What was the last movie you saw...? Part IV

[Charger]

The Mandalorian And Grogu

The Mandalorian and his little sidekick Grogu are working as bounty hunters for the New Republic hunting down former Imperium warlords. When he gets a mission to rescue the son of former crime lord Jabba The Hutt from a planet he is being held as a gladiator, but Rotta The Hutt doesn't want to be saved.

The events happen after the events of the series, but honestly part from the relationship between Din and Grogu there really isn't much connection to the series. Sadly.

The cast is good, Pedro Pascal talks the lines of the Mandalorian with his usual presense and only gets one scene where he actually is in front of the camera. But that was basically the same with the series. Sigourney Weaver as the New Republic soldier does a great job as well. Rest of the cast is more or less digital creations. Even director legend Martin Scorsese gets a small speaking role.

The movie doesn't quite mange to capture the magic of the series and for the most part it just feels like a 3 part episode which in itself isn't a bad thing.

Good humor and good action, doesn't really bring anything new to the universe though. Could have been better but could have been much worse too.

Favreau as confirmed that The Mandalorian series will continue after this...eventhough this didn't do all that well at the box office.


*  *  *

[Charger]

DETECTIVE KNIGHT TRILOGY

Rogue:

When the partner of a veteran detective Knight is shot by a crew of bank robbers he and his new partner go after them to New York where events of the past interfere with the present investigation.

Bruce Willis appears on screen maybe 15 minutes of the 1h 45min running time and has very few lines. Main focus is on the bank heist crew lead by Beau Mirchoff who actually doesn't do a half bad job.

But the movie is not very good, not a whole lot of action and the production has a cheapish feel to it.

*  ½

Redemption:

After the events of the first movie Detective Knight finds himself in prison with the heist crew he was after soon he finds himself in a middle of a prison break orchastrated by a madman who wants to hurt the 1%. Knight is asked to go after them in exchange for his release.

This one is actually better than the first one. Willis gets more air time and he even has a few funny one liners but the ending shoot out isn't all that exciting and it's clear Bruce isn't is old self. The bad guy actor Paul Johansson stands out, as he over acts just right and makes quite the role.

*  *  ½

Independence:

Detective Knight has returned home to LA and is facing a former paramedic gone insane and impersonating a police officer and trying to rob a bank.

Again focus isn't quite on the main character played by Bruce Willis but he gets enough air time and again shoots of guns and one liners, but it's quite clear he quite isn't what he was.

The production values here are even less than on the previous two...sadly.
BUT the bad guy is played by one Jack Kilmer, the son of one VAL KILMER who looks almost just like his dad when he was young!

*   *


The reason why I even watched these knowing all too well they aren't exactly cinema masterpieces is that these 3 were the VERY LAST movies Bruce Willis ever filmed before retiring after the Aphasia turned Dementia diagnosis. And that means an end of an era. Bruce Willis was without a doubt one of the best everyman action heroes of all time.

These were all filmed in less than one month period back to back in late 2021.



 

[Typhon]

Crack in the World (1965)

A scientist (Dana Andrews) plans to tap the geothermal energy of the Earth's interior by means of a thermonuclear device detonated deep within the Earth.  This experiment causes a crack to form and grow within the Earth's crust, which threatens to split the earth in two if it is not stopped in time.

Interesting story that is cleverly filmed, especially from so many years ago.  8/10

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Let's start catching up with what I've seen recently.

The Odyssey

A retelling of Homer's story by Christopher Nolan. Starring (deep breath!) Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, John Benthal, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, Charlise Theron, Elliot Page...  and so many more I forget!

The film covers various events from the Trojan Horse to events in Odyseus' (Damon) journey home and the many fantastical events he encounters. Meanwhile, Penelope (Hathaway) hides away from the many suitors (led by Pattinson's devious Antinous) who would have her choose one to replace Odyseus who has been away for 20 years. Her som Telemachus (Holland) does his best to protect her and find word of his father's return.

Full disclosure; I'm not familiar with Homer's work beyond what has previously appeared in popular culture. What I do know though is that this film is effing amazing! The practical effects (because Nolan uses as little CGI as possible) really work well, I doubt any of the set-pieces (Trojan horse/Troy, cyclops, the giants, the witch etc) would have been better with computer effects. I'm not surprised it's 2 hours 52 minutes in length, but there is very little "filler*, maybe a couple of slower moments between action sequences could have been trimmed.

The only drawback about the film -- and it is a minor one -- is that Tom Holland perhaps wasn't the best casting as Telemachus, while not actually bad he perhaps doesn't have the gravitas for the role.

People seem to like the film, it's the highest grossing R rated film and far and away Nolan's highest grossing film, it's currently at $1.7 billion. 9.5/10



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Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Talking of Tom Holland, here we have the actors 4th outing as the arachnid super hero. The cast again includes Zendaya and John Bernthal along with Mark Ruffalo, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Liza Colón-Zayas, Florence Pugh and Marisa Tomei.

After Spider-Man (Holland) gets Dr Strange to wipe everyone's memory of him in the previous film, we start with a reclusive Peter Parker fighting crime with no friends and few contacts. MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Batalon) are obsessed with Spider-Man but do not remember that he was once their friend. When a new threat enters the city with strange powers that can control peoples minds, Parker finds he is muting into an actual spider and needs to contact Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) about controlling the change, all the time trying to work out what the new threat to the city might be.

