Maree's Movie Night - the director's short cut

 

You know when you come home on a Friday night and you just want something short, fun and stupid but you want to watch a movie?

Right here. This is the one. Actually any of the Bill & Ted movies would work but this is what Netflix suggested so I went with it.

Uh ... something something, music. Something something time travel.

Dave Grohl and Kid Cudi are in it for some reason?

Lower your expectations. Lower than that. Lower. Lower.  There you go. Bill & Ted Face the Music is nothing but a good time. :)

And now, for a complete shift in tone. The Happy Prince was, apparently, a passion project for Rupert Everett. He stars as Oscar Wilde in his last, fading days in Paris.

There are flashbacks to previous times and the narrative of Mr Wilde's incredibly sad fairy story is woven throughout the narrative. There are a couple of surprising cameos from the likes of Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson, but it's really Everett's film.

Colin Morgan takes on the rather thankless role of Bosie, and manages to restrain himself from chewing the scenery. 

The heart of the movie - for me - was Edwin Thomas as Robbie Ross, a long-time friend of Oscar Wilde's who stuck by him through everything. Definitely worth watching.

I'm trying to show Son of Mine some fun/classic movies he may not have seen.

Today's pick was National Treasure.

Nicolas Cage. The Declaration of Independence. Sean Bean with a bad dye job.

Honestly, what's not to like???

Maree's Movie Night - The Marvels

 

I have to admit, I have not kept up with the Marvel multi-verse. 

There's just too much. I haven't watched Ms Marvel, and I'm sure there are others that feed into this, but it didn't really matter.

I went into The Marvels with VERY low expectations, but I ended up enjoying it very much of a lot.

I mean, to me, the plot is something, something, something aliens, but what the movie hinges on is the forming bond between Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel and Captain Monica Rambeau.

They all find out accidentally that they can swap places with each other, and everything just descends into chaos from there. 

Also there are alien kittens. 

Super fun, full of heart and honestly a great watch.

Maree's Movie Night

 

I have a weakness for heist stories. And found family stories.

Often, these two things seem to go together, and that's the case with Lift.

Kevin Hart leads a crew of thieves who specialise in "lifting" works of art to liberate them from private collectors.

After they've "lifted" a Van Gogh, the crew gets tangled up with Interpol, who are trying to bring down an international terrorist who profits off natural disasters.

He's expecting a delivery of $500 million in gold bars, which is where the crew comes in. Because Interpol hires them to steal the gold.

Is the premise ridiculous? Yes. Was I entertained? Also yes. It was fun.

Nicolas Cage as Dracula, and Nicholas Hoult as the hapless Renfield, set in modern-day New York. This movie is not going to win any awards for greatness, but it's the kind of stupid fun that's entertaining for 90 minutes.

Not ideal if you have a weak stomach though, as it is also VERY gory.

Fun, but gory.

Maree's Movie Night - Road House reboot

 

My question here is - why. Why Road House. The original is fine as it is, and honestly - go watch that instead.

I sat through the whole movie (the new one) and honestly I was mostly just ... bored. And confused.

It's set in modern-day Florida for some reason? Like, that doesn't make sense to me? And Dalton has a backstory, which I don't like. Mysterious drifter? Yes. Former MMA fighter with a Dark Past? Meh. 

And - I don't know - the antagonist was mostly just annoying rather than deeply, deeply evil. He was an awful person but I did not care what happened to him.

One of the things that drove the original - for me - was the soundtrack. This time around a different band plays every night and I just couldn't connect to it.

Stick with Patrick Swayze.

Maree's Movie Night - Road House

 

Ah, 1980s Patrick Swayze. So handsome. Riding the success of Ghost and Dirty Dancing. 

And then. Road House. Look, I know Road House isn't a good movie. You know Road House isn't a good movie. But here's the thing. As terrible as it is objectively, it's also great. It just is, and no correspondence will be entered into.

Swayze is a bouncer, or a "cooler" who's hired to clean house at the Double Deuce - the type of Road House the band plays behind chicken wire (which, side note, always reminds me of the Blues Brothers.)

So Dalton (Swayze) rides into town ready to kick ass and take names and set the world to rights. Which, of course, he does.

There are some unintentionally funny moments - and some intentional ones as well - but overall it's just pure entertainment.

Do yourself a favour - if you haven't heard them before, look up the band from the movie - The Jeff Healey Band. So good. 

Maree's Movie Night - Pain Hustlers

 I was going to watch The Bourne Supremacy on Friday night, but couldn't find it anywhere.

This popped up on Netflix, and I thought it looked interesting, so I dived in.

