Sunday 5 June 2016

MAY 2016 - FILMS AND TV

9 films from TV and NetFlix, 1 - 4 part TV drama, 1 x 10 episode TV drama and another 3 episodes watched from Season 1 of Peaky Blinders.....

Don't know what Coben book this was based on but my wife and I enjoyed it. 4 adults friends pictured, 20 years before when they were kids they were with the younger brother of one of them in some woods and he disappeared never to be found. A convicted paedophile confessed to murdering the child. 20 years on the presumed dead child's DNA is found at a murder scene! Baffling, interesting, exciting, far-fetched, unbelievable, stretches the bounds of credibility then breaking them, but overall enjoyable and entertaining!

"Fat kids at a fat camp" film, proving themselves to be normal and not freaks. Ben Stiller features. Worse ways of spending an hour and a half, but I wouldn't have wanted to pay for it.

A few laughs had here, even if I spent half the film looking at James Franco, vaguely recognising him and trying to put a  name to the face and remember what I had seen him in before, as opposed to enjoying the movie. A bit of a buddie movie with friendship, drugs, some criminals and a bent cop. I've seen better, I've seen worse.

Excellent. A deaf writer in a solitary location, gets attacked by a taunting maniac in a freaky mask. Preying on her isolation and condition, he's having fun putting the frights on before upping the ante. There's something about masks that creep me out, whether it's US presidents or animals. Kind of clown-like in this instance. My heart rate has just gone back to normal and I watched it about 3 weeks ago!

Great fun, a bit of a road movie. Our main man is in witness protection having crossed childhood friend - the homicidal Bradley Cooper. He breaks cover when his girl needs a ride to LA. Dax Shepard does a passable Owen Wilson impression throughout, with his voice and mannerisms. Maybe they couldn't afford the real thing. That said I did enjoy it. 

Well it was on and nothing else grabbed me. Channing Tatum looks about 12. Overall I did enjoy it, probably seen it before with my girls. I do admire people who can dance with great skill, whether its Patrick Swayze or Danny Kaye. The folks in this one are no exception.

4 part true crime drama starring James Nesbitt.
Based on the Castlerock Suicides in the 90s in Northern Ireland. Click the Daily Mirror link for more details. Excellent viewing.

Episodes 3 to 5 watched from Season 1. Only about 10 or 11 behind! It gets better and better!

Gripping, thrilling, exciting, disturbing. There's something about Eddie Marsan that oozes menace and danger at every turn. A kidnapping of  Alice by two ex-cons. Total cast comprises the three of them. Very good. Probably my best film in the month.


A bit of Arnie, a bit of Gabriel Byrne, a bit of a devil seeking a bride romp which will herald the end of days, should he consumate his marriage before the end of New Year's Eve, 1999. Arnie's done better, but it wasn't too bad. If Arnie was the devil, you would have wondered a bit more about how it was going to play out.

Second viewing and just as enjoyable this time around. Mark Wahlberg is extremely funny when he deadpans Ferrell. I've avoided Ted and Ted 2, but might be tempted, as the guy is growing on me. I'll probably give Daddy's Home a spin before Ted, as he teams up with Will Ferrell again. Ferrell is pretty good as well in this. Not someone I've always enjoyed watching.  

Second time around again for this 70s classic. Seen long enough ago that I only vaguely remembered the plot as it unfolded for the second time. Nicholson was a good looking bugger when he was young. (Possible man-crush here.) There's still stardust about him even today. Jack can act.

10 comments:

  1. Col, I have only seen END OF DAYS and CHINATOWN. HUSH and ALICE CREED look interesting. Frankly, I haven't seen a lot of films and television in the past couple of months. I spend most of my time at home working on my writing projects.

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    1. I hope the writing is going well. CHINATOWN, HUSH and ALICE CREED are all great films. END OF DAYS - not so much. I'd watch ALICE CREED again over the other two.

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  2. You had some good viewing, Col! I couldn't agree more with you about Peaky Blinders. Isn't it a well-done show? As though the stories and characters weren't enough, I do like its historical authenticity. Oh, and I thought the same thing you did of Pineapple Express.

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    1. I'm hoping to get caught up with PEAKY this month, but we'll see. I'm not a massive fan of historical dramas usually but I'll make an exception in this case! PINEAPPLE EXPRESS was ok, in a didn't regret watching it kind of way, but doubt it will stay long in the memory.

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  3. CHINATOWN is one of Glen's favorite movies and we have watched it many times. I don't know anything about Peaky Blinders, but I do like Sam Neill a lot, so his presence alone might make it worth watching. I loved him in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER and THE DISH.

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    1. I've seen it twice now, so I think I'm probably done with it. The only film I can recall seeing Sam Neill in was DEAD CALM, something I'd like to watch again. He's quite menacing in this series, though I'm unsure if he features after the first series ends. I haven't looked it up, so I don't spoiler it for myself.

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  4. Hush and Alice Creed look good; I have a copy of the latter somewhere but haven't yet gotten around to watching it.

    The Five is apparently an original story by Coben, not based on one of his novels.

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    1. My kids make me sit through the odd-scary movie a couple of times a month. Not my preferred genre, but HUSH was very good. I suppose more of a thriller/chiller than horror.

      I'd be interested for you thoughts on ALICE CREED, if you ever get around to watching it. I did like the dynamics of the relationship triangle between the cast of 3.

      Thanks for the info on THE FIVE. It didn't seem to marry up with the plot of any of his books.

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  5. Chinatown is the only one I've seen - the others look good, if only I had more time...

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    1. It's definitely a juggling act trying to balance the reading with the viewing. I think the viewing has won out in the past couple of months.

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