Birdbox
(Netflix 15) – I’d
heard a lot about this film, well not really the plot but that it was a must
see, but I didn’t have Netflix at the time so couldn’t watch it. So I recently
gave it a go, I really wasn’t expecting the story to be what it was and it was
pretty damn cool. I can’t really say much as I don’t want to spoil it, but if
you like survival and stuff about zombies then this will probably be right up
your street. If you don’t like stuff that’s a little out there then this
probably won’t be a film for you. I really did enjoy it and it was well made to
boot.
Rating: ****
The
Addams Family (1991) (DVD PG)
– I decided to give this one a re-watch as I hadn’t seen it in a bit, I love
the Addams family, they are so fun and I loved this one growing up too. If you’ve
seen anything about the Addams family and you like it, I’d really give this one
a re-watch, it’s just quirky in bits and a little spooky so ideal for this time
of year. I’m sure if you have young ones, well not too young, they will like
this one too as the characters are just amusing. I think I’ll watch Addams
Family Values soon.
Rating: ***
Fe@rleSS
(Netflix PG) – I wasn’t
sure what this one would be like, but I thought I would give it a go. It was an
ok film and the story was ok, but I’m not really a fan of anything that focuses
around little kids or babies so that’s why I’m giving it a lower star rating.
If you are happy to watch this type of thing or if you have kids then you will
probably enjoy watching this with them. Yep the animations are good, the story
is ok but oh so predictable, yeah it passed the time really but nothing
spectacular.
Rating: **
Mulan
(1998) (DVD U) – I decided
to give this one a re-watch as I haven’t seen it in a while, and it really is a
classic Disney film. It’s just magical with her companions and the story is
just great, it’s filled with some songs but unlike other films it’s not all
about the singing, they fit in the right places really and add to the story
rather than like ugh not another song. Yep if you would like a smile and a
giggle, as this one does have its funny points, then this is probably worth
re-watching.
The
Roads Not Taken (15) – It’s
about a young lady who is taking care of her mentally ill father, it’s kind of
about a day in her life. It is done well for the subject matter, it really does
capture the essence of mental illness and how it can be for both the person
suffering with it and also for the family. This is no way a happy film, and if
you aren’t feeling at your best or if you aren’t up for watching a depressing
movie then I would give this one a miss. But if you want to watch a real life
drama unfold about a very real subject that effects lots of people then this
might be for you. I’m only giving it this rating because it’s not my type of
film as I go to the cinema to escape from reality, for others they may give it
a higher view.
Rating: **
The
Broken Hearts Gallery (12A)
– Now I’m not really rom-com person they mainly end up really gushy and make me
feel like I’m going to barf. This even though classed as a rom-com was pretty
funny, it was the typical story of a girl feeling meh and she ends up meeting a
guy blah blah blah, it’s also about her friendships though and well it’s pretty
quirky and fun. It did make me giggle a few times, which for these type of
films is pretty rare, even though the plot was all so predictable it was a
pretty good film.
Rating: ***
Bill
& Ted Face The Music (PG)
– I really wasn’t sure what this was going to be like, I loved the previous
movies but when I watched the adverts I thought it looked pretty cringe.
Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as I thought, it was done so you had references to
the previous movies and it stayed pretty true to the feel and plot of them. It
was very much a continuation to the story but there really wasn’t much to it,
don’t get me wrong it was ok but yeah it sadly wasn’t fantastic. In honesty
here I was pretty tired and one might say a little hungover so I may be being a
little harsh on the rating here…or I might be giving truth. Yeah if you liked
the previous movies then this is probably worth a watch, if you want to see
more of the same.
After We Collided (15) – So I had seen all
the other movies at the cinema and thought what the hell might as well go and
see this one. What was I thinking? I knew this film wouldn’t be my type of film
and it totally wasn’t. The plot had been done so many times before, girl falls
for bad boy, they break up and she meets a nice boy but can’t get the bad boy
out her head. That’s is basically it, and all this film has to offer, there’s
nothing unexpected in this film, just all predictability and lots of pointless
sex scenes. Yeah it’s pretty naff.
