My Review of Tenet (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Christopher Nolan 

Neil: "What the hell happened here?"

The Protagonist: "Hasn't happened yet."

Ah, this movie. Not gonna lie, it's one of the weakest things that Christopher Nolan has ever made and came out during a time that his working relationship with Warner Brothers came to a rather bitter ending. 

On top of that, it's also one of Nolan's mind bending films that doesn't quite hit the mark. Memento and Inception it's not. It's also one of those time where Nolan might have let his indulgent side out too much. I'm also gonna say something that Film Bros will hate my guts for saying but it could've benefitted from being at least an hour shorter.

Despite a brilliant cast, I just don't vibe with this movie as much as I wanted to. There are two major pluses and they are of course John David Washington and Robert Pattinson. I could watch those two play off each other all day. I just wish this had been a better movie for that.

John's literally The Protagonist of the movie. That's actually his character's name - the Protagonist, a CIA operative and on paper, it's a role that he excelled at. Unfortunately he's caught in this largely dull and confusing story where he's a part of Tenet. They're an organisation that seek out objects that move backwards in time.

When he's given scenes with Pattinson's charming but mysterious agent Neil, they're the highlight of the whole movie. Even when it appeared that Neil wasn't 100% trustworthy and even with the painfully obvious reveal of Neil being recruited by The Protagonist. Those two actors really need to appear in something else together.

On the other end of the scale, the Russian Oligarch stuff was boring as fuck and much as I like Kenneth Brannagh, I found Andrei Sator to be a dreadfully dull villain. Then there's Elizabeth Debicki as Kat. Imagine her character from The Night Manager and that's what you get here. And no, that's not a compliment. She's horrendously written in this movie from start to finish. I'd even say she's the worst written character in the entire movie itself.

- Other actors who popped up included Himesh Patel, Michael Caine, Martin Donovan, Fiona Dourif and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in a slew of fairly okay supporting roles.

- Once Upon A Time In The West was an inspiration for the film and Nolan watching spy films when writing this one.

- Standout music: Travis Scott's The Plan.

- Chronology: Took place in the likes of Kyiv, Oslo, Italy, Tallinn, Vietnam and London.

I gotta be honest, Tenet was definitely Christopher Nolan at his self indulgent worst. It's a movie desperate to be seen as being more clever than it is. In reality, it's a middle of the road spy story with a dull antagonist and a half baked side love story of sorts. On the plus side, the chemistry between John David Washington and Robert Pattinson did a lot of the heavy lifting for this film.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Insomnia (2002)

 

Written by Hillary Seitz

Directed by Christopher Nolan 

Will: "You don't get it do you, Finch? You're my job. You're what I'm paid to do. You're about as mysterious to me as a blocked toilet is to a fucking plumber. Reasons for doing what you did? Who gives a fuck?"

Delving into an earlier timeline, remember during the pre Batman days when Christopher Nolan was somewhat more small scale in his storytelling? Those were genuinely interesting times.

This movie for example was a straightforward enough cat and mouse detective drama with two top tier performances from both Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Of course, both men are on opposite sides of the law.

Al Pacino took on the role of hardened Will Dormer. The death of a young woman named Kay Connell (Crystal Lowe) had Will and his partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) being paired with Ellie Burr (Hillary Swank) in order to solve the case.

On the other hand, there's Walter Finch as played by Robin Williams. He's a writer of detective fiction and was more than happy to assist Dormer in cracking the case. He's also a killer, an expert at mind games and knew enough about Dormer to be a serious threat to the man.

For the most part, Dormer was a good man but he suffered from insomnia and that impaired his judgement at times. Dormer was also responsible for the death of his partner and bent the law to make sure that a paedophile was sent down. Finch had no problem trying to use these things to control Dormer. They only worked for a bit.

In fact, the closer that William got to Ellie, the more he was able to be honest with her about the things he had done. This however did put Ellie in danger and there was a tense stand off at a lake house between Dormer and Finch. It ended in a rather brutal way for both men that felt thematically satisfying either way.

- There's some strong supporting performances from Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt and Jonathan Jackson.

- This is the only film that Christopher Nolan has directed by not written or co-written. 

- Standout music: Coldplay's Sparks and Ivy's One More Last Kiss.

- Chronology: Dormer and Eckhart were from Los Angeles but this story took place in Nightmute, Alaska.

Insomnia (2002) reminded me of Nolan's earliest and more low key of movies. There's a part of me that would like to see him go back to that type of storytelling again, at least for one future movie. Getting back to this one, both Al Pacino and Robin Williams are just on mighty form here.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Cecil B. Demented (2000)

 

Written And Directed by John Waters 

Cecil: "I'm Cecil B. Demented, and you're in my movie. Do not look into the lens and ruin the shot or you will be shot."

Heading into the 2000s, was it the right time to make a film deeply critical of Hollywood? Maybe it was a case of being a little ahead of it's time. That's happened with certain directors before.

Let's take an actress named Honey Whitlock (Melanie Griffith). She's an A List actress but she's not very liked and one of her first scenes involved her humiliating her put upon publicist, Libby (Ricki Lake). She's also not a fan of Baltimore either.

Being in Baltimore for work however put her in the cross hairs of rebel filmmaker Cecil B. Demented (Stephen Dorf) and his band of misfits. Those involved actors like Cherish (Alicia Witt) and Lyle (Adrian Grenier), art director Lewis (Larry Giliard Jr), make up artist Raven (Maggie Gyllenhaal), hairstylist Rodney (Jack Noseworthy), driver Petie (Mike Shannon), costume designer Fidget (Eric M. Barry), sound artist Chardonnay (Zenzele Uzoma), cinematographer Pam (Erika Lynn Rupli) and producer Dinah (Harriet Dodge).

