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The Last Duel (2021)
Ridley Scott Medieval Action / Drama
Scott returns to what he does best with a period action film with a dose of drama added in too. Supported by an all star cast including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer.
Based on a true story set in the 1300's in Medieval France about a Knight (Damon) who accuses a former friend and Squire (Driver) of raping his wife (Comer). Affleck plays Count Pierre d'Alençon who unashamedly sides with Squire Jacques Le Gris (Driver).
As we would expect from a Scott period movie, the cinematography, costumes and setting is all superb. We really feel the damp, cold, dark and brutal nature of life in 1300's Europe. Action scenes are handled excellently also, with specific mention for the final and titular 'duel' which concludes the movie.
Comer stands out in her role, as does Driver, though we realise this is a movie all about men, their pride and status and their possession of a woman as their wife, not about her as a person. This gets portrayed well as the film evolves and Marguerite (Comer), learns the reality of what speaking the truth could mean to her.
The format of the movie however does hinder it. The retelling of the story from three perspectives does feel repetitive and the subtlety of the different versions mean it is difficult for the viewer to feel engaged throughout. Affleck is mis-cast and puts on an awful version of an accent. I feel that Scott is probably not the man to deal with the intricacies of such a story, no matter how well he sets the scene and portrays the action.
A good film well shot and worth a watch if you are a fan of period action or historical drama.
7/10.
The Creator (2023)
Visually lovely though lacks depth
The Creator is an original sci-fi movie written, produced and directed by Gareth Edwards (commonly known as director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).
Lets start with the positives first. The Creator looks visually superb. They have really imagined a interesting future earth and used the production budget wisely, not over extending what is possible, and creating a curious mix of retro and future looking technology. The cinematography and location shots featuring the spaceships and battle scenes are really well done.
On the negative side, the script is not very strong and we are not fully invested in what is going on or the characters involved. We neither see the bigger picture of this post nuclear reality, nor are we given significant smaller details and depth regarding the people and what they are fighting for.
It is a bit of a mish-mash of seeing robots caring for children and animals and dressed as buddhist monks and US style imperialism (think post cold war foreign policy), with marines massacring indiscriminately while looking for 'the weapon'. We are given a nugget of thought when the Human / Neanderthal analogy is dropped in but it is never followed up with any real substance to carry the idea forward. Therefore we don't know who to root for and the viewer is left hanging.
The acting is average and not great, perhaps reflecting the reality of the budget more than the excellent effects do. John David Washington feels out of his depth with the emotional range he is asked to give, and is eclipsed by the child actor playing 'Alfie'.
Overall, it's not awful, it's a bit disappointing as the potential was there and perhaps another draft of the script could have taken it to another level.
6/10.
The Town (2010)
Excellent Crime / Heist Thriller
Ben Affleck makes his second attempt at directing following on from the excellent 'Gone Baby Gone'. It is clear Affleck has a really talent for spotting a script with potential and taking it through to a finished feature film. Here he acts and directs an ensemble cast, including; Jeremy Renner, Pete Postlethwaite, John Hamm, Blake Lively and Rebecca Hall. The characterisation gets time to build some proper depth and with many of these actors receiving similar screen time we really feel an insight to their stories as well as the people living in Charlestown, Boston.
Renner especially seems to bring out the best in Affleck's acting and gives a strong performance of a career criminal that knows no other path. Not only do we have strong acting performances but the action scenes (shootouts) are some of the most realistic feeling in cinema since 'Heat' and the car chases some of the best since 'Ronin'. This is no faint praisem, and the whole coordination of the filming and orchestration of action feels to be of someone of greater directorial experience.
The whole vibe of Boston and especially Charlestown feels well researched and gives the feel of a gritty and dangerous city neighbourhood filled with numerous shady characters such as Fergus (played by Postlethwaite). If I had to throw in a complaint it is that there are a number of cliches thrown in the mix as well. Overall though this is one of my favourite crime action thrillers, and proves Affleck has talents well beyond his acting roles.
8/10.
Misanthrope (2023)
Solid & Unheralded Crime Thriller
To Catch a Killer caught my attention via a trailer on YouTube. I was suspicious at first as it is not a high profile cast, but the premise and what was released as a trailer looked very interesting.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This is like an old style crime thriller working out who carried out a mass shooting on New Years Eve. Shailene Woodley and Ben Mendelsohn are the leads, and do an excellent job as police trying to crack this case under pressure from superiors and the media.
