Ascension (2021) - 7/10 - This documentary takes a look at average Chinese citizens. It starts with people being recruited to work in factories and then shows people working in a number of different factory settings. We also get to see people undergoing a variety of training sessions, creating social media videos, and much more. There is no narration so we get to hear what people are talking with each other about and draw our own conclusions. I thought it was interesting, though it can seem much longer than it actually was without a narrative thread.
Spencer (2021) - 8/10 - The movie takes place during a visit to Sandringham House over the Christmas holidays in the early 1990s. You definitely can feel the suffocation and isolation that Diana is feeling. She's trapped by all of these royal protocols, eyes constantly watching her, and struggles with her mental health. Kristen Stewart does a pretty nice job in the role and it makes for a good psychological drama.
Drive My Car (2021) - 9/10 - Yusuke Kafuku is a well known stage actor and director who is brought in to put on a Chekhov play in Hiroshima. He is assigned a driver for the duration of the play who will drive him whenever he needs to get around. This is a beautiful film with excellent acting. It's nearly 3 hours long, but didn't feel like it. It's now my favorite film from 2021.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Tammy (Ben Falcone, 2014) 1/10
An eclectic cast surrounds the film's two main protagonists. Dan Aykroyd and Allison Janney play Tammy's concerned parents, Kathy Bates and Sandra Oh play frisky lesbian lovers and Toni Collette plays the next-door neighbor who moves in with Tammy's husband and Gary Cole and Mark Duplass play love interests of the film's protagonists. Unfortunately both lead characters come across as total assholes and nothing they do (in their roles as complete and utter fuck-ups) is even remotely funny which defeats the purpose of the film as its supposed to be a comedy. Tammy (Melissa McCarthy), a complete loser, takes off on a road trip with her alcoholic grandmother (Susan Sarandon) who also happens to be a nymphomaniac. Forced comic situations, obnoxious behavior, a lot of whining and forced stabs at character development all make this one of the worst films of all time. Both McCarthy and Sarandon won richly deserved Razzie awards for their awful performances.
Escape in the Fog (Budd Boetticher, 1945) 5/10
A nurse (Nina Foch) dreams about a murder on a foggy bridge and then runs into the "victim" (William Wright) who just happens to be a G-Man in pursuit of Nazis. Low budget B-film noir was one of director Boetticher's early programmers years before he would find acclaim with topnotch Noirs and Westerns starring Randolph Scott. Pretty Foch is feisty.
Spielberg (Susan Lacy, 2017) 8/10
The genius of director Steven Spielberg is traced through interviews with film critics, his colleagues, both in front and behind the camera, as well as with him as scenes from his films are shown. The documentary also shows the method by which he works and has glimpses of rare student and home-movies and a look into his own personal life which often finds a place in many of his films as corroborated here by his parents and sisters.
An eclectic cast surrounds the film's two main protagonists. Dan Aykroyd and Allison Janney play Tammy's concerned parents, Kathy Bates and Sandra Oh play frisky lesbian lovers and Toni Collette plays the next-door neighbor who moves in with Tammy's husband and Gary Cole and Mark Duplass play love interests of the film's protagonists. Unfortunately both lead characters come across as total assholes and nothing they do (in their roles as complete and utter fuck-ups) is even remotely funny which defeats the purpose of the film as its supposed to be a comedy. Tammy (Melissa McCarthy), a complete loser, takes off on a road trip with her alcoholic grandmother (Susan Sarandon) who also happens to be a nymphomaniac. Forced comic situations, obnoxious behavior, a lot of whining and forced stabs at character development all make this one of the worst films of all time. Both McCarthy and Sarandon won richly deserved Razzie awards for their awful performances.
Escape in the Fog (Budd Boetticher, 1945) 5/10
A nurse (Nina Foch) dreams about a murder on a foggy bridge and then runs into the "victim" (William Wright) who just happens to be a G-Man in pursuit of Nazis. Low budget B-film noir was one of director Boetticher's early programmers years before he would find acclaim with topnotch Noirs and Westerns starring Randolph Scott. Pretty Foch is feisty.
Spielberg (Susan Lacy, 2017) 8/10
The genius of director Steven Spielberg is traced through interviews with film critics, his colleagues, both in front and behind the camera, as well as with him as scenes from his films are shown. The documentary also shows the method by which he works and has glimpses of rare student and home-movies and a look into his own personal life which often finds a place in many of his films as corroborated here by his parents and sisters.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021) - 8/10 - During the summer of 1969, a series of free concerts were held in Harlem and the tapes sat in a basement for 50 years because nobody was interested in televising it at the time. I was born the following year, but grew up listening to many of the songs and groups that are shown in the film. There are lots of familiar names - Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, an so on. The film mixes in cultural information for what was going on elsewhere at the time and interviews concertgoers and musicians. I enjoyed it quite a bit and enjoyed both the music and the commentary.
Cruella (2021) - 8/10 - I wasn't really very interested in watching this film, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Emma Stone kills it as Estella/Cruella and Emma Thompson seems to be having fun as the Baroness as well. It also has excellent costumes, makeup, etc.
Being the Ricardos (2021) - 6/10 - The film chronicles a week in the life of Lucille Ball in which a story about her communist ties might be published, she discovers she is pregnant, there are rumors of Desi being unfaithful, and so on all while prep work for the latest episode is underway. The movie was almost painful to watch early on, but I did think it got better in the second half. The scenes with the radio show and meeting with the CBS executives were pretty good and there were other things I did like.
Writing With Fire (2021) - 7.5/10 - Khabar Lahariya is a newspaper in India which is run entirely by women. This documentary starts at the time when the paper shifted almost entirely to digital. It shows some of the learning curve that the reporters had and follows several of the reporters as they report on rape cases, politics, and other issues. They also face some difficulty due to their gender or caste. I thought it was pretty interesting and the reporters seemed to be doing a good job.
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019) - 8/10 - A young teacher in Bhutan has another year left on his government service before he can (hopefully) leave for Australia to pursue his dream of being a singer. He is assigned to teach in Lunana, the remotest school in the country. It is an 8 day hike through the mountains from the nearest city. He doesn't want to be there, but finds himself changed by the children and the community. It's a nice and enjoyable film.
Cruella (2021) - 8/10 - I wasn't really very interested in watching this film, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Emma Stone kills it as Estella/Cruella and Emma Thompson seems to be having fun as the Baroness as well. It also has excellent costumes, makeup, etc.
Being the Ricardos (2021) - 6/10 - The film chronicles a week in the life of Lucille Ball in which a story about her communist ties might be published, she discovers she is pregnant, there are rumors of Desi being unfaithful, and so on all while prep work for the latest episode is underway. The movie was almost painful to watch early on, but I did think it got better in the second half. The scenes with the radio show and meeting with the CBS executives were pretty good and there were other things I did like.
