What I'd watched recently

These are the movies/films/content that I'd consumed in the last couple of months.

Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (2011)

A very interesting series with 6 experts who go thru videos and photographs they received and then do in-depth investigations & extensive methods to recreate the videos/photos to see if they are real or hoaxes. Recommended.

Greenland (2020) Gerard Butler

This is a story about a planet-killer-sized comet that is about to hit Earth. The various governments of the world had prepared for such an event but they can only save a handful of people to ensure the survival of the human species.

The movie focuses on John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his wife and young son's journey to the sanctuary in Greenland. 

Despite being very predictable, I really enjoyed watching it and would watch it again.

The Why Files on YouTube

This is my favorite discovery this year as it has consistently high-quality content. Looks like the Why Files Team does extensive research for every video they produce. Moreover, the Host - AJ, is a great orator who manages to hold the viewers' attention. The ONLY element that I don't like about it is their talking fish mascot - Heckle Fish.

Highly Recommended!

Movie Review - COVID-19 Lockdown Special (Part 8)

WOW, how time flies. It's already 2021 but COVID-19 is still a major reason many of us are mostly at home. Anyway, here are more of the cinematic content I continued to consume between the last post and this one.

Freaks (2018)

A father (Emile Hirsch) seems to be over-protective of his 7-year old daughter, Chloe (Lexy Kolker) as she’s constantly locked inside their house. Since Chloe's birth, she’d been told that the mother (Amanda Crew) had been killed as it was really unsafe outside. 

One day, while Dad was asleep, Chloe went outside and was approached by an old man in the ice cream truck in front of her house. The old man was actually Chloe's grandfather (Bruce Dern), who revealed to Chloe that her mother was in fact still alive and being held captive by the govt.

With the truth out in the open, Chloe, Dad and Grandpa decided to go rescue Mom. 

Powers

Dad can slow down time. Grandpa turns invisible. Mom can fly. Chloe is a powerful (Omega-Level?) telepath.

I really liked this as it's what super heroes/mutant films should be. Altho' I admit that the first 30 minutes or so was kind of frustrating as the audience don't really know what was going on. However, once that hurdle is gone, it's a really enjoyable movie. I recommend it, especially for super-hero/comic fans!

Mother and Child (2009)

Karen (Annette Bening) became pregnant at 14, and gave her daughter, Elizabeth (Naomi Watts), up for adoption. 

That decision had haunted her for a large part of her adult life. Karen meets Paco (Jimmy Smits) at work and they eventually get married. Paco convinces Karen to look for Elizabeth at the Catholic orphanage/adoption agency where Karen gave her up.

Elizabeth, having grown up as a self-reliant orphan, is emotionally aloof and guarded. At 37, she's now a renown & successful lawyer, joins a prestigious law firm headed by Paul (Samuel L. Jackson). They have an affair, and Elizabeth becomes pregnant, leading her to move away to a new job and home without Paul's knowledge. Elizabeth dies while giving birth to her child, who is now an orphan.

Meanwhile, Lucy (Kerry Washington) & Joseph (David Ramsey), a black couple, long to be parents but Lucy is barren. They had been trying all channels to adopt a baby but every attempt seemed to end with disappointment. Sister Joanne (Cherry Jones) from the Catholic adoption agency, who had been helping Lucy now suggested Elizabeth's baby for Lucy to adopt.

1 year later, Karen finds out about Elizabeth's death and her baby being adopted by Lucy. Sister Joanne arranges for Karen to meet Lucy and her granddaughter named Ella.

This was such a beautiful movie. Be ready with lots of tissues as this can be a real tear-jerker (if you allow yourself to be invested in the characters who are all so supremely portrayed by the cast). This is a MUST WATCH! 

Sputnik (2020 - Russian Audio with Subtitles)

2 Russian Cosmonaut heroes return from their mission. 

But something happens just before re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. Only Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov) survives.

Due to her unconventional ways, Dr. Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) had been recruited by the Military to help find out what had happened to Konstantin. We learn that he had not come back alone but there's an alien symbiote inside of him that crawls out each night for food.Overall, it's a pretty decent Sci-Fi/Horror movie a la the 1st Alien. It manages to create a really tense atmosphere.