I couldn't find a box office taking but this was filmed on a very low budget of $3 million, but it really doesn't show. The script and direction is excellent and the cinematography and pacing is also very good. Yes, it is not an Action Thriller but a Crime Thriller, so if you need explosions every few minutes instead of dialogue, look elsewhere. Saying that, when there is action it is handled very well and realistically.
There are a few nice twists and turns along the way but if there is one complaint it could be that it is a little too straight and predictable, though the final scenes are acted very well and conclude things nicely in the storyline.
Not excellent but very good and a pleasant surprise.
7/10.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Genre Defining Psychological Horror
The Silence of The Lambs as a novel adaptation and stars Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins plus a strong support cast. This is one of those rare generational movies that has morphed into pop culture and is ubiquitous (and notorious) beyond the boundaries of cinema.
Released in 1991, it has to be admitted that it is not as shocking or terrifying as it once was, as we as a generation have become desensitised to the topic of serial killers through mass media exposure. However, even 33 years cannot diminish the power of this movie and most notably the harrowing portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter by Anthony Hopkins.
Hopkins is outstanding and terrifying in equal measure as the highly intelligent and psychopathic doctor, playing him as still, cold and calculating which is somehow scarier than some outwardly unhinged maniac. It's a truly superb portrayal of a killer that has since redefined how such a character is portrayed in cinema.
Foster, though also superb, is asked to overplay the gender role of being a (young) woman in a male dominated world, and as such is portrayed as weaker than she should be, to reinforce this stereotype (as a highly trained psychologist I'm pretty certain she would not fold so easily upon meeting even such a monster as Dr. Lecter), but this is a minor quibble that is only highlighted through time and changing gender roles in greater society.
This is a truly great movie with performances and a story that is clever but not too over the top, combining to make some really special cinema and will make you rethink your meal wine selection choices for many years to come!
9/10.
Crimson Tide (1995)
Superb & Intense Cold War Thriller
Crimson Tide is a Tony Scott directed and Simpson & Bruckheimer produced cold war action thriller set on the American Navy submarine the USS Alabama. A strong cast is led by two of my favourite male actors, Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman as Executive Officer Hunter and Captain Ramsey respectively.
This movie is a lesson in both the craft of storytelling and acting with some superb (and possibly career high) performances. It has to be noted that to create such a quality movie from the cramped confines of a submarine with barely minutes in total of exterior scenes is remarkable and goes to support the quality of the film making and character acting.
From very early on we see the characters of Hackmen and Washington sizing each other up and a notable scene is the officers of the submarine gathered around the officers mess table discussing the complicated topics of ethics and war, and as the scene moves along, the nervous laughter from the round table discussion evaporates and probing questions from Captain to new XO become more explicit, XO Hunters underlying beliefs are slowly revealed to his fellow officers.
The key to the movie is the tension slowly building to a head as we are never sure which crew member will side with which officer. We know there are certain loyalties and certain shared histories, but there are some surprises as crew members face moral, ethical and hierarchical choices. The cramped and sweat soaked atmosphere of the submarine totally adds to the tension and the great script and screenplay brings out the best in all of the actors.
This is a film I never get tired of and is undeniably in my all time top 20 movie list. If you have not seen it and are a fan of these actor or the war thriller genre then delay no further and check it out.
10/10.
Heart of Stone (2023)
By The Numbers Netflix Action Movie
Heart of Stone is an extremely disappointing Netfix action movie staring Gal Gadot and seems to to fall within a glut of other pretty expensive but massively disappointing action (usually spy) movies created by certain streaming services recently (The Grey Man jumps to mind as one prominent example).
We get a CGI heavy and over the top sequence of action set pieces and a cast of very poor actors reading a very poor script. They throw in 'team banter' from the off in a not subtle imitation of Mission Impossible (which took 4-5 movies to master the perfect action to comedy / banter ratio). These actors just can't pull in off and we know nothing about them to give us a reason to even care.
All the budget has gone on CGI with skydiving with no parachute sequences (again, yawn). So much is just cut and pasted from MI, Bourne, James Bond and many other films, and when it is clearly CGI you feel empty from it, with no investment in an outcome.