Writing With Fire (2021) - 7.5/10 - Khabar Lahariya is a newspaper in India which is run entirely by women. This documentary starts at the time when the paper shifted almost entirely to digital. It shows some of the learning curve that the reporters had and follows several of the reporters as they report on rape cases, politics, and other issues. They also face some difficulty due to their gender or caste. I thought it was pretty interesting and the reporters seemed to be doing a good job.
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019) - 8/10 - A young teacher in Bhutan has another year left on his government service before he can (hopefully) leave for Australia to pursue his dream of being a singer. He is assigned to teach in Lunana, the remotest school in the country. It is an 8 day hike through the mountains from the nearest city. He doesn't want to be there, but finds himself changed by the children and the community. It's a nice and enjoyable film.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Don't Look Up (2021) - 7/10 - A Doctoral student discovers a comet heading toward Earth that could be an extinction event. She and her mentor are invited to the White House to discuss the matter and are essentially blown off. They try a newspaper and a talk show with little success. It's a satire based on the world we live in and I really wanted to like it more. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are pretty good in their roles, but I didn't care for Mark Rylance or Meryl Streep here. Rylance in particular was very grating whenever he appeared. Good premise with enough decent material to make it worth watching, but also a bit disappointing.
Luca (2021) - 8.5/10 - Two boys from under the sea turn into humans while above the surface (as long as they don't get wet). They spend the summer in a small Italian town, making friends and hoping to earn enough money to buy a Vespa. It's a Pixar movie so you somewhat know what to expect, but it is very good with nice voice acting, visuals, and story.
Luca (2021) - 8.5/10 - Two boys from under the sea turn into humans while above the surface (as long as they don't get wet). They spend the summer in a small Italian town, making friends and hoping to earn enough money to buy a Vespa. It's a Pixar movie so you somewhat know what to expect, but it is very good with nice voice acting, visuals, and story.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) - 7/10 - Anthony Quinn plays an Archbishop who has been in a Siberian labor camp for 20 years. He is suddenly set free and sent to Rome where the Pope makes him a Cardinal. When the Pope dies, the Cardinals are deadlocked in the election of a new Pope and settle on a compromise candidate. I enjoyed the movie, though I thought it could have been cut down a bit more. There were some nice scenes, but also some that kind of dragged a bit.
War and Peace (1965-1968) - 9/10 - Sergey Bondarchuk's masterpiece does justice to Leo Tolstoy's classic novel about the Napoleonic War. It's beautifully shot and has great battle scenes. The acting is very good and the long runtime allows the film to cover a lot of ground. It's broken up into four parts with a different emphasis in each and Bondarchuk himself plays Pierre, one of the main characters. My favorite part was the one that focused on Natasha Rostova. I think it was very deserving of winning the Academy Award for foreign film, though it had very good competition with The Firemen's Ball, The Boys of Paul Street, Stolen Kisses, and The Girl with a Pistol (all of which I liked and in that order after War and Peace).
War and Peace (1965-1968) - 9/10 - Sergey Bondarchuk's masterpiece does justice to Leo Tolstoy's classic novel about the Napoleonic War. It's beautifully shot and has great battle scenes. The acting is very good and the long runtime allows the film to cover a lot of ground. It's broken up into four parts with a different emphasis in each and Bondarchuk himself plays Pierre, one of the main characters. My favorite part was the one that focused on Natasha Rostova. I think it was very deserving of winning the Academy Award for foreign film, though it had very good competition with The Firemen's Ball, The Boys of Paul Street, Stolen Kisses, and The Girl with a Pistol (all of which I liked and in that order after War and Peace).
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Eat Drink Man Woman (Ang Lee, 1994) 10/10
Ang Lee's exquisite little film is a riveting and often humourous look at the importance of family and the chaos that is part and parcel of relationships. The screenplay charts the lives of an ageing celebrated chef - a widower - and the muddled sex lives of his three daughters. The eldest is a spinster school teacher, turned Christian, pining for a lover who dumped her nine years before and who ends up causing a ripple with her love life. The middle combative daughter is a sexually liberated airline executive and is most like her father in temperament and has inherited his love for cooking and food. The youngest works in a fast food restaurant and gets involved with the boyfriend of her best friend. Lee smartly balances the various relationships including the old man's best friend and associate, a divorced neighbour with a daughter and her garrulous dragon of a mother just returned from the United States. The bond that holds these characters together is food mixed with lashings of sex. Food and sex go hand in hand in life and while scenes in the film depicting sex are discreetly handled Lee goes all out in his depiction of food. The chef's elaborate Sunday meal, prepared for his family, is an orgasmic ode to the art of cooking as the camera sensually snakes through the kitchen as meat and vegetables are sliced, cut mashed and fried in sizzling oil. Dishes upon dishes are spread across the dining table as soup, meat, salads and deserts are savoured and critiqued. While the characters suppress their sexual desires nobody enjoys food and the original family structure disintegrates. Once everyone gets what they want the old chef, who had lost his sense of taste, finds it has returned and he can once more savour the taste and aroma of food. Sihung Lung is outstanding as the finicky old chef and is surrounded by a superb ensemble cast. Like Lee's previous film ("The Wedding Banquet") this too was nominated for an Academy award in the foreign film category. Outstanding film and a must-see.
Slaves of Babylon (William Castle, 1953) 2/10
Low budget biblical sword and sandal story, courtesy of the Old Testament, is set during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. He of "Hanging Gardens" fame who destroyed Jerusalem and put all the jews in captivity between the high walls of his mighty city - which apparently was not true as the jews lived under happy conditions. Daniel, the disgruntled jewish advisor to the King, summons a slave (Richard Conte) to go seek the shepherd Cyrus - prophesised as the great King Cyrus of Persia - so he can defeat the Babylonians and set the jews free. Meanwhile Daniel gets fed to the lions but survives thanks to his belief in the right god. Sad to see Conte reduced to appearing in such a schlocky poverty row epic. Silly hokum.
