10 Tuesday Dec 2019
Posted in downton abbey, Julianne Moore, movies, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz
Tags
cinema, film, film reviews, films, horror, letterboxd, movie, movies, odeon, odeon cinemas, review, reviews
I’ve copied this list from my Letterboxd and thought I’d post it in here. Some of these have been reviewed on here throughout the year, I think I even reviewed The Favourite twice? I watched most of these at Odeon, 91 films in total, and again, The Favourite twice. If you’d like me to review any of them or any other film, please leave the title in the comments.
01 Sunday Dec 2019
Posted in Jessica Chastain, Julianne Moore, movies, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz
Tags
100 best, 100 best films of 2010 decade, 100 best films of 2010s, 100 best films of the decade, cinema, film, film reviews, films, horror, movie, movies, review, reviews
This is my 100 favourite films of the 2010 decade. I may change some of these with time, once I have some perspective, or watch something better than something from the list. If you don’t see a film you love, It would have probably made my 200 favourite. No miniseries. This is a list I’ve put together on my Letterboxd. Some of these films are reviewed on here. If you’d like me to review a film you have in mind, comment below.
26 Thursday Sep 2019
Posted in movies
Tags
alligator, annalise basso, castillo children, cinema, crawl, crocodile, dogtooth, film, film analysis, film review, film reviews, films, guillermo del toro, heaven, horror, kaya scodelario, lana del rey, lifetime, movie, movies, quotes, review, reviews, scary stories to tell in the dark, season of the witch, v.c. andrews, yorgos lanthimos
Some of the films I’ve seen this week include:
Crawl
Everglades my ass!
I know crocs are supposed to be more agressive than gators, but you wouldn’t want to encounter a hungry aligator. Crawl is a surprisingly entertaining water creature flick, a must have every summer. I haven’t seen Uncaged, aka 47 Meters Down 2 yet, but it can’t be better than this.
8/10
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
They asked Lana Del Rey to record a new version of ‘Season of the Witch’. I liked the film enough to read the book.
6/10
Dogtooth
Finally got to see this masterpiece. For different reasons, it made me think of M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Village’ and Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘The Dreamers’. I need to take one half star off because of the unnecessary unsimulated sex scene.
9/10
Heaven
I loved reading V.C. Andrews’s books growing up, so I’ll always be biased when it comes to Lifetime’s adaptations, because I’m just happy anyone’s making them. I’ve always wondered though, did Virginia know about her breast cancer before writing ‘Heaven’?
5/10
02 Tuesday Jul 2019
Tags
agnieszka holland, american fable, annabelle, annabelle comes home, ari aster, ariel winter, burt reynolds, child's play, chucky, chucky doll, cinema, conrad roy III, easy rider, escaping the madhouse the nellie bly story, film, film analysis, film review, film reviews, films, florence pugh, horror, I love you, love story, matthew broderick, mckeena grace, michelle carter, midsommar, movie, movies, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter, patrick wilson, peyton kennedy, pokot, quotes, reviews, shirley mcclaine, spoor, the last movie star, the last word, the lion king, toy story, toy story 4, Vera Farmiga, wake wood, war games
These past few days I’ve been rewatching Veronica Mars, and catching up on many Charlie Chaplin films. I’m trying to watch full filmographies of 10 directors. I am also captivated by Leah Remini’s Scientology and Aftermath A&E series. The best film I watched at the pictures in the recent weeks is Midsommar, a quick review of it can be found below. Three of my summer shows ended, Orange is the New Black, Big Little Lies and Divorce. The Handmaid’s Tale season 3 ends next week.
Midsommar
A group of young adults, including two antropology students goes on trip to Sweden to take part in a summer festival. The film is so brilliant, it’s even better than Ari Aster’s previous horror attempt, the amazingly creepy, Hereditary! The cliff scene was shot so amazingly, you knew exactly what would happen, yet you were glued to the screen with eyes wide open and just like the characters, became witness to the goriest deaths of the film. The audience laughed when the elderly lady pushed the boyfriend’s buttocks to ‘help him’, but the cliff scene is what will stick with you for years.