That's a lot of characters to keep up with for this particular band of terrorist filmmakers. Honey's not particularly thrilled with helping them but it's not long before their rebellious spirit started to rub off on her and she became a bit too willing to go along with Cecil's increasing demands.

This included disrupting a screening of the directors cut of Patch Adams, public filming, endangering the general public but on the plus side, Cecil and the gang did manage to do humanity by sabotaging an ill advised sequel to Forest Gump and a very public final act at a drive in theatre. I'll give Cecil his due, he certainly knew how to go out in a blaze of glory while Honey Whitlock might have given herself a defining career performance.

- Honey had an ex-husband played by Eric Roberts. He had problem blasting her on Roseanne Barr's show. John Waters and Mink Stole had minor roles.

- We got to see some of Cherish's pornographic past on the big screen. One of her moments involved a gerbil. I can't imagine who that was referring to.

- Standout music: Substance D's Everyday and Liberace's Ciao!

- Chronology: Baltimore of course in 2000.

Cecil B. Demented did take a bite out of so many trends in Hollywood that are rather relevant to today. I wasn't sure about this one at first but I found myself  pretty taken with this movie.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Rules Of Attraction (2002)

 

Written And Directed by Roger Avary

Sean: "I didn't know where I was going, some place unoccupied I hoped, at first I thought there were things about her I would never forget, But in the end all I could think about was-..."

I saw this movie only once and it was a few years after it's initial release. It wasn't a movie that particularly impressed me but I decided to go back to it recently. I can't say that time has altered my view on it.

Based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name, you've got well college students. None of whom are particularly likable but this movie did something of a deep dive on these particular characters.

Going in for LGBT representation first, there's Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder). He's a bisexual guy caught up in a love triangle with fellow students Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon) and Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek). Yes, that last is related to who you'd expect him to be related to.

It's a rather toxic triangle to watch unfold with all three characters being frustrating to watch and none of them on the same page as one another. Paul pined for Sean. Sean pined for Lauren but had no problem sleeping with Kelly (Kate Bosworth). Lauren also pined for her ex boyfriend Victor (Kip Pardue).

There's a whole segment in the movie that nearly delved into Victor's European exploits that were moderately entertaining enough to watch. Victor also had sex with Lara (Jessica Biel) and there's also a purple letter subplot involving Sean to boot.

It's a film where none of the three got what they truly wanted. Sean didn't get Lauren and left. Paul didn't get Sean but reflected on things with Lauren. Lauren didn't get back together with Victor.

- Casper Van Dien was cast as Patrick Bateman but his scene was ultimately cut from the film.

- There's some good support roles from Faye Dunaway, Swoosie Kurtz, Eric Stoltz and Fred Savage to name a few. Lot of recognisable people appear in this one.

- Standout music: James Van Der Beek's version of Anna Begins and George Michael's Faith.

- Chronology: Set at Camden College in New Hampshire.

The Rules Of Attraction was more of a frustrating than fun experience. The performances are fine and there's some interesting character bits but it didn't really come together that well as a film.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Pecker (1998)

 

Written And Directed by John Waters 

Pecker: "I love you Shelley! I love you more than Kodak!"

I'll admit that 1990s era John Waters might be his most interesting time. There's a clear attempt to be a little mainstream while also keeping with the shock value that his earlier works have done.

There's also more of a conscious effort to have a sympathetic main character and Pecker (Edward Furlong) might be his most likable to date. Pecker's genuinely a nice kid with a hobby and talent for taking photos.

Pecker's got a family he adored - parents Jimmy (Mark Joy) and Joyce (Mary Kay Place), sisters Tina (Martha Plimpton) and Little Chrissy (Lauren Hulsey) and his grandmother (Jean Schertler). The latter had a talking Virgin Mary statue and Pecker's family and girlfriend, Shelley (Christina Ricci) were incredibly supporting of his photography. They were also subjects too.

Anyways Pecker quickly caught the attention of New York art dealer Rorey Wheeler (Lili Taylor) and pretty much became an overnight success. On the downside, it made Pecker a tad unpopular in his own town and his family a victim of burglary to boot.

There's a look into Pecker taking apart the elitism of the art work during the second half of the movie as well as getting back into the favour of his home town. It's a funny turn of events with Pecker this movie by proclaiming his own aspirations to make a movie himself.

- There's cameos and voice roles for John Waters, Mink Stole and Mary Vivian Pearce respectively. Tobey Maguire was originally considered for Pecker but turned it down.

- Apparently Christina Ricci wasn't a fan of either Baltimore or laundromats. Shelley ran a laundromat obsessively.

- Standout music: Paul Evans's Happy-Go-Lucky Me.

- Chronology: 1990s Baltimore as well as a brief trip to New York.

Pecker (1998) does have a certain charm to it. It's not John Waters best effort but neither would it be his worst. I think Edward Furlong did a good job in making the character as likable as he could've done.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Inception (2010)

 

Written And Directed by Christopher Nolan 

Cobb: "I need to get home. That's all I care about right now."

Ariadne: "Why can't you go home?"

Cobb: "Because they think I killed her."

One of my favourite films from the 2010s and one of the best movies from Christopher Nolan himself. Released between his two billion dollar movies from a certain trilogy, Nolan was cooking something truly extraordinary here.

Most of his players from The Dark Knight trilogy factor into this film but it's Leonardo DiCaprio who was leading the events as Dom Cobb. Cobb was an extractor along with Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Their mission involved striking their targets subconscious to extract information. Needless to say there was going to be a fall out from that.

The fallout being the death of Cobb's wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard). She served both as a femme fatale and a guilty conscience of sorts for Cobb with some rather heated moments between both former spouses. There's some genuinely strong chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard throughout the movie.

Cobb however had a mission courtesy of Japanese businessman, Saito (Ken Watanabe). The mission involved extracting information from Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and for that Cobb needed a team.