Ang Lee's exquisite little film is a riveting and often humourous look at the importance of family and the chaos that is part and parcel of relationships. The screenplay charts the lives of an ageing celebrated chef - a widower - and the muddled sex lives of his three daughters. The eldest is a spinster school teacher, turned Christian, pining for a lover who dumped her nine years before and who ends up causing a ripple with her love life. The middle combative daughter is a sexually liberated airline executive and is most like her father in temperament and has inherited his love for cooking and food. The youngest works in a fast food restaurant and gets involved with the boyfriend of her best friend. Lee smartly balances the various relationships including the old man's best friend and associate, a divorced neighbour with a daughter and her garrulous dragon of a mother just returned from the United States. The bond that holds these characters together is food mixed with lashings of sex. Food and sex go hand in hand in life and while scenes in the film depicting sex are discreetly handled Lee goes all out in his depiction of food. The chef's elaborate Sunday meal, prepared for his family, is an orgasmic ode to the art of cooking as the camera sensually snakes through the kitchen as meat and vegetables are sliced, cut mashed and fried in sizzling oil. Dishes upon dishes are spread across the dining table as soup, meat, salads and deserts are savoured and critiqued. While the characters suppress their sexual desires nobody enjoys food and the original family structure disintegrates. Once everyone gets what they want the old chef, who had lost his sense of taste, finds it has returned and he can once more savour the taste and aroma of food. Sihung Lung is outstanding as the finicky old chef and is surrounded by a superb ensemble cast. Like Lee's previous film ("The Wedding Banquet") this too was nominated for an Academy award in the foreign film category. Outstanding film and a must-see.
Slaves of Babylon (William Castle, 1953) 2/10
Low budget biblical sword and sandal story, courtesy of the Old Testament, is set during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. He of "Hanging Gardens" fame who destroyed Jerusalem and put all the jews in captivity between the high walls of his mighty city - which apparently was not true as the jews lived under happy conditions. Daniel, the disgruntled jewish advisor to the King, summons a slave (Richard Conte) to go seek the shepherd Cyrus - prophesised as the great King Cyrus of Persia - so he can defeat the Babylonians and set the jews free. Meanwhile Daniel gets fed to the lions but survives thanks to his belief in the right god. Sad to see Conte reduced to appearing in such a schlocky poverty row epic. Silly hokum.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Dear John (1964) - 8/10 - This Swedish film focuses on the brief romance between a seaman and a young waitress in one of the ports. The waitress also has a four year old daughter from a previous relationship and the three spend a day together at the zoo. Much of the story is told in flashback and it is pretty well done.
House of Flying Daggers (2004) - 8/10 - in 9th Century China, the government is trying to destroy the rebel group known as the Flying Daggers. A blind dancer is thought to be the daughter of the former leader of the Flying Daggers and the government wants to use her to find their leader. This is a pretty cool martial arts romance and I enjoyed it a lot.
The Family (1987) - 7.5/10 - The film follows 80 years in the lives of an Italian family with the entire picture taking place at their very large family apartment in Rome. It starts with the birth of Carlo before the first World War and stops at different points over the years as Carlo and his family age, get married, have kids, etc. It's a nice film that kind of meanders through and we get to see the changes in the family along with some of the high and low points along the way.
House of Flying Daggers (2004) - 8/10 - in 9th Century China, the government is trying to destroy the rebel group known as the Flying Daggers. A blind dancer is thought to be the daughter of the former leader of the Flying Daggers and the government wants to use her to find their leader. This is a pretty cool martial arts romance and I enjoyed it a lot.
The Family (1987) - 7.5/10 - The film follows 80 years in the lives of an Italian family with the entire picture taking place at their very large family apartment in Rome. It starts with the birth of Carlo before the first World War and stops at different points over the years as Carlo and his family age, get married, have kids, etc. It's a nice film that kind of meanders through and we get to see the changes in the family along with some of the high and low points along the way.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
En man som heter Ove / A Man Called Ove (Hannes Holm, 2015) 9/10
Character study of a retired widower (Rolf Lassgård) who is a cantankerous curmudgeon with a truckload of pet peeves and annoyances. A man with an extremely short fuse, with set routines who goes around making life hell for his neighbors. As the film progresses we gradually discover his past life with a loving wife. He daily visits her grave and talks to her, and through flashbacks, we get to see his entire life unfold with many tragedies as well as happy moments. Not willing to go on without his wife he unsucessfully keeps trying to commit suicide which keeps getting interrupted by new neighbors. His life suddenly starts changing as he begins to interact with the folks next door - a pregnant woman from Iran and her two kids - begins to look after a mangy cat and suddenly shows great sensitivity by taking in a young gay man who has been kicked out of his house by his family. Based on the bestselling swedish book by Fredrik Backman, the film is a poignant look at loneliness and ageing and shows that one should not judge a person from his outward demeanor. People have many layers hidden inside which they often hide due to life's many vicissitudes. The story could easily have tipped into treacly sentimentality but is superbly held together by the gruff performance of Rolf Lassgård who manages to create a very flawed character and gradually reveals his many hidden strengths. Hit film was nominated for an Academy award in the foreign film category as well as for its makeup.
Uncharted (Ruben Fleischer, 2022) 7/10
As with most films today this too is strictly for the youth market with material that lazy Hollywood regurgitates over and over again. The film is based on a video game which in turn was ripped off from the "Indiana Jones" franchise - which by the way Spielberg ripped off from the adventure serials of the 1930s. Take a young hot actor. Check. Pair him off with an older star - a formula done to death with the buddy-cop films of the 1980s - and have them banter throughout. Check. And then put them through a roller coaster ride of outrageous set pieces. Check. A street smart teenage pickpocket (Tom Holland) is hired by a crooked treasure hunter (Mark Wahlberg) to join hands with him in search of a 500-year old treasure. There is a map and two important keys that need to be stolen before they can get to the treasure. And there is also the young man's long-lost brother (who also coveted the treasure) and becomes a reason for him to join the crook on the hunt. Hollywood's mania for diverse casting is followed ad nauseum - the two female leads, playing two-timing, back-stabbing villains are Pakistani-American Sophia Ali and African-American-Korean Tati Gabrielle, both high on the "hot babe" scale. Compared to them the third villain played by Antonio Banderas seems like such a damp squib - a boring white man, even if he is Spanish, and hence different to the two white english-speaking leads. I was kinda surprised there was no gay character. Wonder how they missed out on that. The success of all such films depends on its action-packed set pieces. This has two. The one where Holland falls out of a plane, hanging on to a trail of large containers, followed by a red Mercedes convertible also nose diving out of the plane,
has been done to death many times in the past but the one where two helicopters raise two Spanish galleons, fly away with them while allowing the cast to swing between the two dangling ships as they battle it out to the death is eye-popping and exciting. The beautiful Barcelona cathederal plays an important role as the cast skirmishes deep down below its catacombs in search of clues. Despite the familiarity of its plot and situations and the excessive use of CGI the film is great fun and manages to entertain. Of course the minute you leave the cinema you forget it all. However, the end conveniently sets things up for a sequel.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Zoya Akhtar, 2011) 9/10
Three friends go on a roadtrip in Spain just before one of them is about to get married. Shot entirely on location in sunny Spain the film perfectly captures the joys and anguish of friendship. Pragmatic Abhay Deol, the groom-to-be, discovers to his horror the annoying possessive nature of his fiancé (Kalki Koechlin) - she pays him a surprise visit during the roadtrip - while uptight and workaholic Hrithik Roshan is given lessons in how to live in the present from a beautiful scuba diver instructor (Katrina Kaif), and happy-go-lucky Farhan Akhtar hides his pain behind his buffoonery as he visits with his estranged father (Naseeruddin Shah) who abandoned him and his mother (Deepti Naval). The perceptive screenplay (by Zoya Akhtar & Reema Kagti) is spot-on in accurately capturing the nuances found in long term friendships with lovely poetry (by Javed Akhtar) used as voiceover revealing hidden depth within the characters. The film incorporates many iconic Spanish touches - Running of the bulls in Pamplona, flamenco dancing during the "Señorita" number shot in Alájar, the La Tomatina festival held in Buñol where participants throw tomatoes and get involved in a tomato fight purely for entertainment purposes. In addition there are scenes shot underwater with Roshan and Kaif deep-sea diving at Costa Brava and later the three men go sky-diving in Sevilla. The film suceeds with its masala mix of road trip, romcom and buddy-buddy action. The film, Zoya (for direction), Farhan (for supporting actor & dialogue), the cinematography, and choreography won Filmfare awards while Roshan, Deol, Koechlin, Javed Akhtar for the lyrics to "Señorita", the music direction (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) and Alyssa Mendonsa's playback singing (for the song "Khwabon Ke Parindey") were all nominated.