9/10
American Fable
A young girl living in a fantasy world is faced with a wake up call when she finds a man inprisoned in her family’s silo. The little girl is played by Grey’s and Everything Sucks’s Peyton Kennedy. It’s a beautiful horror/thriller and I loved every minute of it.
8/10
Annabelle Comes Home
Lorraine and Ed’s daughter Judy is left in the house with a babysitter and her nosy friend. The friends decides to go into what is now known as Warren’s ‘Occult Museum’ and touch everything. This awakens Annabelle. Mckeena Grace known from The Gifted and Fuller House plays Jane, while Vera and Patrick return. I really hope Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson never quit The Conjuring world, because these films are simply amazing.
RIP, Lorraine Warren.
‘Welcome To The Home Of The Conjuring Universe’
‘There is a lot of evil in this room. But you know what I actually like about it? All the evil in here reminds me of all the good that’s out there.’
‘What else did you touch?’
‘Everything.’
‘Are you a doctor or something?’
‘Or something.’
‘Did it work?’
‘The evil is contained.’
‘It’s the doll, Ed. It’s a beacon for other spirits.’
7/10
Toy Story 4
Woody looks after Bonnie’s new toy, Forky. Within a week of watching Toy Story 4, I’ve decided to rewatch the 1st and 2nd Toy Story. Woody and Buzz’s inability to escape from their neighboor’s cellar makes me question their outdoors escapades in the next 3 films. Also the animation back in the 90s was very limited, whereas here, it really is lifelike. Toy Story 4’s ending made me cry just as much as the previous one. The evil doll Gabby Gabby voiced by Christina Hendricks was the most precious one of all.
‘She’ll be okay. Bonnie will be okay.’
‘Does this mean… Woody’s a lost toy?’
‘He’s not lost. Not anymore. To infinity…’
‘…and beyond.’
7/10
The Lion King
Remake of the original The Lion King. You cannot deny that the live action here is breathtaking, but this is not a good remake. Other than the cute, life-like animals, this version doesn’t bring anything new to the story. If anything, it helped me realise the story was very simplistic all along. I admitt, I dozed off 20 minutes in, but I’m glad I woke up just in time for the stampede scene, which was amazing. If you see this at Odeon, don’t forget to pick up your A3 poster, with the furry trio, Simba, Pumbaa and Timon.
5/10
Child’s Play
A boy is given an Alexa type AI doll, that turns deadly. I went in expecting to hate it and was nicely surprised by how gory the last act was. Sadly, the doll was ugly and not creepy at all. The doll being possessed by a serial killer is what made the franchise creepy, the 21st century Aritficial Intelligence upgrade isn’t that intriguing.
6/10
The Last Movie Star
An elderly movie star is invited to a film festival. He doesn’t know it’s not a real festival. Burt Reynolds gives his last performance, accompanied by Moder Family’s Ariel Winter. I cried through the entire thing. RIP, Burt.
7/10
Spoor
Hunters start dropping dead, it looks like the animals may be finally getting their revenge. I’ve been vegan for 9 years, and vegeterian for more than I can count, so this film is perfect for me. If you’re against hunting, this Polish film from Agnieszka Holland is for you.
9/10
War Games
A teenager accidentaly accesses military system and thinks he’s embarked on a series of tests for military to train on. Tic Tac Toe really is the dumbest game of all. WarGames was quite entertaining and made me wish I was still a teenager. It’s also 300th new film I’ve seen this year.
7/10
I love you, Now Die. The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter
A brilliant HBO documentary about Michelle Carter who encouraged her clinically depressed boyfriend Conrad Roy III to take his own life. I’ve been following this case closely since 2014 and yet I didn’t know anything about Michelle’s obsession with Glee, The Fault in Our Stars and her lesbian tendencies.