Maybe I'm being harsh but it is such an unoriginal movie and offers nothing new.
4/10.
Champions (2023)
Disappointing Sports Movie
Champions is a Basketball Sports, Drama, Comedy movie starring Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olsen and Ernie Hudson (of Ghostbusters fame). We see a hot headed sports coach forced into doing community service coaching a special needs basketball team, reluctantly at first and then over time the role and the kids of course grow on him to be much more than just a hinderance in his life.
This is a strange film to categorise as it isn't very funny as a comedy and doesn't delve deep enough into the lives of the characters to be a real drama, so it misses the mark. You can imagine how 30-40 years they could have gone full in, comedy-wise in a way that is not acceptable in 2024.
Of course the kids do a great job in their roles and deserve big credit and its great to see them portrayed in more positive light on the big screen. I felt Harrelson was pretty much sleep waking through his role and there was not much believable emotional substance from his character.
Not awful but certainly not great as a movie, although I can understand how many will be happy to see this movie purely for the topic it represents.
5/10.
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Rare modern western
Reviewing this movie as a stand alone (not seen the original):
A quick glance at the reviews and it's clear this film is getting a lot of stick for being a remake. As is the trend now in modern Hollywood, so many movies being re-made or sequels coming decades after originals.
The Magnificent Seven features one of my favourite actors in Denzel Washington, and favourite directors in Antoine Fuqua (and the pair have work together numerous times). What we get is a really nicely shot and scored modern take on the genre. You could say it is more of an action or MCU film set in the West rather than a true Western, being less character driven and more set piece action.
We get fully overloaded with every Western trope available (bar goes silent as unknown cowboy enters. CHECK. Baddie gets shot and falls backwards into a coffin. CHECK. Etc), so there is not too much original going on here. And the titular 'Seven' are truly a check list of modern diversity. However the action is spectacular and it is all superbly shot with a strong cast.
Washington plays the strong, silent protagonist extremely well, adding in small details and improvisations into his minimalist acting, as is his way. Vincent D'Onofrio is notable in support as mountain man Jack Horne.
Although the end shootout is more an action movie bodycount test the choreography of it is extremely impressive and deserves praise.
So not a philosophical or moralistic film, but a spectacular action take on the Western genre, and I for one had fun with it.
8/10.
The Gray Man (2022)
Disappointing big budget action thriller
Upon initially, hearing about the concept and cast of The Gray Man I was immensly looking forward to it's release, but I have to say, it was a fair disappointment upon viewing.
With an insane budget of 200 million USD and Ryan Gosling in the lead of a spy action thriller I was hoping for something along the lines of Bourne franchise movies (gritty and based in a reality), but everything about The Gray Man is just ridiculously OTT. We get a stupid amount of locations thrown in for the sake of it (as if the more the better), so lots of private jet hopping. I sure hope Prague made some good money for their part in a surreal action set piece.
It tries to be funny, maybe MI or John Wick style, but it doesn't have the actors, back history or script to pull it off. Way too much OTT CGI as opposed to actual stunts or fights just make it seem like complete fantasy rather than at least having one foot in some reality.
Ana de Armas is a saving grace as she looks great and does her best, Ryan Gosling is sleepwalking through it and Chris Evans is just being a camp OTT bady with bad tach, bad clothes and bad lines. Can over-acting be good acting??
Despite the lavish budget and non-stop action I found myself looking at my watch well before the end, suggesting a run time of over 2 hours is just too much to sustain for this type of movie.
I can't help but be disappointed.
6/10.
Big George Foreman (2023)
Boxing journey for the ages
The story of Big George Foreman is an amazing one, and its stunning to think that just as many if not more people will know him only for his Foreman grill which I assume has made him a millionaire many times over!
The movie tries to tell his whole life story in one two hour piece, and given the obvious, and clearly defined dual boxing careers he had, we cover a lot of events here in not much time. There are not many known actors in this movie and overall it was a little sterile for such an inspired story. I feel this comes from the script and the acting not being especially great.
In my opinion the bigger problem is that, as amazing a story as it is, George as an individual is not especially charismatic nor did he influenced pop culture or define an era as an icon, as did Muhammed Ali. So it would have been nice to see the writers and director tackle the story in a slightly different way to make a way past these hurdles, rather than the pretty conventional and straight chronological, even paced movie that got made.