This was where characters like Ariadne (Elliot Page), Eames (Tom Hardy), Yusuf (Dileep Rao) and Stephen Miles (Michael Caine) factored into things. All of them had certain skill sets that Cobb and Arthur needed for the mission.

It's a chaotic mission with various details into the complexity of the dream world, including limbo being outlined. There's a lot of mind bending sequences, a deep dive in Cobb's own family guilt as well as the use of a totem to see if the real world was still out there. 

- Various actors, including the likes of Kate Winslet, Emily Blunt and James Franco. Some of these actors also turned Nolan down for certain parts.

- Other actors included Lukas Haas, Peter Postlethwaite and Talulah Riley. The latter's role was rather amusing.

- Standout music: Édith Piaf's Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.

- Chronology: Largely set in the dream world, but also in Lis Angeles.

Inception (2010) deserves the accolades bestowed upon it. It's a mind bending madness of delight with weighty themes and a series of exceptional performances. It's really one of the best things I've seen Leonardo DiCaprio in and I hope that one day he will work Christopher Nolan again.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Interstellar (2014)

 

Written by Jonathan Nolan And Christopher Nolan

Directed by Christopher Nolan 

Cooper: "We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down, and worry about our place in the dirt."

Yes, I'm going backwards here, given the previous movie from this director that I reviewed. Christopher Nolan has explored many things but him tackling a space based story wasn't on my bingo card at the time.

Coming off a massively successful Batman trilogy, Nolan clearly had blockbusters on the brain and this one was lofty in its ambitious but at the same time, it felt quietly intimate. It's about a family man and he just happened to be played by Matthew McConaughey.

McConaughey took on the role of former NASA pilot turned farmer, Joseph "Coop" Cooper. Being a farmer wasn't something he seemed content with because the moment he had the opportunity to venture back into space, he certainly seized it with both hands.

Cooper being part of the Endurance meant leaving behind his children - Tom (Timothee Chalamet) and Murph (Mackenzie Foy). The latter didn't exactly take her father's departure particularly well but she would follow her father footsteps and surpass him in many ways.

As much as the film focused on Cooper and Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway) off planet, there was an equal amount of focus placed on Murph. We got to see older versions of her, played by both Jessica Chastain and Ellen Burstyn respective and I gotta be honest, I found her a lot interesting to watch than her father. Saying that, there's no denying that Cooper's absence really did inspire the choices that Murph made with her life and their final reunion was beautifully bittersweet.

As per usual, there's a lot of supporting players from Nolan's collection of actors as well as some newer ones in the mix. Both John Lithgow and Casey are on good form as Cooper's father in law, Donald and the older version of Tom respectively. Matt Damon had a good supporting role as Dr Mann while Michael Caine popped up as Amelia's father, Professor John Brand.

- Other actors in sizeable roles included Wes Bentley, Topher Grace, David Gyasi and Josh Stewart to name a few.

- The method of space travel for the movie was based on Dr. Kip Thorne's work. He provided guidelines for the movie.

- Standout music: Dylan Thomas's Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.

- Chronology: This movie spanned several decades. Cooper reunited with Murph as she was dying of old age.

Interstellar (2014) might be one of the best movies from Christopher Nolan. It's a genuinely beautiful movie from start to finish with incredible performances all round from everyone involved. The last few minutes alone are breathtaking.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of House Of The Dragon: "Tumbleton"

 

Written by David Hancock 

Directed by Clare Kilner 

Ormund (to Daeron): "Now, you must be king."

And just like that, James Norton became the MVP of Season 3. I both love and hate Ormund Hightower in equal measures. He's a breath of fresh air and he's also a toxic menace. The influence he's got on Daeron was staggering to watch.

In his own twisted way, I don't doubt that he might love Daeron but Ormund made it abundantly clear that he's got a deep hatred for the Targaryan bloodline. The way he talked about Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne was one thing but he wanted Daeron to usurp both Aegon II and Aemond as well.

He didn't hold back with testing Daeron by having the poor lad murder Hugh's brother in law. Oh, the brother in law by the way committed the crime of protecting his sister from Ormund's rapist soldier. Sadly, Daeron did exactly what Ormund wanted and just like that, both Aegon II and Aemond are no longer Rhaenyra's biggest threats.

Speaking of Aegon II, he's not having the best time. Both him and Larys have become latrine cleaners and Aegon's reunion with Sunfyre had Larys dismissing the possibility of the poor dragon still being alive. I hate that I actually feel a little bad for Aegon II this season.

As for Aemond, he's still not around but Criston got to have a delightful conversation with Alys where the latter made it clear not to mess with her. Criston's encounter with her certainly spooked him and also forced both him and Gwayne to get along and ditch Harrenhal for Tumbleton. 

Back to King's Landing, it was nice to see Rhaenyra find some common ground with Alyn, put Ulf in his place, appoint a Master of Coin on Mysaria's advice, get some useful information on Ormund from Alicent but once again, it seemed like there will be more tension between her and Daemon. Rhaenyra did a lot this episode, including trying to get the upper hand on her latest threat.

Speaking of Daemon, he didn't exactly have the greatest of meetings with Lady Jeyne but he did get some gold. Daemon also discovered that Rhaena was responsible for Jace's death and his attempts to remedy things will only make things worse. As for Rhaena, she's just taking herself out of the equation.

- Ormund certainly had a temper that Daeron was too aware of. Ormund's also sensitive to smells.

- Helaena is pregnant, which so far only Alicent is aware of. It doesn't seem she's too far along either.

- Torrhen Manderly was appointed Master of Coin. Orwyle was allowed to keep his position but has to work with Mysaria. Daemon's mistrust for the latter keeps growing.

- Ormund's view on sexual assault leave a lot to be desired, even if he did geld that soldier of his. He's also not a fan of dragons or incest.