8/10
Love Story
Two young adults fall in love, soon one of the falls ill. I’m a little biased, because my dad listened to and hummed the Love Story theme for a big part of my childhood. But as much as my dad and I both liked Ryan O’Neal in Paper Moon, the Love Story theme, is the best thing about this classic romance.
6/10
Easy Rider
Two men ride Peter Fonda motorbikes, get high, hookup with girls and talk to locals they meet during their road trip across America. Then they have long night chats, that are equally boring. I don’t like stoners and hippies, so the ending was oddly understandable.
5/10
Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story
A reporter volunteers to be locked in a mental hospital to write an article. I couldn’t figure out if it’s more American Horror Story Asylum or The Handmaid’s Tale. This film, starring Christina Ricci, Judith Light and Revenge’s Joshua Bowman, wasn’t very good, but I was still surprised to find this story on Lifetime.
5/10
Wake Wood
What would you do to get 3 days with your dead loved one? Would you sacrifice your own life? Parents of a girls killed in a dog attack decide to bring her back for 3 days. The last 5 seconds were definitely the most intriguing and I wish they showed us what he cut out.
5/10
The Last Word
An elderly woman asks an orbituary writer to write and orbituary for her, and send for approval, before her death. I knew I would like it the minute the kid started swearing. And then Shirley McClaine told her not to, and the film slowly began to fall apart. I was highly disappointed with Amanda Seyfried’s acting in this.
‘Just because that’s the way it’s always been, don’t mean I give a shit.’
‘What the fuck do I need with the decimal?’
‘The Fuck?’
5/10
To follow what films I watch, add me on letterboxd: JoanneHolly
22 Wednesday May 2019
Posted in movies, Rachel Weisz
Tags
animation, captain marvel, cinema, elton john, film, film reviews, films, freddy and jason, goosebumps, greta, hatfield, hatfield house, horror, i think we're alone now, isabelle huppert, movie, movie reviews, movies, netflix, nicole kidman, olivia coleman, polaroid, quotes, Rachel Weisz, reviews, rl stine, rocketman, the curse of la llorona, the favourite, the hustle, the killing of a sacred deer, the silence, think we're alone now, unicorn store, wild rose, wonder park, yorgos lanthimos
The Favourite
Hatfield House, where The Favourite was filmed has 9 of Sandy Powell’s costumes on display at the moment. You can walk into 9 rooms, including 3 rooms that were used in the film. You can take pictures in Anne’s bedroom, Sarah’s room also known as The Library, and the room where Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult have that staredown in the beginning of the film. You can also walk through The Gallery, better known as the corridor with the gold ceiling where Rachel Weisz pushed Olivia Coleman’s wheelchair after the party. It’s 18 quid and I couldn’t recommend it more! I drove there on Sunday and loved every minute of it. If you’re in the UK, go check it out. Costumes are on display till the 16th of June.
10/10
The Killing of A Sacred Deer
Yorgos’s modern take on Sophie’s Choice. The truly shocking thing about this film is that the mother didn’t offer to sacrifice her life to save either of her two children. What’s worse, she tried to convince the husband they can replace one and just have another.
9/10
Rocketman
I’ve never been Elton’s fan, but after watching this biopic, I can certainly relate to his anger. If you’re in the UK, go see it at Odeon to get an A3 poster with your ticket.
‘Now for my newest trick, I’m gonna fucking kill myself.’
8/10
Wild Rose
A beautiful story and a shuttering wake up call for everyone, includng myself, who thinks the grass is greener in the US. I’m off to download this wonderful soundtrack.
8/10
Captain Marvel
I’m not a Marvel fan, but this film is more ‘human’ than other superhero films in the Marvel universe, and it has Brie Larson as the lead, so I had to enjoy it. The film also has an interesting soundtrack, including Nirvana’s ‘Come as You Are’.