Pain Hustlers is based on a true story about a small, start-up pharmaceutical company trying to push a new painkiller for cancer patients.

Emily Blunt is down on her luck single mother Liza who talks her way into a job with the company, and Chris Evans is the slightly skeevy rep who recruits her.

It's always fun to see Chris Evans play against the Captain America stereotype and it's the same with this movie, although the front and centre star is without a doubt Emily Blunt.

Her character is motivated by the right things - she's trying to make a better life for herself and her daughter who is prone to seizures due to a tangled bundle of nerves in her brain. Catherine O'Hara also shows up in a great supporting role as Emily Blunt's character's somewhat chaotic mother.

The drug starts to take off for cancer patients, and it's not long before doctors are prescribing it for all kinds of pain. The kicker is - it's fentanyl. Which I don't know a lot about, but I do know it's incredibly addictive. There's a lot of other dodgy dealings and kickbacks as well which did largely go over my head.

But the story and the acting were engaging enough to keep me invested.

When the husband of one of her friend's dies from an overdose, Liza realises she needs to do something, and turns whistleblower, which brings the company crashing down.

Pain Hustlers is definitely worth watching - great cast plus a solid story make for a good night in.

Maree's Movie Night - The Bourne Identity

 

I mentioned in my Sunday Post that I'm trying to watch more movies this year. I've set a goal of ... 55? I think? and I've watched about 10 so far.

So I've decided, to help me stay on track, I'll start reviewing the movies that I watch. 

There's no rhyme or reason to it, it's just what I'm feeling like on the night, and how good my concentration levels are. 

So. First up is The Bourne Identity, starring Matt Damon as Jason Bourne.

I haven't read any of the books, but the movie is highly entertaining.

Jason Bourne is some kind of super-spy, who has been fished out of the ocean with absolutely no memory of who he is. Then things start going REALLY bad.

A friend of mine pointed out that the reason these movies are so good is that Bourne has to rely on his wits to get through, and she's right. He has amnesia, but muscle memory kicks in and he powers through. 

The cast is absolutely stacked to the gills with some top action talent, though Julia Stiles is criminally under-used in this one. From memory her part expands in the next movie.

The perfect Friday night film.

Review - Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Ricky Baker is considered a problem. He's got a list of offences that are as impressive as they are sad for a 12-year-old.

He's packed off to a foster family in the middle of nowhere, and that's where the fun begins.

His foster mother Bella (Rima Te Wiata) is loving and patient with Ricky, whereas - in contrast - her husband Hec (Sam Neill) is grumpy and standoffish with Ricky.

However, when Bella dies, Hec and Ricky find themselves having to get along. They're also on the run in the wilds of New Zealand's backcountry thanks to a misunderstanding with a bunch of weekend warriors.

I missed this at the movies somehow, but picked it up on DVD and I'm so glad I did. It's a very New Zealand story, and the landscape is almost a third star of the film along with Sam Neill and newcomer Julian Dennison as Ricky.

Hec and Ricky are hilarious together and the story itself is extremely heartfelt. It's a feel-good movie from start to finish (although warning for animal lovers, there is a pet death in there).

Under the steady hand of Kiwi director Taika Waitit, Wilderpeople is an absolute must-see.

A Knight's Tale - review

A Knight's Tale

I never saw this when it came out, for some reason. I'm not sure why. It's on Netflix now, though, and I was curious enough to press play.

Heath Ledger is the squire to a knight who has up and died in the middle of a tournament. So Mr Ledger takes up the knight's mantle himself and starts jousting.

Of course, as he's not of noble birth, he's not really supposed to be doing that, but a little detail like that doesn't get in his way of pursuing gold, glory, food - and, of course, the girl.

I have to say ... hmmmmm ... I liked it? But it didn't grab me and rivet my attention to the screen. And, of course, every time I saw Heath Ledger, my brain went :(((((

But it's pleasantly diverting, has a pretty good soundtrack, and Rufus Sewell makes for an engaging villain.

Undemanding and fun.

But. Heath Ledger. :(

In Bruges - review

Hitmen Ray and Ken land in Bruges (it's in Belgium) after a hit has gone badly wrong. Their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes) has told them to lay low for a couple of weeks, see the sights.

This is fine with Ken (Brendan Glesson) but Ken (Colin Farrell) is bored about two seconds after they land, and inevitably finds trouble.

In Bruges is one of those movies that keeps popping up on my radar before sinking out of sight again. I'd heard good things about it and was sort of curious so picked it up at the library last week.