- Corlys was still pissed at Rhaenyra that he went off to fight more Triarchy remnants. 

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Tumbleton might be the weakest compared to the first three episodes but it's a great showcase for both James Norton and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. The Ormund/Daeron dynamic might be toxic but it's fascinating to watch.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of My Adventures With Superman: "The Death Of Superman"

 

Written by Marguerite Bennett 

Directed by Chris Palmer 

Lex (to Jon): "I hear you're trying to travel back to the past. That really doesn't work for me. Where would you even get an idea like that?"

I'm never going to get a Superman media that won't do this story, huh? This episode kind of subverted the idea with consequences. It also turned out that, future wise, Jon Kent cannot catch a break.

In this present day scenario, Hank Henshaw went on the mother of all rampages in his quest to actually kill Superman. Hank was also rather keen to kill Supergirl and Superboy and almost came close to taking all three out.

In between the big fights moments, Jon brought everyone up to speed on the future he came from. Both Superman and Lois dead. Supergirl raising him until he died. Doctor Luthor being the one to help him. It was a lot for Superman, Supergirl and Lois to take in. 

The big battles itself were the best the show has accomplished so far. It really felt like Cyborg Superman was going to annihilate all three heroes until things took a rather tragic turn for him. On top of that, Superman just lost his powers and Superboy had to go back to his own timeline.

Speaking of timelines, it turned out that things could definitely get worse. Instead of Cyborg Superman devastating the world, try a mashup of Lex Luthor/Brainiac and Eradicators. Yet again, another episode ending on one hell of a cliffhanger. This season isn't pulling it's punches.

- Lois got to punch Lex, much to Slade's delight. Lex challenged her on being Superman's girlfriend.

- Kara being the one to train Jon led to some rather cute flashbacks between the two. Kara thought Jon hated her when the truth was the exact opposite.

- I liked the changing of the title card for this episode. It worked in highlighting the more serious tone here.

- Chronology: Stopping Cyborg Superman led to a worse future where Jon is called Jonathan Lane. 

The Death Of Superman has been done so many, many times but I did genuinely like this take on the idea. How long will Superman go without his powers? Is this future going to be resolved quickly or will it play out for the remainder of the season? It's gotta be the latter.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Dunkirk (2017)

 

Written And Directed by Christopher Nolan

Tommy (to Alex): "We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be..."

With The Odyssey set to hit cinemas in less than a week, I'm going to try and watch and review as many Christopher Nolan movies that I've not watched in a while. Chances are I'll complete his filmography after reviewing his imminent release.

I'm also not reviewing them in release order but that's probably apparent by this particular choice. Remember when Nolan made movies that were under two hours? That was early into his career and as recently with this World War II era story. This was also a movie that was rather sparse on dialogue too.

Opting for a nonlinear narrative, there's a focus on a young British soldier named Tommy (Fionn Whitehead). His squadmates were lost and he helped another soldier Gibson (Aneurin Barnard) bury a body survive a Luftwaffe dive-bomber attack. Then he saved a Highlander named Alex (Harry Styles). Alex, Gibson and Tommy are almost killed but managed to barely survive.

Things then moved on to a father and son named Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance) and Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) as well as George (Barry Keoghan). They made up the Royal Navy part of the story, saving a shell shock stricken officer (Cillian Murphy). There's also some rather and son conflict with George being a casualty in the mix.

There's also three Royal Air Force Spitfires that were flying towards Dunkirk. There's a focus on characters like Farrier (Tom Hardy) and Collins (Jack Lowden) with involvement from Peter. The latter being responsible for saving Collins.

The third act revealed a betrayal among the first group of Tommy, Gibson and Alex and it's effectively handled while Farrier also had his own moments to do something heroic. The last few moments of the film then gave the other characters different outcomes, some arguably better than others.

- Other actors that factored in the movie were Michael Caine, James D'Arcy, Kenneth Brannagh, Luke Thompson and Harry Collett.

- The twelve ships that participated in the Dunkirk evacuation were re-enacted for the movie.

- Standout music: Benjamin Wallfisch's Variation 15 (Dunkirk).

- Chronology: The summer of 1940 during the Battle of France.

Dunkirk (2017) certainly portrayed the events in both a harrowing and bombastic way with some fine performances from most of Christopher Nolan's players on board. It's a compelling look into this particular moment in history and one of Nolan's finest films.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Serial Mom (1994)

 

Written And Directed by John Waters 

Chip: "Mom, are you a serial killer?"

Beverly: "The only "serial" I know anything about is Rice Krispies."

For the last two movies, we've gone down the musical route and forbidden love stories. Now, we've got a suburban housewife with something of a darker side.

Yup, that's Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner). On the surface she appeared to be a devoted wife to husband, Eugene (Sam Waterson) and teenagers Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard). That's being the surface of course.

In reality, Beverly was a much darker person that delighted in making obscene phone calls to her neighbour, Dottie Hinkle (Mink Stole) over a parking space slight. Beverly's something of an easily slighted person. Even her litterbug neighbour Rosemary Ackerman (Mary Jo Catlett) came close to death a few times.

In fact, Beverly's reaction to being slighted went beyond obscene phone calls. Over the course of the movie, Beverly murdered various people who slighted or even mildly inconvenienced her family. That included a maths teacher, her daughter's cheating boyfriend and a patient and his wife of Eugene. Throw in an Annie obsessed neighbour and Chip's best friend, Scotty Barnhill (Justin Whalin) and Beverly's stacked up an impressive body count.

As a serial killer, Beverly's a campy delight to watch. She's completely in denial about her killer tendencies and her family's ongoing dread as the police close in on her was fun to watch. There's two detectives - Pike (Scott Wesley Morgan) and Gracey (Walt MacPherson) who delighted in finally catching her out.