Rating: *
UglyDolls (Netflix – U) – I missed this on its
original release at the cinema, mainly because I wasn’t sure on it and the idea
behind it. I get it helps to show no matter what arseholes say and put you
down, you should say screw what they said and get back up and aim to achieve
your dreams. But yeah it did bring back thoughts of being bullied by the
popular kids at school and in life, so yeah it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
It was a good film generally for a kid’s film and is worth a look at if you
want something to enjoy with your young ones.
Rating: ***
Monster House (Netflix – PG) – I hadn’t heard of
this before but thought I’d give it a go as it seemed ok from the adverts. Don’t
get me wrong it was alright, the story was ok but not really that brilliant, but
I’m sure most kids have thought this about the creepy person/house down their
street, and come up with some big story behind it. Yeah it’s an ok film, not
the best but not the worst, I have to admit I did get a little bored in this
one and found myself thinking of other stuff. It might be one the younger ones to
watch as spooky season fast approaches but don’t go out your way to see it.
ARQ
(Netflix - 15) – I thought
I’d give this one a go as it looked like it might be interesting and it said it
was sci-fi. It’s basically about a guy and his girlfriend who get stuck in a
time loop and have to try to find a way to survive, and guess what the loop
keeps repeating. This sadly wasn’t anything new or special, there have been
quite a few series’/films that have done a similar thing. It was an ok film to
pass the time, if you like a bit of time-related sci-fi then it might be worth
looking at but don’t expect anything amazing!
Rating: **
Replicas
(Netflix - 12) – This was
actually a pretty good movie, it’s about a scientist who is trying to unlock
putting a human consciousness into a synthetic body, and whatever he tries it
hasn’t successfully worked. He is faced with the real need to harness this
power when his project is due to be canned by the company he works for…there’s
some other stuff but I’m not going to give spoilers. Yeah if you want to watch something
that’s pretty enjoyable and well that’s kind of believable to what might be in
the future, then this is probably worth a look.
Rating: ***
Extraction
(Netflix - 18) – A mercenary
is hired to go in and save a boy who has been kidnapped and is being held to
ransom by a drug lords gang. It’s pretty predicable and is pretty much a high-octane
movie where you leave your brain at the door and just watch the violence
unravel. Yep it’s not really an intelligent movie, and similar things have been
done before, but it does good with what it is and is made really well, it’s
been one of the better movies I’ve watched lately.
Rating: ****
See
You Yesterday (Netflix - 15)
– A girl and her best friend invent a time travel device that allows them to go
back in time by a day, and after her brother dies she goes back to save him. I
felt like this movie had potential, and maybe if you are a teenager or around
the kids age in the film it would make this a little more enjoyable, but sadly
for me I found myself getting really bored with this one. I’ve seen it all
before and there was nothing new or inventive about this sadly. Yeah it might
appeal more to the younger generation so if you have teenagers then they might
love it.
Rating: **
The
Darkest Dawn (Netflix - 15)
– This one is a total B-movie, it’s about two sisters trying to survive an
alien invasion, they end up meeting others who are also trying to survive and
they team up. You know the usual in this type of situation and again sadly
there’s been very similar films/TV shows, so it’s nothing new. Its shot like it
is being filmed on her handy-cam as her aim is to one day be a journalist. Yeah
it’s an ok film but it’s definitely nothing special, if you’ve got nothing else
to do and you’ve seen pretty much everything or if you are a lover of B-movies
then give this a watch, if not then stay well clear.
Rating: **
I Kill
Giants (Netflix – 12A) – I wasn’t sure what this one would be
like, I read the description and thought I would give it a go. It’s the story
of a young girl who is a little different to everyone else, she lives with her
family and also in her escapism, where she must protect the town from giants.
This is one of those stories that blends what is real or what could be real, it’s
an interesting story of the girl’s life experiences at school and a tale of her
friendship. I don’t think it will be everyone’s cup of tea – you’ll either get
it or be like meh about it.
The Willoughby’s (Netflix – PG) – So this is an animated movie about a very odd family, the children are
unloved by their parents so they decide to send them away and fend for
themselves. It was pretty quirky which was what it was advertised as so it did
delivery on that front. It had a few amusing parts but also hit on some
subjects which were a little meh (not happy families if you get my meaning).