Here's the thing though. I didn't really like it. I can see why other people like it - the dialogue is sharp, and Colin Farrell is playing against type as the impulsive, slightly stupid Ray, but it just didn't hook me in.

I have a low tolerance for man-child characters in films anyway, and that's essentially what Ray is, with Ken along as his permanently exasperated babysitter.

It's possible that I wasn't in the right mood for something like In Bruges.

It's not you, movie, it's me.

Real Steel - review

I have to admit, my expectations weren't all that high for Real Steel. I'd recorded it out of a sense of mild curiousity, and with Movie Night Sunday upon me, I decided to run it up the flagpole.

I have to say, I ended up ... not hating it. It won't be a favourite and to be honest, it was kind of forgettable, but it was watchable.

In the near future, human boxers have been replaced by giant and elaborate robots who face off in the ring.

Jackman is down-on-his-luck former boxer Charlie, who's looking for the next big score to set himself up.

He gains a top of the line robot, and is looking forward to putting it through its paces, but there's a wrinkle - Charlie's 11 year old son Max, who's mother has just died, comes into Charlie's life.

There's  a nice balance in Real Steel between sentiment and set pieces and enough of a building relationship between Charlie  and Max to keep you engaged.

There's just .... something missing. Like someone's put a really nice meal in front of you, but they've forgotten to season it.

That's it. It's nice, but it lacks seasoning.

Mirrormask - review

At 15, Helena feels trapped in her odd circus-family life. She would rather draw than juggle, but as her parents run the circus, Helena is part of the act.

When her mum collapses, Helena feels responsible and has a new set of struggles to face.

One night, Helena steps through into a very different landscape, and finds out that curing her own mother depends on saving the Queen of Light from the Shadows in this strange world.

Along with Valentine, Helena has to navigate the strange world she finds herself in, so she can find the Mirrormask, return the daughter of the Queen of Shadows, and save her own mother.

I love Mirrormask. Based on a screenplay by Neil Gaiman and directed by Dave McKean, it's a true feast for the eyes.

Once Helena travels to the Dark Lands, it's all on visually speaking.

Everyone here wears some kind of mask, and the land is populated by all kinds of outrageous creatures.

Helena and Valentine have to battle the Shadow and, occasionally each other, in order to save not only Helena's mother, but the Dark Lands as well.

Mirrormask is great if you truly want to escape the every day and be taken on a fantastic journey.

All About Eve - review

I have to say, up front, that All About Eve is my favourite movie of all time.

So "review" may be a misnomer.

The titular character, Eve Harrington, (Anne Baxter) is a wide-eyed young woman, following her big dreams of acting to the big city, and straight into the life of acclaimed theatre actor, Margot Channing (Bette Davis).

Margot is 40, and is starting to feel the creeping dread of not being number one anymore, and Eve is the stark reminder that Margot will never see 20 again.

As Eve digs further into Margot's life and the life of her friends, it appears that nothing is really as it seems...

The true genius of All About Eve - apart from the balls-to-the-wall performance by Ms Davis of course - is the snappy dialogue. Some if it is so very sharp, that you could cut yourself on it.

The most famous line of course, is "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night," but pretty much all of the dialogue in the film shines and sparkles and shows it's very sharp teeth:

(Quotes from imdb.com):

Margo Channing: Lloyd, honey, be a playwright with guts. Write me one about a nice normal woman who just shoots her husband.

This gem, from a very young Marilyn Monroe, with her ahem, mentor, Addison deWitt (George Sanders)

Miss Claudia Caswell: Oh, waiter!

Addison DeWitt: That is not a waiter, my dear, that is a butler.

Miss Claudia Caswell: Well, I can't yell "Oh butler!" can I? Maybe somebody's name is Butler.

Addison DeWitt: You have a point. An idiotic one, but a point.

Miss Claudia Caswell: I don't want to make trouble. All I want is a drink.

Max Fabian: Leave it to me. I'll get you one.

Miss Claudia Caswell: Thank you, Mr. Fabian.

Addison DeWitt: Well done! I can see your career rise in the east like the sun.

If they're not scheming in this movie, they're drinking. And if they're not drinking, they're fighting. And if they're not fighting ... well, you get the point.

And, of course, there's the costumes. I have a weakness for the wonderful dresses and gowns in 1950s-era movies anyway, but the way these dresses swish, and drape and fall - it's like they have their own dialogue. 

*Sunday night, I have decided, is Maree's Movie Night. I'm either going to watch old faves, movies I've never seen, something that interests me - basically, anything goes. And then, obviously, write about it. :-)