The trial itself was the absolute highlight of the movie. Beverly representing herself and tearing apart the likes of Dottie and the detective to get off was brilliant. There's even a rather good use of Suzanne Somers as Beverly revealed her killer tendencies on poor Juror #8 (Patty Hearst). White shoes after Labour Day isn't a good idea around Beverly.

- John Waters voiced Ted Bundy for a brief scene. Mary Vivian Pearce popped up as a book buyer.

- Beverly had a thing for birds, specifically starlings. Her other taste in books however were more fitting for her crimes.

- Standout music: L7's Gas Chamber.

- Chronology: From May to October and of course in a suburban Towson, Maryland setting.

Serial Mom had me in absolute stitches. It's a delightful black comedy with Kathleen Turner on incredible form as the demented Beverly Sutphin. She's utterly charming and dangerous and there's too many laugh out loud moments among some horrifying scenes.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Thoroughbreds (2017)

 

Written And Directed by Cory Finley

Amanda (to Lily): "You cannot hesitate. The only thing worse than being incompetent, or being unkind, or being evil, is being indecisive."

I fancied something of a black comedy and I remember that I saw this movie late at night a few years ago. I tracked it down again and watched it to refresh my memory. Two teenage girls and one much darker than the other. 

If you've ever seen the movie Heavenly Creatures, this movie felt like it was riffing some similar plot strands. You've got rich girl Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy). She's been hired to "tutor" social outcast and emotionless Amanda (Olivia Cooke). The latter clocked this immediately.

There was a time when both Lily and Amanda were friends but drifted apart. Amanda also opened the movie by performing a mercy killing on her horse but rumours of that incident have portrayed her in a much worse light to her peers. Is Amanda truly devoid of emotions?

She's definitely convinced that she's devoid of them and she was more than happy to show Lily how to fake crying pretty well. Amanda also quickly worked out how much Lily hated her stepfather, Mark (Paul Sparks). It's not like Lily made much of an effort to conceal her hatred for him.

In fact, it was slightly comical when Lily pretended to be affronted by Amanda's suggestion of killing Mark, only to openly embrace the idea in very little time. Trying to get local drug dealer Tim (Anton Yelchin) to perform the task however turned out to be more of a challenge. He wisely opted not to get dragged into their crazy scheme. 

As for the actual murder itself, Lily being the one to get her hands dirty but frame Amanda for the deed didn't surprise me. Amanda even going along with it almost didn't phase me either. In a bittersweet way, both girls got what they wanted.

- Tim had a conviction for statutory rape and ended up as a valet in the last scene. Mark was definitely coercive controlling Lily's mother. Anton Yelchin died shortly after filming.

- Keeping with the horse theme, there's one scene where Amanda started making horse noises. She even dreamed of a world with Thoroughbreds.

- Standout music: King Harvest's Dancin' In The Moonlight and Rome Will Burn's Chameleon.

- Chronology: Set in a suburban Connecticut.

Thoroughbreds (2017) might lift from better films but it did manage to hold it's own reasonably well. Both Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy are on solid ground with this one. A good final performance from Anton Yelchin too, I might add.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Cry-Baby (1990)

 

Written And Directed by John Waters 

Cry-Baby (to Mrs. Vernon-Williams): "I may be a drape, but I love your granddaughter. And if that's a crime, I'll stand convicted, ma'am."

How do you follow up a success of sorts like Hairspray (1988)? For John Waters, it seemed like coming out with another musical focusing on teenagers was the way to go. Throw in a forbidden love story and there was potential for success here.

The 1990s were certainly a decade for Johnny Depp as an actor and he's suitably cast as bad boy teen rebel Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker. Cry-Baby was part of a group called "drapes" and everyone else was a "square" by comparison. 

One square in particular was Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane). It took virtually nothing for Cry-Baby and Allison to fall madly in love with one another. There's some opposition from Allison's grandmother (Polly Bergen) and the boring Baldwin (Stephen Mailer) but Allison's love for Cry-Baby shone throughout.

Allison was happy to get a makeover from Cry-Baby's single mother sister, Pepper (Ricki Lake) and her friends, Wanda (Traci Lords) and Mona (Kim McGuire). There's also Cry-Baby and Pepper's fun grandmother, Ramona Rickettes (Susan Tyrrell) and her fella, Belvedere (Iggy Pop). They're a fun bunch of characters to watch.

Anyways, the love story with Cry-Baby and Allison largely worked, the former had a spell in a boys training school before being set free and we got a game of chicken between Cry-Baby and Baldwin, which in a predictable turn of events the latter ended up losing. On the other hand, at least the drape got the square, so it ended on a rather happy note.

- There's an amusing subplot where one of the female drapes was going to be sent to Sweden as part of a student exchange.

- Mink Stole appeared as Mrs. Malnorowski. She seems to be one of the few constants in John Waters movies.

- Standout music: Women In Cadillacs, A Teenage Prayer, The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane and Please Mr. Jailer.

- Chronology: 1954 Baltimore. Both Cry-Baby and Allison confessed to being orphans.

Cry-Baby (1990) doesn't quite hit the same way as Hairspray (1988) but it's a solid enough outing for everyone involved. Nice enough musical numbers but somewhat let down by a rather rushed ending.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Pixie (2020)

 

Written by Preston Thompson

Directed by Barnaby Thompson 

Harland: "I'm sorry we didn't fucking cover body disposal in our economics course."

Throwing in an Irish movie where two thirds of the main protagonists are played by English actors, because why not? To be fair, the actors in question do manage to deliver convincing enough Irish accents. I'll let it slide.

This movie pivoted around Olivia Cooke, who took on the title role. Pixie started the movie by having two fellas - Fergus (Fra Free) and Colin (Rory Fleck Byrne) playing off each other in order to acquire some MDMA from a group of gangster priests. Yup, you heard that correctly.

