Movie Review - COVID-19 Lockdown Special (Part 4)

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

A Dark Place (Steel Country in some countries 2018)

A small town’s sanitation worker Donald Devlin (Andrew Scott who looks a lot like Mark Ruffalo) takes it upon himself to investigate a boy’s death in a small town in Pennsylvania.

Ughhh, what can I say - save yourself 1.5 hours. AVOID IT PLEASE...

Autumn Lights (2016 – Marta Gastini) 

David (Guy Kent), an American Photographer, on assignment in a serene Finlandic countryside, but was forced to stay when a dead body was found on the seashore and investigations were underway.

David takes his time there to get to know some of the locals, including a couple, an Icelander Jóhann, and his Italian wife, Marie (Marta Gastini).

This was a really difficult watch. Extremely slow and meandering. I SERIOUSLY do not recommend watching this. However, if i had not watched this movie, I would have never discovered Marta Gastini - a very beautiful woman!

Dark Places (2015 – Charlize Theron)

Based on a novel by Gillian Flynn (the same writer for Gone Girl). 

Kinnakee, Kansas 1985, 8-year old Libby Day (Theron) is the sole survivor in a multiple murder where Libby’s mom and 2 other sisters were killed. Libby’s older brother, Ben Day was imprisoned for the multiple murders as part of a Satanic ritual. 

28 years later, “True Crime” Club headed by Lyle Wirth (Nicholas Hoult) invites Libby to talk about her case. Wirth and many of the Club members strongly believe that Ben was not responsible for the murders. The movie depicts Libby's quest to uncover the truth.

The premise was indeed interesting but somehow, it wasn't as engaging as Gone Girl. I wanted to watch it as I wanted to know the answer as to who was responsible for the murders and why Ben so willingly took the blame. I guess what threw me off was the jumping between 1985 and 2015. So, it's a good movie, just not one that sat well with me. 

Doubt (2008 - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, )

Based on John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning 2004 stage play Doubt: A Parable.

1964, St. Nicholas Catholic School was led by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). A young and naïve teacher, Sister James (Amy Adams) tells Aloysius that Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) was paying too much attention to the school's only black student. A series of events led to Aloysius confronting Flynn and forcing him to leave the school.

Despite her acting prowess, I have never liked Streep. This made it hard for me to like this movie despite it being very good, With 2 other actors I really like - Philip Seymour Hoffman + Amy Adams. They all turn in great performances but I didn’t like it because Streep’s Sisteer Aloysius, being the “villain” wins. Should you watch it? Definitely. It’s just that I didn’t like seeing Streep’s “villain” win.

Empire of Corpses (2015 - Anime)

In an alternate reality's 18th century, Victor Frankenstein had a technology called Necroware that reanimates corpses with artificial souls. 

Aspiring corpse engineer John Watson, was caught illegally resurrecting his dead friend, Friday. He had to decide whether to go to prison or help the British Empire acquire Frankenstein's notes to improve their Necroware. 

Thus starts a harrowing race to get the notes by all the nations & powers of that reality as the imperial power with that technology will be unstoppable.

 Apparently this was inspired by a Manga of the same name. 

Predictably, I quite enjoyed this movie (as I tend to do with most Anime) BUT I do recall that there were parts where it kind of meandered a little. The artwork is beautiful but I could not figure out why they had to design Friday in such an asexual manner. If you just look at the art without watching the movie, you'r think Friday was a girl. It's not quite a simple watch as it can get pretty complicated but not complicated enough to detract from your enjoyment. Good movie. Give it a go. Time for me to look for the Manga...

Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012 – Simon Pegg)

Paranoid serial-killer crime-novelist, Jack B. Nife (Pegg), has to face his inner demons. As the tile suggests, almost everything in his life seems to be a threat to him (imagined or otherwise). 

But on one fateful day, he had no choice but to leave his apartment as a publisher wanted to meet him over dinner to discuss his book. Mayhem ensues...