But it was a really hard watch for me, not because it didn't offer anything new but because it uses a dark filter (usually used to hide low budget CGI) that made the WHOLE FILM look really dark LITERALLY.  For 90% of the 2 hours, the screen was 75-95% black or really dark. Even in broad daylight, the scenes were dark.Did it offer anything new? No. Was it a decent Sci-Fi? Yes. Would I watch it again? Not likely. Would I recommend it? I'm neutral on it but leaning towards no.

Undercover Brother (2002)

Undercover Brother (or Anton Jackson played by Eddie Griffin) is recruited by the BROTHERHOOD (a secret organization to preserve all things black) to stop the Pro-White organization run by The Man (with the goal to eliminate all things black and turn everyone into mindless white zombies) from destroying the Black People’s Culture/Soul. 

Anton is sent to infiltrate The Man’s HQ to find out what they had done to General Boutwell (Billy Dee Williams), whom the Black Community was expecting to announce his candidacy for President, but instead, declared he was going to start a Fried Chicken Restaurant Chain. Lance (Neil Patrick Harris), the only White guy in the BROTHERHOOD, was key in preparing Anton for his mission by fast-tracking his knowledge on White culture to ensure a successful infiltration. However, The Man’s organization has it’s own secret weapon that even Undercover Brother can’t overcome – The White She Devil (Denise Richards). Fortunately for Anton, Sistah Girl (Aunjanue Ellis) is not subject to his weakness.This is a really fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously and the audience gets the payoff despite many of the jokes are clichéd Black vs White culture tropes. There’s also 2 short cameos by James Brown (YES! THAT James Brown!)

I had a ton of fun watching this. Sure, it's not going to win any awards but I'd definitely be watching Undercover Brother again and again. Recommended.

Vicious Kind (2009) 

Caleb Sinclaire (Adam Scott) tries to “protect” his younger brother Peter (Alex Frost) from a woman Emma Gainsborough (Brittany Snow) he’s fallen deeply for as they return home for Thanksgiving with their father, Donald (J.K. Simmons). 

Caleb and Donald have had a broken relationships since the death of Caleb's mom. This movie looks at how broken relationships are mended. I really liked the warm fuzzy feeling from the movie's end but for about 70% of it, I was made to think that Caleb was such a rotten son and brother to Peter. I recommend it but you must watch it past 70% for the payoff.

You Again (2010)

High school nerd Marni (Kristen Bell) had always had a tough time in school mainly from the bullying from hot cheerleader Joanna (Odette Yustman).

Having achieved success in PR, Marni heads home for her older brother Will's (James Wolk) wedding. But to her horror, Will's fiance is Joanna! Well loved by everyone in Marni's home including their dog and Grandma Bunny (Betty White).

Old wounds resurface and Marni spares no effort in trying to expose the ugly side Joanna to save Will from marrying her.

Added to the mix was Marni's mom, Gail (Jamie Lee Curtis) used to be the arch nemesis of Joanna's Aunt Ramona (Sigourney Weaver), a very successful business woman.

The sheer star power of the movie really got me amped from the start BUT it doesn't manage to sustain or make the most of them. The Rock made a cameo as a Plane Passenger when Marni was flying home. Victor Garber (of ALIAS fame) plays Marni's dad. Patrick Duffy (of Dallas fame) also made an appearance as Ramona's long lost flame. 

Hall + Oates also plays at the wedding party.

Overall, it's quite a fun watch but it didn't seem to reach it's potential to be so much more. I'm neutral on this  and I probably won't want to watch it again.

Movie Review - COVID-19 Lockdown Special (Part 7)

Here are more of the cinematic content I continued to consume between the last post and this one.

1917 (2019)

1917 has but a simple premise – 2 soldiers, Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) & Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay), urgently race against time in a war-torn landscape to send an urgent message to save their fellow Brits in the Second Battalion, led by Colonel Mackenzie. 

As an additional motivation, Blake's brother is also in the Second Battalion. 

