AFTER DEATH

A documentary about people who have experienced the afterlife after their own brush with death. Interviews are conducted by both survivors from their encounters as well as medical experts. The survivors describe their experiences in either Heaven or Hell, depending upon whichever destination they were going to. A truly powerful and moving documentary that will reinforce those with beliefs and will hopefully encourage those who are non-believers to reevaluate their own. With the shape of the world we live in today, more people need to see this documentary as I cannot recommend it enough! 10/10

I.S.S.

The International Space Station, a cooperation between the US and Russia after the end of the Cold War, houses 6 astronauts (3 Americans and 3 Russians). Everyone's getting along until war between the two countries breaks out on Earth and both teams are given orders by their respective governments to take control of the ISS by any means necessary. The story is interesting enough and is supposed to play as a psychological thriller/suspense but it's anything but. Yes, 6 people are trapped in a confined space with half of those individuals wanting to kill the other 3; however, the pacing is slow and doesn't lead to much suspense, even during the scenes in which they interact with each other. Usually getting a VOD release so soon after a theatrical release is a bad sign (see NIGHT SWIM as another example) and after watching this, I can see why. Barely average at best. 5/10

THE END WE START FROM

Jodie Comer stars as woman (yes, that's actually how she's credited in the film) who is about to give birth when London begins to flood. Unable to stay in her home she soon leaves in search of safety when she's then rushed to the hospital to give birth to her son Zeb. Once there, she meets with her husband R (Joel Fry) and they make their way to R's parents house in the country. Soon she gets separated from R and must find her way back home with only her baby, with no mood of transportation and limited food supplies. I've gotta be honest, I found the film to be a bore. I'm sure this will play well with the feminist as Comer is the "girl boss" mom who rightly puts her newborn son's needs ahead of her own in every and any way possible. Her husband R, is completely weak, fragile, and folds at the first sign of trouble and can't even protect his wife or newborn son. After which, the film follows Comer on her journey back home, coming across allies such as AB (Benedict Cumberbatch) who recently has lost someone close to him and provides food and shelter as well as O (Katherine Waterston), who is in the same situation as Comer with a newborn. Trailer looked meh and my advice would be to avoid this. 5/10

Does anyone intend to go see Godzilla minus One?

No, I don't.

I'm a fan of the Japanese stuff, Netflix has a lot of great anime. So I will check it out, not sure if I go watch it on the big screen but that I should probably do.

MADAME WEB

New York paramedic Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) gains clairvoyant powers after surviving a near death experience. Shortly thereafter, she begins having visions of 3 girls whom she's briefly had runins with before: Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor). In all of her visions they're all killed by Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), who has visions himself of his death at the hands of Cornwall, Corazon, and Franklin. His plan is to kill them before they have the opportunity to kill him. I went into this expecting the worst because Sony's Spider-Man Universe has now trained us to expect that; however, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I was hearing a lot of negative press going into it but I'm glad it's been better than most of what Sony has offered up to this point. The film does have its faults: the writers could have done a better job at explaining how exactly Cassie gains her powers during her brush with death. In addition, for two-thirds of the film, the only power Cassie has is seeing the future, meaning the rest of the time in order to save the girls from Ezekiel, she's literally just pushing them out of harms way and running away from him. I'm sure this won't do well financially at the box office nor will a sequel be green lit but it does give me some optimism heading into KRAVEN THE HUNTER later this year. 6/10