But it is such an amazing story of achievement and reinvention that it is one everybody should know. And if this movie brings it to a wider audience that is all the better.
7/10.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Robot aliens return
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the latest movie of the franchise series (and I actually lost count of how many there are). Just a quick check and the first movie was way back in 2007 and of course made stars of both Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf.
This was more enjoyable than I was anticipating, it adds some new dimension with these 'Animal' Transformers and having a large part of the film set in a natural setting created a different environment as did its date of 1994.
Anthony Ramos is good as a likeable rogue mixed up in some petty endeavours who accidentally steals Autobot 'Mirage', disguised as a Porsche. These two characters give good banter and comedy, especially in the 'joyride' scene.
I found this easier to watch than other instalments I remembered as too often previously the action moved so fast often fight scenes were rendered incomprehensible. I'm not sure if they have consciously addressed this or it's just that over time the CGI has got better (and clearer), but this makes a huge difference to the viewers enjoyment.
6/10.
Rogue One (2016)
Nice addition to the franchise
Rogue One (2016) was the first stand alone movie after Disney purchased the Star Wars franchise and acts as a prequel to 1977's Star Wars.
This is a really enjoyable addition to the overall story and puts context to what we later see in the original Star Wars. It does not have the flash and glamour of the main series episodes, but does not really suffer from this. Instead we visit far flung moons and outposts and a more primitive series of settings throughout the movie. Some of these locations, such as in the early scenes (i think is Iceland), are really stunning, as is the end battle at the reef atoll.
It does, however lack a strong stand out character or performance to take it to the next level, and it is a worry when a CGI Robot makes one of the better performances, as K2-SO does here (he is actually genuinely funny at times). Also, I found that some of the mid and lower actors in the movie were not very good at all, making it a surprise to see it is one of the most expensive movies ever made.
What it does well is give great additions to the franchise of other worlds, technology, battles and locations, we get dog fights and close combat guerilla tactics and large scale clashes and see different troops and resistance fighters alongside the expected stuff.
Apparently George Lucas preferred Rogue One to The Force Awakens and i'm inclined to agree with him (though it is close!).
8/10.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars for a new generation
Context is important to review Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The original Star Wars was an iconic movie of its time and holds fond memories for lots of people from childhood watching the movies, re-enacting the characters and playing with the action figures.
As George Lucas found out with the average (at best) prequel trilogy of the late 90's and early 00's, its better not to mess with this nostalgia (recall; bad acting, annoying characters and over-use of CGI, all still fresh in peoples memories). So it was always going to be a balancing act keeping everyone happy by providing something new and fresh but not trampling on legacy and memories.
And I think they managed it pretty well.
In the secure hands of director J. J. Abrams (why handled the new Star Trek movies very well), we have new and interesting characters in Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Fin (John Boyega) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), all acted very well and creating a fresh dynamic in the story.
The plot you could argue is pretty formulaic and too close to the original Star Wars, but care has obviously been taken in its making with a nod to the past with revisits of old characters (Han Solo), old equipment (Millennium Falcon) and also a revisit of original production methods, such as the use of puppets in some roles when CGI could easily have been used. To Star Wars fans these small details make a difference.
A cynic would say that it is too superficial and not enough fresh ideas or depth, just a ploy to get tickets sold, but for me it was an enjoyable movie with lots of escapism and interesting scenes, great visual effects, and it really did not drag in its length.
I'm not a Star Wars buff by any means, but I for one felt more than satisfied having watched this episode.
8/10.
The Covenant (2023)
War film of two halves
The Covenant written and directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role, tells the story of the USA's use of Afghan translators in its recent war in Afghanistan.
I have to admit I'm not a big fan of movies depicting wars that are still recent and therefore have not had enough time for proper reflection and assessment of events. However this is an important story that deserves to be told, that of tens of thousands of Afghans employed by the US as interpreters during the conflict and promised visas and resettlement in America in return. Though in reality, the majority having been abandoned and denied this promise and left at the mercy of the Taliban (who consider them traitors), along with their families.