7/10
The Curse of La Llorona
2019 is the revival of Linda Cardellini’s career. She’s been in Green Book, La Llorona, Avengers and her new Netflix show came out yesterday. I didn’t realise Llorona was part of The Conjuring universe before going in. The script isn’t strong, but the film has a lot of cheap thrills that surprisingly work. The girls in my row where jumping and screaming every time. This is the 200th film I watched this year.
6/10
Greta
Carrie 2 anyone? Isabelle locking Chloe in that room gave me major Carrie vibes. And what’s with this description? You’re calling Isabelle elderly, Letterboxd? Unnecessarily loud and jumpy music during non-scary scenes sort of ruined the film for me and maybe the fact that the film itself wasn’t scary at all.
‘That little French woman you came with?’
6/10
Freddy and Jason
So we’ve established once and for all that Nightmare on Elm Street is better than Friday the 13th? Good.
6/10
The Silence
It’s a watered down combination of last year’s A Quiet Place and Birdbox, and basically every post apocalyptic horror ever made.
5/10
Wonder Park
There definitely should be a ‘Don’t do this at home’ warning for kids, as that backyard rollercoaster ride got out of hand real quick. Heck, kids shouldn’t handle nails and I know this is a family film, but no kid can build a rollercoaster without an engineer’s help. Despite all that, there was a sad storyline, the characters and animation were cute and I have always loved amusement parks, so I cannot give Wonder Park less than 2.5 stars, which it probably deserves.
5/10
Unicorn Store
I didn’t like the film and it’s wacko unicorn business, but I do love this poster, the opening scene where the main character paints and Joan Cusack.
5/10
I Think We’re Alone Now
Disappointed that ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ by Tiffany didn’t play once.
4/10
The Hustle
Is this supposed to be a Dirty Rotten Scoundrels remake or a sequel to Ocean’s 8? Either way, it was a disastrous attempt. Also, Anne Hathaway’s British sounding, rich bitch role was clearly written for Rose Byrne. This is another poor career choice on Anne’s part.
3/10
Polaroid
Nicked straight from RL Stine’s brilliant ‘Say Cheese and Die!’ series of Goosebumps books. It’s the exact same, but extremely boring. RL Stine should sue them too.
2/10
24 Sunday Mar 2019
Posted in movies, Sally Field
Tags
a family divided, adventures in public school, ashton kutcher, christian f, cinema, emma stone, fantastic beasts the crimes of grindelwald, film, film analysis, film review, film reviews, films, halloween, horror, horror film, horror review, jackie, jamie lee curtis, john carpenter, johnny depp, kids from the zoo station, maniac, movies, natalie portman, netflix, nutcracker and the four realms, ralph breaks the internet, reviews, Sally Field, strangled, the butterfly effect, wreck-it ralph
Jackie
This is the 550th new film I watched this year, and I’m really happy it’s this one. Natalie Portman gave a great performance in this aftermath after John Kennedy’s shooting. She sounded very much like Jackie. Emma Stone really snatched that Oscar from her. The shooting scene was very life-like and may be not be for those with a weak stomach.
4/10
Maniac
Speaking of Emma Stone, here’s a Netflix original series she starred it. It also stars Jonah Hill and the girl from Ozark. I watched it for Sally Field. Sad to report I hated every single one of those alternative universes. And all this nonsense for such a ‘normal’ conclusion? Someone once told me I sound just like Jonah Hill, but I don’t see it? My accent does sound American, thanks to 20 years of watching American films and TV Shows, but I don’t think I sound like him. Congrats to Jonah on his massive weight loss. I know how hard it is to change your lifestyle and never look back. I am currently too scared of loose skin to actually lose the weight.
4/10
The Butterfly Effect
I could watch 2 hours of the first 25 minutes of this film, actually I could watch a whole mini series with these kids from Ashton Kutcher’s charater’s flashbacks.
8/10
Halloween
It was bloody amazing! We’ve waited so long to see Jamie Lee do another Halloween, and she’s back at it again, 40 years since the first one and 16 years since Resurrection. The most important thing? They completely ignored events from Halloween 20 yrs Later and the ridiculous Resurrection that dared to kill Jamie Lee’s character off. My favorite part of this sequel must be Laurie closing the roller shutters after checking every single room. See you in 10 years?