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS

Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) isn't feeling her life in Philadelphia anymore and decides to move to Tallahassee. Her friend Jamie (Margaret Qualley) now homeless after getting the boot from her ex, talks Marian into tagging along on the road trip in order for the both of them to figure their lives out. They take a drive-away car (a discounted rental type car they drive to where the owner needs it delivered) from Curlie (Bill Camp); however, Curlie unexpectedly mistakes the women for two criminals who have a sensitive package in the trunk needing to be delivered to Tallahassee. The criminals soon set off in search of the women and their goods. Honestly, the film being written and directed by Ethan Cohen and starring Qualley is what got me in the theaters but after watching it, felt it was a bait-and-switch. The trailer barely hints at the lesbian themes that are unavoidable to the viewer once the lights go out. It's very heavy-handed and while it wasn't so much of a put off for me in terms of the story, it's just so ingrained in the film and one dimensional for the story. It plays as an 84 minute advertisement/apology film for lesbians circa 1999, which is the time period of the story for some strange reason. Qualley is very over-the-top as Jamie and Viswanathan is the more well-spoken, closet for lack of a better term counterpart to her yang. The only redeeming feature of this film is Bill Camp's monotone delivering Curlie who sadly, isn't in the film nearly long enough to make this tolerable. A terrible film by a director who's seen so much success. 4/10

THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Trying to find Paradise surrounded by Hell. Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his family have all the amenities they need directly next to the deadliest concentration camp. The film explores the family rather than the atrocities that were carried out as nothing is displayed onscreen, merely suggested off. It studies the complete lack of apathy towards others, materialism, and of course politics. I'd never heard of or seen a trailer to this prior to it being nominated at this years Oscars. It looked decent enough from the trailer but after viewing it, I felt somewhat indifferent about it. Dealing with the subject matter, surprisingly nothing about it moved me from the performances to the story. In addition, a lot of the story is told through actions rather than relying on mundane dialogue, which again, if you're not engaged in the film, you're just watching a bunch of actors move around. 6/10

ANATOMY OF A FALL

Writers Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) and Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) are an unhappily married couple with a blind teenage son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner). Daniel leaves for a walk with his dog and returns to find his father dead from a third story floor from their home. As the police arrive, Sandra becomes the only suspect of what happened to Samuel. However, Sandra doesn't make the case against her any easier on herself by lying to the police early on. The passing of Samuel is the catalyst for the story but becomes secondary by the end, which left me with an unsatisfied feeling once the credits rolled. Infidelity, betrayal, and guilt are all examined particularly with respect to Sandra and Samuel and how each of them are completely opposite from the other. Daniel is left to sort things out at a young age, having just lost his father and his sight when he was 4-years-old as well as the dynamic of his relationship with his mother. Hüller has flashes of a strong performance and has a lot to be proud of having been apart of 2 films that have been nominated at this year's Oscars. 6/10

ONE LIFE

Based on true events, Anthony Hopkins plays Nicholas Winton, an English banker who is compelled to assist with evacuating the children of Czechoslovakia before the Nazi invasion of their country. A harrowing tale of families being separated, many never to be reunited even after the war and Winton carries that guilt similar to Oskar Schindler at the end of SCHINDLER'S LIST. The story is somewhat reminiscent of SCHINDLER'S LIST but on a smaller scale. The first half of the film follows a young Winton, this time played by Johnny Flynn and his team as they scour England for resources (monetary, governmental to help assist in getting the children processed, as well as finding foster homes for them in England). The second half focuses on the time period where the film begins, which is in 1987. Overall, the film is heart-wrenching but also inspirational, showing what one determined man can do and how selfless acts can change generations and the world. 6/10

DUNE: PART TWO

Finally, 3 years after Part One was released we have the second and concluding chapter. We pick up right where we left off, following Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) amongst the Fremen in their quest to rid their planet of the Harkonnens and overthrow the Emperor (Christopher Walken). An even more star studded cast has been assembled with the likes of Walken, Florence Pugh as the Emperor's daughter Princess Irulan, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha (cousin to Dave Bautista's Beast Rabban and nephew to Stellan Skarsgård's Baron Harkonnen), and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring. This chapter is much heavier in the religious and political themes. Having recently come across a quote from director Denis Villeneuve in which he explains Paul is not a hero but rather a warning, through that lens, it seems the story is poking fun at religion (which, considering it's 2024 is not a shock as you can be anything in this world you wish to be except white, male, Christian, or patriotic). Despite that flaw, Chalamet and Ferguson both turn in the best performances as strong and at times ferocious leaders. Butler nips as their heels as well on this list but unfortunately, his screen time is rather limited but his presence is felt throughout. Another actor who did wonderful with her, again unfortunately limited role, is Florence Pugh: she's intelligent and displays leadership qualities. Visually this film is stunning from a set piece, costume, and cinematography aspect (in particular the black and white gladiator fight scene featuring Butler that would make Ridley Scott proud). This is the type of film to pay the extra money on to see in IMAX. Looking forward to another screening! 8/10

Thanks for the Dune review Irish Part one was great but I have to see it again.