So this is a serious story that deserves a serious appraisal and given depth and time to build layers to make the viewer understand and care, but unfortunately this movie does not do it. The movie plays best through the middle section when Ahmed (an excellent Dar Salim) the hired interpreter gets to show his resilience and loyalty (even though his motives are never fully clarified for the viewer) and we fully witness his dogged determination and mental strength that matches his physical attributes.
For me, Gyllenhaal never fully grasps this role and we are left with a more two dimensional war movie whenever Ritchie focusses on his character for any length of time. The score instrumentation is of note and used well and is one other standout highlight along with Dar Salim's contribution from an other wise missed opportunity and by the numbers war movie.
7/10.
Total Recall (1990)
Sci-fi action with Arnie
Total Recall is an above average sci-fi action vehicle for the enormously popular 80's action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, famed for his sting of movies containing a high level of graphic violence and sexual content (Robocop, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers).
It's a tough one to review as in retrospect the sets and costumes look cheap and unrealistic, despite it being one of the most expensive films made at the time. It's hard to pin what this is from as older films such as Alien, The Terminator, The Thing, Blade Runner (as some examples), have not dated visually nearly to the same degree. For me the 'world' seems small and feels and looks like a series of sets that are not connected, especially on Mars.
The action and violence is strong and frequent, as expected from Verhoeven, and often over the top with graphic injuries thrown in or lingered in shot for just that bit longer (I remember as a kid being quite scared of the Mars environment exposure scenes). But credit to some of the weirder aspects of the characters portrayed and the creativity behind that, additionally so of how various baddies meet their demise as its very imaginative in that regard.
The topics raised in the movie are valid and interesting, with themes of reality and memories being more scary than some of the physical violence that garners the greater attention. I might argue that the role Schwarzenegger plays would be more suited to someone with a better acting range, but credit for him stepping outside of his usual action roles at this time of his peak popularity.
Overall I was a bit disappointed having revisited the movie for the first time for a long time, but it raises some existential subjects arguably bigger than this movie could deal with and no doubt has influenced much of the sci-fi genre since, so credit is due.
7/10.
Hoosiers (1986)
Sports movie with heart
Hoosiers (a.k.a Best Shot), from 1986 is inspired by the true events of the 1954 Indiana state basketball championship where the tiny Milan high school won that years tournament against all odds.
The movie stars Dennis Hopper (who won an Oscar for his supporting role) and Gene Hackman, (who apparently felt this movie would be a "career killer"!), in the lead role as coach. The whole movie, like the story is that of the underdog, with a low budget and poor distribution. However, it received favourable reviews upon release and became something of a cult movie in the years since.
So what makes it special? It seems a familiar story now, the sports underdog, but that is only in hindsight, it is easy to forget how many movies since the Hoosiers have followed this same story line. Also it is a likeable movie, well shot with a strong redemption story from a likeable but complex lead (which is Gene Hackmans speciality).
The screenplay is done by someone that knows sports and understands the greater dynamics of non-professional sports with the interaction of parents, teachers, students etc.
It is all very well done and with great in game action we can really root for these underdogs in the team (and the coach), to prevail agains the odds. I enjoyed watching this film and it reminds me of the quality (unmatched in modern cinema), of Gene Hackman who has to be one of my favourite actors.
9/10.
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Feel good comedy-drama his the mark
Jerry Maguire seems to be a passion project by Cameron Crowe who directs, writes and produces and he really hits the sweet spot with this movie about a sports agent with a conscience. You can see why it did well at the box office as it has something for everyone and you can imagine a couple going to the cinema together and both parties being equally enthusiastic to see it. There is a wonderful blend of drama, sports, business, comedy and love... and it really works well.
It is well scripted and the characters are really fleshed out over the generous (though not over-long), runtime. Particular credit has to go to Cuba Gooding Jr. As NFL player Rod Tidwell, who rightly won an Oscar for best supporting actor. It would have been easy to make his character unlikeable to the viewer, but Gooding Jr. Adds a warmth and cheekiness that makes us warm to him despite the obnoxious nature and 'chip on his shoulder'. Cruise is also well cast as a sports agent with a conscience and gives an underrated performance here.
The number of memorable and quotable lines from this film is impressive; "Show me the money!", "You had me at hello" and "Help me, help you", all are credit to Crowe and the quality of the script. The soundtrack also deserves a mention as it is filled with iconic and perfectly appointed songs, and again credit to Crowe and his then wife Nancy Wilson (of 'Heart' fame) for this bonus.