9/10
Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald
These films are ruining the Harry Potter franchise. At least we got to see Hogwarts. How old was Dumbledore supposed to be in Harry Potter? In 1927, he’s in his 40s. If that wasn’t enough, Professor McGonagall is here too, and she’s in her 30s. Rating would be lower had I not seen it in 3D. Johnny Depp’s acting has gone down hill since the 90s, it’s a shame. He is never getting that Oscar now.
6/10
A Family Divided
I really miss those 90s TV movies about rape that saw a mother or a survivor fight for justice against everyone trying to silence them. Knowing Stephen Collins has been a pedophile his entire adult life ruined my experience with this film. I probably would have liked this film more, had I watched it before 2014. I definitely would not have been so sceptical and angry at the 7th Heaven star. Here he’s covering up his son’s crime. Actually all three men in that family are vile people. As always, Faye Dunaway gives a great perforance and you just route for her the entire film.
5/10
Christiane F
Just thought of this film out of nowhere for the first time in almost 15 years. Both the book ‘Kids from the Zoo station’ and film were a major hit among kids my age, bigger than Requiem for a Dream. Everyone seemed to be fascinated with it and there was a high demand for the book both in the school and local libraries. It’s a great film too.
8/10
Strangled
This reminded me of that time when the bank sent me on a First Aid course and someone mentioned narcolepsy and this other bloke in his late 60s said ‘that’s when you do it with dead people’ and everyone laughed.
Anyway, this was a pretty good thriller based on a true story.
6/10
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Very average and Keira Knightley’s squicky voice was so annoying.
4/10
Adventures in Public School
Netflix’s worst original right here. Really bad, until the last 10 seconds. The last 10 seconds were sweet. Highly unlikely, but sweet.
3/10
Wreck-It Ralph
When Shut Up and Drive started playing halfway through the film. Also, I recongised Jack McBrayer’s voice straight away, even though I’ve only seen him on The Middle.
6/10
Ralph Breaks the Internet
I thought it was quite good, until Ralph broke the Internet and the film got so boring I fell asleep. Good old Odeon handed out these magnet Instagram photo frames for fridge.
6/10
16 Saturday Feb 2019
Posted in movies
Tags
cinema, film, film reviews, films, horror, movie, movie reviews, movies, quotes, review, reviews
Birdbox
I’m happy she found a way around that Sophie’s Choice. I haven’t read the book, but the film was everything I wanted it to be.
8.5/10
Eyes Wide Shut
Now that I’ve read about the conspiracy Illuminati theories, the film makes a lot more sense. I don’t think Kubrick wanted to end this film with Nicole saying ‘Fuck’.
8/10
Miss Meadows
Mediocre Dexter wannabe.
6/10
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
I liked the concept, but the execution was not all there. The film was too short, felt like a half of a full movie.
7/10
Christmas Pen Pals
‘Even if he does occasionally forget that it’s ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’.
Christmas Pen Pals easily wins Best Christmas film of 2018. I loved the letter writing and the last 15 minutes were amazing.
7/10
Smart House
I loved Married with Children, but I didn’t like Peggy Bundy in this.
4/10
Bumblebee
I certainly liked all the non-Transformers parts when the film felt more like a new Garbi installment than a Transformers one. If you’re in the UK, make sure you see it at Odeon cinemas this week to grab an activity book for kids which includes three A5 posters.
6/10
Angela’s Christmas
Angela’s the cutest! And she looks a lot like little Anna from Frozen, so that’s a plus.
4/10
Escape Room
I grabbed an A1 poster for this film by accident last year and now I will chuck it in the bin. Also, I feel personally offended by that diss at The Teddy Bears’ Picnic song.