Character study of a retired widower (Rolf Lassgård) who is a cantankerous curmudgeon with a truckload of pet peeves and annoyances. A man with an extremely short fuse, with set routines who goes around making life hell for his neighbors. As the film progresses we gradually discover his past life with a loving wife. He daily visits her grave and talks to her, and through flashbacks, we get to see his entire life unfold with many tragedies as well as happy moments. Not willing to go on without his wife he unsucessfully keeps trying to commit suicide which keeps getting interrupted by new neighbors. His life suddenly starts changing as he begins to interact with the folks next door - a pregnant woman from Iran and her two kids - begins to look after a mangy cat and suddenly shows great sensitivity by taking in a young gay man who has been kicked out of his house by his family. Based on the bestselling swedish book by Fredrik Backman, the film is a poignant look at loneliness and ageing and shows that one should not judge a person from his outward demeanor. People have many layers hidden inside which they often hide due to life's many vicissitudes. The story could easily have tipped into treacly sentimentality but is superbly held together by the gruff performance of Rolf Lassgård who manages to create a very flawed character and gradually reveals his many hidden strengths. Hit film was nominated for an Academy award in the foreign film category as well as for its makeup.
Uncharted (Ruben Fleischer, 2022) 7/10
As with most films today this too is strictly for the youth market with material that lazy Hollywood regurgitates over and over again. The film is based on a video game which in turn was ripped off from the "Indiana Jones" franchise - which by the way Spielberg ripped off from the adventure serials of the 1930s. Take a young hot actor. Check. Pair him off with an older star - a formula done to death with the buddy-cop films of the 1980s - and have them banter throughout. Check. And then put them through a roller coaster ride of outrageous set pieces. Check. A street smart teenage pickpocket (Tom Holland) is hired by a crooked treasure hunter (Mark Wahlberg) to join hands with him in search of a 500-year old treasure. There is a map and two important keys that need to be stolen before they can get to the treasure. And there is also the young man's long-lost brother (who also coveted the treasure) and becomes a reason for him to join the crook on the hunt. Hollywood's mania for diverse casting is followed ad nauseum - the two female leads, playing two-timing, back-stabbing villains are Pakistani-American Sophia Ali and African-American-Korean Tati Gabrielle, both high on the "hot babe" scale. Compared to them the third villain played by Antonio Banderas seems like such a damp squib - a boring white man, even if he is Spanish, and hence different to the two white english-speaking leads. I was kinda surprised there was no gay character. Wonder how they missed out on that. The success of all such films depends on its action-packed set pieces. This has two. The one where Holland falls out of a plane, hanging on to a trail of large containers, followed by a red Mercedes convertible also nose diving out of the plane,
has been done to death many times in the past but the one where two helicopters raise two Spanish galleons, fly away with them while allowing the cast to swing between the two dangling ships as they battle it out to the death is eye-popping and exciting. The beautiful Barcelona cathederal plays an important role as the cast skirmishes deep down below its catacombs in search of clues. Despite the familiarity of its plot and situations and the excessive use of CGI the film is great fun and manages to entertain. Of course the minute you leave the cinema you forget it all. However, the end conveniently sets things up for a sequel.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Zoya Akhtar, 2011) 9/10
Three friends go on a roadtrip in Spain just before one of them is about to get married. Shot entirely on location in sunny Spain the film perfectly captures the joys and anguish of friendship. Pragmatic Abhay Deol, the groom-to-be, discovers to his horror the annoying possessive nature of his fiancé (Kalki Koechlin) - she pays him a surprise visit during the roadtrip - while uptight and workaholic Hrithik Roshan is given lessons in how to live in the present from a beautiful scuba diver instructor (Katrina Kaif), and happy-go-lucky Farhan Akhtar hides his pain behind his buffoonery as he visits with his estranged father (Naseeruddin Shah) who abandoned him and his mother (Deepti Naval). The perceptive screenplay (by Zoya Akhtar & Reema Kagti) is spot-on in accurately capturing the nuances found in long term friendships with lovely poetry (by Javed Akhtar) used as voiceover revealing hidden depth within the characters. The film incorporates many iconic Spanish touches - Running of the bulls in Pamplona, flamenco dancing during the "Señorita" number shot in Alájar, the La Tomatina festival held in Buñol where participants throw tomatoes and get involved in a tomato fight purely for entertainment purposes. In addition there are scenes shot underwater with Roshan and Kaif deep-sea diving at Costa Brava and later the three men go sky-diving in Sevilla. The film suceeds with its masala mix of road trip, romcom and buddy-buddy action. The film, Zoya (for direction), Farhan (for supporting actor & dialogue), the cinematography, and choreography won Filmfare awards while Roshan, Deol, Koechlin, Javed Akhtar for the lyrics to "Señorita", the music direction (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) and Alyssa Mendonsa's playback singing (for the song "Khwabon Ke Parindey") were all nominated.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
La venganza (1958) - 7.5/10 - Juan returns home to his Spanish village after 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. His sister makes him swear an oath to kill the man she thinks is responsible for framing him, but later regrets that oath when she falls in love with the man. This is a nice film with pretty good acting overall.
Youth (2015) - 8/10 - Michael Caine is a retired composer and conductor who is vacationing in the Swiss Alps along with a film director friend (Harvey Keitel) and others. An emissary of the Queen wants him to conduct a special performance, but he isn't interested. His daughter is also having some marital problems. Caine gives a very nice performance and I certainly enjoyed this a lot more than the other Sorrentino picture I watched recently, The Great Beauty.
