Stan And Ollie

Year Released: 2018
Main Stars:  Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly
Last watched: July 2019
Number Watches: 1

Simple, not overly sentimental although not fully documentary, this dramatised biopic is more movie than documentary and will appeal to all sorts of fans of mid-twentieth century dramas as well as those that want to see behind the scenes of some of the famous people of old films. The sets and costumes really bring a lot of the period to life.

Steve is so totally believable and John has his moments and certainly looks the part although Steve’s Stan is the stronger of the two. Ollie’s story doesn’t get a lot of insight but crucially it’s about a turning point for the two and the script brings out that aspect, as far as I can tell.

I’m a sucker for well made stuff about real people and I got into this story quite quickly. Maybe there are factual inaccuracies somewhere, I don’t care, this is a reacquaintance with memorable people through memorable performances.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Twice.
Keep DVD?
Yes but only with extras.
Watch if on TV?
Yes.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Snog.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Year Released: 2017
Main Stars:  Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore , Channing Tatum , Halle Berry , Elton John , Jeff Bridges
Last watched: August 2019
Number Watches: 1

Ok, so there’s a lot of action and lot of effects and stunts and all sorts going on. There’s Americans, an A list cast and some neat ideas. I didn’t like it.

It all seems very fake. I know, I know. I can’t get past the strange gadgets and put on air of dapper along side huge skills that can’t possibly have been learnt in such short time.

Too much he-can-get-out-of-anything-with-a-gadget-or-athletic-move. I don’t buy it.

BluRay Extras: Oh, geez, there’s tons. From discussions with the cast to set design, where all the ideas came from and effects. Soo much. Such a good use of BluRay.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Twice. I’m being forgiving here.
Keep DVD?
No.
Watch if on TV?
Yes. I need to see if I misjudged the Ks
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Hug.

Oblivion

Year Released: 2013
Main Stars:  Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman
Last watched: July 2019
Number Watches: 4

“Are we still and effective team?”

Don’t ask why but I really like this one up until the twist is made clear. Tom was a really good choice as he doesn’t macho-it-up-a-bit with the role and Andrea is a specially interesting partner, both filling out the characters and confidently carrying what could have been a very empty script. The effects are minimal but really important and the brevity of action is quite refreshing.

There’s an element of thriller and certainly a good lot of Sci-Fi that make me think of Sci-Fi books rather than films. Maybe that’s why I like it, the short-story aspect.

If you like the things like Dust or Sci-Fi magazine stories then this is a must. If you’re into a good story then you’ll like this the first time around but perhaps not the second. I’m on to my third time and I’d go for more if the wife didn’t like it. Perhaps a marmite film.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Thrice+. For me, anyway.
Keep DVD?
Yes and would love extras.
Watch if on TV?
Yes.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Snog.

Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom

Year Released: 2018
Main Stars:   Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall
Last watched: July 2019
Number Watches: 1

For itself, an action-packed romp with realistic dinosaurs and big-thrills stunts. As another dino-movie it’s more of the same. Needed? No. Obvious follow-up, money-spinning merch-fest? Yes.

Chris is Chris, the lead women are the lead women – no, it doesn’t really matter who they are, no offence – the kids are great with awesome performances, the effects are seamless.

Fun for all the family and defo one to put on for a great evening. You could also just watch the previous film. Or, I suspect, the next one. They don’t differ.

BluRay Extras:  Tons. Freakin’ tons of stuff. Love it. Special effects you just couldn’t have guessed at and some stunt-explaining that I never even considered. Nice.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Twice.
Keep DVD?
No.
Watch if on TV?
Yes.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Snog but with more of a hug in mind.

Toy Story 4

Year Released: 2019
Main Stars:   Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts
Last watched: February 2020
Number Watches: 1

“you have a kid?”

There’s no getting away from it, the animation is absolutely astonishing. Check-out the rain, the movement of cloths, the timing of the toys. All exquisitely wonderful. Production is almost off the charts and the vocal cast could not be better.

As a stand-a-lone movie, yes, good fun, well made and full of loads of quirks – look for the high-five soldier – as well as great ideas for comedy gags and the use of toy-level situations that you know the film-makers were doubled-over when they came up with them.

However, for me it was quite heavy and if you haven’t seen any of the predecessors then it might be a little more grown up than expected. If you’ve seen the others then perhaps you understand why and can forgive the extra sentiment but I’d argue that the end reason for the entire movie was the only driver and dragged down the script or plot.

End point? Yeah, perhaps this is the last one to be made, perhaps. Hollywood has a tendency to make as much money as it can without caring about legacy or quality so maybe there will be others in a few years and maybe they will be a little too light or just badly made. Who knows.