2/10
09 Saturday Feb 2019
Posted in Bryce Dallas Howard, movies, Rachel Weisz
Tags
abducted in plain sight, bex taylor klaus, Bryce Dallas Howard, cinema, disobedience, film, film analysis, film review, film reviews, films, four weddings and a funeral, gay, hell fest, horror, lesbian, lgbt, movie, movies, netflix, quotes, rachel mcadams, Rachel Weisz, reviews, robert redford, stan and ollie, the land girls, the money pit, the old man and the gun, tom hanks
Disobedience
‘Do you still only fancy women?’
Beautiful film. It’s made it’s way to my top 10. The first kiss Ronit and Esti share is the prettiest kiss I’ve ever seen on screen, partially because Ronit’s eyes are open through a big part of it.
It’s sad that Disobedience was shot in London and yet it didn’t get a proper national cinema release. Is this because only <0.5% of British population is Jewish or because of the LGBT aspect of the film?
‘I used to think about your life in New York. I tried to imagine your room. I kept track of the time difference, so I knew when you were awake and when you were asleep.’
‘I wanted it to happen. And when we were girls… Even then, it was the same. It’s always been this way! I have always wanted it.’
‘Why did you get married, Esti? Why didn’t you just leave? So everything was all right when I left?’
‘No. I was ill.’
‘What sort of ill?’
‘In my head.’
‘If I had to sleep with a man, why not with our best friend?’
‘Oh, Esti…’
‘It hasn’t been a complete disaster.’
‘And that’s enough?! Do you have to have sex every Friday?’
‘It’s expected.’
‘It’s medieval. What happened to you?’
‘Nothing. You happened to me. And then I started teaching and that became important. I give them ambition.’
‘To do what? Push out seven babies and be a good wife?’
‘Don’t. Don’t. I help them to value themselves.’
‘Okay, but what about you?’
‘That is me. And you? Are you happy?’
‘Yes, I am.’
‘Have you been with other women?’
‘No. Not really. And you?’
‘No.’
‘But, Esti… Do you still
only fancy women?’
10/10
The Old Man and the Gun
Story of Forrest Tucker, a criminal best known for escaping from prison 18 times. This film starring Robert Redford in what he claims to be his last role, shows Tucker’s addiction to the thrill and focuses on his innability to stop robbing banks. I really hope this isn’t Redford’s last role. Stong redhead game though, I’ve counted three actors with red hair.
7.5/10
Stan and Ollie
Wonderful performances from leading and supporting actors. My parents used to love watching reruns of Stanley and Oliver’s films when they were kids 50 years ago. I am happy there’s a film about S&O’s lives after the peak of their careers and that I spent the last 30 minutes of it sobbing.
7/10
The Land Girls
I wish this was more about female friendship like the poster suggests and less about all three of them being sexually or romantically linked to this village idiot who was a sex addict and never got called out for cheating. Were any of the conversations the girls had not about men and sex?
6/10
The Money Pit
A colleague recommended this to me and it’s honestly the best recommendation I’ve gotten in years! Both Tom Hanks and the film are hilarious!
‘Always a bridesmaid, never a bride!’
‘How long will it take?’
‘2 weeks.’
7/10
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Even though I didn’t like the main relationship that much, the film has many fun smaller plots. My favourite storyline was with the girl that picked up a little bit of sign language because the lad she was into, but hadn’t even been introduced to, was deaf. I know this was made in 1993, but that joke about Lady Di did not sit well with me.
8/10
Hell Fest
My favorite kind of fest. The film is quite realistic, and I am the kind of person who would have volunteered for the beheading too. I especially liked it when the decapitation didn’t work, so the killer tried again.
7/10
A Dog’s Way Home
A cheap version of Homeward Bound, sadly as bad as Homeward Bound 2.
3/10
Abducted in Plain Sight
Devestating documentary. The parents failed this kid so badly. They didn’t know pedophiles exisited, they literally let the sex offender sleep in the girl’s bed for years and on top of all, they were both in love with him and ended up having affairs with him! The alien story makes it all even more shocking!
7/10