A Simple Story (1978) - 8/10 - Marie is 39 and is divorced with a 16 year old son. She finds out that she is pregnant about the same time that she has decides to leave her current partner, seeing no future with him. The film follows Marie and her friends and family over the next few months. It's a very nice film.
The Time Machine (1960) - 7.5/10 - I liked this adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic. The special effects were a bit primitive in places, but it was decent overall.
Youth (2015) - 8/10 - Michael Caine is a retired composer and conductor who is vacationing in the Swiss Alps along with a film director friend (Harvey Keitel) and others. An emissary of the Queen wants him to conduct a special performance, but he isn't interested. His daughter is also having some marital problems. Caine gives a very nice performance and I certainly enjoyed this a lot more than the other Sorrentino picture I watched recently, The Great Beauty.
A Simple Story (1978) - 8/10 - Marie is 39 and is divorced with a 16 year old son. She finds out that she is pregnant about the same time that she has decides to leave her current partner, seeing no future with him. The film follows Marie and her friends and family over the next few months. It's a very nice film.
The Time Machine (1960) - 7.5/10 - I liked this adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic. The special effects were a bit primitive in places, but it was decent overall.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Flower Drum Song (1961) - 7.5/10 - Mei Lee and her father arrive in San Francisco illegally to meet Sammy Fong, a nightclub owner whose mother set up an arranged marriage. However, Sammy is in love with one of his singers and Mei Lee soon meets someone else as well. This is a decent musical and I'm glad that they used a mostly Asian cast for the film.
Incendies (2010) - 8.5/10 - When their mother dies, French-Canadian twins Jeanne and Simon are given envelopes from to be delivered to the father that they thought was dead and the brother they didn't know existed. They travel to the Middle East to track them down and learn who their mother was and what she went through before emigrating to Canada. It's an excellent film.
Incendies (2010) - 8.5/10 - When their mother dies, French-Canadian twins Jeanne and Simon are given envelopes from to be delivered to the father that they thought was dead and the brother they didn't know existed. They travel to the Middle East to track them down and learn who their mother was and what she went through before emigrating to Canada. It's an excellent film.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Bells are Ringing (1960) - 7.5/10 - Judy Holliday stars as a lady who works at an answering service. She is really popular with the customers, but is very shy with guys in real life. She decides to help out an out of work actor, a dentist with musical aspirations, and a playwright with writer's block. It's a fun musical, thought its stage roots are pretty obvious.
A Man Called Ove (2015) - 8.5/10 - Ove is a grumpy old man who is very particular about things. He used to run the condominium association where he lives until he got voted out. He is strongly affected by his wife's recent death and is looking forward to joining her. His life changes when a young woman named Parvaneh and her family move in. I enjoyed this one a lot.
A Man Called Ove (2015) - 8.5/10 - Ove is a grumpy old man who is very particular about things. He used to run the condominium association where he lives until he got voted out. He is strongly affected by his wife's recent death and is looking forward to joining her. His life changes when a young woman named Parvaneh and her family move in. I enjoyed this one a lot.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Moonfall (Roland Emmerich, 2022) 7/10
The world and especially Hollywood should be eternally grateful that once upon a time Karen Black, playing a stewardess, proved such an expert in avionics when she effortlessly (if a little cross-eyed) flew and landed (with a tad help from "Moses") a crippled Boeing 747. That moment became a defining moment and allowed so many ordinary folks to take on the mantle of Ms Black and prove to be experts at flying planes, trains, automobiles and even a spaceship as in this film. A nerd and conspiracy theorist (John Bradley) by chance discovers that the moon is no longer moving around on its own set axis and could come tumbling down and hit earth. Of course nobody believes him until tidal waves sweep onto land destroying cities along with showers of moon debris causing more mayhem. It becomes a desperate race for a disgraced astronaut (Patrick Wilson) and his former co-pilot (Halle Berry) to try and reach the moon - which they now see has developed a huge crater from which emerges an alien-like substance that is the menace causing all the destruction. While the two take off in a derelict space ship to try and destroy the alien - with the nerd nervously along for the ride - their children are on their own on earth struggling to reach a government shelter in Colorado while being chased by gun-toting yahoos. The plot keeps getting more and more outrageous as earth begins to crumble with an explanation of what's really on the moon a real doozy. Hilariously camp film easily joins so many such ridiculously over-the-top films and nestles comfortably on one's list of films that are guilty pleasures. Wilson, Berry and especially Bradley prove to be heroic in a bat-shit crazy kinda way. Great fun.
The Reivers (Mark Rydell, 1969) 7/10
Old fashioned road film, based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by William Faulkner, is also a coming-of-age story. A dimwitted but high-spirited handyman (Steve McQueen) and a young boy (Mitch Vogel) decide to journey from Mississippi to Memphis in a new 1905 Winton Flyer car which they take from the boy's grandfather (Will Geer) who happens to be out of town to attend a funeral. Stowing away with them is a wily black worker (Rupert Crosse) from their farm. The story follows their adventures on the road, their stay in a brothel where the handyman's girlfriend is a prostitute (with a heart of gold), the kid discovers the joys of seeing bare female breasts and discovers what happens inside a brothel, the black man sells the car to buy a temperamental horse (that loves sardines) and their attempt to buy back the car for their return journey by making the horse win a race. McQueen is no comedian but its an interesting change of pace role from his usual bag of brooders. Crosse is delightful as the happy-go-lucky bumpkin who has a few tricks up his sleeve and was nominated for an Academy Award as was John Williams wonderful music score. Charming Americana with many familiar character actors - Clifton James, Ruth White (as the bordello madam), Michael Constantine, Juano Hernandez, Lonny Chapman, Diane Ladd, Dub Taylor - in brief but colorful roles.
Outrage (Ida Lupino, 1950) 6/10
Groundbreaking film - never before tackled by Hollywood due to censorshio - handles the subject of rape in a sensitive if rather bland manner. A girl (Mala Powers) with everything in her favour - youth, beauty, good job and a marriage just around the corner - is followed by a man after work and raped. The attack is not shown but its repercussions on the girl are hard as she tries to adjust to life but filled with shame and guilt (she keeps blaming herself) moves to another town. She is not harmed physically but psychologically she is maimed for life not helped by society's sexism. The plot then takes on a preachy mode as her isolation from family results in meeting new people who remain unaware of her trauma until one day she has a breakdown on the dance floor and attacks a man who comes on a bit too strong. Melodramatic film is now remembered as one of Lupino's many directorial forays into noir territory. This was starlet Mala Powers' first big film.