I've never been a huge fan of the Spider-Man character but I do like this film, this is where Tom Holland shines, he was the perfact age when he took the role (Captain America: Civil War in 2016), and has aged as the character has aged. This film has links to the wider Marvel Universe bringing in a well known X-Men mutant (Sadie Sink as Jean Grey) as well as the Hulk. He has at least one more film as S-M to come.

Again people seem to like the film as it has hit $2.45 billion and is now the 3rd highest grossing film of all time... I don't think it's *that* good, but good nonetheless. 8/10

[Charger]

TAKING OF PELHAM One Two Three

A group of criminals with formiddable mustaches hijack a New York City Subway car and demand 1 Million Dollars or they start killing hostages. A quick witted transit police lieutenant Garber is the one to start the dialogue with the hostage takers to ensure a safe release of the hostages. But ofcourse things don't quite go as planned.

Both Walter Matthau as Garber and Robert Shaw as the bad guy do amazing jobs. Some of the support roles are top notch as well by actors that would later become famous in other roles including Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, Lee Wallace and Doris Roberts to name a few.

The movie runs with a fantastic pacing, mixing great dialogue with brilliant comedy and action and suspense. The hour 45 goes by just like that.

This can be considered something of a lost gem of the 70s. A movie that does not get the kind of recognition it ought to get...also a genre mash up movies like this one aren't really made anymore.

Fun fact, this was the movie where Quentin Tarantino got the idea for the character names in Reservoir Dogs.

*  *  *  *  ½

 

[Typhon]

^^^^^^
Number 4 on my Top 50 favorite movies.

You're welcome.   

[Charger]

And I thank you sir!

Can't believe I hadn't seen that one before! What a gem!

[Vyn]

It's an awesome movie. Book is awesome, too!

[Typhon]

And I really love the theme song.   

[Charger]

^^
Yes the theme too is excellent.

[Typhon]

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969)

A planet is discovered in the same orbit as Earth's but is located on the exact opposite side of the sun, making it not visible from Earth.  The European Space Exploration Council, led by England's representative (Patrick Wymark), decide to send an American astronaut (Roy Thinnes) and a British scientist (Ian Hendry) via spaceship to explore the other planet.  Nobody was ready for what they found.

I have been trying for the last couple of years to find this film that I have never seen before, and finally had to buy it on blu-ray.  I'm very glad I did because it is a fantastic story with fine special effects and impressive set designs.  I made sure to not include a spoiler in my plot description.  It looks like this film may be cracking my Top 50.  A rare event.  9.5/10

[Charger]

THE SENTINEL

A veteran Secret Service agent has an affair with the first lady and is then framed for an assassination plot against the presedent. He must go on the run to try and find the real conspirators and clear his name...and stop the plot.

Michael Douglas stars as Agent Pete Garrison and Kiefer Sutherland is a former friend who is tasked to hunt him. Kim Basinger is the first lady and David Rasche is the President.

Director Clark Johnson is more known for his work in The Wire but he handles the big movie stage very well too. The action is bit more subdued and the movie relies more on suspense than pure action. And ofcourse the charisma of the leads.

Good action/thriller with a great cast and good (although slightly predictable) plot.


*  *  *  ½


ps: This was the last ever action lead for Michael Douglas even though he was only 62 at the time.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

The End of Oak Street 2026

A survival, action, adventure starring: Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella and Christian Convery.

Set in the 1980s, Oak Street (and some surrounding streets), experience some weird cosmic activity one night, including strange lights in the sky. The following morning the Platt family and their neighbours find that they have mysteriously lost contact with the outside world and soon discover that dinosaurs are walking (flying/slithering) the streets. The film follows their attempts to survive (spoiler... many of their neighbours don't!), whilst trying to find a way back home.

A fun if not terribly realistic film. The dinosaurs are well done (stand aside the most recent Jurassic World entries!), and include a wider variety than is the norm. I'm inclined to agree with some critics who suggest McGregor is not great in the film, but his back story is slight at best. But Hathaway is pretty good... she's having a busy year (this is the 3rd film I've seen her in and I know of 2 others I haven't seen!). A pretty good, well made effort and a refreshingly short run time (1:39). 7.5/10

[Typhon]

Shrapnel (2023)

When the daughter of a former Marine (Jason Patric) goes missing during a trip to Mexico, he and his friend (Cam Gigandet) go looking for her.  They wind up in a small war with the Mexican cartel responsible for the daughter's disappearance.

Fast moving, high action type of film.  Not great, but not bad either.  7/10

[Charger]

NORMAL

A substitute Sheriff arrives in a small town called Normal where everything looks...well...normal, but once couple of criminals rob a bank a sinister secret is revealed and soon the Sheriff finds himself in a world of trouble and his only allies are the bank robberer couple.

Bob Odenkirk stars as Sheriff Ulysses in a what can only be considered an oddball action comedy. He also is one of the screen writers.
Other cast members include Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, Peter Shinkoda and Jess McLeod...all who do a pretty good job.

The humor is about as dark as it can get and the violence is brutal and funny at the same time.

Odenkirk tries to be something of a comedy Liam Neeson but he doesn't quite have the charisma, but his dry humor is good.

This is a bit of an odd mix but for the most part it works...not your average action/comedy that's for sure.


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