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Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3
We watched this en famille in Odeon Ayr (maybe one of the last films we will see there - it may disappear soon). The film packs in an awful lot and isn’t, in my opinion, 100% successful. Oh, it’s a good watch and I wouldn’t put anyone off seeing it, especially if they are GoG fans, but it seems to try to cram too much in. Sad backstory competes with more comical present story, so the overall feeling of the movie is... odd. I have one niggle, too. That is, despite wearing my trusty hearing aid, I could only make out about 70% of what the characters were saying. Afterwards, I ascertained that everyone had the same problem. Not a huge problem, given the type of film GoG3 is, but on at least one occasion stuff was happening but I had no idea what it was because I’d missed the verbal set-up. So in my opinion it’s not as good as GoG and GoG2, but it’s probably still worth forking out to see it.
Stand by Me
Stand By Me is an adaptation of a Stephen King novella; it’s not a horror story, but rather the story of four boys embarking on something of an adventure and what they find out about themselves. It’s very well done and apparently SK puts it right up there as one of the best films of his works, if not the best. We watched it on Amazon Prime and enjoyed it. At no time did we feel anything was unrealistic or over the top, and the chemistry between the four boys is plain to see. Recommended.
Copenhagen Cowboy
This isn’t a film, but a short Netflix series that’s about...um... about... Well, it defies description, really. It’s nothing about cowboys, that’s for sure. Perhaps they use ‘cowboy’ in the title because the small girl who is the main character has some abilities that help her to right wrongs. A bit like Shane. No, nothing like Shane. Hell, just watch it. It’s only six episodes, and I confess I watched them all in two sittings. Go figure.
Avatar: The Way of Water
We watched this on the giant IMAX in Braehead, and it was quite an experience. The three hours flashed past... well, I exaggerate, but none of us really noticed that the film is so much longer than your normal film. The special effects and world-building are amazing. The plot is okay - just enough going on to keep the brain working. There was one shortish scene that I thought out of place, but I won’t spoil anyone’s enjoyment of the film by mentioning it here. If you are looking for a world-beating extraordinary masterpiece, like Citizen Kane, you won’t quite get that. But it’s not far off, and well worth watching. Find an IMAX if you can.
All Quiet on the Western Front
A lot has been written about this film. How wonderful it is. How terrible are the scenes it portrays. How well the score works; how the trench scenes contrast so effectively with the countryside scenes; how viewers feel for the characters, especially the main character, Paul. And how tense the ending gets, as we approach the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. They are all right. This is an amazing film and well deserves its Oscar nominations (at this point in time, the Oscars still have to take place). We saw this on Netflix. I don’t know if it is (or will be) available on the big screen but if it is, I imagine it will be even more effective there. Watch it. This sort of film doesn’t come along very often.
The Wonder
Well, this is a strange one and no mistake. The basic plot is well-known: a nurse is sent to observe a young girl who appears to be perfectly happy not eating. What is perhaps not as well known is the hard, fact-based viewpoint that the nurse (played brilliantly by Florence Pugh) brings to the situation. I’m not going to say here if she solved the mystery, if indeed there was a mystery to be solved. But you should watch it to find out for yourself. The whole thing is very well done, and well worth a couple of hours viewing time.
Little Women
We watched this on Netflix in front of a log fire while it was stormy outside and the Boy was away for the weekend. I’ve never read Little Women, or seen a previous adaptation, so was coming to the film quite cold. I’m in two minds about it. On the one hand, it was very well done, and all the characters were spot on. On the other hand, the plot itself was 80% predictable, I suppose not surprising given the book was written so long ago when readers were perhaps not quite so experienced (at reading). Overall, I’d score it 7 or 8 out of ten, so that can’t be bad, can it? Watch it by all means, and take a hanky or two if you are a sensitive sort of person.
The Midnight Club
This is a Netflix series that caught my attention some time ago. Reviews were mixed, but I thought it was rather well done. The basic idea is that a bunch of young people with terminal illnesses end up in a hospice where strange things may or may not be happening. It sounds rather dreary, put like that, but there are several twists that make the series eminently watchable. The biggest plus is undeniably the cast itself. Every character is believable, although whether you can swallow that they all are noble and wishing the best for everyone else is another matter. When you sit back and think about it, the plot is rather thin, but you don’t really notice that at the time. You can pick holes in the plot, and there are a couple of continuity errors, but I think the overall mood of the series blots them out. I could have done without the final twenty-second reveal, but maybe that’s just me. Another series that’s well worth a watch.
THAR
THAR is an Indian film, a particularly dark western. The scenery, the characters, the overall plot are very good. I could see where the plot was going, all right, although at times I could hardly believe what was happening. Makes a change to watch a film with no special effects to speak of; that relies on its story and character to carry the viewer. Well worth a watch. I saw it (I think) on Netflix.
The Rings of Power
This is the much-anticipated prequel to LOTR, which will (eventually) tell us about the creation of the One Ring, the rise of Sauron, and his eventual defeat. And I can remember who chops his Ring off at the death, but no spoilers here. I find it odd that it’s getting mixed reviews, because I liked it. People say it’s a bit slow, but there are, what, four series still to come. I think it’s building up very well. I think the characters are well cast and are doing a good job. And I think the magic special effects are good, too. I can’t think of anything I’d change. Seems all good to me, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming series. So if you want my opinion - it’s well worth watching.