Simon Pegg is a delight to watch. That's no surprise but if you are not a Pegg fan, then maybe this movie may not be for you. Altho' it's funny but the level of contrivance can get a little too far.fetched. Then again, this is a comedy that doesn't take itself very seriously. So, it's NOT a great watch but it's not bad either. Would I watch it again, probably not in the next 5-7 years.

Spitfire (2018)

Considered by many to the be most beautiful plane ever made. It is simply a work of art, not just a product of engineering. It was 1 of the key planes that turned the tide in the Battle of Britain and WWII air battles. Spitfires put the fear of God into German Luftwaffe Pilots whenever they encounter any in battle.

The documentary interviews some of the unsung heroes (or heroines more specifically) as these girls flew the planes from the Spitfire manufacturing sites to the battlefronts and hence changed the tide or WWII.

I completely agree that it’s the most beautiful plane ever made. It is still my favorite plane. Of course I’m biased. When I was a kid, my older brother was seriously into AirFix Model building. Speficially WWII planes. He made a Spitfire and gave it to me. It was a fully painted model.

If you are a fan of WWII and the vehicles/planes involved, you will enjoy this film. If you are a history or general knowledge buff, you will also enjoy this film. If you are neither, then I can’t say for certain that this will be for you. Personally, it’s a MUST WATCH!

The Old Guard (2020 – Charlize Theron)

Based on Greg Rucka's comic of the same name. The Old Guard is about a group of nigh-immortal warriors led by Andromache of Scythia (Andy - C. Theron), along with Booker, Joe, and Nicky. They've lived for hundreds (or even thousands of years in Andy's case) and fight for what they think is for the good of humanity.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, US Marine Nile Freeman has her throat slit while taking down a target, only to heal completely. While in recovery, she shares a disturbing dream with the other immortals.

The immortals are then alerted to Nile's existence. Andy tracks her down and rescues her from becoming a military lab-rat due to the manifestations of her powers. Altho' they heal from almost any wound, at some point without warning, their healing abilities will disappear. That was probably the reason why Nile's powers activated. Apparently, there can only be 4 immortals at any time and Andy seems to have lost her healing ability.

I have not read the comic but after watching the movie, I'm looking forward to reading it. Anyway, it's by Greg Rucka who wrote WhiteOut** (another movie based on a comic)! I recall enjoying his work. Coming back to the movie - I find myself having a really good time watching it. Would I watch it again anytime soon? DEFINITELY. It's THAT good! Sure, there are a lot of plot holes, like why were they so special and what were the source of their powers? None of these were answered but that's totally OK. If you're a comic fan, you know that the build up with the mysteries are what makes the genre work. You can;t wait to come back for more! A MUST WATCH!

** Here's my review for Whiteout: http://jmerb.blogspot.com/2009/10/movie-review-whiteout.html

Movie Review - COVID-19 Lockdown Special (Part 3)

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

9th Configuration (1980 – Stacy Keach) A new psychiatrist, Colonel Kane (Keach), had been sent to a Military Mental Asylum that’s located within an isolated castle where inmates are allowed to role-play in their fantasies as part of their rehabilitation.This movie may have been groundbreaking 40 years ago but it’s exactly the same premise as Shutter Island (go watch it if you haven’t. It’s a great movie!) where the whole movie was THE REHAB for the main character! It hasn’t aged well. So the whole movie was the fantasy for Colonel Kane who was sent there because he was actually a deranged killer called Killer Kane.Don’t waste your time on this movie as it’s a really hard watch. Go watch Shutter Island instead. 

Chasing Coral (2017)
Dedicated ecologists strive to show the world the damage global warming is doing to Earth’s natural ecosystem and all the living creatures that depend on it. The symptoms are bleached (dying) corals. Definitely a MUST WATCH if you live on this planet!

Crying Freeman (1995 - Mark Dacascos) Based on the Japanese Manga by Kazuo Koike (take note of this guy) of the same name, the movie is about the assassin who cries after each kill.

