Some movies I’ve watched recently (and not so recently, but recording for sake of reminder)
Captain Phillips
Inspired by an incident in 2009, this film follows the captain of the Maersk Alabama during a hijacking and subsequent hostage-taking. Great movie, very well portrayed. Highly recommended.
Hologram for the King
Another Tom Hanks film. This one’s a bit more laid-back and tells the story of a depressed, washed-up salesman in Saudi Arabia trying to sell a videoconferencing system to the government. Mostly enjoyable with light-hearted humour, but fairly slow-paced.
Sausage Party
Finally got round to watching this on New Year’s Eve. Very rude, crude and immature, but certainly not for kids. Entertaining enough, but I’m glad we waited for the price to drop before renting.
The Lobster
I saw this a few months ago on Netflix but worth remembering. Colin Farrell is wonderful in this odd, dark comedy about a hotel of sorts for helping people to find life partners in a world where – if you remain single – you turn into an animal. Bizarre, odd, and certainly not to everybody’s tastes, but I enjoyed it.
Fargo
Dark comedy set in Minnesota about a small town murder mystery and the people involved in it. A fair chunk of this movie is about the location and the relaxed nature of its population. Fun, quirky and I’m interested in seeing the TV series. On the other hand, it’s very slow-paced.
Tallulah
Appeared on Netflix a few months ago, so we gave it a watch. Decent enough movie and storyline with Ellen Page and Allison Janney. Warm, well-paced and interesting characters.
Austenland
Keri Russell is the American girl looking for an authentic ‘Jane Austen” experience in an immersive themed vacation in England. I chose this from Netflix on a lazy day with low expectations. It wasn’t great, but enjoyable enough.
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies
Somehow I thought this would be a good idea immediately after Austenland. Stopped it after about fifteen minutes. Maybe we’ll try again but it’s as silly as it sounds, and wasn’t particularly engaging either.
Suicide Squad
Rambling and jumpy storyline, with no real background and character development. Good enough for some mindless action, but nothing captivating. On the plus side, soundtrack was great.
Jason Bourne
Something something Jason Bourne something something Treadstone. Bland and disappointing. The original was the only decent movie in this series.
London has Fallen
Gerard Butler saves the day again as London falls to a series of attacks. Lots of luck seems to help as well, but for mindless action this ticks all the boxes.
Gravity
Beautifully shot. Sandra Bullock gets attacked by bits of space debris. This film inspired me to download Kerbal Space Program. Can confirm – space is hard.
The Martian
Matt Damon recreates The Good Life in space, after his fellow crew members leave him on Mars following a tragic accident. Enjoyable and witty.
Independence Day: Resurgence
It’s hard to critique an alien movie for being unrealistic, but this movie manages it with a frankly stupid plot. Will Smith added a charismatic element to the first film, which is sorely missing here.
The Secret Life of Pets
Annoying voiced creatures in a forgettable storyline. Watch the trailer to see all the funny bits.
Edge of Tomorrow
Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt on repeat. Quite a lot of fun. I enjoyed it.