Pixie wanted a new life in San Francisco and she was determined to get it any way that she could. She came from a family of gangsters - stepfather Dermot (Colm Meaney), stepbrother Mickey (Turlough Convery) and a stepsister named Summer (Olivia Byrne). Dermot and Summer doted on Pixie whereas Mickey hated her guts, so much so that he had Pixie's mother killed to make her suffer.

The death of Fergus and disappearance of Colin created a lot of tension, including the attention of gangster priest, Father Hector McGrath (Alec Baldwin). The third act would involve one of the nuttiest shoot outs in a local parish that you'll ever see.

For most of the movie though, Pixie found herself aligned with local drifters Frank (Ben Hardy) and Harland (Daryl McCormack). Both men were easily attracted to and led by Pixie, enabling her antics. Despite Pixie being open about her duplicitous ways, both Frank and Harland were shocked when she got one up on them.

They're an entertaining trio to actually watch throughout the whole movie. There's even a moment that predated Challengers and it's as fun to watch here as it was in that movie. You'll know exactly the one I'm talking about. I also liked that Pixie got to avenge her mother, twice over. 

- Another of Pixie's ex-boyfriends appeared during that shoot out. Gareth (Sebastian DeSouza) was the son of Hector.

- Other actor appearances included Pat Shortt, Chris Whalley, Dylan Moran and Ned Dennehy. All had some good scenes.

- Standout music: Horace Silver's Song For My Father and Marlena Shaw's California Soul.

- Chronology: The movie was set in Sligo. Pixie's mother had been killed by Colin (under Mickey's instructions) four years ago.

Pixie (2020) turned out to be a delight. It doesn't do anything new for the genre but it's a lot of fun. Olivia Cooke delighted as the title character and the supporting cast are great. There's plenty to enjoy here.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Hairspray (1988)

 

Written And Directed by John Waters 

Iggy: "Would you swim in an integrated swimming pool?"

Tracy: "I sure would, Iggy. I'm a modern kind of girl, I'm all for integration."

After so many transgressive movies, could John Waters really make a mainstream hit and not lose his voice? If this was anything to go by, it appeared that he could. Oh and it's a musical to boot.

Set during 1960s Baltimore, you've got the pleasantly plump Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake). While she exasperated her loving parents Edna (Divine) and Wilbur (Jerry Stiller), Tracy had a dream to appear on Corny Collins (Shawn Thompson) variety dance show. 

Tracy didn't have to try very hard because she managed to get her dream to come true and bitchy rival, Amber Von Tussle (Colleen Fitzpatrick) couldn't derail her. Then again, neither could Amber's awful parents Franklin (Sonny Bono) and Velma (Debbie Harry) and they certainly wanted to.

Tracy became such an instant hit on The Corny Collins Show that she got Amber's former boyfriend, Lincoln "Link" Larkin (Michael St. Gerard) as her new dance partner and boyfriend and booked a modelling contract from Hefty Hideaway's Mr Pinky (Alan Wendl). Aside from put into special ed for her hair, everything was going in Tracy's favour.

On top of that the presence of Motormouth Maybelle Stubbs (Ruth Brown) and her son, Seaweed (Clayton Prince) brought up the issue of integration versus segregation. Most of the characters were for integration with only Amber, her parents and WZZT station manager Arvin Hodgepile (Divine) being against the idea.

There's a nice love story between Seawood and Tracy's best friend, Penny Pingleton (Leslie Ann Powers), although the latter's mother, Prudence (Jo Ann Havrilla) tried to put a stop to it but love conquered all as did the majority of Baltimore wanting integration. Even a spell in reform school couldn't stop Tracy from getting one up on Amber as well.

- This was Divine's last role. He passed away around the release of the movie.

- John Waters had a rather amusing role as Dr. Fredrickson. Toussaint McCall appeared as himself. Mink Stole popped up as Tammy and Josh Charles as Iggy.

- Standout music: Hairspray, I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song) and Nothing Takes The Place Of You.

- Chronology: 1962 and 1963, Baltimore, Maryland.

Hairspray (1988) was a joy from start to finish. A fun musical with some great numbers, a few nice love stories and a good exploration into the changing times and importance of society also changing for the better.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)

 

Written And Directed by Quentin Tarantino 

Elle Driver: "That's right. I killed your master. And now I'm gonna kill you too, with your own sword, no less, which in the very immediate future, will become... my sword."

The Bride: "Bitch, you don't have a future."

I might have waited too long to post my review for the first part on this blog, but here's the review for the second part. Now, I'll admit that while I do think Volume 1 was much stronger, I've grown to really appreciate the second volume and how it concluded this duology.

There's a lot of moving parts. There's two viral origins in relation to The Bride's mission of revenge and why Bill held her in such regard. Let's go into those first.

There was a big deal about The Bride getting a sword from Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba) by everyone. It turned out that Hanzo having a reserved hatred for Bill was enough incentive to get him to make a sword for The Bride. Bill has certainly pissed off a lot of people in his time.

My favourite however was watching The Bride being trained by Pai-Mei (Gordon Liu).  While he's a misogynistic, racist and xenophobic sadist of the highest order, he turned out to a brilliant trainer for The Bride. When it turned out that Elle Driver killed him, it was another reason for The Bride to up her revenge.

I do love that both Elle and Budd's comeuppance come within tandem of each other. Budd was living a depressing existence but he actually got one up on The Bride by burying her alive. It didn't take and neither did he expect that Elle would be the one to kill him. I almost felt sorry for Budd.

Elle on the other hand got a fate arguably worse than death. Having lost both eyes was squeamish but she was probably not long for the world with the Black Mamba nearby. Again, we got an epic fight scene between both Elle and The Bride as well as the latter's name finally revealed.