Anyway, as a franchise this has been a ground-breaker from the start and pushed past the idea of a cartoon into the status of real movies made by animators. As a single film I’d say that if you take it lightly and don’t expect much and try not to get hung up on the continual reference to why toys are important – honestly, that sentiment is copy-pasted into nearly every scene and gets very boring very quickly – then you can have fun.

With the pushy sentimentality and sometimes too grown-up acting, it’s still well made and enjoyable.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Twice.
Keep DVD?
No.
Watch if on TV?
Yes.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Snog.

Aquaman

Year Released: 2018
Main Stars:  Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Temuera Morrison
Last watched: February 2020
Number Watches: 1

Power to the fish! Jason is the reason to watch this well sfx’ed movie of an aquatic hero. He’s charming, fun, not always too bright (in a good way) and certainly beefy.

Everything else – I mean everything – is just backdrop.

The fights are overly complicated and certainly get boring but the scenes where there’s some character interaction are all quite useful so something was done right in principle shooting.

The Nicole cameo was nice but seeing Boba-Fett – Temuera – in a dramatic role was wonderful.

One of the better DC films and defo recommended although really for the gloss rather than the story.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Twice.
Keep DVD?
No.
Watch if on TV?
Yes.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Snog.

Jexi

Year Released: 2019
Main Stars:  Adam Devine, Rose Byrne,  Alexandra Shipp
Last watched: February 2020
Number Watches: 1

When I saw the trailer I wondered if I’d seen all the good bits and there was nothing left. It’s a very good trailer. Fortunately there’s more to it and some great performances from both human and machine.

The plot’s been done before with computers and robots but this is refreshing and lively, drawing on life of 20 to 30 somethings in the here and now, looking like the writers know what they’re doing and not just jumping on current pop-culture.

Enjoyable and quick witted, Adam is excellent as the slow-to-understand anti-hero and Rose performs a class of tech that neither gets too electronicky nor too human. Alexandra is perhaps the weakest element as her expressions are limp and I didn’t get any depth from her. As there are only a few players in the show I’d expect each to be fully formed. Was that Alexandra or the script or the director? Fortunately she’s more of a device than a scene filler. Unfortunately so many lead women roles are. As I get older, even I notice the cliched story telling.

Above all, funny.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Twice.
Keep DVD?
No.
Watch if on TV?
Yes.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Snog.

I Am Mother

Year Released: 2019
Main Stars:  Clara Rugaard, Rose Byrne, Maddie Lenton, Luke Hawker, Hilary Swank 
Last watched: July 2019
Number Watches: 1

I like the robot, especially when it’s running.

Really good effects, what little there are of them, and very believable. Story is hard to pin down early on so worth persevering and there’s a level of got-to-get-my-head-around-this that makes the outcome worth sticking around for.

Clara is a good actress and when Hilary turns up it’s a nice contrast both with the action and plot.

Good but I think I need to see it again to know if I liked it a lot or a little.

Worth an evening in, no massive explosions or mind-bending dialogue but intriguing. It’s one to let yourself be guided rather than going in like a mystery and second guessing everything.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Twice.
Keep DVD?
No.
Watch if on TV?
Yes.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Snog.

The Dark Crystal

Year Released: 1982
Main Stars:  Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz
Last watched: January 2020
Number Watches: 3

“Another world, another time”

Just go and watch it now, don’t wait. Magnificent story, wonderful puppetry and tons of depth to each character.

After all this time there is still very little that’s dated and you will be able to keep going back again and again.

So good. The little things are just wonderful and who can resist Fizzgig??

Kids and adults, scifi nerds and fantasy geeks. Once you’ve had the crystal you’ll know what a good movie can feel like.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
Ten-times and more!
Keep DVD?
Yes but would still want all the extras.
Watch if on TV?
Yes.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Marry. That’s right! I said it! Marry me, Fizzgig!!

Internal Affairs

Year Released: 1990
Main Stars:Richard Gere, Andy Garcia, Nancy Travis, Laurie Metcalf
Last watched: January 2020
Number Watches: 2

I remember seeing this on VHS and really liking the tension and drama.

Hmmm.

Today I don’t see much more than a shouty Andy and some very dodgy scenes especially around the women.

Richard is really cool and puts in a good brooding baddie, I’ll give him that. Nice seeing him be a criminal but it’s a shame the direction and script are lacking depth and character involvement.

Maybe it was good at the time. I really did like it in the day. Not now. Oh, boy, no.

Watchability (once, twice, etc.)
No.
Keep DVD?
No.
Watch if on TV?
No.
Hug, Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Avoid. No affair.