Ordinary People (Robert Redford, 1980) 9/10
Casting Mary Tyler Moore as the mother in this film was a stroke of genius although it was only Redford who saw her in the part quite contrary to her sunny tv persona. It's to her credit that she does not make her character into a villain although she treads a thin line. She's the most believable character in the film - a woman who does not think that personal feelings should be laid bare in front of others. Keep it churning inside, suppress it forcefully and brush it under the carpet or wherever it cannot be seen. A traumatic event has a family treading on egg shells refusing to face the tragedy as an emotional three-way standoff ensues between a man, woman and their son. Parents lose their elder son in a drowning accident while the younger son (Timothy Hutton) tried to save him but couldn't. So grief and guilt combine to bring on a suicide attempt which fails but results in a lot of confusion and suppressed anger. Not only by the young teenager but also his distant, cold mother (Mary Tyler Moore) who deep down resents that her favourite son died. Confused and worried the father (Donald Sutherland) tries to bring some semblance of peace between his wife and son. Redford uses picture postcard shots of the Chicago suburb while manoeuvring his camera through the lives of this broken family. Intimate, intelligent but jarring look at a family in crisis is beautifully acted by the entire cast including Judd Hirsch as an upbeat psychiatrist, and Elizabeth McGovern and Dinah Manoff as two of Hutton's friends. The movie famously defeated Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" at the Oscars, winning Best Picture, for Hutton's debut performance, for Redford's direction and for Alvin Sargent's screenplay adapted from the novel by Judith Guest. Both Moore and Hirsch received nominations while Sutherland, magnificent as the father, was snubbed. The film's soothing score has Pachelbel's Canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel.
Fly By Night (Robert Siodmak, 1942) 6/10
Snappy little "B" film takes pointers from Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" with its man-on-the-run who takes a woman along with him at gunpoint. An escaped patient from a mental asylum seeks aid from a medical intern (Richard Carlson) and tells him that he was being held prisoner in order to get information out of him on a secret military invention. When he is murdered the police suspect the intern who then makes a run for it taking along a sketch artist (Nancy Kelly) from the apartment next door. The screenplay mixes elements of screwball within the noir plot and adds Nazis into the mix which made it topical coming right after Pearl Harbor during WWII.
The world and especially Hollywood should be eternally grateful that once upon a time Karen Black, playing a stewardess, proved such an expert in avionics when she effortlessly (if a little cross-eyed) flew and landed (with a tad help from "Moses") a crippled Boeing 747. That moment became a defining moment and allowed so many ordinary folks to take on the mantle of Ms Black and prove to be experts at flying planes, trains, automobiles and even a spaceship as in this film. A nerd and conspiracy theorist (John Bradley) by chance discovers that the moon is no longer moving around on its own set axis and could come tumbling down and hit earth. Of course nobody believes him until tidal waves sweep onto land destroying cities along with showers of moon debris causing more mayhem. It becomes a desperate race for a disgraced astronaut (Patrick Wilson) and his former co-pilot (Halle Berry) to try and reach the moon - which they now see has developed a huge crater from which emerges an alien-like substance that is the menace causing all the destruction. While the two take off in a derelict space ship to try and destroy the alien - with the nerd nervously along for the ride - their children are on their own on earth struggling to reach a government shelter in Colorado while being chased by gun-toting yahoos. The plot keeps getting more and more outrageous as earth begins to crumble with an explanation of what's really on the moon a real doozy. Hilariously camp film easily joins so many such ridiculously over-the-top films and nestles comfortably on one's list of films that are guilty pleasures. Wilson, Berry and especially Bradley prove to be heroic in a bat-shit crazy kinda way. Great fun.
The Reivers (Mark Rydell, 1969) 7/10
Old fashioned road film, based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by William Faulkner, is also a coming-of-age story. A dimwitted but high-spirited handyman (Steve McQueen) and a young boy (Mitch Vogel) decide to journey from Mississippi to Memphis in a new 1905 Winton Flyer car which they take from the boy's grandfather (Will Geer) who happens to be out of town to attend a funeral. Stowing away with them is a wily black worker (Rupert Crosse) from their farm. The story follows their adventures on the road, their stay in a brothel where the handyman's girlfriend is a prostitute (with a heart of gold), the kid discovers the joys of seeing bare female breasts and discovers what happens inside a brothel, the black man sells the car to buy a temperamental horse (that loves sardines) and their attempt to buy back the car for their return journey by making the horse win a race. McQueen is no comedian but its an interesting change of pace role from his usual bag of brooders. Crosse is delightful as the happy-go-lucky bumpkin who has a few tricks up his sleeve and was nominated for an Academy Award as was John Williams wonderful music score. Charming Americana with many familiar character actors - Clifton James, Ruth White (as the bordello madam), Michael Constantine, Juano Hernandez, Lonny Chapman, Diane Ladd, Dub Taylor - in brief but colorful roles.
Outrage (Ida Lupino, 1950) 6/10
Groundbreaking film - never before tackled by Hollywood due to censorshio - handles the subject of rape in a sensitive if rather bland manner. A girl (Mala Powers) with everything in her favour - youth, beauty, good job and a marriage just around the corner - is followed by a man after work and raped. The attack is not shown but its repercussions on the girl are hard as she tries to adjust to life but filled with shame and guilt (she keeps blaming herself) moves to another town. She is not harmed physically but psychologically she is maimed for life not helped by society's sexism. The plot then takes on a preachy mode as her isolation from family results in meeting new people who remain unaware of her trauma until one day she has a breakdown on the dance floor and attacks a man who comes on a bit too strong. Melodramatic film is now remembered as one of Lupino's many directorial forays into noir territory. This was starlet Mala Powers' first big film.
Ordinary People (Robert Redford, 1980) 9/10
Casting Mary Tyler Moore as the mother in this film was a stroke of genius although it was only Redford who saw her in the part quite contrary to her sunny tv persona. It's to her credit that she does not make her character into a villain although she treads a thin line. She's the most believable character in the film - a woman who does not think that personal feelings should be laid bare in front of others. Keep it churning inside, suppress it forcefully and brush it under the carpet or wherever it cannot be seen. A traumatic event has a family treading on egg shells refusing to face the tragedy as an emotional three-way standoff ensues between a man, woman and their son. Parents lose their elder son in a drowning accident while the younger son (Timothy Hutton) tried to save him but couldn't. So grief and guilt combine to bring on a suicide attempt which fails but results in a lot of confusion and suppressed anger. Not only by the young teenager but also his distant, cold mother (Mary Tyler Moore) who deep down resents that her favourite son died. Confused and worried the father (Donald Sutherland) tries to bring some semblance of peace between his wife and son. Redford uses picture postcard shots of the Chicago suburb while manoeuvring his camera through the lives of this broken family. Intimate, intelligent but jarring look at a family in crisis is beautifully acted by the entire cast including Judd Hirsch as an upbeat psychiatrist, and Elizabeth McGovern and Dinah Manoff as two of Hutton's friends. The movie famously defeated Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" at the Oscars, winning Best Picture, for Hutton's debut performance, for Redford's direction and for Alvin Sargent's screenplay adapted from the novel by Judith Guest. Both Moore and Hirsch received nominations while Sutherland, magnificent as the father, was snubbed. The film's soothing score has Pachelbel's Canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel.