No problem H. I rewatched Part One before seeing Part Two as a refresher as I hadn't seen it since it was released back in 2021. Both solid films and I look forward to watching them closer together when Part Two streams. You going to see Part Two in the theaters or wait?

It's playing in Pathé since last week maybe I go !

Pathé is a chain of cinemas in the Netherlands.The company is part of the French cinema group Pathé Cinémas . This company, founded in 1896, has 101 cinemas with 1,117 screens spread across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Tunisia and Switzerland. In the Netherlands, Pathé has 30 cinemas.

How much is a ticket over there?

About 11 euro and up (3D, IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, ScreenX)
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UNLIMITED GOLD
€32 PER MONTH
Unlimited trips to the cinema!
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We have something similar to that here called AMC A-List (that's what I have). I can see up to 3 movies a week (12 per month), any format, and I can see the same movie multiple times if I want. Not sure if it offers any discounts on food and drinks though as I usually never get them.

LOVE LIES BLEEDING

Set in New Mexico, 1989 this story follows Lou (Kristen Stewart) a manager at a local gym who meets and falls in love with Jackie (Katy O'Brian), a drifter who's passing through town on her way to a body building competition in Las Vegas. Once the couple hit it off, Jackie intends to stay awhile since she's got a few weeks to go before the competition. She (unknowingly) gets a job at a gun range owned by Lou's estranged father Lou Sr. (Ed Harris), who is mixed up in other various activities as an additional source of income. Thrown in as a secondary story is Lou's sister Beth (Jena Malone) who gets beat on by her husband JJ (Dave Franco) who she just can't seem to leave. JJ and Lou loathe each other and Lou only stays around to protect her sister, otherwise, she'd be as free to hit the open road as Jackie is. The story plays well enough, engaging and entertaining, although there's a part or two that had me raise my eyebrows but outside of that, this was a solid little film. Great performances by the main trio of Stewart, O'Brian, and Harris with Harris leading the way with his incredibly intimidating demeanor even though at times, he has very little dialogue. Definitely one of his better roles and maybe his best turn yet as a villain. This film didn't receive a huge marketing push but you could do a lot worse than this. Maybe not worth theater prices but worth a viewing at some point in the future. 6.5/10

DAMSEL

Millie Bobby Brown stars as Elodie, a young woman who's forced into marriage by her father to a wealthy prince, Prince Henry (Nick Robinson), in exchange for gold as their country is barren, starving, and having difficulty staying warm during this particular winter. However, what Elodie does not know until it's too late is that she's being groomed as a sacrifice for a ritual that keeps a monster satisfied and at bay, while Prince Henry's family continues to rule in peace and prosperity. The story is a safe, paint-by-numbers with the exception of the gender swap of Elodie rescuing herself rather than the handsome prince. Although Brown does give a strong performance she's unfortunately slightly overshadowed by Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright), who chews up the scenery in every scene she's in. I gave the story a 6 but with the wonderful special FX, I bumped it up slightly as director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and his team do a wonderful job at creating this new fantasy world. I enjoyed it so much, I actually wouldn't mind revisiting for a prequel telling the backstory of the monster. 6.5/10

I also watched it tonight haha, I really liked it your review is accurate imo. One of the better Netflix movies. A prequel about the dragon is a nice idea !

Thanks H, glad you enjoyed it and the movie.