Yep if you want to watch a nice kids film which is a little different then this
will be worth looking at, if you are not into animated stuff then give it a
miss.
Rating:
***
The Wandering Earth (Netflix – 15) – I tried to watch this once and turned it off after about a minute, I
don’t know I just wasn’t in the mood to watch it. I am so glad I decided to
watch it fully and stick with it, it was surprisingly a really good story and
movie generally once I got into it. If you want to watch something that is
completely unbelievable but also quite a possibility then this is probably
worth a watch, it’s not really sci-fi but is a bit, kind of a bit of survival
or disaster movie as well. Yep give it a chance if you like something a little
different.
Rating:
***
Princess Mononoke (Netflix – PG) – I hadn’t seen this in years and I thought I would give it a re-watch.
It’s a good story and animated movie, the story is quite touching really and
also hits home about how humans treat the world we live in. You see it’s about
a boy who gets cursed, he heads off to find a cure for his curse and meets a
girl who was raised by wolves, and together their story gets entangled. If you
like Studio Ghibli and the magic these films hold, and you haven’t seen this
one then it is definitely worth checking out.
Rating:
***
Altered Carbon: Resleeved (Netflix
– 15) – I watched this one as it looked
interesting, at the time I didn’t realise this is a movie which is a spin off
from a TV series. I’d usually watch the TV series first and then the film, but
I messed up this time doh. I have the series saved now! Its set in the future
where people’s memories are downloaded onto chips and then if their body dies
their chips can be put into another body. So it could come to be in the future,
who knows, that said as a movie the concept it works really well. I wasn’t sure
on the animation style to start with but it does work well with this film and
the era it is set in. Yep time now to crack out the series! Rating: ***
Megamind (Netflix – PG) – I hadn’t seen this in a while so decided to give it a re-watch and I
forgot how much I liked this and how funny it is. Yep if you want to watch an
animated film, that instead of the normal story – it focuses on the baddie
rather than the goodie, then you should watch this. Well this really shows the
life of a villain isn’t always fun and never quite goes according to plan, the
poor guy. It’s just generally an all-round good film which the whole family
will enjoy, it’s got story, fun characters, humour and well good animation. If
you haven’t seen it then I would totally check it out.
Rating:
****
I See You (Netflix – 15) – I was recommended to watch this one by my family, they said it’s really
creepy – you need to watch it, so I did. Yeah it was a good film, it’s about
some odd goings on in a family’s home where things don’t go as expected. I
didn’t really find it that creepy or disturbing, maybe you would if you had a
big house like they did and things, but it wasn’t scary or anything, it was however
quite believable, so maybe that’s where the creep factor comes in. I thought the
story was pretty predicable sadly, maybe I’ve just watched too many films. It
was though still an entertaining watch, so maybe give it a bash if you like a
light horror.
Rating:
***
Otherlife (Netflix – TV-MA) – This one is about a brother and sister, the sister invents a programmed
drug which allows users to experience a virtual pre-programmed scenario. You
know like experiencing the world in a different way, in a fully immersive
experience. I didn’t really know much about this film but it did really draw me
in and I really did enjoy it, if you like a bit of sci-fi which is fully
believable with some messed up shit that goes on, then this might be the film
for you. Yeah I really did enjoy it, don’t know why but it just worked.
Rating:
****
Tau (15) – Again with this one I wasn’t too sure what it was going to be about,
I’d watched the trailer and that was about it. It’s basically about a girl that
gets kidnapped and forced into helping a technology creator against her will.
Its sci-fi, and again I wouldn’t say too far off that it’s unbelievable. It’s
quite a good story, and considering there is only really three characters in
the most part of it, it works really well. I wouldn’t expect all flash and bang
with this one, it is again more of a story driven film but it has an interesting
concept. Yep if you want to watch a little bit of sci-fi this is probably worth
your time, just again don’t expect to be wowed by it.