Yup, she's called Beatrix Kiddo and by the third act she finally caught up with Bill and met her daughter, B.B. (Perla Haney-Jardine). The reunion with the three was another strength of the movie. Beatrix and Bill in spite of their complicated feelings towards one another had a certain level of respect. Bill's death was more restrained compared to others but thematically, it was a satisfying way to end this whole bloody saga.

- Samuel L. Jackson played the Reverend during the wedding rehearsal. Beatrix was almost during a wedding rehearsal. That's nuts.

- That Superman/Clark Kent analogy might be one of my favourite things that Quentin Tarantino has ever written.

- Standout music: Malcolm McLaren's About Her and Quincy Jones Ironside.

- Chronology: It was six months between releases of both parts but less time in between. You can watch both movies together with Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.

Kill Bill: Volume 2 on reflection turned out to be a much better conclusion to this whole bloody affair. It went down a spaghetti western route and it ended working perfectly, especially during the final confrontation between Beatrix and Bill.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)

 

Written And Directed by Quentin Tarantino

O-Ren Ishii: "For ridiculing you earlier, I apologize."

The Bride: "Accepted."

Okay, sometimes there are movies that I've watched so many times that I'm actually shocked that I haven't reviewed them. This would be one of two. You don't have to guess the second part.

Quentin Tarantino would be a director for his technique and utter in depth knowledge of various genres of media. It's something that he was able to fuse rather well in this two part revenge thriller, in which he reunited with the icon herself, Uma Thurman.

Thurman took on the role of The Bride. Her real name wasn't revealed during this first part for dramatic effect. There's plenty of drama here as The Bride has her wedding day to an ordinary but dull guy. Let's just say that a lot of people died and all because The Bride decided she wanted out of her job.

The job was being an assassin for a man named Bill (David Carradine) aka Snake Charmer. Bill got his best assassins O-Ren Ishii/Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu), Vernita Green/Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox), Elle Driver/California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah) and Budd/Sidewinder (Michael Madsen) to take out Black Mamba aka The Bride. They didn't really succeed on that front.

I mean they certainly made the effort and put The Bride into a coma where a vile orderly named Buck (Michael Bowen) sexually assaulted her. Fortunately, Buck got a much deserved comeuppance when The Bride woke and she had to retrain her body in order to get some of her revenge.

The Bride was determined to kill every single person who fucked up her wedding. This first part tackled both Vernita and O-Ren. Vernita happened at the start of the movie with the added complication of her daughter, Nikki (Ambrosia Kelley) witnessing her mother's death. It's a moment that The Bride took the enormity into account, aware that Nikki will be a future problem for her.

There's more of an emphasis on O-Ren Ishii, who became quite the crime boss in Tokyo with the Yakuza at her beck and call. There's a gorgeous anime flashback highlighting O-Ren's tragic origins. She's also rather sensitive to anyone pointing out her mixed heritage.

Honestly, while I love this movie to bits, it's the third act that made it such a blast. The moment The Bride touched down in Tokyo and sought out O-Ren, it's just glorious to watch. So many fights (the one with school girl bodyguard Gogo Yubari, played by Chiaki Kuriyama was excellent), deaths, limbs and a beautifully choreographed fight sequence between the two in a snowy garden. Then there's the last moment.

The Bride spared O-Ren's right hand woman, Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus) and we learned that the baby The Bride was actually alive. That was an absolutely brilliant cliffhanger to end the first part on. I love it so much.

- Both films were meant to be released in one go before they were split into two.

- I loved the absolute contrasts that both Vernita and O-Ren had with their lives. Vernita was the only one from the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad who tried to live a normal suburban life.

- Standout music: Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), The 5.6.7.8's Woo Hoo and Santa Esmeralda's Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.

- Chronology: The Bride's bloody wedding took place in El Paso, Texas during 1999. She went to California and Tokyo in 2003 to take out both Vernita and O-Ren.

Kill Bill: Volume 1 was a sprawling opening to two of the best things that Quentin Tarantino has ever committed to the big screen. A delightfully chaotic revenge thriller with top drawer performances from everyone, neat cameos, references for cinephiles, fight sequences galore and the most quotable dialogue. 

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of House Of The Dragon: "Rhaenyra Triumphant"

 

Written by Sara Hess 

Directed by Clare Kilner 

Alicent: "There is in you a door that must shut. You will do things that your heart will recoil from before you came to the throne."

Rhaenyra: "I acknowledge the struggle but I dispute that I must become what I am not."

Alicent: "Time will tell."

After last week's "victory", the reality of actually having the one thing she's wanted now hit Rhaenyra like a tonne of bricks. She really must prove herself and she's got too many offering opinions but not enough long term solutions.

Let's talk about the small folk first. Robbing the food supply from her Lords and Ladies and distributing it to her citizens might have seemed like a benevolent act on Rhaenyra's part but Torrhen Manderly (Dan Fogler) wasn't wrong in pointing out Rhaenyra's role in the small folk being hungry. 

The biggest problem - there's no freaking gold and Alicent was almost a bit too happy to point that Otto knew where it was. Alicent was a little too happy to point out a lot of things. Anyone else would've had Alicent killed on the spot. This show will not allow Rhaenyra put her childhood friend to death, even if it would make more sense to do.

Alicent will continue to fascinate and frustrated in equal measures. For someone who'll chastise Rhaenyra for their entitlement, Alicent refuses to acknowledge her own. She's damn lucky that Rhaenyra hasn't had her, Helaena and Jaehaera killed. Daemon certainly would've. Saying that, Alicent did give Rhaenyra some sound advice the latter should take on board.

Keeping with Alicent, she should've been more gracious about Daeron being sent to the Wall than being killed, the fate that will befall both Aegon II and Aemond if they're caught. Saying that, I loved that the fake Daeron plot got so quickly revealed here.