The Freeman is the sole Executioner & assassin for a secret Chinese sect called the Sons of the Dragon.

I truly enjoyed this movie as it has everything, action, romance, beautiful & exotic locales. Yo (the Freeman’s name) can easily kick John Wick’s behind without breaking a sweat! 

If you like John Wick or action movies, this is a MUST WATCH! I'd definitely watch this movie again!

Eurovision Song Contest - Fire Saga (2020 – Rachel McAdams, Will Ferrell, Dan Stevens)Childhood friends Lars (Ferrell) and Sigrit (McAdams) have dreamed and prepared all their lives to be part of and win the Eurovision Song Contest! Eventually, they make it despite the odds – facing obstacles from their own townsfolk, organizers, competitors, etc. 

For me personally, Will Ferrell had never been a choice actor but I find myself enjoying his role in this movie. On the other hand, I like Dan Stevens a lot and it’s great to see him here as the Russian competitor Lemtov. The thing I was unsure of was whether these actors actually sung the songs in the same manner as A Star is Born a la Lady Gaga & Brad Cooper. I researched it and the answer is NO.

I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this Netflix movie so much. It's a fun romp despite being fairly predictable. But it is a feel good fun movie. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. Go watch it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)1 of several movie adaptations of the classic Manga by Kazuo Koike (there’s THAT NAME AGAIN!) of the Ronin, Ogami Itto and his son, Daigoro. In this movie, he has to fight off a Female Ninja Clan and 3 Assassin Brothers known as the Gods of Death.
Many consider this to be the source material, influence or inspiration for many of Quentin Tarantino's movies or movie-style. If that is your cup of tea or if you're a huge QT fan, then this is a must watch. I didn't really like it as much as others do as there's not much acting skills displayed. It's clearly a retro movie as it looks and feels aged. But be warned, this is NOT FOR KIDS as it's very visceral and extremely violent.

Outland (1981 – Sean Connery)

Miners on Jupiter’s Moon, Io are killing themselves due to the side effects of narcotic use. Law Enforcement Officer O’Niel (Connery) is there to investigate, leading him to foil the narcotic distribution network that implicates the Io Outpost’s top man. 

Assassins are sent to the outpost to get rid of O’Niel. This movie holds a special place in my heart as I had watched it in the cinema when I was a kid back in 1982. I couldn't remember much from the movie except that it was Sean Connery in space and it was good. For a movie that's 40 years old, I'd say it aged very well as it was still a good watch.

Nothing greatly exciting like Star Wars or Matrix but it's a decent crime drama in a sci-fi setting. 

Repeat Attenders (2020) Theatre’s obsessed super-fans who repeatedly attend the SAME shows. Some even camp outside the theatre for days just to get the best seats while some watch the same show >1000 x!!!  Altho' I enjoy theatre and was intrigued by the subject of the documentary, halfway thru', I felt tired of it as it seemed to glorify the several super-fans' obsessions that were in the spotlight.  You may want to watch this out of curiosity if you are also a fan of theatre but it's definitely not for everyone.

Revenge (1990 – Kevin Costner, Mad Stowe) Retired US pilot (Costner) goes to Mexico (where anything can happen) upon an invitation from a former client, and falls for a powerful and vicious businessman’s young wife (Stowe).  It's a fairly nice watch but quite predictable. I quite enjoyed it because of Costner and Stowe, one of my favorite actresses of the 90s.

Vivarium (2019 – Jesse Eisenberg) A young couple were taken by beings from another dimension/aliens when they were looking for a new home and were put into a human terrarium (hence Vivarium) in which they can’t escape from. Moreover, they were also compelled to raise a "baby" while in captivity. The "baby" looks human but is quite obvious isn't when you watch the movie.
The premise was really interesting and it started off really well but halfway thru' it just fizzled out as most people don't really understand what it was that we're watching. Being a Sci-Fi geek, I also couldn't fully understand what it was I had watched. If you don't mind being confused at the end of it, then do give it a go.