Fly By Night (Robert Siodmak, 1942) 6/10
Snappy little "B" film takes pointers from Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" with its man-on-the-run who takes a woman along with him at gunpoint. An escaped patient from a mental asylum seeks aid from a medical intern (Richard Carlson) and tells him that he was being held prisoner in order to get information out of him on a secret military invention. When he is murdered the police suspect the intern who then makes a run for it taking along a sketch artist (Nancy Kelly) from the apartment next door. The screenplay mixes elements of screwball within the noir plot and adds Nazis into the mix which made it topical coming right after Pearl Harbor during WWII.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
No (2012) - 8/10 - Gael García Bernal stars as an advertising executive in Chile who is brought in to worth with the 'No' campaign in the 1988 plebiscite to determine whether Pinochet would rule for the next 8 years. He doesn't think that a sober look at atrocities and problems under Pinochet's regime will work and is determined to have a brighter, happier, and more upbeat campaign to win over those who are undecided whether to vote. It's a very good film and mixes in archival footage pretty seamlessly.
The Nest (1980) - 7.5/10 - Don Alejandro (Hector Alterio) is a wealthy widower who leads a somewhat lonely life. One day in the woods, he is left notes by a bright 13 year old girl named Goyita (Ana Torrent) that give him clues that he follows. This starts a (platonic) relationship between the two that is dominated by the girl. Alterio and Torrent are both really good here and the film is also very good, even if it doesn't rise to the level of The Spirit of the Beehive and Cria Cuervos.
The Nest (1980) - 7.5/10 - Don Alejandro (Hector Alterio) is a wealthy widower who leads a somewhat lonely life. One day in the woods, he is left notes by a bright 13 year old girl named Goyita (Ana Torrent) that give him clues that he follows. This starts a (platonic) relationship between the two that is dominated by the girl. Alterio and Torrent are both really good here and the film is also very good, even if it doesn't rise to the level of The Spirit of the Beehive and Cria Cuervos.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Psychiatric Nursing (1958) - 7.5/10 - A surprisingly good film for its age about taking care of mental patients in a women's ward.
The Face of Genius (1966) - 7/10 - This documentary was Jason Robards and covers the life of playwright Eugene O'Neill. It's fairly standard, but is decent enough.
The Gates of Paris (1957) - 7.5/10 - Juju likes to drink and spends much of his time hanging around the local bar and with his friend, Artist. A search starts for a criminal who is suspected to be in the neighborhood and the two meet him at gunpoint in Artist's house. Soon, they help him of their own accord when he becomes ill.
Tlayucan (1962) - 8/10 - Most of the people in this small Mexican town are mired in poverty, but get by somehow. The church shames them to give more than they actually have to give. One man is driven by desperation to steal when his son is deathly ill, but it doesn't turn out as expected. There's a wealthy and lecherous old man, a blind beggar, and others as well who add to the drama and humor of the story.
Madame Rosa (1977) - 8/10 - Simone Signoret plays a retired jewish prostitute who survived Auschwitz and now cares for the children of prostitutes, though money can be a bit of a challenge. The oldest child in her care is an Algerian boy nicknamed Momo who has been with her for 11 years. I liked this version more than the recent version with Sophia Loren, though that was a good movie too.
The Face of Genius (1966) - 7/10 - This documentary was Jason Robards and covers the life of playwright Eugene O'Neill. It's fairly standard, but is decent enough.
The Gates of Paris (1957) - 7.5/10 - Juju likes to drink and spends much of his time hanging around the local bar and with his friend, Artist. A search starts for a criminal who is suspected to be in the neighborhood and the two meet him at gunpoint in Artist's house. Soon, they help him of their own accord when he becomes ill.
Tlayucan (1962) - 8/10 - Most of the people in this small Mexican town are mired in poverty, but get by somehow. The church shames them to give more than they actually have to give. One man is driven by desperation to steal when his son is deathly ill, but it doesn't turn out as expected. There's a wealthy and lecherous old man, a blind beggar, and others as well who add to the drama and humor of the story.
Madame Rosa (1977) - 8/10 - Simone Signoret plays a retired jewish prostitute who survived Auschwitz and now cares for the children of prostitutes, though money can be a bit of a challenge. The oldest child in her care is an Algerian boy nicknamed Momo who has been with her for 11 years. I liked this version more than the recent version with Sophia Loren, though that was a good movie too.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Sherni (Amit Masurkar, 2021) 7/10
Fascinating look at wildlife conservation as seen through the eyes of a Divisional Forest Officer in India. The screenplay is a strong critique on government bureaucracy and the different hinderances that staff have to face - from local political goons hoping to get elected by getting votes from villagers, hunters on a rampage and the villagers themselves who find themselves, their livestock and livelihood at stake due to predators in the jungle. The screenplay is broadly based on "Avni", a tigress that was preying on humans and livestock in a forest in Maharashtra (although the film was shot in Madhya Pradesh). The Forest officers, led here by a female (Vidya Balan) - the character is based on a real person - face many problems but diligently work as a team trying to capture the animal in order to release it on a reserve. She forms a team of female forest guards who are in touch with the villagers. She also laid out camera traps in order to tackle the tigress and track her movements. Tracking becomes a problem as villagers want it dead, politicians provoke the simple (and frightened) villagers for votes in exchange for the tiger's death at the hands of a professional hunter (Sharat Saxena), while the officers try to stick to the law in conserving wildlife. The film highlights the ground problems of foresters and the landscape management issues. Balan, in an understated performance, is the soul of the film - the word "sherni" also refers to her pluck in dealing with patriarchal attitudes amongst her male colleagues, many of whom kowtow to politicians, as she balances her job while also trying to promote the skills of women in the villages - weaving bamboo baskets - so that they are not only dependent on farming. Vijay Raaz, as a college professor and her ally, provides good support. Beautifully shot film captures the stillness of a forest as the camera moves through bushes and trees catching glimpses of insects and animals along the way.