Pinocchio (2020) (PG) – So I went to see this thinking its Pinocchio, should be good. Well,
well, well this was the worst film I have seen since Midsommar – and that’s
saying something. How bad this was everyone in the cinema walked out, just
leaving me on my lonesome to stick it out. It may have made more sense in the
dialogues native language, but its translation into English wasn’t good, it
left it with no story really. If I didn’t know the story of Pinocchio I wouldn’t
have had a clue what was going on really. Yeah, I would save your time and
money and don’t bother with this one.
Rating: *
Babyteeth (15) – This was another international film, this time Australian. I kind of
like their humour in things and how they film things differently. This is one
of those where you will need tissues, it’s very emotional. It’s also a bit
disturbing, as where it’s about a 15 year old girl who befriends (and fancies)
a 23 year old druggie, that said nothing happens until she’s 16 but it still
creeped me out. It’s a bit of a messed up story but it’s also so normal (that’s
not the right word), that its believable, the way it was done made me really
feel like I was watching the families lives. If you want to see something story
driven and emotional this may be worth checking out.
Rating:
***
The Vigil (15) – I wanted to see this one as I hadn’t seen a horror in the cinema for a
bit. Sadly though this wasn’t scary at all, it was a little meh really. It had
all the makings of what could be a good film but it just didn’t deliver, I can’t
really say much without spoiling it but the pinnacle part was just a complete
let down. The only thing that interested me with this was seeing something from
a Jewish perspective rather than it being all to do with Catholicism or
Christianity so that was a little refreshing. If you want to watch a real light
horror, probably a 12 really, then it might be ok, but if you like your horror
a little more spooky then maybe give this one a miss.
Rating:
**
Tenet (12A) – This has been pretty hyped, maybe more so with the cinemas closing and
it waiting in the wings for things to come back online. I thought it might be
interesting and cool, but it sadly in my book didn’t meet up to the hype. I was
expecting something more but it turned out to sadly be quite predictable and an
average time-travel film. I can’t really say much about the plot without
spoiling it, so I’m not going to say anything on that. That said it was still
good, an enjoyable watch, the action was entertaining and the storyline was pretty
interesting, it is worth a watch really, it just didn’t wow me.
Rating:
***
The New Mutants (15) – I’ve been waiting for this for a long while, as we saw the
advertisement at Comic Con ages back, but most people know the story of why
this was delayed. I’m an X-Men fan and just generally love their universe, so
it was good to see another story from it, focusing on some of the other
characters. It’s one of those where you can just watch, and you don’t need to
know all the backstories or watch the other films. As long as you know a loose
bit of information about mutants, then you’ll be able to watch this. It was nice
to have a film that wasn’t focused on superheroes too, the way this was done
does make it more believable. Yep, if you like the X-Men universe then this may
be worth a look, but again just don’t be expected to be blown away.
Animal
Crackers (Netflix – U) –
I really wasn’t sure what this one was about, I just added it to my list and
wanted to watch something easy going, so gave it a bash. It’s about a family
who end up inheriting a circus, the uncle tries to find out what the secret
is to the magic behind the animals and stops at nothing to try to claim the
circus for his own. It’s one of those I think the younger children will love – I
could see my nephew who is 10 thinking this is great. It does have a few bits
that made me giggle, and the story was alright too. If you want something to
relax your brain then this maybe worth a watch but I think three stars maybe
being a bit generous but it had enough to keep me entertained and was what I wanted
– a nice easy film, just don’t expect anything amazing.
Rating: ***
A
Quiet Place (DVD – 15) –
I decided to give this a re-watch, mainly because where the new one is due out
later on in the year and I really couldn’t remember it properly, as I hadn’t
seen it since the cinema. If you don’t know the story, it’s a post-apocalyptic story,
where some creatures are hunting and killing humans, it follows a families
struggle for survival. It doesn’t really give you much back story to where the
creatures come from, or what happened that lead to all the events. It’s kind of
more just the present situation, and how they have adapted to live and what
they must do to survive. I would class this as a horror but it’s not like
really scary – kind of mild horror in my book. It is one of those that you can
get really engrossed into, well I did anyway. If you are into your horror type
stuff and haven’t seen this then it’s worth checking out, or if you haven’t seen it
in a while it maybe worth re-watching before the sequel comes out!