Ormund really thought he was going to get one up on the Blacks and in a way he did. He managed to capture Tumbleton and a young dragon but I'm sure he didn't expect Fake Daeron would be outed so quickly. I also loved that Rhaenyra just burned all Greens memorabilia in an act of pure pettiness. 

As for the rest of the episode, Corlys was right to call Rhaenyra out on her hypocrisy when she refused to acknowledge Addam and Alyn but at the same time, he probably should've raised the issue privately as well. I do get his frustration but there's a time and a place, Corlys.

- Mysaria proved to give Rhaenyra a solution by encouraging her to appoint a new Master of Coin. Daemon clearly views her as a threat. Daemon also wanted to sack other cities.

- While Jason is definitely dead, Tyland might not be. Can't imagine he's that much of a threat either way.

- Alicent was pretty scathing about Viserys this episode. Helaena also got in that jab about Jace to Rhaenyra.

- Rhaenyra served rats to the Lords and Ladies, was refused by the Septon when she wanted to declare Aegon II dead, had bad cramps/bleeding and hallucinated a serving boy as Jace.

- Hugh Hammer, Ulf White and Addam of Hull became proper knights. 

- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off.

Rhaenyra Triumphant kept the pace of the previous two episodes and arguably, it's the true season opener here. I like that Rhaenyra's a bit out of her depth here with only Mysaria and Alicent giving her practical advice so far. Ormund also is shaping up to be an interesting threat too.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of My Adventures With Superman: "Guess Who's Slammin' To Dinner?"

 

Written by Sari Cooper

Directed by Jen Bennett 

Lois (to Jon): "Why are you here?"

With ten episodes per season, I do enjoy that this show will not waste time. After briefly meeting him last week, Jon Kent showed up in his past/our present to make himself known to his parents.

Anyone else might have chosen discretion upon trying to prevent the deaths of their parents but Jon went for the direct approach. E interrupted Clark and Lois's dinner date by being a hyperactive bundle and seemed delighted to also meet his Aunt Kara and Uncle Jimmy.

While Clark, Jimmy and Kara all took to Jon instantly, Lois didn't. She was wary of him and the implications of his existence dictating her destiny. Lois's reaction was the most realistic to Jon's presence and she rightly asked why he was there. Lois was pretty shocked when Jon was too forthcoming with the information. Cyborg Superman will kill both Superman and Lois.

Focusing on Superboy here, I'm impressed the show just both version. Aesthetic wise, he looks like Conner Kent but he's Superman and Lois's son, so he's Jon Kent. Given how LGBT friendly this show has been, I'm guessing this version might be gay or bisexual too.

Going back to Cyborg Superman, I knew that Hank Henshaw was going to go against Lex Luthor and I liked that they just had it happen right here. There was something comical in the way that Slade just sat back and let Hank escape. He didn't want to help Lex one bit.

- There's a nice subplot with the Subterranosauri and Prince Tyrannko. Jon managed to bring two species into a peace treaty.

- Jon might have his dad's powers but he's got his mother's inquisitive nature, food tastes and mannerisms.

- Kara's dating profile app actually broke. How much longer will Jimmy go on bad dates because he won't ask her out?

- Chronology: Not long from the previous episode.

Guess Who's Slammin' To Dinner? was a delightful episode. The addition of this version of Superboy has turned out well so far and Darren Criss (who was Superman not so long ago, animation wise) was on great form here.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Disclosure Day (2026)

 

Written by David Koepp

Directed by Steven Spielberg 

Margaret (to everyone): "Listen."

It's been a while since we've had a big blockbuster from the legendary Steven Spielberg and coming up with an original idea, there's this movie. I'm not gonna lie, it's not Spielberg on all cylinders but it's not quite a misfire either.

There's a focus on two very different protagonists who find themselves drawn to one another. First of all, let's look at TV meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt). In fact I'd say she was the main character in this whole film.

Margaret wasn't content in her current life but she had a supportive boyfriend in Jackson (Wyatt Russell), who was willing to go along with a lot in this film. There was also an incident from when she was ten years old that she didn't want to remember until events made it impossible for her to no longer ignore.

Speaking of events, Margaret ended up with the abilities to speak and understand languages she didn't know and even became loved ones of various people that she interacted with. That certainly saw Emily give some interesting moments throughout the film. She's undoubtedly the highlight throughout.

That's not to say there aren't other performances that stand out. Josh O'Connor has proven to be quite the character actor over the years and he's suitably cast as whistleblower Dr. Daniel Kellner. He's a good straight man to the bizarre events though his relationship with former novice, Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson) was one of the weakest aspects of the film.

There's similarly strong enough supporting roles for Colin Firth and Colman Domingo respectively. The former had his moments to shine as Wardex Corporation head, Noah Scanlon. He's mostly a villain throughout the film. Domingo also was on fine form as Hugo Wakefield. He played off everyone rather well.

As for the alien reveal itself. I mean, it was the best way to end the movie and it's done reasonably well. It's mostly effective when past encounters were reported by an NBC anchorwoman, played by Courtney Grace. Margaret's last word on the whole thing might be the best final scene in a 2026 movie so far.

- There's allusion to Spielberg's previous alien themed movie with a particular scene involving Daniel.

- Steven Spielberg has claimed the movie's closer to fact than fiction. I absolutely believe him.

- Standout music: Gwen Stefani/Akon's The Sweet Escape.

- Chronology: Margaret was working on a Kansas TV station. She was thirty eight in the present day.

Disclosure Day isn't Spielberg at his best or worst but it's definitely one of the more interesting movies he's done for a bit. As I was watching it, my feelings kept shifting and having had time to reflect more on it, I liked this a lot more. Emily Blunt in particular just gave such an interesting performance.

Rating: 7 out of 10