It's really hard not to like this movie and it's one I enjoy revisiting and despite being nearly 30 years old, it hardly ages. Highly recommended if you have not seen it yet.
9/10.
Predators (2010)
Sequel of perspective
Taking a quick scan of user reviews from closer to this movies release date its easy to see how relieved people were to get this after those two AVP movies, and I remember I had similar emotions at the time as well.
Rewatching it now in 2024 after the excellent 'Prey' I can still appreciate what Predators offers but also the flaws stand out more with retrospect. The concept is good, with kind of an elite collection of human mercenaries, soldiers and criminals collected on a planet to be sport hunted by the Predators.
Adrien Brody is a surprise choice in lead as a muscled up soldier for hire. Unfortunately none of the characters are really fleshed out and it's all very two dimensional. The dialogue has to be mentioned as its truly awful, and no opportunity is missed to point out something obvious just in case the viewer misses it.
Positive things include the surprise we get with an insight of the predator hierarchy and the Laurence Fishburne character is interesting (there was talk of future sequels exploring this character further). It is just a fun action film at heart and goes back to (and tries) to be like the original film, and of course falls short, though there is no shame in that.
I did find the CGI patchy in parts and sometimes they tried to do too much to the Predators themselves, with the weird masks and strange tech that is not really explained or explored, just seems to be for the sake of it.
It is an enjoyable film for Predator fans, though not without it's faults.
7/10.
Prey (2022)
Franchise revival
As a huge Predator fan I was very relieved to finally get a decent movie in the series once more, and in my opinion 'Prey' is the best Predator since the original.
After the mis-step that was 'The Predator' (2018) which was disappointing and missed the tone of the series, and 'Predators (2010), not so bad but trying too hard and over the top. Prey dials it back and uses the lore of the pistol seen at the end of Predator 2 to set up the timeframe used here of 1719, back when early(ier) predators visited earth to hunt.
We are in the North American great Plains with the Comanche Native American tribe. Visually this is stunning with wide open scenes of natural expanse and a cast nearly totally made up of Native Americans. This simplified setting and early style Predator brings it all back to the basic premise of the hunter and the hunted and takes away most of the technology that can bloat prior instalments. This is a great move by the scriptwriters and gives a tense situation of both sides learning and evolving to defeat the other in this primitive and remote setting.
If I have one complaint is the ease that we have basically a small teenage girl physically dominating this alien that is 3 times her size. Yes, she outsmarts it mainly (and we see the evolution of that as the film moves along), but some of the end scene fighting seemed more from a Marvel movie in parts. A small quibble from an otherwise excellent instalment to the Predator Franchise which overall hits the spot more times than it misses. I look forward to the next instalment!
8/10.
Days of Thunder (1990)
Action movie for racing fans
Days of Thunder, released in 1990 is a classic Simpson & Bruckheimer production with Tony Scott as director and featuring Tom Cruise in the lead role. Bearing strong similarities to the Top Gun story, unfortunately this movie is often now overlooked.
The cinematography is excellent with really impressive race action footage (they actually entered replicas of the cars into real NASCAR races), with beautiful shots of the race tracks at sunrise and sunset especially visually striking. In fact I rate the opening credits of DOT as one of the best put to film, as we see the anticipation building on race day from perspective of fans, drivers, circuit staff etc. The score from Hans Zimmer is especially worthy of praise and fits the racing action superbly and really adds to the movie.
The acting should be praised overall, Robert Duval for one is excellent and well supported by Michael Rooker with Randy Quaid is very well cast. Cruise is improving as an actor by this stage and should be given more credit. Yes, the script is pretty cliched with the redemption arc and love story etc, but this is Hollywood big budget action at it's late 80's early 90's peak with the best race car action ever put to film (really).
If you know NASCAR you will know the final race scenes are more from a destruction derby fantasy event lol, but it doesn't matter. Enjoy this for what it is, which is extremely fun!
9/10.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Wonderful epic
With Kingdom of Heaven, Ridley Scott gives us a wonderfully shot epic movie and his best movie since Gladiator. I can only speak about the theatrical cut as I am yet to see the directors cut (an additional 45 minutes in length).