Air Force One (Wolfgang Peterson, 1997) 8/10
This is one prepostrous action film and an incredible guilty pleasure. Air Force One is hijacked by a Russian radical (Gary Oldman) and his goons who hold hostage the U.S. President (Harrison Ford), his wife, daughter and members of his staff who are all on board. The hijackers demand the release of a political prisoner (Jürgen Prochnow) who is held in Moscow. While the Vice President (Glenn Close), the Defence Secretary (Dean Stockwell) and the Attorney General (Phillip Baker Hall) attempt to negotiate with the hijackers the President acts with the dexterity of James Bond (he got his skills while in Vietnam) and proves to be a wily foe on board. The Americans are all incredulous that such a thing could happen to their President and someone says with great arrogance, "No one does this to the United States". Clearly the screenplay or that thought did not anticipate 9/11 which was just a few years on. Ford makes a perfect action hero as he tussles both verbally and physically with Oldman and even flies the plane â la Karen Black (who did it just as well in "Airport '75"). The film's various action set pieces are completely over-the-top as the giant 747 dodges missiles, a mid-air refueling takes place, hostages jump out of the plane with parachutes, the President hangs out of the plane's hatch held only by his hand and the final escape using a wire between two airborne planes. The film's erratic effects and all the holes in the screenplay can be ignored as the non-stop action and suspense hold you by the neck and take you on this roller coaster ride of thrills. Great fun.
Marry Me (Kat Coiro, 2022) 4/10
This corny-cute film takes off from where "Notting Hill" left off - superstar marries ordinary joe and a bumpy life begins. Here the superstar is not a movie star but a singer (Jennifer Lopez) who, on her planned gaudy concert-wedding on stage, discovers toyboy lover (Colombian reggaeton Maluma - who he?) has betrayed her so she gets married to ordinary joe divorced-single dad-math teacher (Owen Wilson) who just happens to be in the audience at her concert. The pop duo make more hits - Lopez sings - and hubby wonders if he has lost wifey to toyboy. And there is a mathalon where his kid participates which Lopez crashes just in time wiggling her butt in a tight red dress and hobbling on Louboutin stilletos. All rather tiresome actually.
Twice Round the Daffodils (Gerald Thomas, 1962) 5/10
A lot like one of the Carry On films but with less smut. In fact based on the same play, "Ring for Catty", as Carry on Nurse. Comedy set in a sanatorium where five male patients arrive to be treated for tuberculosis. They soon find themselves in a lather over the nurses - Juliet Mills (as Nurse Catty), Jill Ireland and Amanda Reiss. Amusing amongst the patients are the woman-chasing RAF pilot (Donald Sinden), the supercilious bachelor (Kenneth Williams) with the timid letter-writing sister (Joan Sims) and the sensitive trainee chef (Ronald Lewis) in love with Reiss. Playing two of the visiting wives are Sheila Hancock and Nanette Newman. Typically tame British sex farce which has more talk and barely any sex.
Fascinating look at wildlife conservation as seen through the eyes of a Divisional Forest Officer in India. The screenplay is a strong critique on government bureaucracy and the different hinderances that staff have to face - from local political goons hoping to get elected by getting votes from villagers, hunters on a rampage and the villagers themselves who find themselves, their livestock and livelihood at stake due to predators in the jungle. The screenplay is broadly based on "Avni", a tigress that was preying on humans and livestock in a forest in Maharashtra (although the film was shot in Madhya Pradesh). The Forest officers, led here by a female (Vidya Balan) - the character is based on a real person - face many problems but diligently work as a team trying to capture the animal in order to release it on a reserve. She forms a team of female forest guards who are in touch with the villagers. She also laid out camera traps in order to tackle the tigress and track her movements. Tracking becomes a problem as villagers want it dead, politicians provoke the simple (and frightened) villagers for votes in exchange for the tiger's death at the hands of a professional hunter (Sharat Saxena), while the officers try to stick to the law in conserving wildlife. The film highlights the ground problems of foresters and the landscape management issues. Balan, in an understated performance, is the soul of the film - the word "sherni" also refers to her pluck in dealing with patriarchal attitudes amongst her male colleagues, many of whom kowtow to politicians, as she balances her job while also trying to promote the skills of women in the villages - weaving bamboo baskets - so that they are not only dependent on farming. Vijay Raaz, as a college professor and her ally, provides good support. Beautifully shot film captures the stillness of a forest as the camera moves through bushes and trees catching glimpses of insects and animals along the way.
Air Force One (Wolfgang Peterson, 1997) 8/10
This is one prepostrous action film and an incredible guilty pleasure. Air Force One is hijacked by a Russian radical (Gary Oldman) and his goons who hold hostage the U.S. President (Harrison Ford), his wife, daughter and members of his staff who are all on board. The hijackers demand the release of a political prisoner (Jürgen Prochnow) who is held in Moscow. While the Vice President (Glenn Close), the Defence Secretary (Dean Stockwell) and the Attorney General (Phillip Baker Hall) attempt to negotiate with the hijackers the President acts with the dexterity of James Bond (he got his skills while in Vietnam) and proves to be a wily foe on board. The Americans are all incredulous that such a thing could happen to their President and someone says with great arrogance, "No one does this to the United States". Clearly the screenplay or that thought did not anticipate 9/11 which was just a few years on. Ford makes a perfect action hero as he tussles both verbally and physically with Oldman and even flies the plane â la Karen Black (who did it just as well in "Airport '75"). The film's various action set pieces are completely over-the-top as the giant 747 dodges missiles, a mid-air refueling takes place, hostages jump out of the plane with parachutes, the President hangs out of the plane's hatch held only by his hand and the final escape using a wire between two airborne planes. The film's erratic effects and all the holes in the screenplay can be ignored as the non-stop action and suspense hold you by the neck and take you on this roller coaster ride of thrills. Great fun.
Marry Me (Kat Coiro, 2022) 4/10
This corny-cute film takes off from where "Notting Hill" left off - superstar marries ordinary joe and a bumpy life begins. Here the superstar is not a movie star but a singer (Jennifer Lopez) who, on her planned gaudy concert-wedding on stage, discovers toyboy lover (Colombian reggaeton Maluma - who he?) has betrayed her so she gets married to ordinary joe divorced-single dad-math teacher (Owen Wilson) who just happens to be in the audience at her concert. The pop duo make more hits - Lopez sings - and hubby wonders if he has lost wifey to toyboy. And there is a mathalon where his kid participates which Lopez crashes just in time wiggling her butt in a tight red dress and hobbling on Louboutin stilletos. All rather tiresome actually.
Twice Round the Daffodils (Gerald Thomas, 1962) 5/10
A lot like one of the Carry On films but with less smut. In fact based on the same play, "Ring for Catty", as Carry on Nurse. Comedy set in a sanatorium where five male patients arrive to be treated for tuberculosis. They soon find themselves in a lather over the nurses - Juliet Mills (as Nurse Catty), Jill Ireland and Amanda Reiss. Amusing amongst the patients are the woman-chasing RAF pilot (Donald Sinden), the supercilious bachelor (Kenneth Williams) with the timid letter-writing sister (Joan Sims) and the sensitive trainee chef (Ronald Lewis) in love with Reiss. Playing two of the visiting wives are Sheila Hancock and Nanette Newman. Typically tame British sex farce which has more talk and barely any sex.