RICKY STANICKY

Childhood friends Dean (Zac Efron), JT (Andrew Santino), and Wes (Jermaine Fowler) create a fictional friend to take the fall for them for a Halloween prank gone wrong when they're teenagers. It works and since then, the 3 continue to use the story and name Ricky Stanicky to get out of any situations that are less than desirable for them. It's actually not a bad idea and the 3 have a solid system in place as they have 1 centralized book for writing down the many lies they've told over the years in order to not get caught in said lies. However, as JT's about to become a father and the family has a bris, JT's mother-in-law grows impatient and demands to see Ricky as she's beginning to grow suspicious about his authenticity. The 3 bump into Rod Rimestead (John Cena) in Atlantic City. Rod's a stage performer, actor, an alcoholic who's down on his luck and could use the money and the company. However, Rod/Ricky hits it off famously with everyone at the party, including the prying mother-in-law and now the guys are having difficulty getting Rod/Ricky out of their lives for good. Again, the story works, has some funny moments, and has a heartfelt message at the end of the day. Cena by far shines as Rod, with his outlandish personality as Ricky who's given a lot of freedom to make the character unique, which he succeeds in. Worth a watch for Prime members. 6/10

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

Following the events of AFTERLIFE, the Spengler family has moved from Oklahoma and now resides in the Ghostbusters old firehouse in New York City. After an opening scene ghost chase through New York, the team is on thin ice from the mayor's office, who just so happens to be Walter Peck (William Atherton) formerly of the EPA from the original film. In order to appease the mayor for the time being, young Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) has to be sidelined due to her being a minor at only 15 years old. The new team, with the help of the veterans, must battle a new biblical god in the form of Garraka, who kills people with the "death chill," which basically means individuals are literally scared to death. The first film did a better job at balancing out the stories between the family members but now that their stories are so entwined, Finn Wolfhard who plays Trevor really seems to be buried here as young Phoebe takes the lead. In addition a lot of attention is also given to Kumail Nanjiani who plays Nadeem and does have an integral part to play in the overall arc of the story. Overall, it's still a fun ride but didn't seem to capture the fun or nostalgia of AFTERLIFE. Some of the jokes fall flat, unfortunately Bill Murphy is barely seen amongst the original team, and the story seems to stop and go throughout. 6/10

IMMACULATE

Sister Cecelia (Sydney Sweeney) an American nun who is assigned to a convent in Italy when we first meet her. Upon after her arrival, she takes her vows but during the after party, blacks out. Shortly thereafter she discovers that she is pregnant. The convent authorities, believing the young nun must have broken her newly made vows (more preciously, the vow of chastity) grill Sister Cecelia and have her examined by a doctor; but the nun pleads her innocence and the doctor confirms her hymen is still intact and she is still a virgin, meaning the child inside of her is a miracle. From then on, Sister Cecelia is held in high regard by the convent, believing God chose her to deliver this miracle baby; although, she soon grows to suspect the convent of ulterior motives for the child. The film plays a lot like ROSEMARY'S BABY except not for the way in which you may be thinking. Sweeney gives a very strong performance as the young, piety nun in a foreign land who doesn't always know what's going on around her due to the language barrier. And although I vehemently and fundamentally disagree with the underlying political theme of the film, judging it solely as a film, it's solid. Word around the campfire is Sweeney had to do MADAME WEB in order to get this film made and my two cents is it was worth it. While MADAME WEB wasn't a great film (were you honestly expecting anything better from Sony's Spider-Man universe?), this makes up for it. 7/10

ROAD HOUSE

A remake of the 1989 classic follows the same formula, just in a different town. Former MMA fighter Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) is recruited by Frankie (Jessica Williams) to help her clean up her rowdy bar in the Florida Keys. Dalton does just that but in doing so, interferes in the local business dealings of the very wealthy Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen) and as such, must pay the consequences of his actions. The film bills this as Connor McGregor's introduction to the silver screen and he's honestly the one thing worth watching as his over-the-top, I don't give a f*ck about you, henceman Knox. McGregor may even be playing a little bit of himself just seriously amplified. Gyllenhaal comes across as too nice of a guy, always smiling and not letting things rattle him. Patrick Swayze did a better job with the character IMO. While Dalton is an honorable man, who never looks for trouble and tries to do the right thing, Swayze made it look cooler and added more mystery to the character. For an action film, I was pretty bored with this about 45 minutes to an hour in. Outside of McGregor's acting chops, I will tip my hat for the phenomenal shape both he and Gyllenhaal got themselves into for this film. Another unnecessary remake that no one asked for and should have been left alone. Very disappointing! 4.5/10