As we expect from Scott's direction, the details are vital and we feel immersed in whichever environment he places us, from the dark and damp medieval Europe to the dry deserts of the Middle East. Indeed, more happens with our protagonist character in the first 15 minutes than someone might experience in a lifetime, so you can see where I suspect they worked to trim the theatrical release. So the pace is fast and we soon find ourselves in the holy lands.
The scale and enormity of the battle scenes are amazing and the detail provided by Scott and cinematographer John Mathieson (Gladiator and then reunited with Scott for many future films). We see the depth of the armies involved with many smaller details adding to the the greater visual picture (the multitude of flags and banners of the armies and the sound of them in the wind and otherwise silence pre-battle).
Orlando Bloom did receive some criticism for his role, and he is not electrifying by any means but also not awful. The rest of the expansive cast does extremely well with their performances, with too many to mention. The topic of 'Gods Will' comes into play from both sides and we are shown the true futility or war and religion as we see good and evil from all sides. Christian clergy seem to be portrayed as especially weaselly characters.
I'm now very eager to get hold of the directors cut to see if the story is fleshed out and the characters and story given more depth (as longer is not always better). Overall this is a wonderful yet somewhat overlooked historical epic that I greatly enjoyed watching.
8/10.
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Third Poirot instalment
I was curious to see this movie after seeing both previous Branagh Poirot efforts, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. For me this one sits bang in the middle of the three. The trailer and promotion made a big deal of it being a 'Horror', which is pushing it a bit far. It certainly dials back on the humour and slight campness of the previous two, and the dark night time and 'haunted house' setting give a more sinister feeling overall.
As others have noted, the cast seem underused and the film is relatively short at 103 minutes long, I feel the supporting characters could have been developed better for us. On the positive side, the movie looks great with the old house really utilised to create atmosphere, and some beautiful cinematography.
As someone who has not read the Agatha Christie books but grew up with the David Suchet Poirot character on UK TV, it is extremely enjoyable as well as nostalgic to get this type of whodunnit back in vogue. I hope Branagh keeps making some more as they certainly are fun movies.
7/10.
Van Helsing (2004)
Fun but flawed monster mash-up
Van Helsing is hard to dislike. Any movie combining Dracula, Werewolf, Frankenstein's monster, Jeckyll & Hyde plus various other characters available to it (Universal pictures), is already appealing to such wide amounts of nostalgia and pop culture in people.
You could say that it is (un)fortunate that this movie is made in the early 2000's, when there is new access to CGI effects to make such a film possible, but then this is not a time of CGI constraint and minimalism. What we get as a full throttle more-is-more approach to film making.
Yes, you have to try to switch off your brain and just enjoy the fun to be had, but that being said some obvious flaws are prominent, such as the weak plot and awful dialogue and accents and the fact it is overlong.
But I have definitely seen worse and it is undeniably fun and we are invested in the history of these characters so bringing them together creates some intriguing shared universe before that was even a thing.
6/10.
Open Range (2003)
Modern western done really well
I remember when Open Range came out thinking it was unusual as no one was doing westerns at that time, and it seemed like a genre out of it's time.
Open Range offers nothing groundbreaking just everything is done really, really well to produce a beautiful movie. This is clearly a labour of love for Costner who stars, directs and produces. And in my opinion, while a bit wooden in some other movies, Coster makes the perfect cowboy where he can portray a quite and moody depth of character.
Building on from one of his masterpieces in 'Dances With Wolves', Costner makes a wise decision in using the same Cinematographer J. Michael Muro and the decision pays off as it is a beautiful looking film showing vast open country early on and aided by a wonderful score by Michael Kamen.
The cast is stellar and Robert Duval as 'Boss' gives a wonderful performance and has real chemistry with Costner, who in fact said he might not have made the movie had Duval turned the role down. Annette Bening deserves mention in support and adds real warmth and heart into the mens world of the west.
At over 2 hours it just feels the right length and doesn't lag, and the pacing allows the characters to evolve, and it is the middle section where we see the characters come to life with their backstories. This puts most of the action into the final third, and what a shootout we get, both visually (in wide shots) and audibly (the gun shots sound immense).
A small gripe would be that Michael Gambon's character as Baxter is never fully explored in depth. But if you are a fan of the Western genre this movie will not disappoint and is highly recommended.
9/10.