Col. Mackenzie needed to call off a planned attack the next morning, as it was a trap that could cost the lives 1600 British soldiers. The movie is so beautifully shot in the “single shot” style. The landscape is also very impressive as it was clearly not shot within a movie studio. The landscape looked authentically war ravaged. This is also based on a true story told to Director Sam Mendes by his grandfather.A GREAT WAR MOVIE. DO NOT MISS IT!

Death Proof [2007]

For absolutely no reason or motivation, former Hollywood Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) uses his Death Proof stunt car (designed with safety features to protect the stunt driver from death) to kill women driving along the roads of remote towns in Texas and Tennessee. 

I know many are Quentin fans and will not like what I'm going to say but this was a bloody waste of my time. Absolute Rubbish from Quentin Tarantino! The characters don’t show a single shred of human intelligence or common sense. Do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY from this piece of trash and save yourself 2 precious hours!

Escape from Pretoria (2020)

Based on a true story of 2 activists against South Africa’s Apartheid back in the 1970s.

Tim Jenkin (Daniel Radcliffe) & Stephen Lee (Daniel Webber) were caught distributing anti-Apartheid propaganda, were found guilty and sent to the Prison in Pretoria. The movie of course spends most of the run time showing us how the plan and execute their escape plan. Hence the movie title.

I have to admit that I personally loathe prison movies (even the much loved Shawshank Redemption) BUT I really liked this one. 

Escape from Pretoria is a great watch as you see how the 2 leads and several other inmates use their intellect and dexterity to devise a way of escape. Being a true story, everything is based on reality. Hence, making it a very intense watch as you feel anxious for them in their attempts in achieving their final objective. Great performances from all the leads. Daniel Radcliffe (best known for playing Harry Potter) can really hold his own. Definitely a MUST WATCH! 

Mothman Legacy (2020)This documentary looks at the phenomenon of the sightings of this winged creature mainly seen in Point Pleasant, West Virginia from back in the 60s onwards. Eye-Witnesses and researchers were interviewed to make this documentary. 

Point Pleasant had been transformed by this phenomenon and it has helped this sleepy town become a tourist attraction, with a statue as a landmark and even a museum dedicated to the artefacts related to the subject matter.

This documentary will be a compelling watch for people like me who are X-Files fans who like this sort of thing. However, non-X-Files fans may find this to be a hard watch. So despite my liking it, this will not be for everyone.

Ms Sloane (2016) 

Madeline Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is a very smart, formidable and ruthless Political Lobbyist that has a reputation that precedes her. You don’t want to be the politician in her crosshairs. She is such a cunning strategist that she’d make BOTH Zhuge Liang (Liu Bei’s master war strategist) & Sun Tzu proud.

<<SPOILERS>> In her crusade against the powerful opponents that are pro bearing of arms, she manages to convincingly plant her proselyte Jane Molloy (Alison Pill), as a mole in the opponents’ camp. 

Altho’ I’m not a fan of Jessica Chastain, I’d have to say she did such a great job in portraying the cold-blooded lobbyist Madeline Sloane. This is such an intelligent movie and great watch. I may not have liked Madeline Sloane or the way she does things but in the end, you can’t help but respect her! A MUST WATCH! I will definitely want to watch it again.

Zoom (2015)

A comic book artist who works in a sex doll shop - Emma Boyles (Alison Pill), a model + novelist - Michelle (Mariana Ximenes) & a film director - Edward Deacon (Gael García Bernal).

The comic book artist is drawing a comic of the director.

The director is filming a movie of the novelist while the novelist is writing a book about the comic book artist. Who’s the creator and who’s the creation? The 3 creators lives intertwine and what happens to 1 affects the other 2.

This is quite an unusual watch as the movie switches from Live Actors (comic book artist and novelist) to Animation (the director).  It’s not great but a very different viewing experience. It’ll not be for everyone but if you are looking for a different and unusual movie experience, this might just be it.

If you notice that Alison Pill happened to be in 2 movies back to back in this post, I assure you, it's pure coincidence as I didn't even know her name before these 2 movies.