MEAN GIRLS (2024)

A musical remake of the 2004 film finds Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) fresh off the plane from Kenya and home schooled for her entire life, trying to adapt to life at North Shore High School. She befriends Queen B Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her fellow clique members Karen Shetty (Avantika) and Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood). Both Tina Fey and Tim Meadows reprise their roles as Ms. Norbury and Mr. Duvall. Outside of the songs, the film follows the exact same beats as the original. I knew this was a musical heading into it and while the songs were thankfully short, I still wasn't a fan and thought the singing and dancing to be unnecessary. In addition, the new group of young women across the board fail to compare to the originals: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried. Once again Hollywood tries and fails to resurrect a classic for a new generation when they should have left well enough alone. Finally, and I couldn't help but notice that Cady's father (who was played by Neil Flynn in the original), is completely written out of this story without any explanation. Curious choice and I'm wondering why? 6/10

Road House was absolutely godawful. Jake Gyllenhaal is a superb actor, but this is just not the kind of role that's a good fit for him. Connor McGregor was indeed the best thing about it; not because he's great at acting, but his hammy over the top performance actually suits this type of movie.

Dune: Part Two on the other hand is absolutely amazing. And I'm usually not much of a blockbuster fan.

MONKEY MAN

Dev Patel stars as Bobby (a fake name he uses in the movie, we don't know his real name), a low wage worker at a fancy club by day and a terrible fighter by night. As a young boy, his mother is killed before him and from that day on, he swears revenge. We've all seen and heard the story before and this film does little to add to that narrative. While I was excited to see Patel branch into action films, don't believe the marketing machine that put together the trailers as this is not on the level of a JOHN WICK film (although that's what they're trying to sell you on). The scenes where Patel fights regularly after his daytime job are slow and not exciting; whereas there's only 2 major action sequences: 1 about halfway through and the final big battle. Outside of that, it's all backstory, flashbacks, a little bit of training so Patel can find his strength and defeat those who've wronged them. I've give the marketing people a hand for selling the film as exciting but I left the theater feeling anything but. This is not the film you think it is. 6/10

THE FIRST OMEN

A prequel to the original 1976 film follows Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) a nun from Massachusetts who comes to Italy to take her vows to become a nun. Although while at the convent, she suspects their may be something more at play, particularly with a young girl who has trouble fitting in with her peers, Carlita (Nicole Sorace). In some respects, the film has some of the same beats as the original such as someone who puts the main character on the path that something isn't right and only they can seek out the answers. In the original it was photographer Jennings played by David Warner and here it's defrocked priest Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson). In addition, the same shocking scene of someone hanging themselves for the child, saying "it's all for you" is redone. Whether these were homages or simply parts of the story that were borrowed from the original, I'm not quite sure? In saying this, the story feels somewhat similar. My expectations for this were somewhat low as the trailer didn't do much to gain my interest but I took a chance on it and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. It also does tie in rather nicely with the original towards the end. Although, and I know it wasn't planned but rather coincidental, but this also plays very similarly to the recent IMMACULATE release starring Sydney Sweeney. Between the two I prefer IMMACULATE but the same underlying political statement is still made and I shouldn't be surprised at this point. We're coming up on the 2 year anniversary of Roe V. Wade being overturned and as such, writers have had time to write scripts in protest of it and those have recently been turned into films by these latest 2 examples. They're still not going to convince me with their rhetoric and wish they're take the Disney approach: stick to storytelling rather than preaching. 6/10