to overlook the corners they had to cut due to it being an indie flick, then I think you'll be in for a good time. It does leave you asking why the protagonists don't take certain actions, but you just have to roll with it. It's currently on Amazon Prime.

 

 

I also saw Wolf Children in the cinema with my son last night. Highly recommended for those who like their anime at a slower pace. I enjoyed it a lot!